How to Make Decorative Papers


How to Make Decorative Papers

Stucco and Mesh

Ceramic stucco is another texture gel medium from Liquitex. It has a slightly rough, cement-type feel to it. Mix it with paint and impress textural objects into it to make some really interesting decorative papers. I used two different sizes of mesh in the papers shown below.

Ingredients

  • Liquitex Ceramic Stucco medium
  • Pearl acrylic paint
  • black acrylic paint
  • different sizes of mesh
  • silver Pearl Ex powders
  • sketch paper

Stucco & Mesh ~ Karen's Whimsy

Stucco & Mesh ~ Karen's Whimsy

Process

  1. Paint the sketch paper black (or any other color you want.) Let dry.
  2. On a palette, mix the stucco medium with the pearl paint. I use my finger to scoop it out of the jar and mix it together.
  3. Spread a thick layer of the mixture onto the painted sketch paper.
  4. Press the mesh into the mixture so that the stucco oozes through the mesh openings.
  5. Let the mesh sit there for about 10 to 15 minutes to let the stucco medium set a little bit.
  6. Carefully lift out the mesh.
  7. Let dry.
  8. Using a soft, fluffy dry brush, dip into PearlEx powders and brush over the paper; then smooth it down with your fingers.

If you enjoy making textured decorative papers, you’ll really like the book Surface Treatment Workshop: Explore 45 Mixed-Media Techniques by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran-Wilson. They show you how to use all kinds of things that are lying around your house that you may never have considered using to make art.