Quick Handmade Cards
Easy Collage and Contemporary Designs for Stationary
Tps and techniques for creating artistic handmade greeting cards with a contemporary collage effect.
Collage images stamped on inked photo paper combined with embellishments offer a wonderful technique for making multiple cards in one session. They will all look similar, but no two will be identical. Visit the Artful Tourist website to see four cards made in the same session.
Basic Assembly Guide:
1.Select a collage style stamp (Paper Artsy used in sample)
2.Using white coated cardstock or photo paper as background, apply inks directly to the surface of the paper (Ranger alcohol inks were used in samples)
3.After ink paper dries (about 5 minutes) stamp image with black permanent ink onto inked paper
4.Use colored cardstock to create mattes for the artwork and card bases in coordinating colors
5.Edge artwork with gold Krylon™ pen or with glitter (Stickles by Ranger)
6.Matte artwork and glue to card base front
7.Embellish with die cuts, punches, ribbon, mesh, brads, or any other items you may have left over from previous projects (Wizard™ die cuts used on samples)
Many artists are printing their own photos these days and the leftover paper is great for the image base. Experiment with allowing some of the white to show through and with covering the background entirely with ink—both effects are interesting. It’s easy to ink up lots of paper pieces and then begin stamping with the collage stamps. If you tend to hoard leftover embellishments, clip art, stickers, etc. then this is the perfect way to use them up.
Since the focal image for the design is two dimensional, try to include at least one 3-D embellishment on each card. Items such as mesh, ribbon, embossed die cuts, brads, and beads work beautifully. As with any collage, pay attention to anchoring the design with mattes of cardstock, photo corners, and borders.
Taking the paper to the inked stamp for your final image will create better stamping results on the finished collage. If you still have trouble getting larger collage images to stamp on your inked paper try cutting around the image or a portion of the image for variety. Layer a portion of the image on inked paper over stamped cardstock for more texture or stamp the image on vellum and cover the original image (and any mistakes) with a vellum overlay.
Collage style stamps are the key to achieving complex visuals with a simple technique. If you have a collage stamp you’ve set aside because the image just wasn’t working for you, try this method for stunning results.
Check out general design tips for quick cards inPart One of this Series-Quick Handmade Cards.
