How to Create a framed Art piece of seashells on sand?

Question

I am trying to create a framed Art piece that has a beach sand background with seashells, sealife, etc. glued onto the sand. However, I am having trouble knowing how I should glue the sand on and what the best material to use. Also, how will the heavy shells will stick to the sand. What kind of glue is best for sticking shells onto real sand and what is the best material to use for sticking purposes i.e. a canvas or an actual picture frame with construction paper? HELP!

Answer 1

Another way
1) frame the size you need and the depth for the shells, especially if you are going to add glass to cover.
2) foundation, wood, for heavy board (foam board)
3) depending on what size you are shoot for and exactly what you have in mind...you could mix you sand into a thick acrylic medium and actually put it on the foundation with a pallet knife or trowel on thick as you want. Have your shell handy and know how you are going to arrange them and press them each into the thick sand/acrylic medium. Let it dry. Shells may be stuck fine at that time, but you may need to pull them off and re-attach in same place with another glue.
4) You could find a picture or paint the back ground with some sea and clouds and put the shells at the bottom with the sand/acrylic mixture.

5) clean and frame. Line sides of frame with strips of foam core painted or covered to look nice. The foam strips will hold in the glass and make a place for your art work to sit.
email me if this doesn't make sense and I'll draw you a [e-mail]

lots of luck

Answer 2

oh my god. that's some project. ok, the basics you have to start with are good materials. nothing else but silicone glue or contact cement will work. silicone glue might dry out more then cement glue. very important - avoid glue guns. will dry out QUICK. the cement or silicone glue debate i guess depends on how long you're willing to wait for it to dry. cement glue much longer to dry.

also, you'll need acid free foamcore board (go to your local michaels or craft/framing store (not sure where you live) and buy an uncut board (32x40 inches - its cheaper to buy it that big and not have them cut it cause if they cut it, they'll charge you labour. unless they already have it cut. acid free foamcore board is rougher on the outside so it will tolerate glue much more. its a light ivory color which will serve well for a beach motif (in my opinion). and you need sprays. one glue spray and one sealant (matte, or gloss depending what you want the sand to look like, the gloss, not high gloss, might give it a nice finish but that's up to you)

ok, so from there, you will need to cut the foamcore down to the size that you want. if you're going to frame it, i'd make sure to use standard sizes (8x10, 11x14, 16x20 etc) b/c that will keep your cost down in the end. and you'll need a shadow box if you want to frame it. there are some standard shadow box sizes. spray the foamcore with the glue spray and then lay the sand out. then finish if off with a sealer so that the sand will stay in place. do as many coats as you need to. from there, lay down the seashells with either the cement glue or the silicone. you can use little pieces of the foamcore for inside the shells to position them, or just bigger gobs of glue.

and that should do it. also, you can use canvas if you'd prefer, just depends on the canvas (would have to be stamped to the wood for support, and how heavy you think the end product will be.

Answer 3

Usually you would just let the sand sit there against a painted background of sea and sky, and let the shells float freely in the sand. If you want to glue things, you'll have to make fake sand out of clay or something, then glue sand grains and shells onto it so it will look like a pile of sand. .

Answer 4

http://www.framed2perfection.com/ best place to buy Framed arts of your choice