USING MAGAZINE PICTURES

I have found that some magazine pictures are fine, others are not. This also applies to picture books. It all depends on the type of paper they were printed on and what type of ink the printer used. So how can you tell which are good? You must test them. You do not need to test every single picture you cut from a particular magazine or book, you can just test a page that is similar in colour to the one you wish to use.

To test the page. You need to paint the side of the page that you would be using for your design with a sealer. Jo Sonja's all purpose sealer is excellent. Tape the page to a piece of cardboard to prevent it curling back on itself. Let it dry completely. If when it is dry you can see what is printed at the back of the page when you are looking at the front of the page then don't use it. The paper is too transparent and the printing at the back will show through on your finished work and ruin it. If you cannot see through to what is on the back, then you can use it.

Another thing to be careful of with using magazine pictures is fading. Most magazine and some picture book pages fade quite quickly so unless you are going to keep the object in a fairly dark room I suggest you avoid using them. The choice is yours.

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USING GREETING CARDS & POST CARDS

Greeting cards are generally very thick. They can be used, but will require many more coats of varnish to sink the prints. They can be made thinner by peeling. (not a job I enjoy doing)

To do this dampen the back of the print with white vinegar. Do not soak it. Let it stand for a couple of minutes and then carefully rub the paper at the back of the print off until you get it as thin as you want it. Then wipe it clean with a damp sponge and let it dry.

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 USING WRAPPING PAPER

There are many suppliers who sell wrapping paper as Decoupage Paper. Most of them are beautiful, but if they are just wrapping paper they will eventually fade and spoil the look of your piece. If you wish to test it, cover the larger portion of the paper and just leave a small bit showing and put it in the sun for a day or two and see what happens. If it hardly fades you should be ok. If you can see a big difference between the covered part and the exposed part, do not use it on a project that will take you ages to make, you might regret it later.

The problem of papers fading is most disheartening when different types of prints are used together and one fades and the other does not. It may look beautiful at first, but a few months down the track when some parts of the project become faded, they will contrast with the rest of the design.

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USING PHOTOGRAPHS

Photographs do not respond well to all types of varnish. I hesitate to use them. If you really want to include a photograph in your design get it reproduced on a colour photocopier and use the copy. You might have to ask the printer to adjust the settings on the copy machine because sometime the colours get distorted in the process and you might end up with a very red face or a sickly blue sky.

Prints from a good quality colour photocopier work well, but the will fade with time ... and remember, some pictures and bought prints are usually copyright so do not copy them unless you enjoy living on the edge.

http://artbyjean.blogspot.com
Free print downloads and Craft prints on CD