Greetings, creative adventurers! Welcome to the inaugural episode of “Tips on Tuesdays” (affectionately known by no one but me as ToTs) * For the duration of our International Mail Call for The Celebration of Sapphire, Michelle and I will be posting Tips on Tuesdays to highlight the ease with which one can take part in this fun, collaborative, creative exchange.
This week, I want to show you how to use what you have vs. purchasing something you may not need. We are going to look at the myriad was to create a base for your Mail Art: i.e. the substrate. If you have a pad of watercolor postcards, they are great; however, if you don’t there is no need to purchase them…. You can easily make your own by cutting a larger sheet of watercolor paper to the proper size. For our purposes, the proper size = 4 x 6 inches (or 10.16 x 15.24 cm).
Newly born watercolor postcards, cut from a 9x12 inch sheet of 140 lb paper.
Let’s say you are fresh out of watercolor paper and just don’t want to go buy any…. Have you recently finished a box of crackers? …or used a cake mix? …cookies? Essentially, any stiff food packaging that allows you to trim it to size will work.
A cracker box yields a perfect surface for a lovely postcard.
The printed side of the cracker box was covered with gesso - now it’s ready to take on any number of mediums (paint, markers, colored pencils, etc.). The Labatt Blue box, cut to size, provides a background that perfectly compliments the theme of our Mail Art Call and presents a great substrate for collage - no gesso required.
Not feeling like food boxes are your jam? No worries, how about repurposing a rigid mailer (such as a book or magazine mailer)? Perhaps a no-longer-needed-file folder? Any number of options are available to an intrepid creative adventurer - take a look around. You are guaranteed to have “the perfect thing” already!
Postcards four ways. Clockwise from top left: manilla file folder, cracker box (with and without gesso), 140 lb watercolor paper, and rigid mailer (with and without gesso).
There you have it! Many ways to do a thing. Which will you choose? We can hardly wait to see.
Just a few things to keep in mind as you create your Mail Art Masterpiece:
- the thicker the substrate, the heavier your postcard will be.
- be sure to use the proper amount of postage for your postcard.
- remember: no dimensional elements
- your postcard needs to be flat to avoid damage and ensure its safe arrival.
That’s a wrap on this weeks ToTs! Are there other materials that you think would make great postcards? Drop us a comment - you may inspire a fellow creative. We’ll see you back here next week for more Tips on Tuesdays.
