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So now that I completed my envelope, I'm going
to create my insert.
And an insert is basically a postcard, or anything that
goes inside the envelope.
So for the insert, you can be more conventional and create a
postcard that's rectangular.
Or you can have a lot of fun with it and
create an unusual shape.
It can represent a specific object.
It can be a little book.
It can be a series of actual objects that you cut out.
They can be connected by thread.
They can pretty much be anything.
So in my case here, I decided to create an insert that
represents an egg.
And it would directly relate to my envelope.
And it's very important for you to consider the
relationship between the insert and the envelope, and
whether it's visual or conceptual.
How does it relate to the image?
What story does it tell?
How do you want your audience to pull this insert out and
observe it?
So I made a drawing of an egg and I cut it out.
And then I found this
illustration in Science magazine.
So what I'm going to do is just place it on top and
outline it.
You want your lines always to be very light so they're not
noticeable.
And also so that they're easy to erase later on.
When creating an insert, you can also
consider the other side.
Is it also going to be an image?
Is there going to be text on your image?
Is it going to have a story, a poem?
Is it just going to be a painted surface?
So give thought to all those things.
When using text in your artwork, it's important that
you're careful with the words that you're using.
Sometimes using certain words where you're spelling out your
image can be a cliche, like you're
overstating the obvious.
So it's better for you to perhaps use text in terms of
texture or cutting out individual letters, rather
than spelling out a certain message unless it's crucial to
your story that you're trying to tell.
So here I cut out a shape of an egg.
And then I would probably cut out another shape on thicker
paper to use it as a base.
And then I could find another shape that would go on this
side, or another image.
And if I use just wide shape on the other side, I would
probably paint over it than have some kind of a
background.
So it wouldn't be left white and unfinished.
So here are my examples of a mail artwork, my envelope
about my memory of childhood of reading books
and watching birds.
And the insert that goes along with it.
And you could take this also further if, for example, you
decided to take some ink and start adding more detail into
your collage.
So you can see that I have a little bit of red in here in
the images of books.
So I can start, for example, adding smaller details in the
background out of red.
And these can be more abstract shapes, or they can
be images of books.
They can serve as pattern or texture.
I could actually go into the illustrations that I cut out
and start adding some ink there.
Just for a very subtle effect.
If you're going to add something to your envelope, it
might be a good idea to do a similar technique on the
insert so that they're tied visually so this technique
doesn't look out of place.
So and you can just keep going and play
around with your image.
So I hope you enjoy creating your mail art work.