Giant Picture Tutorial Step 2: Foam Board
Step 3: Mounting the Picture to the Foam Board
You already have your photo and your foam board ready (see steps 1 and 2) and now it's time to put the two together.
This is where things went horribly wrong and I stopped taking pictures. Let me give you some advice:
--you can't spraypaint Styrofoam! -- I guess this is pretty common knowledge, but no one told me. It eats away at the foam. So I had to use the other half of my board - good thing it was so big. Instead of spray paint, just use craft paint to paint the edges black. Fun or solid duct tape wrapped around the edge is another great option. FYI, there's a clear film, like saran wrap, over the foam - peel it off so the paint will work.
--don't use mod podge for flimsy paper! -- I had planned to use spray glue, but had lent it out and figured I'd just mod podge the board and set the picture on - bad idea. The mod podge was way to wet and cause the paper to wrinkle. Plus then when I tried to smooth it out it wrinkled more and more. Quite the disaster on their faces. So I had to throw that picture away. And trek back to make another copy (I'm sure they thought I was crazy)
So, lesson learned! Here are the recommended steps to mount the picture to the board:
---Use craft paint on the edges or duct tape. This will give your edge a finished look. If painting, let dry completely.
--Use spray glue (like Elmer's Spray Glue - in the craft section) to stick it down. It will make the photo tacky but not wet. I sprayed the whole board then had someone help me - one of us on each end of the big picture - slowly lower the picture onto the tacky board. If you're worried about the spray on styrofoam, try spraying directly on the back of the picture. Then press it into place.
Want to know how we hung it on the wall - that info is in the final step:
Click Here for
Giant Picture Tutorial Step 4: Hanging the Giant Picture
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you should have waited. Mod Podge is very wrinkly when you first use it, but it dries into a smooth surface. I know I was scared too, but it turned out great.
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