I’ve always loved tag art. Being a different size from my usual cards, tags provide a fun, different surface to work on, and can be little works of art all by themselves.
This collage tag is actually made on an MDF base, which is a nice surface to work on because it’s sturdy, smooth, and takes mediums like paint and glue for collaging.
Here, I’m working with Stamperia rice paper. Rice paper is translucent paper with fibers…kind of like a cross between mulberry paper and tissue or decoupage paper. It’s printed on one side. The nice thing is that it’s super-easy to collage with. Unlike tissue paper, you won’t have the issue of warping, buckling and air bubbles.
And the designs are really lovely. Because the paper is translucent, you can easily adhere it to a light-coloured surface and the colours and the design will stand out.
To start, I brayer-painted the surface of the tag with White Linen acrylic paint. When that was dry, I collaged it with a torn piece of the Wallpaper Imagine rice paper. To do this, simply use a watery brush to apply white glue onto the tag, place the rice paper on top, and smooth. Trim the edges when it’s dry. I use Cosmic Shimmer Specialist Glue, putting a bit onto my craft mat and dipping a wet, flat paintbrush into the puddle and applying it to the surface.
Tip: I recommend putting the glue onto the surface rather than onto the rice paper—although the rice paper is more substantial than, say, tissue paper, it can still be a bit wispy to handle when it’s gluey.
I also used a strip of Country Blooms patterned paper across the center of the tag, and some Dazzle sticker borders. When it’s all done and dry, then I edged my tag with some gold pigment ink.
The winged heart focal is from the Heart Frames rice paper collection. I first brayered white cardstock with Island Parrot, then brayered White Linen on top. When it’s dry, glue down the heart image to the cardstock and trim around the image. A bit of jute twine and a Dazzles sentiment finishes off the tag.
Here’s a quick look at the back, where I used a bit of Balmy Night paint (a dark blue) on the tag surface.
To see this tag, and other rice paper projects, be sure to check out the Mixed Media #16 Rice Paper Webisode at Paper Wishes!
