Working on toned paper can produce striking work with minimal effort, as the midtone is already present. By working on ordinary paper bags with fun and forgiving Gelatos, you get the benefits of toned paper without the expense or fear factor. These paper bag books create fun little pockets that can hold sketches, notes and inspirational images.
3 12" × 6" (30cm × 15cm) paper bags
2 pieces of chipboard (or sturdy cardstock) cut to fit the folded paper bag
no. 8 round
1-inch (25mm) flat
Brown, Flesh, Ochre, Sienna, White, Yellow
White and Warm Gray
assorted journaling pens, awl, blending stump, bone folder tool, bookbinding needle, cloth tape, graphite transfer paper, heat tool or hair dryer, kneaded eraser, Mixed Media Adhesive or clear gesso, pencil, permanent black pen, scissors, scraper tool, stylus, wax paper palette, waxed linen thread, Yes! or other paper glue
Make three folios by folding three paper bags in half. Score each fold with a bone folder tool. If the bags are wrinkled, you can iron them at this point to make them nice and flat.
You’ll need Gelatos, Big Brush pens, assorted journaling pens, a blending stump and a kneaded eraser for this project.
Nest the folded bags inside of each other, alternating the closed and open ends of the bags. Use an awl to punch three holes into the spine, one in the center and one in the top and bottom about 1 inch (25mm) from each end. Cut a piece of waxed linen thread roughly two times the length of the paper bags, and use a pamphlet stitch to bind the pages.
Apply a bead of Yes! glue or other thick paper glue along the edge of the scraping tool or an old credit card. Holding the scraping tool at an angle, spread a very thin layer of glue on one exterior side of the book and on one of the pieces of chipboard. Repeat with the other exterior side. There will be a 1⁄2-inch (13mm) gap on either side of the spine, but make sure the chipboard covers the exterior edges.
Cover the spine with cloth bookbinder’s tape. Cut approximately 71⁄2 inches (19cm) of tape so it is long enough to cover the spine with about 1⁄2 inch (13mm) extra on either end. Apply the tape to the spine, burnishing the tape with a bone folder tool. Tuck the ends under the edges of the exterior bag pages.
Prep the pages with Mixed Media Adhesive or clear gesso and a 1-inch (25mm) flat. Drybrush it on to avoid overly saturating the page. Use a crisscross pattern to create random strokes. Don’t worry about covering the page completely edge to edge. Prep all of the pages, then let dry.
On the first book page, draw a color wheel with a permanent black pen. You can use a stencil or draw the wheel freehand. Apply the Gelatos directly to the wheel, coloring outside the lines a bit for added visual appeal. Then use a wet no. 8 round to activate the crayon. You can activate the colors as you apply them or apply them all first and then activate them all at once. This will allow you to see how the colors look on the paper bag. Let air dry or dry with a heat tool.
Transfer sketches to the pages, one per spread, using graphite paper. Place the graphite paper on the page, then lay the sketch on top. Use a stylus just as you would a pencil to trace the lines, adding crosshatch shading to the face while tracing.
Use a blending stump to blend the graphite transfer marks, shading the face.
Use a pencil to add hairlines and a kneaded eraser to lift unwanted graphite marks. Add highlight areas, applying White Gelatos directly to the sketch. Add highlights to the forehead, nose, cheekbones, jawline, ears, the whites of the eyes, and the upper and lower eyelids. Apply the color lightly, allowing the paper bag to show through. Activate it with a wet no. 8 round. Avoid overly saturating the paper bag. Dry with a heat tool or let air dry.
Let the pages dry between each step so the bag doesn’t become overly saturated. You can use a heat tool to speed things up, but be careful not to get too close to the bag, and keep the heat tool moving.
Add shaded areas, applying Yellow Ochre Gelatos directly to the sketch. Shade the inside corners of the eyes, under the nose, under the lower lip, under the chin, under the cheekbone area and around the hairline. Activate the Yellow Ochre with a wet no. 8 round, and blend it into the White.
While the page is still wet, drop in additional shading with Brown Gelatos by touching a wet no. 8 round to the tip to lift color. Apply the Brown to the inside corners of the eye, the inner ear folds, under the nose, the upper lip, under the lower lip and under the chin. Let the page air dry or dry with a heat tool.
Create the midtones with the Flesh Gelatos. Apply the Flesh color directly to the page between the highlights and shaded areas. Activate with a wet no. 8 round and continue to blend with the colors laid down previously. Add Sienna Gelatos to the cheek area and lips by touching a wet no. 8 round to the tip of the Gelatos and then painting it onto the face. Using the brush to apply color gives you more control in small areas and creates more intense colors.
Use a Warm Gray Faber-Castell Big Brush pen to color around the hair and face, one small section at a time. Then activate the ink with a wet no. 8 round, letting it pool and drip a bit. Once dry, it’s permanent, and you can write over it with a White Big Brush pen. You can use the Gray to add details to the eyes and lips. Use the White pen to add highlights to the hair and other areas, and activate with a wet brush as before. Add journaling, notes and whatever you like to fill the journal. You can also add additional paintings, sketches or notes to the pockets formed by the paper bags.
Faber-Castell Big Brush pens in White and Warm Gray are two of my very favorite art tools because of their versatility. They are great for adding journaling and finishing details. You can apply them directly to a substrate and then move the ink around like paint to add shading and highlights. Because they are filled with India ink, they are permanent when dry.
You can also color the pen on a wax paper palette and lift it with a wet brush. This will give you a bit more control if you’re concerned about the color drying before you’ve had time to activate it. All of the colors available are wonderful, but even just these two will add so much dimension to your portraits.