I would look to get a piece of masonite and glue the pictures onto it, using a decoupage medium. Just make sure the printed pictures are waterproof. My ink jet pics will bleed as soon as they come in contact with water.

Once complete, you can frame it and hang it.

You could also consider decoupaging the collage from the back side in reverse order on a piece of glass which could then be framed...that way the collage is protected and will have a smooth finish. But you will have to get the knack of working in reverse...the first piece down is front most vs. working from the face side where the first piece down is most covered and the last piece down is front most.

Sorry...duplicate.

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Thu, Aug 29, 13 at 23:41

Are you planning on using them as is or cutting around the shape of the clouds? Either way, you could mount them on foam core which would create some dimension. Double some of the core to bring them out from others. Foam core would need to be painted on the edges. Or use thin foil strips to trim around the edges showing. Print out in different sizes. Lay them out on the board to see the sizes and form you will end up with before cutting. Also, they could be printed on clear decal paper and hang like your first idea. As above, be sure to spray an art sealant on them before mounting. It won't yellow and is designed for long term.

I saw a wonderful lampshade made from old slides and am going to try this idea with the many not seen sitting in a box for years. A bit off from what you are after, but they also had a dozen other ideas for them too.

My bathroom is not a collage, but many size pics framed of footprints in sand. Am fascinated with them and live in the mountains, more of a rustic decor. But they work.

As technicolor suggests, you may choose to frame them individually and make a collage with the framed art.

I did a collection of my vacation shots to fill the wall behind my woodstove inexpensively....I printed the pics at the local fed ex/kinkos and the frames with mats were from walmart.

"But you will have to get the knack of working in reverse...the first piece down is front most vs. working from the face side where the first piece down is most covered and the last piece down is front most."

Er, what? (lafs). Wouldn't the glue be showing on the front then?

This is the effect I'm going for (pretty sure this is from Design Sponge) - except they applied molding and the pics directly to the wall, which I want to avoid. (probably should have posted this in the beginning, sorry, durrr. )

This post was edited by Violet.West on Fri, Aug 30, 13 at 10:01

I think that would only look right if it was actually printed as one sheet, otherwise it will never be lined up perfectly.

If your images are in digital files, I would go to a printer and ask them to print them on one sheet...

The decoupage medium dries clear. When you decoupage, even when working from the front, you brush the top with the medium to seal all the edges down and to smooth out any lumps, so either way the medium shows.

How about transferring each one of them onto a large piece of linen or maybe a soft very light blue fabric. You buy the transfer paper in most craft stores and you iron it on with the picture face down. After you do them all stretch the fabric on to a frame easily made with some wood laths and a miter board. I think it would look super.

Maybe have them printed on canvas and hang several canvases stacked vertically?

Looking on the net, looks like Snapfish & Walgreens can do this, but have a limit of 15 photos per canvas ( 5x3 or 3x5, see what the dimensions of the canvas are to check scale).

Snapfish

Walgreens

I'm learning photoshopping (Paintshop Pro, actually) and can see how someone with photo editing skills could arrange a collage of your pictures into one jpeg file for printing on a canvas. Do you know anybody who's handy with Photoshop or PaintShop Pro? Do you have digital files of the pictures or do these need to be scanned?

well, I do have the digital files (all taken with my phone). Although I have already printed them out.

Some good ideas here!

So, I've decided on adhering the photos on stretched canvas, with a nail head trim. I've got a test piece going, and bought two 28x48 inches which I plan to hang horizontally on my wall.

The first pic is my test piece. I tried putting the decoupage medium on top of the photos, but didn't like that. I do plan to get my pics reprinted in matte, rather than glossy. So, questions:

--I'm thinking of experimenting with an antiquing glaze to soften the contrast. What do you think?

--the nailheads: I'm having trouble getting the tacks in straight. I don't know if it's my poor hammering technique (quite possible); if my hammer is too heavy, or if it's because the surface of the tacks is not even. Are there any tips you can give me on this?

Second pic is a sample layout on the larger board, so you can see what I'm thinking.

Comments appreciated!

Here's the second pic 'cause I'm a dummy and can't figure out how to post more than one pic in a post. It's just a quick mock up to see how it would look (photos aren't straight or anything)

This post was edited by Violet.West on Sun, Sep 8, 13 at 17:22

I like where you are going with this, and I think it will look really cool! No technique advise to offer other than, imho, the nailhead technique will detract from the overall effect, anyway; I'd leave it off.

thanks- I'll consider it. Wanted to give it a finishing touch of some sort so it's not just the raw canvas edge.