Tuesday Technique'N: Collage Sheet Art with Guest Artist Mary Mata

Collage Sheet Card & ATC Creations
Text & Photos - Mary Mata

The idea for making my collage sheets evolved naturally from my own card making.  At the time I was making cards from my photographs.  I soon wanted somthing a little different.  Collage was a great way to put a lot of 'pretty' in one space.  I was also teaching myself Photoshop so the ideas just came together easier after that.  After making collage style cards for resell, I thought, "Hmmm.  Why not create art for others to make their own cards?"  The rest is history.

Much of the inspiration for my art and collage sheets comes from my own photography and vintage photographs.  I love color, so everything gets a healthy dose of it!

The first project I wanted to share with you is a card made from my 'Raven Hair Beauty Card Collage Sheet'.

Materials used are:
Blank card (cut an 8-1/2 x 11 in two, then fold)
Glue - I like quick dry tacky glue or photo safe glue
Ink pads in colors to match - pigment inks work best
Glimmer Mist - love this stuff
Scissors
Metallic Gel Pens for embellishing
Collage  Sheet(s) of course!
Ephemera if desired

Once you have cut all the images from the collage sheet, start layering them to find a composition you like.  

When you find a look you like, lightly mist the background with silver Glimmer Mist. Let it dry.

Choose your ink pad in the color you like and ink the edges of all your pieces.  Let those dry.  Ink the edge of your card background.   Now you are ready to glue!

Glue background with all your pretty pieces.  Let the glue dry.  And now, if  you'd like, you can embellish with your metallic gel pens.

Completed Card.

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The second project I want to share with you is an ATC made from my Seaside Card Collage Sheet. 

Materials use are the same as those above, with the exception of a blank ATC background, and a gold star I glued under the butterfly.

The technique for the ATC is the same as for the card ...  

that's because I have a very short attention span and need instant gratification! 

I do like to glue my ATC to a sturdier background, though, such as watercolor paper or card stock, cut to size.

 

Completed ATC

I also like to use shipping tags to make tags or bookmarks.   Some like to decorate their scrapbook pages.   

 

And transparencies add a further layer of dimension and allure to your project. 

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT!

About me:

I grew up out in the country in sunny California. We always had a garden, so I developed a love for the earth and all its beauty. I got my love for photography from my dad, but I was always drawing pictures as a kid. I am self taught, with the exception of a few classes I took in high school.  Everything I know about art and photography comes from reading a book, experience, and studying others peoples art. I tend to like the Art Nouveau and Art Deco look, so I do lean in that direction.

I worked as a wedding photographer for over 15 years, so I did teach myself photoshop. But because I was an artist before I was a photographer, I would constantly look for ways to make my photographs look more like art. That's where collage came in. It was a natural progression inside my 'let's go in twenty different directions' brain.

When I started the collage sheets, I was already making my own cards. There were collage sheets already on the market, but most featured clips of ephemera, not something you could create a card from with one sheet. My sheets also tell a story via my use of coordinated images versus just a group of unrelated pictures.

You can find my collage sheets, along with other fun stuff to create with at mataart42.etsy.com
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at studiomem@yahoo.com

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Mary Mata's collage sheet images have been gracing the pages of my written journal, my visual journal, my hand-crafted cards, and my mixed media canvases for the last three years.  She, along with one other artist, is my favorite source for collage sheets -- they express my internal horizons and visions; they are what I would create if I could!  I couldn't believe it when I discovered them, as if Mary had taken the extended world tour of my mind and imagination!  I visit her ETSY shop just to soak in the loveliness, and for a perfect mental escape!

Mary, my excitement level at

having you here for a

Guest Artist technique post

can't be articulated. 

THANK YOU!!!