Eating That Elephant

I wanted to collage with an image printed on vellum, looking for that soft, image through the vellum look, but quickly ran into snags.  First, the color would run when I applied the collage glue (I was using Mod Podge, and had already run out for more supplies so didn’t want to find a waterproof collage medium).  Second, the vellum would curl as soon as it hit the liquid.  I tried rinsing the image, but too much of the color was washed away.  I finally found the following technique.

First, print your images in reverse onto vellum if you will have it show through from the back.  Print extras for test copies.  Let this dry completely.

Next, before cutting out your images, cover the ink with a layer of Diamond Glaze or SU Crystal Effects, and let dry.  Then cut out the images.  If there are parts you would like to have faded, experiment with leaving them uncovered, and rinsing thoroughly in water to see what effect you get.

Take your cut out images and soak in cold water while you prepare your collage canvas.  At first they will curl into tight balls; after a few minutes they will relax into limp pieces.   Don’t over soak or your Diamond Glaze will wash off and the ink will begin to run. Now they are ready to collage.

After applying your collage elements, if you still have curling or wrinkling around the edges that you don’t care for, cover the image with plastic wrap or a piece of a plastic bag (the one that all of the supplies came in worked well :), and roll with a brayer to flatten.

Results may vary; I have only tried this with one printer and type of vellum, specified below.  You can also use this the Diamond Glaze to project paper images for right-side-up collage.

Materials used:

• HP c7200 Photosmart printer with regular ink
• Inkjet Vellum (from Office Depot)
• SU Crystal Effects
• Mod Podge Matte

Pictures coming soon 🙂