Girl Guide Collage Book Part 2

Hello !   I'm back with Part 2 of the Girl Guide Collage Book.

In Part 1 I had shown you how to assemble a basic three-ringed cardboard book. 

In this post I will show you how I had prepared the pages for the collage process.

If you prefer not to paint your pages then skip this Part 2.  You could opt to cover the pages with scrapbook paper or any other paper ...or leave them as is.  I chose to add paint, pattern, and texture for a nice background to my pages.

To prepare each collage page I had used:

White Gesso 

Acrylic Paint in various colours

Paint brushes

Patterns

Texture Items
Scissors

Glue Sticks

Mod Podge

Gel Printing Plate- Optional

Brayer

What is Gesso? Go here for more information.

Wash your brush before the Gesso dries since it will harden and may ruin it!

I had painted most of my cardboard pages with an Acrylic Gesso.  Gesso is like a white paint that is used to prepare a canvas before painting.  It prepares the surface for the paint and will help block out underneath images/words etc. Without the Gesso the paint will soak into the cardboard...the photo below shows the difference.  The light blue page has Gesso while the dark blue is without Gesso...same blue paint was used on both surfaces.  If you do not have Gesso then just go ahead and paint the pages...it just may take a few extra coats to get the desired look. Paint the pages in whatever colours you like.

This blue acrylic paint from Dollarama works well.

In this next step I had added pattern to the pages.  I am fortunate enough to own a Gelli Plate so that made the process of adding pattern so much more fun!

Add paint to the Gelli plate and roll with a Brayer

Doilies and stencils are great for adding pattern.  Lay a page on the plate and gently rub then lift to see the pattern.  I Love my Gelli Plate!!

These items are excellent for adding Pattern to the pages

A crumpled paper bag leaves a marbled effect on top of paint.  Paper or plastic doilies, cosmetic sponges, plastic mesh, stencils, and bubble wrap are great tools for making pattern. I also used plastic bottle caps to make circles. 

If you do not have access to a Gelli Plate then you can use a styrofoam tray as a palette and cosmetic sponges to apply the paint to whatever pattern pieces you have.

Rubber and foam stampers are great tools for adding background pattern to your pages.

After I had applied the Gesso, paint, and pattern I then added texture to my pages.  To add texture to the pages I had used an array of things...

Paper Doilies, tissue paper, Printed napkins, scrapbook paper, embossed paper, dictionary book pages, phone book pages, stamped pages etc...glue in whatever you like.

Helpful tip:  Using glue can be messy!  I like to use an old phone book or magazine when applying glue to an item...especially when I have lots of pieces to do. When the page gets too sticky then just go to a clean page. This will save your work surface from getting all sticky!   Also, keep wet wipes or baby wipes near by for sticky fingers.

  Using Mod Podge to adhere tissue paper and napkins will give a nice transparent effect when it dries. Just brush it on the page, place the tissue paper down and apply the Mod Podge over top.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of the Girl Guide Collage Book!

In Part 3, I will show the collage images I used and the collage page from start to finish. Thank you for being patient with this project! It is not something that can be done in a hurry.

Happy Easter!

 Lee Ann