paste paper

this past weekend, a friend and i traveled to stl to take a workshop with mary beth shaw.  mary beth is a very talented collage artist from the midwest.  her first step in creating her artwork is to create the paste paper that she uses in her pieces.  paste paper is the combination of paste & paint used to decorate paper.  this is a fun and easy way to get the basis for many types of art.  this is also a wonderful (and messy) activity to try with your little ones.

here are some of the papers i created during the workshop:

some ideas of how to create different designs on your paper include:

• paint random sections of the paper with clear paste and then paint colors on top - this will result in different saturations of the same color
• use sponges, or stamps to add or subtract color
• spray the paper with water (after hanging) to get a dripping effect
• use oil pastels to add color and then paint over the top
• layer, layer, layer patterns!

things you can do with the paper once it is dry:

• use for a collage (like mary beth)
• use to create a journal
• decompage onto a box for a keepsake