Sometimes you’ll want to make a collage but have NO idea what to collage about. A good way to jump start the creation process is by using a prompt! For this prompt list, I’ve focused on things that can be translated visually, e.g. colors or images or both. Here you’ll find ideas for colors, subject images, and themes to use in your collages in June.

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June Collage Example

Here’s a how-to video on creating a digital collage using Canva, inspired by this month’s art journal prompts!

Birthstone Color Palette

June actually has three birthstones! Why? I don’t know. 😀 It’s the only other month besides December that has multiple birthstones, so if you’re a June baby you’re pretty lucky.

June’s three birthstones are pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone. While cultured pearls can be nearly any color, natural pearls have a lustrous white color. Moonstones have a blue sheen against a colorless background. Meanwhile alexandrite changes colors, going from vivid green to bluish green to an intense purplish red depending on what light it’s in.

I’ve created a palette that highlights the different colors and tones of the three June birthstones. Pearl and moonstone are kinda muted white and blue, and alexandrite can be a brighter green-blue. Since June is also about growing things (see below), I thought I’d lean into the blue colors with some pops of red-ish ones. It came out kinda funky, but I like it!

Word Association

Use these as starting points for brainstorming collage subjects or making a mind map to pull visual inspiration. (These are pretty focused on Northern Hemisphere Junes, which means summer. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, try looking at November or December’s inspiration page for winter-y ideas.)

Start of summer: long days, sunshine, crickets and buzzing insects, flowers everywhere, rising temperatures, hazy mornings, putting away winter clothes and pulling out summer ones, sandals and flip flops, life bursting out everywhere.

Summer vacation: the beach! road trips, visiting family, family reunions, cabin by a lake, swimming in the ocean, relaxing in a hammock, packing a suitcase, barbecues and block parties, neighborhood pool parties, picnics in the park.

Zodiac Signs & Associations

June has two zodiac signs associated with it: Gemini, the twins, and Cancer, the crab. Here are some associations and keywords for those two zodiac signs:

Remember, you don’t have to be born in June to use either birthstones or Zodiac signs for collage ideas! They’re just starting off points, to be used for brainstorming colors and image ideas.

June Full Moon Names

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon in June is the Full Strawberry Moon, because it’s traditionally the time to start gathering ripe strawberries in the US.

Other June full moon names are: Berries Ripen Moon, Birth Moon, Blooming Moon, Egg Laying Moon, Hatching Moon (so lots about growing and ripening new life), Green Corn Moon and Hot Moon.

Holidays and Events

June has quite a few big family-oriented holidays! NationalToday.com has a complete list of holidays and events throughout June. Here’s some of my favorites:

• Pride Month
• Jun. 4: National Old Maids Day
• Jun. 7: National VCR Day
• Jun. 10: National Ballpoint Pen Day
• Jun. 15: Nature Photography Day
• Jun. 19: Father’s Day & Juneteenth
• Jun. 21: Summer Solstice

Inspirational Quotes

Quotes are my favorite way to brainstorm a collage subject. Here’s some quotes about the month of June which I find particularly inspiring:

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” ― Maud Hart Lovelace

“What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade.” – Gertrude Jekyll

“At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon.” – Edgar Allan Poe

“If eternity had a season, it would be midsummer. Autumn, winter, spring are all change and passage, but at the height of summer the year stands poised. It’s only a passing moment, but even as it passes the heart knows it cannot change.” — Ursula K. Le Guin

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You might also be interested in these posts:

• Where to find free vintage photos and ephemera for junk journals
• How to stop being jealous of other artists | 6 tips for handling art envy
• How to find (digital) vintage book pages for junk journals
• July Collage & Art Journal Prompts

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