Making textured paper with Paper Solvy

I wanted to add some patterned texture to a project I am working on. I decided to make some textured paper using paper solvy and textured items.

Supplies needed are: Sulky Paper Solvy, textured items (I used rubber stamps, stencils and two textured items), and a cup of water.

I rip the paper into smaller pieces, roughly 2" x 3", but it just needs to be smaller than the stamp or textured item. I wet my brush, run the brush along the edge of my water cup to remove some of the water, and wet the paper. If you use too much water, the paper will dissolve completely. I used a few layers of paper, so if I dissolve a hole in the paper, I just make sure to add more paper there to cover it. I do press the edge of my brush into the ridges of the stamp, especially on my first layer, so I will get a deep impression.

Here it is after a couple of pieces of paper are applied.

And here is the finished layers. I used about 3/4 of a 8" x 10" piece of Solvy for this one stamp.

I let it dry overnight and then peeled the paper off the plate.  This needs to be done gently so the paper doesn't tear.  They were slightly damp when I removed them, and curled up a little when they finished drying. I will mist them with just a touch of water and put them under a book to flatten them. If I mist them with too much water, the paper will dissolve, so it takes just a light spray.  

 I have used the swirl stamp for this technique before and love the results. The stencil did not leave a very distinct pattern since it is so thin, but will still be nice for a collage. The one from the dark gray plastic plate almost is too textured, but I will see how it looks after removing the bow in the paper.  (I should have put them under a book when I removed them from the plate to avoid having to re-wet them).

I have read that you can do this same technique with toilet paper, but I have never tried it. I just imagine that the toilet paper will disintegrate over time, but really I have no idea how well the Solvy will hold up.  When I go to paint these, I need to use a heavy body paint or need to coat with regular gel medium (or spray acrylic sealer) so the paper does not dissolve. If I used a watered down paint without a sealer, the paper will start dissolving.  I don't know which of these I will use in my project, but I will be attaching it to two sides of a block of wood. I can mist the back side of the paper and get the paper to curve around block, and it is going to look great! I hope to work on this piece next week!