Workshop Fun

Stamping and Stenciling

You don't have to purchase art store stamping and stenciling tools to get good results when making hand-painted collage papers. Sometimes the best tools are found in where you least expect them. The flower pattern that I have stamped over deli paper and Mother Goose book pages in this photo, is actually a silicone sink linter mat that I purchased at Lowes. I love this so much for stamping that I have gone back and purchased several more so that I can have one in my workshop supplies box as well as in my studio! 

The pink paper nursery rhyme sheet was coated with Quin. Magenta and then stamped with Red Oxide while it was still wet, offering a soft edged, watery effect on the flower patter. The deli paper was coated with Quin. Nickel Azo Gold and allowed to dry completely before stamping over with Burnt Umber, you can see that the dry method gives a much more defined stamp effect on the edges of the flowers. 

A paper doily coated with gesso makes a wonderful stencil. You can see the doily above has been used to both stamp and stencil many colors. A coating of gesso will help this fragile paper stand up to the test of being used over and over again. 

Think outside the box. Think big. Look around your kitchen for interesting texture tools, as well as your garage. You'll never look at the isles of Lowe's or Home Depot the same again!

Workshop Fun

Alcohol resist technique

First, find an interesting piece of paper with some printing on it, maybe an old book page or map. Then coat it with a solid fluid acrylic color. Here i used an old check register page that I picked up at Arts and Scraps in Detroit, MI last summer. I coated it with cad yellow fluid acrylics and let it mostly dry. 

Next, you apply a layer of darker or lighter fluid acrylic paint overtop your original layer. Here I used dark green to contrast with the yellow. Before the green has a chance to dry, you use an eye dropper, drop rubbing alcohol into the paint, this pushes the green away (or resists) and allows the yellow to show through in organic circular patterns. 

Repeat this technique with multiple layers of color upon color. 

I then added gold and red paints over the top of the alcohol technique using stencils. Lastly, I lifted the paper up and let the green paint run and drip down. 

The key to successful hand-painted collage papers is layers upon layers of texture, starting with a printed or interesting paper, through to applying many techniques of your own over top. This paper has a lovely natural texture and I'm calling it "green" for the file drawer! 

We will practice this technique hands-on as well as many, many others when we spend all day Friday creating hand--painted paper for our Saturday and Sunday collage projects.

Sedona, AZ is coming up in April. Won't you join me at the Art Center for a wonderful weekend in an amazing town full of art galleries and stellar red rock views?