Textured GeopapersJill K. BerryI love beautiful papers, and I paint my own for use in my artwork. Here are some simple techniques that result in a geographic look, perfect for use in collaged maps, books and other mixed-media projects.

M a t e r i a l s D r i p p i n g i n k S h e e t S

black fine-tip permanent marker

colored pencils

dark ink

eye dropper

paper of your choice

p l a S t i c W r a p r o c k S

black paper

green and blue pastels

titanium buff acrylic paint

white colored pencil

wide paintbrush

t i S S u e p a p e r l a n D S c a p e

300-pound watercolor paper

black fine-tip permanent marker

blue colored pencil

fine-tip paintbrush

iridescent watercolors

matte medium

painted tissue paper

t e x t u r e D i n k t o p o g r a p h y

black and brown ink

black colored pencil

blue watercolor

paintbrush

paper of your choice

salt

spray bottle with water

texture tools

S t e n c i l t o W n

black paper

geometric or grid stencil (www.stencilgirl.com)

metallic ink pads

PanPastels (www.panpastel.com)

sponges

spray fixative

textural stencils

B i r D ’ S e y e r a n c h l a n D

black sumi ink

colored pencils

damp sponge

paintbrush

printmaking paper

salt

toothbrush

watercolors

wooden dental pick

Copyright 2011 by Jill K. Berry. All rights reserved

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1Hold a piece of paper at a slightly vertical angle and use an eye dropper to place a drop of dark ink onto the top edge of the paper. The ink will travel in a fairly straight line, so rotate the page while it is wet. Add more drops as you work and continue rotating the paper.

This page began as the “clean-up” paper that caught the ink drops from Step 1. Rotate the paper while it is still wet to spread the ink across the surface. After the ink drops are dry, embellish the ink streets with a black fine-tip permanent marker and colored pencils.

Dripping Ink Streets

Copyright 2011 by Jill K. Berry. All rights reserved

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1Hold a piece of paper at a slightly vertical angle and use an eye dropper to place a drop of dark ink onto the top edge of the paper. The ink will travel in a fairly straight line, so rotate the page while it is wet. Add more drops as you work and continue rotating the paper.

Paint three-fourths of a piece of black paper with acrylic paint in titanium buff, ending with a ragged edge. Place wrinkled plastic wrap over the wet paint, patting it down gently. Let it dry, then remove the plastic wrap.

Plastic Wrap Rocks

Copyright 2011 by Jill K. Berry. All rights reserved

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1Create a geometric design by collaging strips of painted tissue paper onto 300-pound watercolor paper, using natural colors interspersed with small amounts of bright colors. Adhere the tissue to the watercolor paper with matte medium.

Draw waterways with a blue colored pencil. Paint houses and trees using iridescent watercolors, and outline them with a black fine-tip permanent pen.

Tissue Paper Landscape

Copyright 2011 by Jill K. Berry. All rights reserved

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1Splatter black and brown ink on a piece of paper. Give some areas a light spray of water. Sprinkle salt in some areas. The size of the salt crystals will determine the size of the “sparkle” effect. Dab some areas with texture tools. Leave some of the background paper showing.

Using a black colored pencil, add outlines to accentuate the topographic features. Add rivers and lakes with blue watercolor.

Textured Ink Topography

Copyright 2011 by Jill K. Berry. All rights reserved

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1Place a geometric or grid stencil on a piece of black paper and stamp through it using metallic ink and a sponge.

Use other textural stencils to create water areas and parks. Apply color with PanPastels and a cosmetic sponge. Spray the paper with fixative.

Stencil Town

Copyright 2011 by Jill K. Berry. All rights reserved

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1Dampen a piece of printmaking paper with a sponge. Flick black sumi ink onto the paper with a toothbrush, making some areas more saturated than others. Drag a pencil through the wet areas, pulling the ink into gridlines and circles. Use a wooden dental pick to make rows of “crops”. Sprinkle salt onto the page to add texture. Remove the salt after the page is dry.

Add layers of light watercolor washes to delineate fields, rivers and water areas. Allow the paper to show through in some areas. Add colored pencil to highlight details.

Bird ’s Eye Ranchland

Copyright 2011 by Jill K. Berry. All rights reserved