Pulled Paper "Alphabetica"

There has been a lot of buzz about a new technique book called "Surface Treatment Workshop" by McElroy & Wilson. There are 45 different techniques outlined in this book. For my book this round ("Alphabetica"), I decided to try the pulled paper background.

I began with watercolor paper as my base. I painted the entire surface with red acrylic paint. I then added touches of yellow using bubble wrap. Once the paint had dried, I tore thin strips of paper out of a telephone book (Alphabetica theme, remember?) and applied the torn strips to the painted background using gel medium. I burnished the torn strips and after 1-2 minutes, I began to pull the strips of paper off the painted surface. The longer you leave the paper on, the more of it will stick. You can remove some of the paper by gently rubbing the paper off with your finger. Experiment for your desired effect.

I added each letter of the alphabet using stencils. I was not happy with all the blobbing of paint, so I outlined each letter with a sharpie pen to add definition. Finally, I created a pocket and tucked a tag containing a write-up of the technique for future reference.