Book Study - Fiber Paste

On NGS group, we're doing a study of Darlene Olivia McElroy & Sandra Duran Wilson's book "Surface Treatment workshop " This week we're looking at the section "fiber paste".  The jar says that fiber paste is "a flexible film with a handmade paper appearance. Use as a texture or as a ground on canvas or board."

To use the fiber paste as a background, I sanded a piece of Manila card stock, then spread the fiber paste on with a  palette knife. I left this dry overnight.

 I love the texture the fiber paste has:

 Once the fiber paste is dry, it can be painted on. I painted my piece with q. nickel azo gold, when it dried, rubbed dark patina acrylic paint over the raised areas.

 If you spread fiber paste on to plastic wrap, parchment paper or polypropylene, you can create a skin. The authors state that you can add dried flowers, powder mica or threads into the fiber paste while it is still wet. (I didn't add anything to mine) The next day it was easy to lift up the skin of fiber paste.

The authors state that fiber paste can be cut. I was able to run the skin of fiber paste through  a die cut machine and to emboss using an embossing folder. Colored the raised areas with gold acrylic paint.

Another technique with fiber paste that the authors suggest, is to use apply fiber paste through a stencil. I did this over a background that had used paint through a stencil. Used a palette knife to make a thick application of the fiber paste. Carefully lifted up the stencil and let dry overnight.

Like how it looks.

 The authors also say that fiber paste can be used in plastic molds. I was impatient and had a peek at the wing on the left after a few hours, the fiber paste wasn't dry and although I pushed it back in the mold to completely dry, it had blurred. The wing on the right was left to dry overnight.  For all the techniques used with fiber paste, I'm sure the drying time depends on how thick the application is.

 Decided to make a couple of ATCS. On the first one, colored the fiber paste butterfly's body, antenna, and wing edges with gold Lumiere paint. Adhered tissue tape butterfly & moth to the fiber paste background and cut out some words from the dictionary.

For the second one, adhered the wings to the stenciled background and added a cemetery angel image.

The authors also state that you can use dried fiber paste skin in an ink jet printer and that fiber paste can be tinted with color before using.