Background Techniques

Many have been asking for an explaination of how I did the background techniques in my journal, so here goes:

These were sort of experiments for me. I started with a blank minisketch book, and gessoed all the pages. I didn't worry about smooth gesso, I sort of splotched it on thin in some areas thick in others. I then tore up an old map, an old romance novel, and some old black and white pattern scrapbook papers and gel medium-ed them down. I outlined the scraps with pencil. Then I put a thin coat of gesso on that layer.

Next, I took the cheapest of cheap squirt craft paint and smooshed it on with my fingers and an old paint-caked stiff brush. (sometimes I wiped back a bit with a baby wipe.) Sometimes I added a 2nd color. (I tried to apply paint from the edges in, leaving the centers sort of lighter.) That's it! EasyPeasy! I am currently developing a "class" on this using only junk mail. So far my 3 test classes loved it. Especially when I told them all they had to bring was 1 week's worth of junk mail. Oh- and I used paper grocery bags as the base paper (covered with gesso of course.)