Master masterboard post.

I make masterboards a lot and everytime I mention them somewhere I get questions about them. So here's all my masterboard "expertise" in one post.

WTF is a masterboard anyway? ha! Very simply put, it's a creation made to be cut down into smaller creations. For example, you can make one 9"x12" masterboard and cut it into four 4.5"x6" postcards. Or make an 8.5"x11 masterboard that will yield 10 ATCs. I even do quickie 5"x7" masterboards to get 4 ATC backgrounds. It's an easy way to make a lot of backgrounds at once - or just make a lot of postcards. I tend to build imagery/words right into the collage/mixed media masterboards I make, so when I cut them up they're ready to go - just address and send.

I once made 12 postcards by making 3 masterboards at one time (I call them batches, like they're cookies)...

That's a lotta frickin' postcards!

The bigger the substrate you use, the more (or larger) postcards you get.

The last postcard masterboard I made on an 11"x14" piece of bristol.

It gave me 8 postcards of various sizes.

I've also created masterboards around large central images to make "4-from-1" postcards that would then be sent out to different parts of the country/world.

I sent the 4 separate pieces of this masterboard to 4 different ladies in California.

I think it's neat that each one has a piece of the whole.

That's true with every masterboard postcard, but usually they become their own postcard once cut away. With a large shared image they become puzzle-like...it's more of mystery of how the postcard started. Does that make sense?

But, like I mentioned above, you don't need to go big. You can make a small 5"x7" masterboard that will give you 4 ATC backgrounds.

I just added the words and cut out manga characters to these backgrounds.

Making postcards or ATCs aren't the only things masterboards are good for. I've made masterboards for mixed media embellishments like these hand-cut hearts...

I used a 12"x12" sheet of cardstock to make the cutting easier.

A lot of these were used as tuck-ins for pocket letters (back when I was making pocket letters).

Masterboards can be carried out in any artistic medium. Paint, ink, pencil, collage, crayon, markers, ALL THE THINGS! You just go to town on a substrate and then chop it up! Live dangerously. I made my first masterboard in 2012 and have since lost all trepidation when it comes to chopping my creations up. A masterboard almost always looks a complete mess as you're working on it, but when it's been cut, it has a cool random charm about it. You'll end up cutting a face in half or lobbing off parts of words or turning once distinct shapes into weird, unidentifiable remnants.

Besides the mass output, masterboards are a satisfying way to use a lot of scraps at once. It's also a productive way to test new supplies. Spray ink all over, mix weird paints, try new stencils, experiment. When you're done, cut it up and send it out into the world as mail art.

The question I get asked most is how I make my collage masterboards. I've done little overviews before (here & here) and have shared WIP shots on Instagram, and other than saying, "just glue shit down," I don't know how else to elaborate on the process. I have a knack for mindless activities that involve repetitive action. 😝

Keep on creating.