How to: Mix 'n' Match backgrounds part 2
Hello guys, I hope you have a good summer pandemic (or winter if you read me from the southern hemisphere).
As you know, I was in a very good mood this summer when you read my last post and I was working on some projects, mostly backgrounds and props for doll photography. You can see it a bit in the first part of my Mix'n'Match background. When the idea of Mix'n'Match came to my mind, I tried to figure out how to create a different background without taking up too much space. I do not know about you, but I do not have a place for 20 diaries and different scenes to take pictures and I'm sure many people face the same problem. I thought, what can I do to change the look of my wallpaper with some elements? The answer is panels.
If you read the first part and do not like it, maybe this post is for you, because this background looks more realistic. Well, a complete give up, I got this idea last year when I stayed at work in college and was repairing my house. But a few months ago I came across this post by Bonequea and it turns out it does something very similar. Maybe it's a coincidence, or a case of cryptomnesia , and I'm sure it's not, but it's my original idea. Even if you do not know Spanish, I recommend you check the message. He uses different materials from me, so it might be interesting to look at a different technique.
For this craft I will use the same materials as in the previous post: gray cardboard, glue, cutter and a little paint. In a previous post, there was some confusion about the name of this cartoon. I have done some research and this cardboard is used in both book covers and albums, so you can look for it as a "leather cover". In Spain, this sign for you is called "cartón contracolado", but the lady in the store calls it "cartón encolado". I hope this answers the question about the box. Now let's start preparing the products.
I started by creating a new wall. If you have already created yourself, you can skip this step. I made my dimensions of 65 x 50 cm (25.6 x 19.7 inches) which is quite large but I prefer it to be too big rather than too small because I want to create the illusion of space. If it's too big for you, you can always make it smaller.
I slightly changed the editing technique. I thought it was better to work on foot and not squeeze too much. Because my carpet was too small, I made the first cut in its unground line and then repeated it. Then push the base and knife over and over the board until completely cut. It's hard to describe in words, but I push as if to shake someone's hand. I found this video to help you learn the best cutting techniques (sorry, in Spanish).
I then cover both sides of the gesson and let it dry for 24 hours. This part fascinated me and I forgot to take a picture, but luckily I did not need it.
Now is the time for my favorite part: choosing colors. For the first page I did something very unusual for myself and chose a neutral color. I wanted this wall to look more realistic than my usual background, so I thought beige-brown could be a good choice. I used a cold chocolate called Burlap from Americana Acrylics .
On the negative side, I would like to use something more vibrant, but it is still true. I chose the Sea Breeze shade from Americana Acrylics . It looks a little darker than I expected, but I think it may still look very real. If not, I still love this color.
Now is the time to start working on the fair / panel. I was not sure about his name and recently saw something similar in Barb in one of his diaries, so I asked him. He confirmed that it really is called valve. However, I did some research and found that the panels are usually the same type of panel as the chair. I’m not sure it will fit like my wall panel, but it is definitely a panel.
I wanted my camouflage to reach the doll’s waist, so I decided to use my doll as a guide to make it 18 cm (7.09 inches). With this cut you want your cut to be as regular as possible because it will be more visible.
Now we need to cut 3 long strips in the width of our finish for the base plate for the walls and the top and bottom end for the finish. I made one strip 1.5 cm (0.59 inches) and two 1 cm (0.39 inches). You can skip this step and make them with ice cream sticks, but I do not want them to have stitches. You should have 4 sections like this:
I painted everything before gluing the pieces together. I’m not sure if I should, but I was worried that the lady at the craft store would swallow the glue and the pieces would not stick together because she said I could use the glue as a primer. I painted both sides to prevent the planks from bending. Ignore the last part, it is for another craft.
Be sure to paint the edges as well.
Now is the time to glue all the pieces together. If there is any defect in the area you cut, be sure to place it where it is least visible. First, I glued a larger piece of white glue to the bottom of the panel. Personally, I like to put the glue with the brush and then press everything in place. I let it dry for a few minutes and then switched to the rest. When I close it, I gently squeeze my finger starting from one corner and give it weight while walking.
We are almost done! Now is the time to paint the panels. I chose white because it goes very well with other colors. In the future, I can always do more with other colors.
Here is the finished part. When I saw this, I felt very comfortable. Maybe you need to make some vertical details or use a darker color. But I do not want to make it difficult because it is the first time I do it. In the future, I can always add or repaint additional decorations.
Now is the time to see how he looks on camera. Let’s start with the beige walls. When I finished filming, I glued it to the wall with a poster closet to easily remove it. This is Blake.
Now remove the panels and glue the plinth / plinth. I also brought furniture to look more realistic. Interesting fact: the shelf legs on the left are not even glued, I just placed them in contrast to the white floor.
Let's go back or stand in front of the wall and see what our beautiful "Sea Breeze" looks like in front of the camera. This way I added a gray shelf I created in my profession: turn a tea box into a doll furniture shelf . I didn’t have a lot of props and jewelry, so I brought a pair of colored shoes. I will not lie, but I like the look.
Looks brighter without clothes In the first photos I took, Chloe looked very orange on this wall, but I corrected it by placing a warmer tone in the rich light. Of course, my phone found the scene very cold and tried to finish everything by making it warmer.
I was curious what this camouflage on the black wall would look like, so I quickly took a picture with Victoria. I like the contrast, but I think the black walls should be covered with matte varnish, it looks very bright.
Overall, I'm very happy with this art. I think I made the right choice of colors and they look great with dolls. It's my favorite tea, but beige also looks great. If I had to repeat it, I would shorten the curtains a bit and freeze the bottom a bit. I would like to design more in the future and experiment with shapes and colors.
I saw this as a way to add variety and detail to a photo while keeping the dolls as the main attraction. Most of my works are imperfect and have some flaws, but since I will not take detailed photos, they will not be very different in front of the camera. However, I still wanted to improve my technique and improve my skills.
It took me a long time to complete this project, not because it was difficult, but because other things distracted me. I started with the walls before I started with the squares you saw in my last post.
See the first part:
Check out the photo background tags for more background ideas.
