Tissue Paper Prints

This is a fun process that is good practice for looking at values. I tend to work in a limited palette with a pop of colour introduced by embellishments. In this piece I have used black acrylic paint and olive green lumiere mixed randomly on the plate.

The basic concept is to take some leaves and roll out a thin layer of paint/ink on a gel plate or perspex sheet. Place the leaves firmly on the plate and press down. Lift the leaves off and place ink side down on some tissue paper. This will give a positive print. you can also take some tissue and lift a negative print from the plate. you will need both positive and negative prints and a range of sizes and textures of leaves. Leave the prints to dry.

Tear around the edges of the print to remove excess tissue that will not be used. You could cut them but as we will laminate them on to a substrate with gel medium tearing creates a less visible edge to each print. Play around with a composition. I ten to like having a lighter positive print in the centre with darker negative prints surrounding it.

I have used 130 gsm watercolour paper for my substrate but a firmly woven fabric would work just as well. Put a thin layer of gel medium onto the substrate and position your prints carefully. As the tissue gets wet it will become quite fragile so moving it is often not possible. Smooth out any wrinkles gently and once all prints are applied leave to dry.

Now you can stitch into the composition or add embellishments. I have added a little fantail in this one - printed on teabag (abaca) paper and torn around and fixed with gel medium to the finished print.. I have used French knots in the Queen Anne’s lace print but little other stitching. I think my hands were getting tired from punching through the paper to stitch even though I tended to make a punch hole before I stitched

The leaves in the centre part are stitched, the berries are tiny seed beads and the flowers in the bottom leaf are hydrangeas stitched between layers of organza. Toward the top of the picture you can see a stamped puriri moth. So it is all about using different techniques. I thought that area was too dark so the addition of the moth added interest and lightened that area