Painting your Own Decorative Papers
Painting decorative papers to use in collage and mixed media art projects is pure happiness to me. I love making my own thing, as you know. Spreading the paint out on recycled printer papers is something I love doing. Mixing colours, making marks, creating texture, combining patterns.
Some of these papers are like little abstract paintings, but mostly I’m trying to create a surface that is not too complex but still pretty. In that way I can use it later in a collage or on a journal page.
My favorite tool to “paint” with is an expired plastic card. I am recycling paper by covering the text of old articles I have written with acrylic paint. Using all kinds of techniques: stamping, stenciling, smudging, dry brushing etc etc.
Below are a few samples with yummy colors. Mmm!
Love your yummy backgrounds. I love to make these too and have recently done a whole ‘set’ of them on card stock to create pages for an art journal I am planning. You papers are very inspiring.
Thank you Christy for coming by and commenting. I’m painting papers to bind into a book too, not these though. I love to make books but I’m a slow book binder. :-)
These turned out so pretty. I especially like the idea of recycling old papers. Now I have a new use for the million flyers that campus leaves on my door. Thanks for sharing.
Hanna, these papers are really yummy. I just want to delve right in there and use them myself. I love making my own background papers too. It is always very satisfying.
those pages are gorgeous!
The look good enough to eat, such yummy summer fun.
thank you for commenting, so glad you took the time so I can find you too.
Very nice! It is -by the way- a very good idea for making gift paper with kids. The haphazardly play with paint allows for impulsiveness and non-traditional tool for making swirls and stamping can be used.
This looks like so much fun!
beautiful papers! i always wondered what kind of paper you used for this! i shall have to give it a try soon.. thanks for sharing!
I love these! What fun you’ll have choosibng which ones to use. I love to make background papers. It’s so much fun and so relaxing for me.
Beautiful colors. I’ve always liked seeing printed or handwritten text underneath color because it give such interest as wll as a sense of mystery. It’s especially meaningful when you’re adding color on top of your own writing.
Love them ALL! iHanna!
Yummy. Absolutely yummy.
hanna, gorgeous papers!! and not sure if you’ve seen this before but check out this technique of mine: http://jessicaloughrey.blogspot.com/2009/05/painting-tutorial.html
you’ve already got everything you need, just add a spray bottle of water.
gorgeous. that 4th one down is a page in it’s own right!
i recently did a post on own papers as well, you might like it: http://bohemianshadows.blogspot.com/2010/06/own-papers-journal-backgrounds.html
Hanna you big paper painter! I don’t know how you get so much artwork AND blogging done. Amazing. The new banner on your page looks fresh and sassy but still very YOU. Keep going, and happy creations from your friend in germany, tj
Absolutely beautiful papers! I have done some in the past and now you have inspired me to make some more, that and I want to work on a sketchbook with just backgrounds and pattern papers.
I love your use of colours too, very vibrant.
yes! your papers are simply divine, and i agree wholeheartedly, the plastic credit cards are gifts from above, i have dozens and they are priceless bits of magic! greetings from california
xtina
These are great!