Creating Mixed Media Tissue Paper

If you are looking to personalize your art journal projects, creating mixed media tissue paper is a fun way to get unique colors and textures. Creating mixed media tissue paper is easy and only requires a few materials. In this tutorial I will share with you three different techniques for getting a variety of different textures with mixed media tissue paper.

What Type of Tissue Paper to Use?

There are a variety of tissue papers that you can use for this technique. From tissue paper used for gift wrapping to acid-free tissue paper used for protecting and storing works of art. I am using acid-free, PH neutral tissue paper but any white tissue paper will work for this technique.

Crinkle It Up! Altering Tissue Paper with Ink and Paint

One of the easiest ways to create mixed media tissue paper is by adding permanent inks and acrylic paints to the tissue paper. I like creating crinkles and wrinkles in my tissue paper by crumpling it up and spreading it out, making sure to leave uneven and wrinkled areas.

Wrinkling the tissue paper is a personal preference. You can also lay the tissue out flat on the surface to add inks and paints. I like the effect of the wrinkles as it adds more texture and creates more variation as the paint blends.

Types of Ink and Paint

Make sure to use a permanent ink, such as India ink for this technique. My intention is to use the tissue paper for collage. If you use a dye based or water-soluble ink, the tissue will bleed when matte medium or glue is added.

When choosing paint, both acrylic inks and fluid acrylics are ideal for this technique. If you don’t have any of these on hand, water down heavy body acrylic paint with water or glazing medium. You can also add paint with a paint brush very gently to the surface.  

Adding the Ink and Paint

After crinkling your tissue paper and laying it out, add drops of ink and fluid acrylic paint to your surface. Use a spray bottle to spritz the surface to get the paint and ink to run. Depending on the color saturation that you like, continue to add more ink and paint to the surface until you’re happy with the result.

By adding less paint and thinning it with water, you can get a soft marbled effect with the tissue paper. If you would like vibrant mixed media tissue paper, continue to add more inks, paints and water. Set aside to air dry completely. I tend to do this technique on parchment paper or a silicone mat so that I can place it to the side to dry. Depending on how much water to use, this may take a while.

Stamping and Drawing on Tissue Paper

Stamping or drawing on tissue paper is an easy way to add custom designs on tissue paper. Make sure to use a permanent ink, such as an archival ink, when stamping so that the images will not bleed.

Ink your stamp and add the image onto the tissue paper. You can reink it after every stamp or stamp multiple times to create second or third values. By using multiple values this can add depth to the design. To understand more about stamping and values, please check out this article on stamping techniques.

Once the stamped images are dry, you can choose to add color to the images. There is a variety of permanent pens and markers, Neocolor 1 Wax Pastels, and acrylic paint pens that will work for this step. For more opaque effects, use acrylic pens, for more translucent effects, try using markers or wax pastels.  

Another way to add designs to the tissue paper is to write and doodle onto the paper. You can use a variety of permanent pens, acrylic markers, wax pastels to add designs to the tissue. You can add drawings to the tissue paper or you can combine techniques by using stamps, writing and doodling to create a unique design.

My Moment of Clarity

I had a moment of clarity this week when stamping images on tissue paper. I generally stamp focal images and textures when using tissue paper. But this week I experimented with stamping words and quotes on the paper.

If you ever struggle with stamping words on your mixed media projects because the surface is uneven, stamping on tissue paper is a game changer! Instead of stamping onto the surface, stamp the words that you want to use onto the tissue paper.  

Add water gently around the image and tear the words out to create an uneven edge. Use matte medium to apply this to your project. This lets the words stand out beautifully on the background as you can’t see the white edges of the tissue paper.

Instead of struggling with words and images on your background, use tissue paper to get a perfect image every time. I plan to use this technique often in my art journal pages to get more consistent results.

Adding Texture to Tissue Paper with Acrylic Mediums

One of my favorite ways to add texture to tissue paper is with acrylic mediums and stencils. Place the stencil onto the tissue paper and add the acrylic medium using a palette knife. Remove the stencil and wash it immediately. Let the acrylic medium air dry on the tissue paper.

Which Acrylic Mediums to Use?

There are a variety of mediums that can be used for this technique. For a more subtle look, use heavy gel medium. This will create texture and shine but will be completely transparent.

For an opaque effect, use one of the many paste mediums available. One of my personal favorites is Golden Fiber Paste as it creates beautiful texture and is easy to apply. I used modeling paste for this demo as I am trying to use up some of my older mediums.

I also tried this technique with TCW Stencil Butters. These colored acrylic mediums have beautiful shine and brilliant color. It has a thicker consistency which helps get a clear image from the stencil with less bleed.

The last medium I tried was Stamperia Gold Crackle Paste. These pastes are very wet and loose, and they do not work well on tissue paper in my opinion. The tissue paper crinkled to the point of being almost unusable and the image came through a bit smeared from the loose medium.  

Coloring Mediums with Paints and Inks

Once the mediums are dry, add color to the surfaces using paints and inks in a similar way that you did in the crinkle technique. Drop color onto the surface and spritz with water. You can also use a brush to move ink and paint around the surface.

The pastes will absorb the color while the paint will sit on top of the gel medium instead of absorbing it. This lets you get unique results depending on the medium you choose to use.

Adding Mixed Media Tissue Paper to Projects

I love adding these mixed media tissue papers to my projects. Sometimes I will start with a white surface or an underpainting of acrylic and add these layers on top. The mixed media tissue paper can be cut or torn into shapes to add texture onto the page.

You can also use these papers on black or white papers to get very different effects. There are so many opportunities for personalization and creativity with this technique.

Any Questions?

I hope that you give this technique a try and I would love to hear how you use these mixed media tissue papers in your creative projects! It is a fun, easy and very forgiving technique. I would love to answer any questions you might have and hear about your experience with this technique! Leave a comment below or use the contact form to email me directly. I hope that you take some time for creative self-care this week!

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