It's all in the
choice of color
Aunt Annie's Crafts
Tutorial #2
Matted Clip-art or Photo Cards
What we will be making:
This tutorial is all about combining colors. You'll learn how to select a mat color that suits the clip-art or photo that's the central theme of your greeting card. This tutorial builds on what was presented in the first tutorial, Four Patch Cards. Refer to that tutorial for how to make card blanks and envelopes.
Here's what you need:
- White card blank - 4¼″ by 5½″
- Colored paper or cardstock for mats
- Glue
- Clip-art or photos
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Ruler or paper trimmer
- White computer paper for envelopes
- Optional: Paper punches, rubberstamps, colored pencils.
This is the second of twelve card making tutorials and is rated EASY to do.
Making Matted Clip-art or Photo Greeting Cards
Read through the tutorial before starting.
- Step 1: Getting Started
-
Combining Colors
Some beginning card makers have a hard time combining colors in a pleasing way. One way of addressing this problem is to minimize the color choices. In week one we did this by using a single color or a single sheet of decorative paper. This week we'll add another color choice by matting clip-art and photos. What's interesting about the color of a mat, is that it can both enhance the color of the image and set the mood of the card.Card Mats
A card mat is simply a piece of paper or cardstock a little larger than the clip-art or photo. The mat is used to create a frame around the image. Its main purpose is to draw the eye to the image's focal point. If you plan to make cards regularly, it's convenient to have mats pre-cut in a variety of colors. Letter-size colored paper cut into quarters or 12" by 12" scrapbook paper cut into six 4" by 6" mats work well. For a group or class, buy a ream of colored paper in a variety pack—pastels, brights and darks. For home cardmaking, it may be most economical to buy a pack of 6" by 6" or 4½" by 6½" cardstock in a variety of colors. For the best buy, look for value packs of 100 sheets.Clip-art
Clip-art is freely available on the internet. My favorite web site for downloading clip-art is: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/Microsoft offers thousands of files for download and makes it easy to find just the right image. To find clip-art, enter a search term like "dragonfly" and click the orange search button. On the left side of the screen, choose Media types - Illustration. Select a black and white image and download it per instructions.
Clip art cards
Since this week is about matting and color choices, our first sample card features black and white clip art. This makes the mat color choice very easy and allows for the easy introduction of matting. After that we'll go on to learning how to mat colored clip-art and photos.
Follow the steps below to make a black and white clip-art or photo card then read on for how to select mats for colored clip art.
- Step 2: Select and cut a mat
-
Select and cut a mat using heavy paper or cardstock of any color except black or white. You might select a favorite color or just the use the paper that is most convenient. Cut the mat to about 3¾" by 5" for a 4¼" by 5½" card or cut a mat ½" (1 cm) smaller than the card blank you are using. For a 5" by 7" card that would be a mat 4½" by 6½". (See the first card tutorial for how to make a card blank.)
Mats can also be cut in other shapes. Print the patterns in the Shaped Frames download on colored card stock and cut to size. To make clip art and photos in these shapes, trace around a cut-out frame on the back of the clip-art or photo using a pencil then cut.
- Step 3: Select an image
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Select a black and white image for your card. It could be a favorite photograph or clip-art downloaded from an online site like Microsoft Office Images. The image used in the sample is available in a PDF file.
- Step 4: Print
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Print the clip-art or photo and cut it to about 3¼" by 4½".
- Step 5: Add a message strip (optional)
-
To add a message strip like the sample card,
- Cut a ½″ by 5½″ strip of the mat paper. Leftovers trimmed when cutting the mat to size work well. For a larger card, make the strip longer, about the width of the card.
- Cut a message strip from the African savannah PDF that is about 3/8″ wide. Or make your own message strip using rubberstamps or a word processor.
- Decorate the message strip with a small punch or stamp. The color of the strip of mat paper will show through any punched hole. In the sample card a small heart punch was used.
- Glue the message strip to the strip of mat paper, then glue that to the clip-art and trim any excess.
- Step 6: Glue
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Center the clip art on the mat and glue in place, then glue the mat with clip art to the card front.
Selecting mat color for colored clip-art or photos
It is usually best to select a mat color that matches a secondary color in the clip-art or photo. That is, an accent color as opposed to the main color
in the image. Take for example this butterfly clip-art from Microsoft.
The main colors are the oranges and black of the butterfly, while the accent colors are the pinks of the flowers and the background colors are the various greens. Let’s see how different mat colors look.
Main color – orange mat
Background color - green mat
Secondary (accent) color – pink mat
All of the mat colors coordinate well with the clip-art, but each has a different effect. The orange mat tends to compete for attention with the butterfly. The green mat simply extends the background and the orange on the butterfly appears duller. The pink mat (secondary color) adds dimension to the clip-art and the butterfly seems to come off the page. Move your chair back from the screen to see these effects the best.
Also notice the white border around the clip art. This separates the mat from the clip-art and adds a more finished look. Do some experimenting of your own to get a better feel for how mats work with colored clip-art and photos.
Back to TopBefore you start a tutorial:
- Make a place to work.
- Read through the tutorial.
- Think about what you plan to make. Imagine how you can add your own creative touch.
- Gather the materials you will need.
Get ready, and get started!!!
Tip: Pull the overall design of the card together by matting the card message with the same color mat as the image's.
The image on this sample card comes from the Curtis Botanical Collection hosted at the National Agricultural Library.Share images of your greeting cards to the Greeting Card Class Flickr group.
Tip: Mats and clip-art can be cut in shapes other than squares and rectangles.
The arched mat is available in the Frames download.
Tip: Save paper by using strips of paper to mat the clip-art instead of one large piece of paper.
What is clip-art?
In the broadest definition, clip-art refers to pre-made images used to illustrate printed documents or electronic media.
The term clip-art refers to the printed sheets of ready-made graphics that can be cut-out or clipped and then pasted
on a print master. In cardmaking both electronic and printed clip-art can be easily used to decorate cards.
Enlarge
Tip: A scalloped edge is a terrific way to
enhance a clip-art card! See how to do it in the
Scalloped Edge card tutorial.
Tip: Plain color mats can be decorated with rubberstamps.
Tip: Cool colors, like blues and greens, are more calming. When used as a mat these colors tend to stay in the background. Warm colors, like yellow, red, or orange, give a lively feel to a card. When used as a mat these colors have a tendency to stand out from the card.