I had a dress-rehearsal today for a pieced paper collage technique that I would like to explore further. I'm not entirely satisfied with the results, but I think that if I try it again with a more original design, the final result will feel less "forced."
I used a tutorial by Susan Black, published in Cloth Paper Scissors back in July/August 2013. The first step is to brew black coffee to use as a stain for my watercolor paper. I used a packet of instant coffee that I've had in my craft stash for years for just this purpose.
I used a 2-inch foam brush to lightly apply a wash of the coffee to my 9x12 sheet of cold-press watercolor paper.
Then I dabbed more coffee onto the paper, and the initial light wash "contained" the pools of coffee within their perimeter (except for a couple renegade dribbles that ran off the side of two of the four papers I stained).I tilted and turned the paper to let the coffee run around the page, and then used my embossing tool to further spread it around the page. It looks like a very light wash of neutral color until it dries, and then you can see the varied layers quite well. There is no way to tell how a given background will turn out, which is part of the fun of creating them. Here are the four different backgrounds I created:
For the next step, I drew a pencil sketch onto tracing paper, using basically the same design that Susan Black uses in her article. She advises us to place the tracing paper over top of the coffee-stained background as we draw, which helps with the composition and design. Next, I held the watercolor paper up to the window with the tracing paper underneath, and copied the design onto the watercolor paper. In retrospect, I would trace it quite lightly, because the pencil lines are not part of the finished product.
Finally, I painted the stem, and then chose papers from my stash to piece over the drawing to create the collage. I used my tracing paper drawing again, holding it up to the sunny window under the scrapbook papers I selected. I drew the shape in pencil, and then cut it out and fit it into its place in the collage.
I used a glue stick to adhere the papers.I used watercolor paint for the stems--vidrian hue toned down with burnt umber. Then I used a black pen to add outlines, dots, leaf veins, and accents to the stems. I used two colored markers, including one with a bit of a metallic quality, to write the word "wonder" in the corner of the collage.
I like it, yes, but I copied Susan Black's design almost directly, and I would like to do a more original piece next time. I feel as though the piece looks "forced" when it so closely mimics her work. I enjoyed the process, though, and look forward to trying it again, when I can make the final result more "my own."
This is cool Andria - always good to try new techniques - based on what you learned I am sure you will "make it your own" next time. I am into the second week of the Document Your Life project and pushing myself to do some different things as well.....
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful! I don't think it looks forced at all, but then I haven't seen her original and can only judge this as is. I like it, well done Andria!
ReplyDeleteI like it too -- looks great. And I really like that coffee wash....
ReplyDeleteVery nice. I like the paper piecing. I have seen that in magazines but never tried it. On my to-do-list. One technique I tried recently which you might want to try is called the Bokeh technique (found in photography but can be translated to cards, etc.) A thought!
ReplyDeleteThis is really cool! The coffee wash was unexpected, but it makes a lot of sense and I'm really drawn to the color. I hope to try this out sometime soon!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteYet another of your "experiments" that I want to try! I really like this.
ReplyDeleteIt looks beautiful and indeed not forced at all, but I get that it might feel that way to you, simply because it wasn't your own design. Then again, how else are we supposed to learn something new?
ReplyDeleteI think often our opinion of our work is not so much about the work itself, but about how we felt when we made it. I do love how it looks though. Can't wait to see your own interpretation of this idea.
I love stealing from others' ideas. It gives me confidence and new ideas. And it also pays them back for stealing others' ideas.
ReplyDeleteIt's the circle of life!