Cool Background Papers

One of the coolest techniques for creating background papers for collage/mixed media involves the cleaner/degreaser called CitraSolv and a magazine with high quality pages, like National Geographic.  I'm lucky enough to have a sweetie who subscribes to National Geographic (thanks, Jeff!) and gives me his magazines when he's done with them.  I can't take credit for this technique - I've read about it in a number of different places.  You simply brush or spritz the CitraSolv onto the magazine pages, press the pages together, let them sit for about 10-15 minutes, and then gentle pull the pages apart.  You then need to let the pages completely dry.  I usually give them about 24 hours or at least overnight.  These pages were some that I did yesterday.  The results are always unpredictable, since it's about how the print loosens and sort of merges with what's on the other page.  

I really love how the first page turned out.  I don't know why the type didn't run, but I sure am glad it didn't - the phrase seems to add just the right touch to the page!

I found the page below to be pretty cool, too.  Somehow the image of the surfer survived and is sort of faded into the other print effects.  I think this would be a great background for the digital collages that I'm playing with.

Here's another neat effect.  I wasn't even aware of the face on the page - her blue eye really sort of pops and grabs your attention, doesn't it?  Another great background for digital collage!

The image below is more like what I find when I do this technique - very surreal and otherworldly.  I just love how soft the effect is with this page.  Also, in the lower left corner, there's some very faint impression of text.  I have no idea if it was on this page originally, but it is cool.

This last image is another abstract, this time with a splotch of turquoise in it.  I sometimes wish I could remember what the original page looked like, but when I do this, I just work quickly and in batches of pages or an entire magazine, so I have no way of knowing or remembering what the page first looked like.

Enjoy!