Watercolor Faux Batik Technique

Hi there!  I hope all of you are having a fantastic Tuesday night.  I thought I would share this video that I came across earlier today while at the hospital with my boyfriend.  I decided to go with him today for moral support.  I only expected to be there for an hour or so, but as my luck would have it, I was there all day.  Lets just say that my boyfriend's follow up appointment turned into a full fledged hospitalization. I don't want to go into details about his illness or condition, but he is in real rough shape.  I was trying not to focus on the heaviness of the situation, so I started watching Youtube to come up with ideas for another project. That is when I came across this awesome video!

Batik is traditionally done with wax and dye on fabric.  It is a long process, but the results are absolutely beautiful.  I have been searching for a way to create the batik look on paper without the melted wax, and found this tutorial.  This video is by far one of the best techniques I've seen for creating a faux batik.

The materials you will need for this project include:
1- sheet of watercolor
1- sheet of fine mulberry paper or a paper without sizing/fillers. (The kozo washi paper is a Japanese mulberry paper.) You could possibly use rice paper instead of kozo washi mulberry paper.
- white school glue 
- watercolor paint
- paint brushes
- water

To create this look, you will first want to make sure that the mulberry paper is about the same size as the sheet of watercolor paper.  Next you will want to crinkle up the mulberry paper and soak it in some water. When the paper is completely wet, squeeze the excess water from the wad of paper and set it aside. The next step is to mix some white school glue with water and paint the entire surface of the watercolor paper with the glue solution. Quickly and carefully un-wad the mulberry paper and layer the crinkled paper over the glued watercolor paper. You will want to press down and flatten the crinkled mulberry paper as much as possible.  Any fine wrinkles and texture left in the mulberry paper is fine.  You will want to start watercolor painting while the paper is still wet.  You can paint anything your heart desires.  It may be helpful to draw your image onto the mulberry paper prior to soaking it.  The moisture in the paper allows the watercolor to spread along the crinkles of the mulberry paper.  You can spray water on areas of the wet painting to help the paint spread.  You can also use salt to add texture to the watercolor painting. Feel free to try metallic watercolors, dye inks, or pearl mists with this faux batik technique.

I hope this video inspires you like it has inspired me.  What a great way to create the batik look without dealing with the hassles of hot wax and messy dyes.  If you enjoy these craft ideas, please be sure to follow this blog through email or google+.  Thanks for visiting tonight! ❤ Tia - Copper Blossom Paperie ❤