Trials and Tribulations of Papercrafts...

The Workbench Toolkit...

     I learned quite a bit about tools of the trade while working on this last project for the Paper Custodian.

    First thing is, the quality of paper is always questionable. A few months ago we invested a few dollars in several packages of 'premium' matte photo paper we found on clearance at the local mega-mart. The paper is superbly bright, of heavy stock and it takes ink very well. One, thing it doesn't take kindly to is glue. Glue! This is probably due to the fact that photo-papers are coated with resin of some form or another. The glue sticks more to the resin than the paper, which doesn't create an ideal bond. I notice this before because parts of my papertoys were falling off when I would rearrange or move them from one shelf to another. In the far future, I'll just buy premium card stock from a brand like Wausau.  I've used their paper in the past with great results.

     Second thing is, I really need to build some sort of staging area. Something in a neutral color, with a decent backdrop and good lighting. The table clothes and cutting boards have a big effect on the quality of the pictures being taken; colors being inconsistent, lighting and shadow casting obscuring folds, tabs and lines.

     Lastly, I should always keep a damp rag handy for when I need to clean off tool, my hand or messes that can cause glue to smear on the craft. While most of the globs of dried glue are not visible to the naked eye, these blemishes are very evident when photographed with a flash.

    Live and learn, isn't that what they say?