Group: Kollage Kids

Hi Risa.

I used to use a 3M mega glue stick - purple, but it dried clear. It was awesome! Very durable. I can no longer find that in the stores - all they offer is the 3M craft glue which is okay but not the same as the mega.

I've moved to a liquid glue - a mixture of Elmers and Eileen's tacky glue. The tacky glue is really thick and the Elmer's is too runny - so mixing them makes them just right.

I've also worked with the UHU glue stick. That stuff is pretty great too. Any UHU product is good in my opinion.

Ciao!

Angie

You'll probably hear as many answers as there are collage artists, Risa! =smile=

I've tried acrylic medium, but I don't like it because my collages are just paper—no added paint or other messy media. And with acrylic medium you usually get a matte finish with visible brushstrokes. I like my collage elements to each have their own texture, be that matte, satin-finish, or glossy.

My collage postcards are fairly large—usually 6" x 9”—and sometimes I make bigger collages, like 8 1/2" x 11". I often have an all-over background as well as large elements. I sometimes finish them with clear acrylic spray, but usually not.

I use two glues, both of which are sold at Amazon & elsewhere:

(1) the Xyron sticker maker for almost everything: it applies a solid glue in a very thin sheet. There are multiple sizes of sticker makers (I have two, the 2 1/2" and the 9") and they're pretty inexpensive. Advantages: zero problem with wrinkling or bubbling, even of the thinnest magazine/catalog paper, very clean, and super, I mean SUPER, durable. Disadvantages: the price of the refill cartridges, although buying in volume or with discount coupons helps, and the fact that the used-up cartridges are non-recyclable trash. (I've written to Xyron about the environmental issue.)

(2) Elmer's Extra-Strength glue stick for just the teensiest delicate bits. I'm talking about the orange-&-navy-blue glue stick reading "Extra-Strength" with an orange cap. Advantages: Doesn't dry as fast as the Xyron glue, so you can move things around if you do it fast, and it seems to be durable enough, so long as you burnish your items with like the back of a spoon after you glue them down. Disadvantages: moist, so it's kind of messy (gets all over your fingers), less durable than Xyron glue, and not practical for large pieces.

For 95% of my collages, I don't need the glue stick: that's how versatile the Xyron sticker maker is. And the Xyron is great for vintage stamps and artistamps and other doodads on the outside of stuff I'm mailing. I admit it—I'm addicted!

—peace,

Fiona