Shredded Newspaper Technique

This is a tried and true technique using easy to find supplies to create a vintage layerd background. With a few easy steps you can feel like a professional multi media artist.

supplies: mister, newspaper or old book pages, metallic paint, distress sprays, brush, paper  bowl or plastic bowl,  gloves, matt gel

 

1.     Shred newspaper into random strips.

2.     Mist with ordinary water.

3.     Crumple up the shredded news paper into a small sphere.

4.     Be careful not to compact to tightly.

5.     Spray with distress inks of your liking. I prefer Tim Holtz tones of brown, green, yellow and blue.

6.     As you spray each time rotate the sphere to get random coverage.

7.     Gently spay with water and squeeze to mix the distress inks together.

8.     Paint the inside of a paper bowl or plastic container with metallic acrylic paint- copper is my go to color.

9.      Uncoil the papers and swirl around in the  paint covered paper bowl.

10.  Add more metallic paint to the paper bowl as necessary and repeat steps 2-9  until you have desired amount of augmented newspaper.

11.  Open the newspaper allowing to partially dry or fully dry depending on your desired outcome. The drier the newsprint the less contamination of the colors.

12.  Adhere to desired surface using a matt gel or glossy gel  medium of your choosing. I have used Mod-Podge, Golden, Liquitex and even Americana DuraClear.

13.  This would be used as a base for one of my hand bound, one-of-a kind treasure books or Houdini-Hideaway Boxes. Add more depth by using more inks or adding areas of crackle paste or other patinas.

Worth noting: Work quickly this is not a complex technique.

Use foreign papers if you are lucky enough to procure such materials. I have found some at local book stores, received some when I ordered  something from Etsy that came from overseas. Vintage books and magazines can sometimes be found for a great deal at your local thrift store  or at yard sales.

Try not to saturate the newspaper strips with distress ink sprays. The desired effect is to have some of the plain newspaper showing through.

Use disposable nitrile gloves to protect your hands and also if you do not like being messy. We prefer Grease Monkey brand and buy them at our local hardware stores.