Altered Art Questions and Answers

Do you have a question about altered art?

We hope to provide answers to all of your altered art questions here at altered-art.net. As the website develops, you should be able to find answers to more and more of those questions somewhere on the site.

On this page we'll give you the answers to some of the questions that our visitors have asked, but which are not answered elsewhere at the moment. We'll also point you in the direction of the answers to a few frequently asked questions. Finally, if you haven't found the answer anywhere else, there's a chance to ask us your specific question.

If you have a technical question, or would like to tell us about a problem that you have encountered whilst using our website, you are welcome to make use of our Technical Help Form.

Let's kick off with some of those altered art questions from our visitors:

My artist trading cards keep warping when I use glue
How do I prevent an artist trading card from warping when I'm using glues to create an ATC collage? Alternatively, how do I flatten the card when it's …
Is This Legal?
Is it legal to purchase inexpensive prints at retail stores, and then alter them with beads, glass and resin, and resell them (with the artist's name …
Can I claim this as my own work?
I find myself in a dilemma, and hope that you can provide me with an opinion. I found a picture that I liked by doing a basic search online. I downloaded …
I've broken my Vagabond - how do I get it fixed?
I have broken my Vagabond machine. Do you know if there's somewhere that I can send it to get it fixed? We're sorry to hear that you've broken your …
Can you copyright altered art?
I have a handmade shop online where I sell mirrors and magnets. What I do is to purchase graphics from sources such as other shop owners, and size them …
Do you have to strip a board book before coating it with gesso?
When altering a board book, is it necessary to strip off the shiny paper if you coat it with gesso? In our article about how to make an altered …
How do I paint in oils over a decoupaged surface?
I'd like to do some original oil painting over a decoupaged surface, either board or linen canvas. I would use old book pages to create the decoupaged …
Are these artist trading cards originals?
I don't seem to find any information as to what is considered original. If you've used pictures of other people's art in a collage on an artist trading …
Can I use old books for collage?
I had heard that if you were going to use pages from a book in your collages or altered art, you had to use a book at least seventy-five years old because …
Is this altered art, too?
We recently heard from Richard in Florida, USA. During an autumn cleaning of his cabinet shop he'd started some interesting art projects using scrap …
Is this altered art?
During a Fall cleaning of my cabinet shop I started a few projects using scrap wood, metal and antique tools. Here are some …
Collage or decoupage?
Whilst using acrylic inks, by happenstance I created a figurative image. I cut it out in one piece, removing any distracting bits as I cut. Now I want …
Caught in Crystal?
I have a framed piece of art that I purchased from an art fair last year, and I would like to replicate it in some way if I could. The lady from whom …
Is 'photo folding' altered art?
I have started to 'photo fold', which is an offshoot of iris folding. Four or five greeting cards are necessary to create one card showing the entire …
How do I alter a blanket by adding photographs?
I care for a lady who is ninety-one years old. She has a wool blanket given to her by her mother as a wedding gift. It is falling apart, but I was hoping …
Can you alter photographs?
Is there such a thing as altered art for photographs? I have been visiting different blogs, and have seen the most amazing photographs that look as …
How can I transfer a picture onto canvas?
Can you successfully transfer a picture onto a canvas? I'm pretty sure that you can do this, but I don't think that I've ever actually seen an example. …
What are RAKs and BRAKs?
I am new to artist trading cards, and have heard about RAKs and BRAKs, but haven't a clue what they are. Can you please let me know what they are, and …
Good ideas for altered art in the classroom?
I am an elementary school art teacher and would like to do altered art in the classroom. Do you have any good ideas for students ten to eleven years …
What are the best glues to use?
For sticking paper to card you need a dry glue that won't buckle the card. We would recommend a glue stick, like Pritt or Tombow, sticky dots or double-sided …
Where can I find out about techniques?
I am interested in starting to create altered art. I find myself drawn to the layering of fabrics, fiber and paper. I have seen 'Cloth, Paper, Scissors', …
What should I know about selling artist trading cards?
What issues do I need to be aware of when selling artist trading cards? Can I use scraps from old postcards, new greetings cards, or old magazine advertisements, …
Can I transfer my photographs to furniture?
I would like to transfer pictures of my four grandsons when they were babies onto an old pine two-door dresser (armoire) in my bedroom, and maybe antique …
Where can I get blank photo charms?
I was wondering if you knew of any good bulk sources for the blank photo charms used in many altered art jewelry items. Thank you very much for your …

Now let's take a look at some of those frequently asked questions...

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some altered art questions...

Where can I obtain high-quality vintage images?

Here are a few about artist trading cards...

Something a bit more general...

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