TWICE THE DECORATIVE PAPERS WITH TISSUE AND PAINT!

MATERIALS:

1. Thin, inexpensive tissue papers.
2. Dyes, liquid watercolors, dye-based inks, or thinned acrylic paints.
3. Brushes.
4. Smooth watercolor paper.

TECHNIQUE:

1. Crinkle the tissue and spread it out over smooth watercolor paper.
2. Slap on vivid, strong color right over the wrinkled tissue.
3. Let dry overnight. (If the acrylic paint is not thinned enough, it may stick if left on for more than an hour or two.)
4. When you remove the tissue, BOTH it and the watercolor paper should show wonderful batik-like patterns. If you are disappointed in the results, do try again with other tissues, papers, inks, or paint media.

The result is shown at right, below. The tissue used is at left.

MAKE YOUR OWN COLLAGE PAPERS WITH GOLD LEAF AND MORE!

To make my first example, I used a deli paper page I'd previously decorated with water and alcohol inks. I applied gold leaf to it (which looks brownish here).

Then I painted here and there with a glaze of orange acrylic paint.

For the next project, I first applied crackle medium to rigid paper, let it dry, and then painted it with acrylics. It looks rather nice this way, I think. But that's not all!

The gold leaf I added (after the paint was nearly dry) is an elegant counterpoint to the rough, crackled surface.

TWO EASY WAYS TO MAKE DECORATIVE PAPER

Both these methods are so simple, and fast too! Well, the second technique has some drying time, but it IS quick to make.

Deli wrap adds translucence to this first idea. I photographed it with some lacy black  paper underneath (in the upper left corner) to show how sheer it is.

I simply used water and alcohol inks to create a random, distressed-looking design.

The second method requires sturdy paper or card. Use a painting knife to apply either texture paint (as shown here), molding paste, or heavy gel medium.



While it's still wet, embed tiny beads. These red ones are very small no-hole glass beads. I also used antique gold glitter, which looks white in the photo below.

When dry, seal with clear fluid acrylic medium.

MAJOR LIGHTWEIGHT TEXTURE!

Use this tip for a heavily textured painting!

Tear upholstery foam into small bits and adhere to a canvas. (If you plan to use a lot, or large pieces, the support should be a panel or board.) Then seal with acrylic medium and let dry before painting.

TISSUE, PAINT, AND INK COLLAGE

STEP 1: Roughly paint your subject matter on sturdy paper. I used tempera! I also created positive shapes by painting in the negative Let dry.

STEP 2: Cut out tissue paper shapes and adhere them to the painting, overlapping in places. I used liquid acrylic medium. Remember that some tissues are very fragile and will likely tear. Don't worry about any wrinkles that might form. Coat the piece with medium to seal. Allow to dry.

STEP 3: Add accent lines with ink and a fine brush, or with markers. Use black or dark colors.