There are many ways to stay green in the art studio. One of the best ways is by finding a use for the scraps and leftovers that might otherwise be thrown out. This month we showed you how to cut a simple mat, but before you throw out that piece you cut out of the middle, here are a few ideas on ways you can re-use them. *Mat scraps will have a beveled edge that can be pretty sharp, it can be easily trimmed off for any of these uses.

1. Cut a small window to create a viewfinder for landscape painting.
2. Use the white (or colored) side to do quick color studies in oil or acrylic paint.
3. The colored side makes a great surface for oil or chalk pastel sketches.
4. Fortify an envelope when mailing prints or drawings.
5. Cut a large scrap into 2 inch wide L shapes to get ideas on cropping an image or for choosing mat colors when framing finished pieces.
6. Stretch watercolor paper over a scrap for a more sturdy painting surface.
7. Use small pieces for scrapbooking.
8. Mat an even smaller piece of art!

Other tips for keeping a green studio:

1. Use washable rags instead of paper towels.
2. Choose papers that are made from recycled materials.
3. Seek out materials that are made using sustainable practices.
4. Avoid toxic pigments & harsh chemical processes.
5. Responsibly dispose of any harmful products you do use (turpentine, mediums, etc).
6. Look at alternatives, like egg tempera, beeswax mediums and waterbased paints.
7. If you work with materials that produce vapors or dust make sure to use an air purifier to limit what gets released into the atmosphere.
8. Seek other people's leftovers! Material scraps from textile companies or misprinted materials from paper companies.

The more research you do and the more effort you put in will have a greater impact on the quality of life in your studio and environment at large. If you have any great green tips or practices, be sure to share them with us by leaving a comment or sending an email to learningcenter@utrecht.com. We'll add them to this list! Stay Green!

This month in the Utrecht Learning Center we'll be learning how to cut a bevel mat using Logan’s 301-S Compact Mat Cutter. With a little practice, you can learn to cut custom mats that display your artwork with pride and professionalism.

Once you master the basic steps, use your creativity to experiment with your own designs, such as those shown here.

First, a little about matboard...
Matboard is a multi-layered product made especially for framing artwork. The most commonly available matboard is made from processed wood pulp. It comes in a wide variety of surface colors and textures and the core is typically white or cream-colored. (Some matboard has a core that is black or a few other colors.) The surface is a thick covering of art paper that is fade and bleed resistant. Untreated wood pulp contains acid, which, over time, damages what it comes in contact with. To protect the work you’re matting, use buffered, acid-free matboard. Most matboard is available in 32" x 40" sheets and some come in even larger sizes.

Measure twice, cut once
To determine the mat opening size, you must allow at least ¼" (7mm) overlap on each edge of the chosen image so the edges don’t show or fall through the mat window. Use the following worksheet to help calculate the sizes of your opening, borders, and overall matboard.

With these measurements, set the parallel mat guide to your chosen border width. Insert the matboard, color side down, and mark all four sides.

Hook the bevel cutting head onto the rail, and align the silver start and stop indicator with the pencil line closest to you. Firmly push the blade into the mat.

While keeping steady downward pressure on the blade, slide the cutter forward until the indicator line reaches the top pencil line. Pull the blade out of the mat.

Repeat this step three times to complete the mat.

Now you’ll need to adhere your artwork to the mat. A simple but effective method is called the t-hinge. Using a framer’s acid free hinging tape, follow the following steps:
1. Lay your matboard face down on a clean surface and position the artwork face down over the window.
2. Cut and apply two small vertical tabs of tape along the top edge of the artwork, an inch or so from the corners.
About half the tape should adhere to the art and half to the mat.

3. Lift up the mat and ensure the image is displayed in the window as you wish it to be. Move the tape and image around, if necessary.
4. Cut and apply another tab of tape horizontally across the tape on the mat. One horizontal piece on each of the verticals, to form Ts.

That’s it!

Click here for ideas on recycling your matboard scraps and other tips on working in a "green" studio!

Seventeen year old Jordan Else Pemberton of Tecumseh, Michigan, is the winner of our 5th Annual Self-Portait Contest, Co-Sponsored by the Savannah College of Art & Design. Jordan attends the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, and will graduate from their visual arts program in May 2009. 

In addition to winning our student contest, Jordan’s recent awards include first place and best in show in the Northwestern Michigan College High School Art Contest, a gold key award for printmaking in the Scholastic Art Awards, the Interlochen Arts Academy Fine Arts Award, and the Interlochen Arts Camp Summer Maddy Award.  Her art has been included in exhibitions at the Margulies Collection, Northwestern Michigan University, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts.  Her artwork has been published in the Interlochen Review and the Red Wheelbarrow, printed on two album covers and used for retail advertisement.  Jordan is interested in portraiture, and the media she enjoys most are painting, drawing and photography.  She hopes to study photography in college.

See Jordan and the rest of the winners from this year's contest here.