Rae Missigman: Painted Papers with StencilGirl® Stencils!

COLORFUL LAYERED & DISTRESSED // EASY DIY COLLAGE PAPER

A Special Tutorial by Rae Missigman

I love creating my own collage paper and always reach for my stencils when I begin to create a new stack. Often times I will use my Gelli Plate® to layer paint and stencils to make busy colorful papers, but there I am times when I need paper fast! Today I am sharing a super easy trick for creating papers that are just as colorful and busy as those I create using my Gelli Plate® but can be created in just minutes with nothing more than paint and stencils, and a handful of household items. The bonus to this method is the papers have a lovely distressed finish on them making them one of my favorite collage papers ever!

Now what to do with those papers? Read all the way through to find out 3 of my go to tips when creating collage paper.

Supplies: StencilGirl® Stencils, paintbrush, paper towels, cosmetic wedge or artist sponge, a wet cloth or baby wipes, computer or drawing paper. Optional: Heat Drying Tool.

1. To begin, add a few dollops of paint to a sheet or computer or drawing paper. The beauty of this technique is you don’t need professional grade paint. Student and craft grades of paint work perfectly fine and give you great results. Glossy paints work to add an element of sheen too, so be sure to experiment with them as well.

2. Use a paint brush to move the paint around, covering the entire sheet. For the most interesting results make sure to alternate colors and let them overlap and mix a bit when you are layering the paper.

3. Choose a favorite stencil (I'm using my Repetition Stencil) and pounce paint through the openings using a cosmetic wedge or artist sponge. Repeat this process in various areas until the entire sheet has been filled. Let the sheet dry.

4. Layer over the existing stencil marks by repeating steps 1 and 2 above. Begin working on step 5 below BEFORE the paint has fully dried in this step.

5. Choose another favorite stencil (I'm using my Bittersweet Mini Stencil) and this time layer it over the partially dried paint in step 4 above. Use a paper towel or baby wipe to gently rub through the stencil openings removing the paint as you go.

6. Once again repeat steps 1 and 2 above, this time choosing a new color to brush onto the existing layers. Let the paint dry partially.

7. Lay a stencil down on the partially dried paint and use a paper towel or baby wipe to once again remove the paint through the stencil openings. Continue to repeat these steps until the paper has several layers of paint and stencil marks.

8. As you layer you will begin to see the paint and stencil marks build upon one another in different colors and opacities depending on how much you scrub the paint off as you work. The more you play the more your results will change and evolve.

MY TOP 3 TIPS WHEN CREATING COLLAGE PAPER…
1. Create several sheets of collage paper at one time. Use an assembly line fashion and cycle through your favorite stencils alternating paint colors as you go. This way you will build a stash of papers in a variety of colors using a wide selection of stencils.

2. Use your new favorite collage paper to cut up and add interesting elements to your art journals, canvas projects, cards, planners and more. But wait! Don’t cut up that original that you love so much! If you make a sheet of collage paper that speaks to you go ahead and make several copies of it before you cut it up. Save the original so you can come back to it later and use it again and again.

3. Take several of your favorite collage papers and scan them into your computer. Create a collage of your saved or scanned collage papers. Print them out, then cut and fold them to use as colorful pages in your art journal.

Have fun and happy creating! 

Rae

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