Collage pictures...best glue to use??

[TheSapphireMoon]

So I have been collaging large pictures for several years, made my 2 largest and best ones when I was still in high school (about 12 years ago!).  I like to use interesting photos from magazines, primarily advertisements and pictures of some of my fave bands and actors/actresses.  When I made these 2 collages I used rubber cement to adhere the pictures to standard sized posterboard (the large kind you can buy 1 sheet at time for school projects) on the glossy side.  I chose rubber cement because the excess glue can be 'rolled' off and will not be sticky or rip the paper or posterboard.

Is there a better adhesive for collaging like this?  I am wanting something that is easy to remove like the rubber cement because I tend to over-paint the backs of the pictures because I don't want peeling corners and want them stuck down really good.

[Luna1375]

Well, if you'd like to adhere and seal, you can use Mod Podge. It comes in glossy and matte, but I think the matte is more like semi-gloss. The trick is you paint it on, stick down your paper, then paint over the top.  If you just adhere without sealing, it's more likely to crinkle.  Even so, it's wet like Elmer's, so it might wrinkle your poster board, so I'd build on foam core instead.  If you don't want to seal, you could try using a glue stick.  You're less likely to get excess in the first place, and if you do you can usually rub it off if you do it right away, but it takes a bit more effort and patience than rubbing off excess rubber cement.

[crafty fay]

hi there,

i got a question on mod podge for sealing on a picture. anyone had problem on the "streak  mark" that being brush on.1st i use a foam brush dab and glide on and the streak is rather obvious so i use my finger tip is better than still i get streak. anythign wrong with my method or the strength applied?

is it driving me crazy here!

many thanks
fay

[Luna1375]

For me, the best results I've had are either using paint rollers, or softer, higher quality brushes, not the cheap "craft brushes."  My problem with using a roller is sometimes I get bubbles.  With brushing, using a softer brush helps.  You might still see streaks, but they're usually milder, and the Mod Podge does a certain amount of spreading and healing itself as it dries, so they may either go away completely, or just not be very noticeable.  Depending on the look you're going for, you could also stipple it and make it sort of bumpy on purpose to give it kind of a cool texture.