I recently finished this new collage painting using vintage book pages. I just love the way the acrylics play along with the colors from the vintage book. My favorite collage medium to use is Traci Bautista’s College Pauge in matte. I like the consistency of it. It drys quickly so that I can move on to the next layer and it does not leave brushstrokes. In between each layer of paint, I added a layer of the College Pauge. The painting the has the most wonderful dreamy look. So much so that my husband thought I had coated it in beeswax.
I’m not sure why, but most of my photo’s come out looking like the painting is warped so I have decided to start cropping them. I think they look warped because I have to lay them on the floor near a window or on the deck outside for better lighting. I stand over what I am photographing and no matter how I move the camera, the paintings just never look straight. I had my husband try with his fancy camera and the same thing happens. I’m guessing I need to hang the paintings on something to get a good picture but there is not enough natural light in my house to do so. Such a dilemma. Any suggestions other than cropping?
In Art Therapy 
This is a glorious piece. I love it! Absolutely frame-worthy. I’m sticking the collage pauge on my Amazon wish list right now thanks to your recommendation.
I have the same issue with regards to presenting images of my art. Squinty photos are de riguer for me. I too take my work to natural light, move over the image, get the focus guides to line up to the paper and yet every single time it’s squint. Every. Time. I use the straighten tool and then either crop in if the painting allows or I crop with some of the background still in. But if you’ve seen my photos of art work then you should not take advice from me. I think the best thing to do would be to scan images in but my scanner is not big enough for most of my artwork.
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Thanks so much Laura! I think your photos look great! My scanner isn’t big enough for most of my work either.
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Loving the collages and your words. And yes – relate to curly edges of photos. I am forever cropping. A sort-of alternative is to keep them flat, use not-quite-as-good light and then fiddlefaddle with the contrast and exposure in editing. Or…when I photograph aged care residents’ work as part of art therapy, I briefly blutac them to a board to get them vertical and unbuckled. Hope that’s helpful.
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Thank you! I am having trouble getting good photos of paintings on a canvas. The edges look warped even they are not. I will have to try your blutac idea when photographing loose journal pages and painted papers. Thanks!
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I love everything in this painting, the dreaminess the texture and the soft paints. Photography and anything related to that is always a problem for me. I take photos of my art using a tablet and like you place my work near a window where there is natural light. Still the photo seems to have light in one side and a darker in the other side. Hubs said its the tablets limitation so I switched on taking photos in my work table using the two work lamps I use. But still have the same problem. So I result to cropping my photos. And like you my scanner is not that big to accommodate some of my art work.
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Thanks Carrie. I ‘m thinking about finding something light weight that I can use as a portable wall where I could hand a painting. That way I could take it outside for the photo. Not sure where I would store something like that though. ha!
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