Roller Coaster Mosaic
Level - Difficult
This project is slightly more difficult than the average layout due to the time factor used in putting it together. A mosaic done by hand can take quite a bit of time to cut and piece together. While working on scrapbooking a trip to Busch Gardens, I had an excess amount of pictures of just roller coasters. I decided they would make a wonderful theme for a mosaic page. There are some quicker methods for making mosaic pages, but for this page I wanted to have the personal touch of doing it by hand.
Materials:
19 pictures of one theme — in this case, roller coasters
1 sheet black 12x12 paper
Metal cork-backed ruler
Exacto knife
Photo adhesive
Step 1: Take all of the photos you have in your theme and decide if there are any you would want to use as a focal point. I chose two that I wanted to leave uncut. One photo was an aerial view of some coasters from a sky car, and one photo was of Brian and Brenda watching some coasters.
Step 2: Take the remaining photos and decide which areas of the photos you want included in the mosaic. If you start from the center of that area and work from there, you can use the ruler to measure out in 1-inch increments and only cut what you need.
Step 3:
Measure 1-inch squares on the photos over the area you want to show. If you have a clear ruler or 1 inch square grid sheet that is clear, you can place this over the photos and move it around as needed to see the final cut areas. Mark the edges where you want the 1-inch cuts to go.
Step 4: Take your metal ruler and place along the first 1-inch mark and cut down the edge using the Exacto knife. Cutting long cuts first makes this step a little faster. As you cut the individual 1-inch pieces, lay them to the side in order so you are recreating the original photo.
Step 5: After you have finished cutting the photo, turn the 1 inch squares over one at a time and number them on the back — left to right or top to bottom — moving through each square in the picture. This way if they are scattered you can easily put the picture back together. This tip works for especially large photos, or if they are all of similar look like mine.
Step 6: Make sure you repeat steps 2 - 5 for each of the photos besides the focal ones. I did have one or tow that I wasn't quite sure which way to go with, so I saved them for the end. Doing this gives you options in case you are stuck with an uneven area to cover later.
Step 7:
Measure off a border for the finished mosaic. I used 3/8-inch top and bottom and ¼ inch for the sides. Starting in the bottom left corner place the bottom left piece of the first picture and mount using the photo adhesive. Move over 1/8 inch and line up the next piece of the photo. Finish the photo using 1/8 inch of a division between each piece.
Step 8: Towards the bottom right measure out where you want the 1st focal picture to go. Make sure you include the 1/8-inch division measurements when you trim to fit. The smaller of my focal pictures I wanted to cover 2 rows and 3 columns, so the final measurement was 3 ½ x 2 1/8 inches. Using photo adhesive mount the first focal picture in place.
Step 9: Work your way across and up the page, placing the 1-inch squares as you want them, but try to piece the visual together as you would a puzzle. Your cut photos do not have to have an even number of squares. For instance you can use 2 squares down one side and the top 1-inch square from the next column. Use your imagination as you work through and piece them how they appeal to you.
Step 10: Place the 2nd focal photo toward the top left. This larger focal picture I wanted to cover 3 rows and 4 columns, so the final measurement was 4 ¼ 3 ¼ inches. Using photo adhesive mount the second focal picture in place. Having the focal pictures top left and bottom right helps to draw the eye across the page and all the coasters seem to run together.
