Making a background from ugly scrapbook paper

I brought back this tutorial from January, 2009 on one of my favorite ways to alter scrapbook paper. In fact, you can just as easily use this technique when starting with a blank page.

I usually make my own backgrounds, and love the grunge look. However, I've never seen a tutorial on how to take a sheet of ugly scrapbook paper and turn it into something that can be used in altered art. So, I started playing around awhile back, trying to come up with the look I so love and admire, and came up with this. I was just playing, pulling out my supplies, and adding layers until I got a page I liked.

I started with this really ugly sheet of lightweight scrapbook paper,

and turned it into this. The main colors in the original page were lavender and yellow flowers, and green leaves. This is the palette I decided to work around so some of the background could still show. Click to enlarge and see the difference.

I started by placing gesso on the page. I didn't try to cover the entire image, because I wanted some of it to eventually show through the grunge.

After I had toned the paper down a bit with the gesso, I spritzed it with green (Bottle) color wash. I then allowed the color wash to dry.

Next I added a silver glaze, covering some of the piece and leaving some of the original background intact.

My next color was Cranberry color wash.

I used a dry paper towel to wipe some of it away.

It spread into the still slightly wet silver glaze for a really nice effect. I then repeated this step in another area of the page. Since color wash dries quickly, you should work in one small spot, then repeat, rather than trying to work with the entire page at the same time.

For my next step, I sanded parts of the page, being careful to not damage the thin paper.

Using the edge of an old credit card, I added white paint.

I specifically left the lines rather than spreading the paint around.

I used a different credit card to spread gold metallic paint around, but this time, I didn't just create lines. Instead, I scraped in a few places.

Next I used the same credit card without cleaning it to add a green glaze.

I again added just lines with the green glaze, much like I did with the white paint.

Next I swiped white pigment ink on the page, using the direct to paper method. I poured clear embossing powder over the ink and heat set. I did this in a few places only, and not all over.


Although I didn't photograph this step, I added some lavender paint using the same dirty credit card. And finally, I dipped a bottle cap in the same lavender paint and created the circles. From ugly to grungy, and now I have a background I will use in my art.

If you like color, splatters, and drips, you are going to love my blog choice for today. I just found this blog and I think her art is so unique and different. Her name is Carol and she proclaims she is a self taught artist from Los Angeles. Check out her blog, called Carol's Bloggie, if you like color and whimsy.