Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Background Paper Tutorial

From Turp Paper to Graffiti Paper
I'm adding this comment from Bea,
because it says it all. 
Thanks Bea!
Excellent! If people knew how much FUN it is to make these background sheets. There are so many uses for them besides graffiti walls, too.



I take all my finished background sheets to the printers and make color copies of them. I rip them up and use them in other project, journals, make envelopes, etc. out of them. SO MUCH FUN! :)Bea
Remember the turp (turpentine) paper I made awhile back?
Click here to see all my examples
and the process I used.
Also there is an article in the Jan/Feb issue
of Cloth, Paper, Scissors
about this kind of paper making,
except they use Citra Solv.
I could not find this product so
that is why I used the turpentine
to get the same results.
The turp paper does not have a smell any longer.
Some said it would have the turpentine smell forever,
but I have had these papers in a ziplock bag all this time
and when I opened it, the smell was gone.
NOTE:
One thing the article did not specify was,
you have to use the older National Geo mags
because their pages are clay based. 
I have read that others use newer mag pages
and it is not working the same.

I have made quite a few graffiti background papers for myself
and also for the Graffiti Project I'm in with
 Today, I will be showing three of the papers I am keeping,
and telling you how I made them.
Later I will show you the papers I receive from Bea
and from Kris (erosion bundle project) Henderson.
I will also show you the papers I will send out to them.


PROCESS:
I started with 140 lb. weight cold press watercolor paper,
size 12 in by 18 in.
I took my turp paper
and glued them to the watercolor paper with
a glue stick and pressed it down well.
I didn't worry if there were bubbles or wrinkles,
as this just adds to the look.
Next, I added a thin coat of gesso
all the way out to the edges,
but not covering every square inch.
I wiped some of this off with a paper towel.
Next, I began to add watered down acrylic paints
covering mainly the edges. 
I let this dry and then picked up some of the paint
with a paper towel.
I also used some masking tape
 (which I may save and add to the final piece)
to pick up some areas,
to make it look like it had peeled off.
I kept wiping with a paper towel.
Stencils were added here and there,
but not much because these are
background papers,
not the finished piece where
most of the graffiti words etc. will be added.
On some of the sheets I dripped paint from the top,
 so it would run down the paper.
Then let it all dry.

For some of the papers I tore up old paper
 and put on the watercolor paper
 before adding the turp sheets in the beginning.
This way there are multiple layers of paper on the page.
I mainly wanted the look of a wall
that had been papered and painted on
for quite a few years.
Things look like they had faded in the sun,
been ripped off and
some old graffiti was still showing through.
That's it!
If you create some turp paper or
graffiti background papers
let me know and I will put your link up.
Go see graffiti background papers here:

14 comments:

Unknown said...

Loved reading about your process on making it! One of these days I may get around to playing with paper as a medium more :) It's so intriguing!

Bea said...

Excellent! If people knew how much FUN it is to make these background sheets. There are so many uses for them besides graffiti walls, too.
I take all my finished background sheets to the printers and make color copies of them. I rip them up and use them in other project, journals, make envelopes, etc. out of them. SO MUCH FUN! :)Bea

Yvonne said...

Thanks Whytefeather for stopping in and leaving your comment. I love making paper and there are so many uses for it. Mixing it with fabric in mixed media is a way I love.

Yvonne said...

Thanks Bea for your comment. I will add your comment to the article is you don't mind, so all can see.

Mary Helen-Art Saves Lives said...

As I said before now I am really envious of this wonderful experiment if process and layers of colors!!! Fantastic results...Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Deborah said...

Thanks for the detailed information. This looks like fun!

Unknown said...

Very cool technique. You should think about submitting a proposal to us at submissions@ClothPaperScissors.com.And thanks also for the mention about using older issues of National Geographic. We've had a lot of feedback about this article both in house and on blogs so this little bit of information will be good to pass on.
Cheers,
Jenn Mason, Editor, Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine

Yvonne said...

Thank you Jenn for visiting my blog and yes I will work on a proposal to your magazine. I love CPS!

Caterina Giglio said...

woohoo way to go! an article in CPS! now where do I get this paper!!? and is it archival?

Yvonne said...

Cat, thanks for stopping in and yes, I am thrilled I got a comment from CPS about my post. I have already made my submission, so we will see! The turp paper is something you make. My tute is on a precious post. Archival? Don't know about that. What makes paper archival anyway? I will have to research that.

Kris said...

Wow! great technique. Thanks for sharing it!!! :)
I am eager to get some graffiti paper from you. I am in progress with my own and find this such a fun process.
I can barely pass by the papers without adding a little bit something more. Hope I know when to stop! Do you know when to stop????
I put a tidbit of one paper in process on my Brain Bubbles blog....
Cheers!

Deborah said...

Hi Yvonne! Thanks for stopping by. Love these backgrounds you are making. Quite the clever one you are! **blows kisses** Deb

Anonymous said...

Can you help me? I've used National Geographics from '64, '70 and '79. How old do they need to be. have tried with turpentine too. I am having no luck and am frustrated...! What next? What am I not getting?

Yvonne said...

Sorry you are having trouble with the turp papers. did you look at my original tutorial? Look under labels and there are 2 posts under turp paper, this one and the original one telling you step by step on how I do it. The only thing I can really think of that you may be doing different, is not letting it stay wet the entire 3-4 hours. You really have to soak the papers or the process stops. Let me know if this helps.