A Month of Pumpkins Day 24

I decided to do something different today, something I've been wanting to do for a long time - collage. But, I've been wanting to make my own paper on something that is thin like tracing paper but sturdy enough to take paint and not buckle.  I just hadn't figured out yet what would be the right surface. While I was in my favorite art supply store yesterday, I decided to check out the papers they keep in those flat files, and voila, Rice Paper seemed like a place to start.

Here are the results of my morning efforts. I tried watercolor, watercolor crayon and acrylic. Acrylic worked best. I used a hair dryer to speed things up.

Then I just needed a reference photo. I used one I took at my friend's house.

And what to put my collage on? I had a 5 x 7 piece of aquaboard and I hadn't been happy with the painting so I gessoed over it and loosely sketched my design on with watercolor crayon. Then I tore up pieces of collage paper and glued them down with PVA glue which is a ph neutral glue used for bookbinding and paper projects, something archival. I tore pieces of the rice paper and glued them down and then I went back over with paint in a few places. Tomorrow I will seal it with acrylic varnish. It was fun. I've worked on this pretty much all day though and my back aches, but I'm finished a lot earlier than yesterday so I have time to fold laundry, go grocery shopping and cook dinner. Yay!