The Big Squish

Here's a pic of my latest collage after gessoing the back. When the gesso was drying and barely tacky, I put down a large piece of plastic, then books to weigh down and flatten the piece.

There are probably a ton of ways to get the same flat effect that this brings me, but this was the first one I thought of and it has worked for me, so I've stuck with it. After this piece was under the books for about an hour, I gessoed up a blank piece of 22 x 30" paper and put it on the flip side of the plastic (for a future collage) and flattened them overnight simultaneously. Applying gesso to both sides of the paper adds heft, but my framer has managed to float similar pieces in their frame, regardless of the weight.

Off topic
I'm reading a fantastic book. I picked it up for my kids but after flipping through it, thought I'd read it myself. It's a trilogy and it's called Inkworld, and I'm in the middle of Book 1, Inkheart. If you're looking for a book to read to your kids, or have them read themselves, or an easy and enjoyable read for yourself, this is a great series! The author is Cornelia Funke.