When Paper Becomes Fabric

Happy Monday, everyone!
We're starting the new week with a stunning creation by Gayle, our Collage Queen! :)
Gayle's revealing some really clever tricks that will surely inspire you to create with us.

Hello Finnabair friends. This month I’ve worked with pattern, layers and have tried to create an “illusion”.

Finnabair has produced so many beautiful stamps and they can of course be used in many different ways. I admit to using them as mostly “background” elements, or to use them to create areas of contrast (when used with black ink or embossed with white). They mostly play just a “supporting” role. But today’s project is really all about the stamps.

I have tried to make paper look like printed fabric.

I have taken 6 different Finnabair textural stamps, Archival Ink in black, blue and red and done repeat stamping onto Bond Paper. This is a strong, high quality paper used for graphic work involving pencil, pen and felt tipped markers. It can sometimes contain rag fibre pulp which produces a stronger, but rougher sheet of paper. It really stands up to being saturated with wet mediums.

I liberally sprayed the stamped paper with Distress Spray Stains, dried it slightly, then scrunched it up into a ball to create creases. Then, while it was still slightly damp the paper was easy to mould and shape into folds and gathers, just as you would with fabric.

The background is a piece of Honeycomb Resist Canvas. A little stamping and some paper, washi tape and cloth strips stuck down.

Colour comes from Distress Spray Stain and a tea bag just “dropped” onto the canvas and misted with water.

When the background was dry I added some more surface texture and pattern with a Doily stencil and Copper Texture Paste. To “glitz” up the feathers I used Aged Silver Embossing Enamel.

To decorate the face, firstly give the photo a coat of Clear Gesso. Then you can use virtually anything on it to add colour, pattern and detail.
I used Archival Ink through a Honeycomb stencil for pattern, then very “soft, oily” coloured pencils for colour. (If you use “hard” coloured pencils they will rub and “scratch” off the coat of gesso and they will not be able to coat and colour the very smooth and shiny surface of the photograph)
I have also used Mica Powders mixed with Soft Gloss Gel to paint on colour.

I have added some gold beading and cotton threads to try and emphasise the “fabric “ look.

 Detail of Mica Powder colour and Mechanicals Vintage Trinkets Flowers.

Wishing you all a wonderfully creative week!
Gayle

Materials used: