Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Collage with Magazine Papers

I am hearing from students in my workshops - both live and online - that it is a challenge to get magazine papers to lie flat on the collage substrate. So I thought I'd do a little video demonstration on how I get this to work. If you have found other methods that work, please share them in your comments!


12 comments:

  1. Nice and nifty little video...thanks...I just cruised your blog a bit...wow, what beauty...I don´t know what planet I have been living on that I have only found it NOW......anyway,,,,here I am:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cool video! I love collage, and enjoy looking at your collage projects. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Jane,

    This is very helpful. I'm not spending enough time making sure the magazine paper is secured onto the surface.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Another problem for me is leaving fingerprints on the paper. (I use glue for photo's) I am happy with it because it doesn't 'bubble'. But when I get the glue on my finger and then touch the paper it leaves fingerprints.
    It's my biggest frustration!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Jane... you are always sooooo helpful and informative.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good video. When using acrylic mediums when pasting papers, I like to wear nitrile surgical gloves. Not only do you not get the matte medium on your fingers that way, I also find it makes it easier to use your fingers to flatten and manipulate the pieces. I've also at times used a brayer or hard roller (before adding more medium on top!). You can place a piece of waxed paper over the piece before rolling, if you're afraid of getting medium on your roller, then remove and smooth with brush or fingers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. maybe that kind of brush you use is where I go wrong. maybe I put too uneven medium on the surface or to thick medium or too wet.......
    I get one out of four acceptable
    have to buy a new brush

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the instructions. Saves me time and frustration if you solve these problems. LOL. I bet Nat. Geo paper is thicker than most magazines. Wow, now to go find some magazines. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jane, I flatten my magazine papers like you do, but the problem i have is when I want to apply multiple coats of matte medium over the collage. The paper still tends to wrinkle, altho sometimes the finger technique works and sometimes I still get some bumps. I bought a rubber brayer but I"m not sure whether to use that dry or wet. any comments? thanks so much. you are a great discovery. just found you today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jane likely can add other things to this, but I have found that it is essential to create as even a coating of medium as possible. If you have any gaps at all--even a little bit--where the medium has missed, you will have wrinkles. Also, if you use too much medium, it will over-staturate everything and you will have wrinkles. When applying multiple coats, use thin, even coats--just enough to completely cover--and let each layer of medium dry completely before putting on another.

      With a little practice over time, you'll get the feel for it. Just enough to completely and smoothly cover the surface, but no more. And then rub, brayer, use a credit card, or whatever works for you to burnish. The time to brayer is when you've just put down your freshly glued piece and the medium is still wet. This helps push out the excess medium and ensure that you have glued evenly.

      I think it's one of those things that's a bit like driving or riding a bike. It seems impossible at first, but then with time you develop a feel for what is just the right amount of medium to apply, and how to brush it on and how to burnish the paper. It takes practice to develop a feel for it. Or at least it did for me! (Jane, I hope you don't mind me jumping in! I've just glued a lot of paper over the years, and thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth.)

      Delete
  10. Use your rubber roller to paste the prints onto the paper. This technique is also used in decoupage. You get a very smooth result.

    ReplyDelete

I have had some spam comments lately, advertising of stupid stuff. So I am moderating comments until I can figure out a better way to prevent spam. THANKS!