There is something I love about making a pair of collages. The two pieces don’t have to match—in fact, I prefer that they don’t—but they should feel as though they belong in the same conversation.
For this project, I used the October 2026 StencilClub set, designed by Susan Rossiter, which is only available until October 15th. I focused on the large botanical stencil and its coordinating mask. The leafy branch has a loose, eucalyptus-like quality that works beautifully as both a recognizable botanical image and, when broken apart through layering, an abstract pattern.
And because I can rarely resist experimenting with a new material, I also used this project to test an inexpensive paper that has quickly become one of my favorites for mixed media: menu paper.
If you’ve followed some of my previous projects, you know that I’m a big fan of wet-strength tissue paper. I love it because it can withstand paint, moisture, printing and glue without immediately falling apart—and when it is incorporated into a collage, the paper becomes beautifully translucent.
Menu paper offers many of those same qualities, but it is inexpensive and surprisingly easy to find online.
Menu tissue is a lightweight paper traditionally used in restaurants and food-service settings for wrapping or separating food and lining baskets and trays. The paper I’m using comes in convenient 12” x 12” sheets, which also happens to be a wonderful size for working on a Gelli plate.
What makes it especially interesting for mixed media is its strength. Unlike ordinary tissue paper, it can tolerate the paint, moisture and pressure involved in monoprinting without immediately disintegrating. Once adhered to a collage, the unpainted portions become nearly transparent, allowing the layers underneath to remain visible.
And layering is exactly what we’re going to do.
SuppliesOctober 2026 Sten
- October 2026 StencilClub Set, MidCentury Modern Textile Motifs by Susan Rossiter
- Large botanical stencil and coordinating mask from the set
- Gelli plate
- 12” x 12” menu paper/menu tissue
- Assorted acrylic paints
- Turquoise acrylic paint
- Dark blue acrylic paint
- Green acrylic paint
- Yellow acrylic paint
- Brayer and/or spatula
- Two 8” x 10” canvases or substrates of your choice
- Assorted vintage book pages
- Chalk paint
- PVA glue or your preferred collage adhesive
- Circle punches in assorted sizes
- Scissors
- Paintbrushes
Making the Botanical Papers
I began by applying acrylic paint to my Gelli plate and alternating between the botanical stencil and its coordinating mask.
Rather than trying to create a perfect print of the entire plant, I deliberately moved the stencil around. Sometimes I printed only a portion of the leaves. Sometimes I used the mask. Sometimes one color overlapped another.
The goal here isn’t perfection—or even necessarily to make something that immediately reads as a plant.
Instead, think of the stencil as a mark-making tool.
I continued changing colors and repositioning the stencil and mask until the menu paper was filled with overlapping fragments of leaves, stems, positive shapes and negative spaces.
Turquoise might sit beside deep blue. Green might overlap yellow. A recognizable leaf could disappear beneath another print and become nothing more than an interesting shape.
That unpredictability is part of what I love about working this way.
I recommend making several sheets rather than just one. Don’t worry about whether every sheet feels “finished.” Later, when you begin cutting and layering, a section that seems unremarkable on its own may become exactly the piece you need.
Set the printed papers aside and allow them to dry completely.
Punch, Cut—and Keep Everything
Next, I folded several of my printed sheets into fourths and eighths and used circle punches to cut through the layers.
This quickly gave me a collection of small printed circles.
No circle punch? No problem.
Hand-cut circles, imperfect ovals or free-form organic shapes would work just as well. In fact, irregular hand-cut shapes can make the finished collage even more interesting.
Most importantly, don’t throw away the paper that’s left behind.
The sheets with the circles missing are just as useful as the circles themselves. Those negative spaces introduce another layer of pattern and give you a completely different way to use the same printed paper.
One sheet of paper has suddenly become several different collage materials.
Building the Background
I decided to create two 8” x 10” canvases as a companion pair, but there is nothing special about this particular size or surface. You can use wood panels, book board, heavy watercolor paper or whatever substrate you enjoy working on.
I began both canvases in the same way.
Using my PVA glue mixture, I adhered torn pieces of vintage book pages randomly across the surfaces. I wasn’t concerned with making a precise pattern. Some pieces overlap; others will eventually disappear beneath later layers.
Once the papers were dry, I brushed a thin wash of chalk paint across the surface.
This is a simple step, but an important one.
The wash helps visually unify all those unrelated vintage papers while still allowing fragments of text and aged paper to show through. Instead of seeing individual book pages, you begin to see one cohesive background.
Adding the Printed Layers
Once the background was dry, I began adding some of my punched circles.
I scattered them across both canvases rather than arranging them into an obvious pattern. I wanted them to function almost like little flashes of color and botanical information.
Then came my favorite part.
I placed larger sections of the printed menu paper over the circles and adhered them to the canvases.
Because the menu paper becomes translucent when adhered, the layers underneath don’t disappear. Instead, they merge.
Vintage text shows through the unpainted portions of the menu paper. Circles appear and disappear beneath the botanical prints. Leaves are interrupted by other shapes. Colors overlap.
The original stencil image begins to lose its identity as a single plant and becomes part of a much larger abstract composition.
This is one of the reasons I love using thin, translucent papers in collage: you aren’t simply placing one image on top of another. You’re allowing the layers to interact.
Let these layers dry completely before moving on.
Bringing the Botanical Image Back
At this point, I had spent most of the project breaking the botanical image apart—printing fragments, overlapping leaves and obscuring sections beneath other layers.
For the final step, I wanted to bring the plant back.
Using the stencil and mask again, I added a larger botanical image near the center of each canvas.
I used a darker color with the stencil to establish the main shape, followed by a lighter color with the mask. Because the background already contained turquoise, blue, green and yellow, I chose colors that felt connected to the layers underneath rather than introducing something completely new.
The final botanical image becomes a kind of anchor for all the activity surrounding it.
Similar, But Not the Same
Because these two canvases are meant to hang together, I repeated the same materials, colors and processes on both.
But I was careful not to place everything in exactly the same position.
The circles shift.
The fragments of printed paper change.
And most importantly, I positioned the final botanical image differently on each canvas.
The result is a pair of pieces that clearly belong together without becoming mirror images of one another.
That distinction is important to me. When I make companion pieces, I want them to share a visual language—not repeat the same sentence.
One Stencil, So Many Possibilities
What I especially enjoyed about this project was seeing how many different kinds of marks could come from one botanical image.
The stencil created one type of shape. The mask created another. Printing only portions of either produced abstract marks. Punching the prints created new shapes. And layering the translucent menu paper transformed all of those marks again.
By the time the finished botanical image was added, the original stencil had appeared in the work in so many different forms that it became more than a single design—it became the thread connecting the entire collage.
And for me, that is one of the most interesting things about working with stencils in mixed media.
You don’t have to use a stencil only once.
You can print it, mask it, fragment it, cut it apart, cover it up—and bring it back again.
Sometimes the most interesting part of a stencil isn’t simply the image itself. It’s discovering just how many different ways you can use it.
Don"t forget, this set by Susan Rossiter is only available to StencilClub members who join by October 15th, 2026. Or to members who can purchase it at a later date, so if you want this set, be sure to join StencilClub today!
Now It’s Your Turn
I hope this project inspires you to pull out your Gelli plate, experiment with some translucent papers and look at your StencilGirl® stencils in a slightly different way. Try using only part of a design. Use the mask instead of the stencil. Layer one print over another. Punch it, cut it, cover it up and let little pieces peek through.
There really are no mistakes here—just more layers.
If you make something inspired by this project, I would love to see it! Share your work on Instagram and tag me @gluepaperscissors_ so I can see what you create.
You can find more of my mixed media collage work, tutorials and experiments on Instagram at @gluepaperscissors_ and visit my website at kimhamburg.com.
And, of course, be sure to visit StencilGirl® Products to explore their incredible collection of artist-designed stencils. If you enjoy receiving new designs and a little creative push each month, check out StencilClub for exclusive monthly stencil sets, project inspiration and ideas from participating artists.
Until next time, keep experimenting, keep layering—and don’t be afraid to cut up the good paper.
Kim Hamburg
Mixed Media Artist
Instagram: @gluepaperscissors_
Website: kimhamburg.com
