Technique Tuesday: Paper Mosaic
It’s time for this month’s Technique Tuesday. Last year around this time Tim Holtz released his Paper Mosaic Kit. I absolutely loved the examples I saw online but with all of the mediums and glues in my current stash, I wondered if I could get the same effect with materials I already had.
I started with a chipboard letter A. I cut mine with my Cricut Explore, but you can also purchase them in craft stores. I started by laying down a very thin layer of texture paste with a palette knife and let it dry completely. While I waited for it to dry, I collected a variety of leftover scraps of paper and cut them into small pieces (you can see the approximate sizes in the video below). I then laid out my entire design on the now dry, texture paste covered letter.
Once I had the design exactly the way I wanted it, I adhered each piece with matte medium, applying it to the back of the paper piece as well as covering it with medium once it was in place. Once this step was completed I allowed it to dry completely and then applied Tim Holtz’s Crazing Medium. As I mention in the video, I wasn’t thrilled with the result of this step, but felt it was my own fault for applying it too thinly. Once the Crazing was dry, I opted not to use any ink or paint to highlight what cracks did appear because they weren’t consistent. The final step was to cover each individual piece with a layer of glossy accents, making sure it covered the paper completely and let it dry completely.
The result was amazing! I’ve shown the finished product to several friends and family members and they have to touch it because it really looks like little pieces of glass or porcelain. You might ask why do paper mosaic rather than actual mosaic. First, it’s lighter, so hanging on a wall, etc is super easy. I hate putting holes in my walls, so I use a lot of the 3M Command products. The lightweight nature of the paper mosaic means the Command products hold just fine. Second, you can apply paper mosaic to rounded items like holiday ornaments!
If you’d like to watch the process of creating the paper mosaic letter, the video is below. The complete materials list is beneath the video.
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Leftover paper scraps
