[JenniaHart]

This is my favorite new technique!! I just love painting my own background papers and tags.

I use the Plaid Fold Art Paints that are available at Wal-Mart for under $1.00 everyday or at Micahel's for under a dollar when they are on sale.

I use paint paint brushes, foam paint brushes, sponges, paper towels and plastic wrap to apply the paint. Sometimes I apply it full strength and sometime sI water down the paint for a different look- more like a wash.

My tip: Buy a ream of cheap 8 1/2 by 11 cardstock (acid free) from your local offic supply store. Buy some of the paints (or dig them out of your craft stash!) Then just sit down and play....... you won't ahve to worry about wasting expensive scrapbooking paper but if you like something that you create you can use it in your books!

[kcscrapper2000]

Thank you for the great idea now i can dig out all my craft paints again...I bought finger paint a few months ago for g/son to play with and then i scaned the page and created a background for a page i created for him...(He loved the page so much he even took it to bed with him ).... I never thought of using any other kind of craft paint...

kcscrapper

[kcscrapper2000]

I forgot to mention i laminated the page first before i gave it to him...

kcscrapper

[ScrappingForever]

Aw, he took it to bed! How cute!

I love using acrylic paints, too. So much fun, and so freeing, in a way. I love just making swishes of color on my backgrounds.

[Stephanie Barnard]

I love paints, too! There is something to be said about making your own designs and then using them.

I love mixing colors, too.

I'm to the point where 95% of my layouts have some type of paint on them.

Hugs,
Stephanie

[Ro]

Me, too. Me, too! I have drawers and drawers full of acrylic paint. It's so fun to use and a little goes such a long way.

I've had a LOT of fun creating backgrounds and then I spray them with a finish to give them a polished look. Fabulous.

[keke]

kcscrapper - what a great idea! My kids LOVE to fingerpaint, and what better way to capture those sweet little finger and hand prints!

I also find that the papers that I paint (even the cheaper by the ream cardstock from the discount store) feel so nice to the touch after painting. They are thicker and more pliable and something else that I just can't describe. You'll have to try it for yourself!

We bought a 150 year old house last year and I got some faux painting manuals to use while redecorating. It turns out that those same ideas and recipes for faux finishes work great for background paper in scrapbooks. I just substitute acrylic craft paints for the regular house paint. I also use alot of the clear glaze mixed with acrylics. Just a word of caution, I have no idea of how safe the glaze is for photos. I never use it with anything that isn't easily replaceable. However, I have heard that acrylic craft paint is naturally acid free, but I couldn't swear to it.

Karla

[Betsy]

I've been using acrylic paints on my digital layouts! SO COOL! Love the effect, and it was so easy!

[JenniaHart]

What I have heard is that acrylic paint *is* acrylic paint so if the paints that MM sells are safe then all acrylic paints are safe. This isn't profssional information but it makes sense.

If you want to be extra cautious don't use photos from the early days of color on pages you are uncertain of, they have the biggest chance of a color shift and always save your negatives!!!

[scrappingdiva]

I've been using acrylic paints with my MM stamps but have been afraid to just paint on a page. I don't know why I didn't think about buying a cheap pack of cardstock and just letting the creative juices flow...but what a great idea! I'm headed off to M's and Walmart today, I will pick up a pack and experiment. Thanks

[bobnbear]

Me too! I just love using the paints, its probably my favorite new thing to use!

[Ann in MA]

I have several favorite paint techniques.

One is to put down a squirt of paint directly onto the paper, and scrape it in several directions with an old credit card. Put down another color of paint and do the same thing. Scrape more in some areas, less in others, and do this til you cover the paper. It's a lot of fun.

A second technique isn't so much a technique as a paint -- Lumiere Paints (from Jacquard) are irridescent and very very cool. I especially like their 'halo' colors, which have a color shift (for instance, in one light it looks blue, in another it looks green). The paints look especially great on dark colored base papers, like black. I love using these to make papers and then cut them up into tags or serendipity squares. It might work well as a background paper with the right pics, but the irridescence can be overpowering sometimes.

[scrappingdiva]

Ann in MA

thanks for the idea
I will have to take sometime this weekend and play around with the paints. Any other techniques?

[Ann in MA]

Here are a few more:

Make an interesting background paper by dipping string, thread, rubber bands, etc. in paint, and then putting it down or arranging it onto your base paper.

Use texturizing combs, rollers, even a kid's matchbox car (the wheels) to apply color.

The little foam paint rollers from the hardware store make fun stripes and plaids -- just dip in various colors and roll.

Use the various crackle paints and patinas from the furniture-decorating area of Michaels or other stores -- they work on paper, too! There are also some faux finish paints, like granite, suede, etc.

Here are a couple techniques that I use on canvas, but haven't tried on a scrapbook page -- I'm not sure how safe they'd be for scrapbooking:

Use vaseline as a resist: if you have a background paper, apply vaseline to an area -- either a whole area, or in random places. Cover the entire paper with acrylic paint, and let dry. When dry, the areas where the vaseline was can be wiped away, exposing the design underneath. This works GREAT with photos on a collage -- here's one in progress:



The second techinque is to put down masking tape onto a piece of paper in a design, and then paint over it. It makes almost an 'embossed' look. You can also do this with punchies from cardstock.

Or, use the masking tape to pull up part of a layer of a paper, to reveal the layer underneath. In this collage, I used masking tape on an old page from a dictionary -- then I painted over it with a watered-down color wash:



Hope this gives you some ideas!

[keke]

Ann! Great ideas! I can't wait to try my hand at the masking techniques and scraping the paint around with a credit card. Cool! However, I can't see the images or find a link. Am I missing something? I would really LOVE to see your examples!

Karla

[keke]

Well, I don't know what is wrong with me or my computer, but when I posted the above post and clicked back to go back to the page, the images popped up! So please disregard my last post. And Ann, these are awesome pages!! Thanks for sharing!

Karla

[Ann in MA]

Thanks, Karla -- those are actually canvas collages, so you might have to experiment a bit with the masking tape on "regular" scrapbooking paper. I love the Vaseline technique, but I don't think I'd try it on my scrapbook page ... though if I were scrapping digitally ... hmmmmm....

Anyway, thanks for the compliments, and if you do try any of these techniques, please share the results with us!

Ann

[faithfulscrapper]

Great tips and ideas! I love my paints.

[MCmom]

Great ideas, I love the MM foam stamps and playing with paints! I like to use them on the back of transparencies where I have journaled to make the journaling pop, especially if your background is dark.
Thanks for all of the other tips! I will have to try making my own paper!
Paint is a great technique!

[JenniaHart]

I've used painter's tape (the blue stuff) on cardstock with success to mask off areas so I could paint stripes.

[Gwyn]

I wrote an article this past summer for another site with some kind of different ideas.
http://www.scrapsahoy.com/kb/index.php?pag..._v2&id=351&c=34

If it's not okay to link this, well, just delete me!

[JenniaHart]

Gwen, that is an AWESOME article!!!! I love the UTEE faux pewter embellishment. Now I have to buy some UTEE and a melting pot!!! Can you tell me who makes the stamp that you used for that embellishment? That stamp is perfect for the embellishment!!

[Gwyn]

Jennia, That was one of those Renaissance or whatever they were called that was put out by Stampa Rosa. I'm not sure if some other company bought the rights to those designs, but I bought as many as I could find when I heard they were closing their doors.

It's not all that easy to find these stamps that allow for relief work like that.

[Shai]

I hope I am not repeating a posting ... do you spray these with acrylic or just leave 'as is'?

Shai

[Wxchic]

You ladies are all so creative and so UNAFRAID to get your hands dirty! I must try it but we are going out of town Monday for 2 weeks so if I try to pull it all out today, my husband will DEFINATELY think I have a screw loose. I'll have to wait until I get back.

I'm already too busy getting all my digi-scrap stuff on my laptop so I can bring it with me!

[ScrappingForever]

Shai, I don't think you have to spray them with anything, I assume you mean as a fixative? I think, since they are already acrylic paint, you don't need to worry about the colors coming off.