help suggestions needed!

[emck]

Hi I have a question unsure if this is the right forum but we will give it a go!

I make and sell cards to raise money for two charities i have some experience with dies and colouring in stamped images....I have never made a collage (unless u include primary school) and never done scrapbooking as such i only make cards!


I have been asked (because this person liked my cards!) to make a photo collage to go into one of those photo frames which holds 6 photos so it may involve stamping dies its almost mixed media in some ways as the lady is going to paint the frame a silver (pewter) colour and she says she has old (black and white) old photos of her family she wants to PAY me to do this collage (think there were 2 actually with 6 photos in each i said well ive never done this but im willing to try!


does anyone have any suggestions? the thing is i have no clue how much to charge for something like this (abobe the cost of the products) and no idea even what to do for a collage i did ask her for more info on what she wants as people telling me lots of info helps my cards a LOT so i guessed would help this too....


I have seen layouts so im assuming this is a bit like that with like 6 photos instead of 1 or 2.


any siggestions appreciated


thanks!


from Erin
PS will definitely upload some photos soon have been making lots of pop ups these are my favourites

[JBgreendawn]

oh boy, first things first make sure you are working off COPIES of the photos because, if you are doing something (messy mixed media) and you change your mind...

and because money is involved, you are going to want to have something in writing ahead of time that you both agree to of what you will do for this money and what she can expect. ( time line, materials used ect)

I am halfway thinking you may want to ask her what her expectations are for this collage ( if she can direct you to other peoples finished pieces that she likes that is what she is expecting to see) does this make sense?

if she has none, you may want to collect your own ideas based on what she told you and run different style by her, to see what she likes.

for instance if you were extreme CAS in design, and she has some frilly Victorian layered floral vintage lace and buttons thing going through her head. ( you need to know that)

[Cook22]

If it was me, I would very definitely want her to explain more clearly what she was thinking of. It would be awful to put a lot of work in and then have her disappointed in the result. I'm finding it hard, unless it's a different sort of frame, to imagine how you would make a collage. I'm imagining it as the sort that has six apertures in the matting. Good luck with it. And ditto what Stacy said about not using original photos!

[Rachelrose]

Here's what I hear you saying:

You have never made a photocollage. You have no experience with mixed media. You are unsure of what this woman actually wants. You have no idea of what to charge because you don't know how much work it will entail.

If you have a genuine desire to start doing this kind of project, then it might be worth risking the possible misunderstandings, miscommunications, probable underpayment and possible bad feelings that result when someone asks someone to make something that person has never made, without being extremely clear about what they want the end result to look like.

If you find the project interesting, and think you might want to get into doing such projects, however, then you'll be more prepared to chalk whatever happens up to a learning experience for future.

If you simply feel flattered that she asked because she admires your work (as you should be!), but have never felt drawn to doing this kind of project, then you owe it to yourself and your sanity to say no in the most polite and graceful way.

It is perfectly okay to say no if that's the way your heart is leaning. Just because someone asks you to do something and offers to pay you, it doesn't mean you have to do it.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[wavejumper]

Interesting to me you asked this b/c awhile back I was interested in doing something similar...the pre-made X number of spaces for photos in a frame. I was interested in stamping on the mat material that surrounds the pictures...maybe to make presents for family or a child's room. I never did get to it so I have no idea what inks will work on the mat yet.

How flattering she likes your work this much!

My suggestions:

1) get the framed piece that she wants to use-and try working on it like a practice run. If it is matted...you could ask at an art store what inks/paints/adhesives they think will work on the mat. You could maybe just get plain uncut mat material to practice on-that might be the cheapest way to go. But you want the same kind as in her thing-if she has it already ask to borrow it and take it in to show them. As we know, inks etc react differently to different surfaces. You might have to use pigments and heat dry it. Or Stazon. You may be able to do water based inks for blending...who knows?

If you can work this out...you might be able to sell these too.

2) the concern I have is not only to work with copies-excellent point!-I expect copy houses might be to do that on photopaper directly or scan first.

But you dont want to overwhelm the pictures with a lot of stuff visually. They could end up looking at a glance like DP in a busy field. One idea might be to have a black border you dont cross to maintain the image visibility.

I totally agree with the others....ask her to pick the pieces of your work she is loving to begin with and then really nail down what she envisions for this project. If she has seen something online she likes, get the link so you can see it.

Collage can mean many things to many people. Some see it as paper layers and minimal embellishments. Some see it as whole mix of materials.

In which case it isnt just how to stick things to the mat...it is which adhesives to use to stick the different materials to each other. Which may not be any big deal.

Last part...if she is not using a shadow box..you are not going to have a lot of play dimensionally which could curtail what materials you can use.


Just some thoughts.

[emck]

Thanks for everyones suggestions

I think - will confirm with her about style etc as her photos are black and white so I am used to bright and bold not browns and vintageish!


This is my understanding (from someone who has done a collage using this type of photo thing)


you throw away any matting but instead you turn over the cardboard which is where u stick the photos instead of sticking to where the x number of photos go you place them anywhere instead of having them all line up because theyre old theyre probably not the "usual" size which here in Oz is 10 x 15 cm or 4 x 6 inches they MAY be a lot smaller.


She is painting the frame pewter and the reason i havent found out about it much is cos she is my (new) podiatrist has seen a lot of cards i made at her friends (who was my old podiatrist) and she was late on monday and when she mentioned it we were almost finished then my support worker came it was her first shift and i could not finish the conversation about it.


I never charge for my time - i only charge for what products i use BUT because i make a donation to the charity i want her to decide how much to charge because theres actually 2 frames (same) number of photos in each one and so i thought if she donates the money to charity (through me) and i get my money back for any products used then id be happy to go with that price something like a $10 to $15 dollar donation per frame would probably be about right id say cos its a lot of work way bigger than a card but i may leave it to her i can add up how much product i use thats easy and will try to use what i have unless she needs something specific!


I have some but not much vintage type paper to be honest i bought a paper pad because of the music paper and did not realise as it was online that it was a vintage type paper hey it probably will be PERFECt for this LOL!!! u never know when u will need something.


my friend also said that u can use doilys paper or fabric if she has any and i have paper ones she also mentioned using music paper which had been scrunched up which is easy cos i play music...


I am willing to learn whatever i have to because as long as i get more details from her about what SHE is expecting i am sure it will be alright. I am honestly not used to this kind of project but would be willing to give it a go and THANKS for letting me know about the original vs copies of the photos we have a scanner but it maybe easier for her to get that done herself or she may have scanner and could print them at home i havent seen them it will be a lot easier when i know what she wants she may want tags to write who it is i have no idea.


She doesnt come for a month so i will get her to tell me next appointment what she wants at the start of the appointment


all my support workers have deiceed they love my cards and as a result i sold 6 in march!!!
i have 1 in april for my wedding anniversary and i think about 8 due in may i am also hoping to get to get a tooth out that needs to come out but when depends when i can get to the dental surgery as i am bedridden (yeah i do all this craft stuff from a bed including die cutting etc and its not the easiest but it works!!!)
and so i can only travel by ambulance


the thing is the podiatrist has waited about 6 years to do this and she is not in any hurry so i dont think she will mind if i cant do it until my tooth comes out (like its not in a hurry to like do it)


about the stamping ON the matting i didnt actually think of that idea and depending what i could/couldnt use it may work or i maybe able to include stamped images somewhere as i love stampingt and colouring them in. but i cant use any alcohol inks
i do know that because of the glass the embellishments cant be too big otherwise it wont fit in the frame.


thanks again for all your help will post when i know more or if i have anymore questions when i have some more information

[papercrafter40]

A suggestion for the photo copies. I would make sure to scan them and print from the scans. If you just went to a copy shop and ran copies, I can guarantee from personal experience, they will not look good! Also, try to use a photo printer, since the inks used to print the photos will probably last better. Good luck with your project--sounds really interesting!

[JBgreendawn]

depending on how formal (important) the photos are, what i did with some of mine was I took them to a photography shop and had them scan and print them and they also were able to create negatives so other relatives could have their own copies.