| What is Scrapbooking? |
| Scrapbooking is the creative process of making beautiful photo albums using images, illustrative decorations and a range of craft techniques to enhance your photographs. It’s a new and exciting way to organise and preserve those special photos tucked away in a shoebox somewhere-Yes! Those photos you’ve been promising yourself for years now to place in a proper album…… |
| All you need to get started is some paper, scissors, glue and some of your favourite photos- |
| But!……pasting your precious memories in just any type of album with the normal glues and using the wrong kind of acidic paper will slowly but surely eat away at those special photo moments. Acid is used in paper manufacturing; it breaks apart the wood fibers that hold everything together! |
| What is Acid Free? |
| Acid is used in paper manufacturing; it breaks apart the wood fibers that hold everything together! If there is acid in the materials you use for placing photos, it makes a chemical reaction causing accelerated deterioration. All products have a special pH factor, which is essential in all Scrapbook products like glue, paper, pens and stickers. |
| Why is ‘Lignin free’ important in photo and scrapbooking albums? |
| Lignin is a substance found naturally in the cell walls of plants and trees. If its not removed in the paper making process lignin can cause paper deterioration. Therefore it is important that any paper component that comes into contact with your photographs or scrapbook page is lignin free as the presence of lignin can start a chemical reaction thus deteriorating your photographs over time. |
| Always check your product is lignin free before purchasing or using. |
| What is cropping? |
| Cutting and/or trimming a photograph. |
| What is Archival Quality? |
| Top quality materials, which have undergone laboratory analysis that their acid content is at a safe level. |
| What is journaling? |
| The text on your scrapbooking page: The description, story, questions and comments referring to that specific page. It can be done by your own handwriting, calligraphy, adhesive letters, alphabet templates and computer printouts, or anything else you can think of using! |
| What is a Die Cut? |
| Adhesive shapes that you apply to your pages, a shape that you cut your photograph in or a shape you have drawn, cut out and glued to your page. |
| Gel Mediums and Molding Pastes |
| Gel Mediums and Moulding Pastes offer artists many ways to build texture. They range in consistency from pourable to mouldable with varying degrees of sheen and transparency. Use them to create glazes, extend paints, build texture, and change finishes. Many are excellent glues for collage work. |
Even though acrylic colours are offered in various different consistencies and finishes, the use of gels and moulding pastes in conjunction with such colours will broaden the working properties and expand on the possible results.
Gels can be thought of as colourless paints, as they are composed of similar polymers as are the acrylic paints. They may be considered the “glue” or binder that dries to form continuous, durable films. They are made of 100% acrylic polymers, which have proven to have excellent flexibility and chemical, water and ultraviolet radiation resistance. |
Why are there so many gels and moulding pastes? Over the years, artists have continuously requested new gel or pastes that behave and/or handle differently than what currently existed.
Admittedly, such a large number of different gels and pastes can seem staggering and can confuse artists. However, with at least a general understanding of the various products available, and an inclination to experiment, artists can create new ways in which to express themselves, and probably apply materials in ways I have not thought about.
The Gel or Moulding Paste can have acrylic paint added to it and spread onto your project, but let it dry, preferable overnight. It can also be used as with ink or paint over the gel or paste at a later time.
I will often add dimension to some doodling on the page, or extending an embellishment out of the photo. |
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