How to Make a Nature Collage! Beach Art Project!

Your trip to the beach was both satisfying and memorable. What better way to remember it than by creating a nature collage with a beach theme from the treasures you collected along the shoreline? Your nature collage will look beautiful displayed in your home and every time you look at it, you'll relive the memories of your seaside vacation. Here's how to make your nature collage:

1.Gather together beach treasures to use in your collage.

If you have beach treasures from your last trip, you're in great shape. You can gather those and use them in your nature collage. If not, you'll want to collect beach treasures on your next trip to the seashore. What type of items work best? Pick up unusual sea shells, bits of beach glass, seaweed,coins and even sand as you walk along the beach. You can also scan interesting beach photos into your computer and print them out on waterproof paper for use in your collage.

2. Clean your treasures to prepare them for mounting.

Use a damp cloth with a touch of alcohol to wipe away any excess dirt or oily residue from your collage items. Spray a clean acrylic sealer onto your pieces and allow it to dry thorougly. Be sure to use acrylic sprays in a well ventilated area.

3. Apply background papers to your chosen canvas.

Your canvas can be a large piece of cardboard, illustration board, or canvas. Choose interesting background papers with unique textures to serve as the background for your nature collage. You can even add magazine pages featuring beach scenes to give your nature collage a unique look. Arrange your papers on the canvas to create an interesting background setting for your nature collage. When you're satisfied, attach them to the canvas using a glue stick designed for paper..

4. Apply your beach treasures to the canvas.

This is the fun part! Arrange your beach treasures on your canas until you're pleased with the story they tell. Don't be afraid to experiment! When you come up with a pleasing arrangement, attach your objects with acrylic medium. Allow them to dry thoroughly. Cover your entire collage with a top coat of acrylic medium to seal your art and make it more waterproof.