Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Right now I would like to talk to you about
creating mail art.
And that the focus of this mail art
project will be memories.
A mail artwork and envelope and an insert are very
interactive in their nature.
So when creating your envelope and insert, you have to think
about how you want your audience to open it, how you
want them to look through it, and basically how you are
trying to get your idea across.
So here I just have an old envelope that I
carefully tore apart.
And I'm going to use it as a template to
create an actual envelope.
It's very important that you make this envelope yourself,
rather than using a store bought one.
So I took this envelope carefully apart.
And now what I'm going to do is I recommend that you use
good quality paper because it will allow you to create
stronger structure.
And also if you paint on it and drawn on it, and create a
collage on it, it'll be able to hold the glue and the
paint, and whatever else you use, much better.
It will be able to absorb it.
And any art work that you create using better quality,
thicker paper, such as drawing paper or watercolor paper,
will just make your piece look a lot better.
After you outline your envelope, you can use an
X-acto knife or scissors to cut it out.
When you're done, you can take a white plastic eraser and
make sure that if there's any visible pencil on your edge,
you can remove it.
You don't necessarily have to use a premade envelope.
You can create something that's really unusual.
For example, a very long envelope that's narrow or a
really tiny envelope.
You could do a series of very small envelopes.
Now I'm going to score the lines.
And what you're going to do is line up your triangle with the
lines of the envelope.
And you're going to score them.
And you can use anything sharp.
I will recommend using an X-acto knife because it's very
sharp and it will actually cut through your paper.
So using something like a pallet knife or plastic knife,
or even scissors, a side of your scissors will work.
So you hold your ruler or you're triangle in place.
You just go back and forth and you score the lines.
I'm applying some pressure without pressing too hard.
So you can see I created a line.
And then you can gently fold it.
And then you can use your nail to press it down.
It's important that you pay close attention to
how you cut it out.
You could also create an envelope that's completely
unconventional that looks like an object.
For example, an envelope that looks like
a suitcase or something.
So I scored all of my sides.
And now I can fold all of them.
So this is my envelope here.
And now you can do the collage portion.
Or you can decide to paint it, and then collage on top.
Or you can just do intricate drawings or
use pastels or ink.
It's pretty much up to you.
I'm going to create a collage for this mail artwork.
Think about what memory means to you and how you
want to convey it.
Is it something about your childhood?
Or it's something that--
a story that is memorable?
How do you want your viewers to perceive your artwork?
So here I have some cut outs.
And you can start moving them around your picture plan to
decide the best composition.
So my story is about bird watching and also reading
books when I was young.
So here I have an image of a dove with this
strange metal piece.
And then I have these small cut outs of books.
And what I'm going to do is have these books come out of
the openings.
So I'm trying to connect different
shapes and images together.
Once I like this layout, I could also consider the
background.
Do you want the background to stay white?
Or do you want to add a color?
A lot of times when something is completely white, it may
look unfinished.
So you have to carefully think about whether you want to add
a color or background collage to your piece.
So I'm just going to try and add some ink washes and see
how it will work with my collage.
And sometimes it won't look as well as you expect it.
So you can maybe make several of these envelopes.
And then you can try out different things and see what
works best.
You really want to address all of the flaps.
So when you're creating your envelope, you don't want it to
be just the front.
You want to think about the side flaps, top, bottom, and
also the interior of the envelope.
It can be just as important as the exterior.
You could create a more detailed drawing or painting
in the background.
Or it could be something very simple.
Since my collage is pretty complex, I'm not going to make
a very active image in the background.
It will just be a wash.
And once you're done, you can allow it to dry, and
put it to your side.
Here, I already created one with a different color.
And you can see which one do you like more.
Or maybe you don't like this at all and you want to go
back, working with the white background.
You can see here that I placed the wing of the
dove onto the flap.
And I want this image to look continuous.
So what I'm going to is go over that wing with a pencil
line to indicate where the flap is going to bend.
And then I'm going to cut them out.
Rather than folding it, it will be a lot easier for me to
cut them out.
And then glue them as individuals shapes.
So what this does is that it creates a continuous image.
So it doesn't only end here.
But it moves onto the other flaps.
And then the books that represent books that I was
reading as a child are flying out of these openings.
I also cut into the wings, so I can insert some of them and
create a direct connection and show that they're flying out
of the dove's wings.
So you want to create this relationship between the
images so they're not just attached to a surface, but
they're intertwined.
They're interconnected.
So let's say I'm happy with this image.
I would then proceed to gluing it.
These little guys would be best glued with white glue,
just because they're small and you can really control the
edges and carefully slide them in.
And then it's also important that you give thought to the
inside of the envelope.
So right now, you will have images over here.
But it still looks white inside.
And it may look unfinished.
So think about images that go inside the envelope, and how
do they relate to the outside.
Is it showing of the inside of a body, or the inside of a
suitcase, if you're portraying a suitcase?
Or an inside of a book.
Or does it have just an unusual texture inside?