Parchment paper, plastic wrap and aluminum foil… bring some of your kitchen essentials into your studio and create backgrounds with incredible textures!
What you need to know
For a novel way to add life to your backgrounds there's nothing like the printing technique. Applying various materials to very wet washes allows you to create a multitude of texture effects.
1. Preliminary steps
Step 1: To keep the paint inside its area and avoid undesirable events, mask the areas of the paper you won't be working on.
- Apply masking tape to surfaces you need to protect.
- Put drawing gum on the contours to define them clearly.
Step 2: apply a very wet wash to the exposed area.
Once the wash has been applied, start working right away (watercolors dry very fast)!
2. Three materials for original textures
With plastic wrap:
- Cut a piece of plastic wrap, then roll it into a ball.
- Set it down on the wash without pressing, because it adheres by itself.
- Remove it when the paint is dry.
With parchment paper and aluminum foil: follow the same steps as for the plastic wrap. Set a weight (telephone directory, old dictionary) on the ball of paper to keep it in contact with the wash.
That little extra: for less clearly defined contours, remove the material before the paint is totally dry!
