I just recently discovered Mail Art…and you guessed it, I just had to try out! It`s a lot of fun. But what is Mail Art? In a nutshell, it`s a postcard sized piece of art that you send in the mail to someone.
I did a lot of research and attended a workshop before creating all of these masterpieces that follow. But this is what I retained as the most important: Anything goes!
Here are some ideas to get you started. They are the ones that I used for making my Mail Art.
1. You need a postcard sized cardboard canvas. Either 4x6 or 5x7 will do.
2. Your going to need paper, lot`s of it. Magazines, books and scrapbooking paper are a good starting point. Look for patterns or images that inspire you and rip them out (colors, textures, symbols). Because your canvas is so tiny, only use small parts of whatever paper you have chosen (like 1x1 inch or a 0.5x2 inches strip of paper.
3. Apply paper to canvas in a chaotic way. Use acrylic medium to stick your paper to the canvas. I worked with mat medium and gel medium. Don`t forget you can put some color in your medium and create glazes. Leave some negative spaces (empty spaces).
4. Optionally, use sanding paper once canvas is dry and roughen up some surfaces on the canvas. The next coat of paint will react differently to the paper and create visual interest.
5. Finger-paint. The paint can be opaque or it can be translucent (glaze or a wash). Make spots, stains or anything. Wipe it off a bit with a paper towel, or not. Create a distressed look by adding more pigment on the edge of the canvas. Do what you feel like doing.
6. Next, find some words that represent your painting or that speak to you. Then stamp them on your painting with letter stamps and Kraft ink (permanent ink). Or stamp a saying. You can also write with permanent ink pens. You can even stamp emboss a picture. Be creative.
7. Add more stamps, decorative elements, stickers, spray inks, doodles, etc.
8. Do the other side, but keep it cleaner to write a message and to write the address.
9. You have accomplished your own mail art masterpiece!
Remember that you can actually do what ever you feel like, and that these instructions by no means must limit your own style or creative pursuits.
Now for the fun part: what I created!
Butterflies postcards - 4x6 cardboard canvas
These images are in sets of two (front and back).
Le Florist
Carte Postale
Paris 1862
Exposition
601
402
Excellentes sauces
Le bouton
Butterflies Series 6x8 (these are not postcards but where inspired by the ones I made).
L’Horizon
Petit moineau
Fleur de Froment
Chocolat
Confus Murmure
Tour Eiffel
Materials used:
Paper: K&Company, Best of K&Company 12x12 designer pad
Paint: Golden, quinacridone red, quinacridone gold, Cadmium yellow medium hue, phthalo turquoise and unbleached titanium.
Spray Ink: Maya Mist in lime metallic and in sand metallic.
Stamps: Tim Holtz visual artistry, Stampin’ up, Hampton Art and Inkadinkadoo.
Stamp ink: Stampin’ up kraft stamp ink in chocolate.
Stickers: Tim Holtz idea-ology salvage stickers in Crowded Attic.
Designer tape: Tim Holtz
Hope you enjoyed. Happy Mail Art Making!
Krysthle Poitras
