This is prolly a dumb question, but what kind of glue or whatever should i use for a collage....like say pasting images onto a box, or layering images over something.......? not school glue or crap like that, i want this to be professional looking.
If you can find papier mache glue, it would probably be suitable - it dries clear and doesn't leave any glossy or flakey residue, so it doesn't matter if you get it all over both sides of the paper. And it's all thick and gluggy so it's quite fun to work with. I can't get it locally any more, so I'm using wallpaper paste (they call it 'lap adhesive' in hardware shops here) and it does much the same thing but is a bit more fiddly to mix up right.
Modge podge is my favorite...its waterproof, clear, glossy... Although, I saw some collages a girl did at our university, and she used beeswax, and they looked fantastic! Her pieces were more like paintings, not functional or anything (like a box would be) but the wax gave it more of a layered look...Im going to have to try it out this summer. Keep in mind, if you do decide to experiment with wax, dont let it hang out anywhere where it would get too hot and melt. Good luck with your collages...theyre so much fun!
YES! pva glue!! I should have known; after all, Neil from Art Attack is a big fan thanks for the advice, friends! I'll have a looksey around!
I just wanted to update my post...I found out the other day, to my dismay, that modge podge is NOT waterproof. Its water resistant, but if enough water gets on it the glue will get icky. I just wanted to let you guys know so no one experiences mishaps like I did!
Speaking of waterproofing... I found this out the hard way so I'll jot it down here so someone can learn from my mistakes: I had a papier mache tray decorated with different coloured papers, which was finished but needed something to make it water resistant and generally hold it together. I used some estapol gloss I happened to have handy from another project. Big mistake. The estapol was oil-based. You know how paper goes sort of clear and waxy if exposed to oil? The whole tray went that way, and you can see straight through the top decorative layer to the layers of crap and newspaper underneath. It's not totally ruined, but I'm thinking of giving it away just to be rid of it...
ethel, have you thought of adding another layer of different colored papers to the tray to cover up the crappy layer?
I'm not sure how it'd go... coz it's got the glossy coat of Estapol on top now. I probably could save it if I put my mind to it, but you know sometimes when you've faffed around for ages with a project, and it's not turning out right, and suddenly you just want it OUT OF YOUR LIFE coz you're sick of its presence? Or does that just happen to me?
(laughs) no no, you're not the only one! man, i have a closet full of projects that will never see the light of day again!
Mod podge is the greatest! its multi-useful, However, if you want to seal it to be water proof, use the mod podge first then after it dries, use a water proof spray sealer to protect the collage. i used to be really into porn collages, its not as nasty as it sounds, its just that all my guy friends had a lot of porn from the paint shop that their manager gave them, and they have cool pics. lol. Wicked frog sig! pretty!
My internet is running wicked slow-but if you google mod podge-it will come up with homemade recipes. I like soaking the paper pieces in water and just using mod podge or elmers & water-they lay out flatter
we went through tons of modge podge when i worked at camp... the kids loved it and the result was a good one.