Casting with tissue paper

I have been going to do some casting for quite a while.  Over six months in fact.  I have a few sheets of water soluble paper, but you know what it's like, when you only have a little of something, you put off using it.
however, the other day, I had been laminating some napkins into my art book and had all the bits of tissue I peeled off from the top layer of the napkins which was going to waste.
I thought, what if I tried casting with molds using the tissue and some PVA or medium?  And so I had a go.

Here is the cast I used.  It is flexible and rubbery.

I cast it from this metal pendant I picked up at a market for a dollar or two.  As you can see it has very defined lines and is hard.  That's what makes a good mold.

I used this product to make the molds, then cooked them in the oven.

Here are a few other things,  metal tablecloth weights I used to make molds. 

It's pretty easy, you just press the item into the mold, peel it off carefully -

And you have molds, which are stable and rubbery after they are cooked.

Here is the leaf with the first layer of tissue and PVA (on the right.  the one on left was a silk leaf, which didn't work, so ignore it).

Here is the leaf when finished.  I used about eight layers of tissue, each wetted down with PVA and a brush.
When I felt there were enough layers, I set the molds aside to dry.
I had many successes and many failures.
Here are the things I learnt

• always wait until completely dry otherwise they might come off incomplete as some may stick to the mold.
• flex the mold before removing the cast, to allow the cast to come away from the mold properly.
• although talcum powder will work with polymer clay casting to stop sticking, it doesn't work here, because the PVA is water based and the effect of the talc is lost
• I did not solve the sticking problem in this session.  I have read about using vaseline in the molds, but am loathe to try it, because it may alter the paintability of the casts.
• My husband has suggested soapy water allowed to dry, but it might leave bubbly bits.  Perhaps brushing on some dish liquid an allowing to dry might work

Anyway, that is where I am at with casting.  I think I may have to bite the bullet and try out the water soluble paper as well, but that is for another day.

Here are a few more of the casts I made.  I have rubbed them with a little gold wax rub on (home made - I will show you the recipe when I get around to it, or someone asks) so you can see the details easier.

All in all a very productive day - even with the failures.

It's always helpful to learn from your mistakes because then your mistakes seem worthwhile. 

Garry Marshall,

Fabric paper samples

I did a batch of fabric paper samples the other day for a specific project I have in mind about leaves. 

For my first sample, I used the same paper scraps I have used before on a base of cotton, painted with diluted PVA.

Here is the paper layer finished, with the addition of a few yellow and green bits and some more PVA.

I added some gold leaf powder.

Tissue paper and another layerof PVA

Ipainted the tissue with diluted green and yellow paint.  I felt the yellow was a bit cool, so I added abit of orange.

After drying, this sample ended up like this.  I have kneaded this sample to soften it and add texture.

For the next sample, I used foil, the paper backed kind that lines cigarette packets.  I was given this several years ago by a factory worker when the factories here were closing down.  I like this foil, because it sticks well due to the paper backing.  You could also use the foil that is used to cover cake boards.

Here is the foil layeredon the fabric, with the PVA added.  Notice how the glue does not cover the foil because it is shiny.

Here it is after the tissue layer and the colour layer.  I used some red dye leftover from a dyeing session.  I like the way the dye concentrates around the crinkles in the tissue.

Here it is after drying and crinkling.  It is hard to see here, but the foil give it a translucent sheen at different angles.

It always pays to look at the back.  I loved the way the dye crept in at the edges of the foil.  I might have to use a piece of this backward just to use this lovely effect.

My next sample was using a decorative napkin.  This one in particular is very apt for a leaf theme, don't you think?

I only used a pale yellow wash over the tissue on this one.

Here's the final dried sample.

In this sample, I used leaves cut from pages of a home and garden magazine using a scrapbooking punch.

I used some red and yellow diluted paint over the tissue.

Here is the final sample.  I am sure I will make more of this one.

In the last sample, I used scrim,or cheesecloth instead of cotton.

Being obsessed with the colours of the leftover bits of the magazine pages and unable to throw them away, I overlapped them, leaving some holes.
I got very involved in the process and forgot to photograph, but I used the red dye again over the tissue paper.

But here is the final sample - and I like this too.  It's amazing what you can make with some rubbish!

All in all it was a very productive afternoon.  Now I just need to get on with my designs for the project.
For those in places other than Australia, PVA is wood glue, or white glue.

If you use scraps to experiment, you can sometimes end up with treasures.