Most Intriguing Collage Papers with Rubbing Alcohol

After dozens of experiments, I finally mastered the technique of using rubbing alcohol to create the most intriguing layered collage papers, and I can’t wait to share this goodness with you.
Supplies to make these papers:
Rubbing alcohol, 70 or 91% amzn.to/3PLXI7J
Mixed media paper 108 lb. amzn.to/3PIR02i
Copy paper 28 lb. amzn.to/3t70DyS
Eye Droppers amzn.to/44Bi9bH
Small jars for mixing paint amzn.to/3KKeP71 or
Glass petrie dishes amzn.to/3P8jIrQ
Water basin
Large 3” flat brush amzn.to/3PkGsFg
MDF ¾ inch board cut at hardware store
Acrylic paint (I use Nova brand)
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[@TeAsEnToRmEnT]

Ohhhh I'm definitely going to try this with metallic acrylics too.. one normal acrylic layer then a metallic.. and repeat.. netbit would look awesome

[@catrains.artist]

Oh that would be beautiful! Would love to see the result.

[@leslieyowell7239]

That shop towel effect was outstanding.

[@catrains.artist]

It rather surprised me too!

[@ellenvd5543]

How beautiful! Thanks very much for sharing!

[@catrains.artist]

That warms my heart! Thank you for watching!

[@jeraldbaxter3532]

Beautiful; thank you!

[@catrains.artist]

You are most welcome!

[@Cyrilmc222004]

Thank you so much Catherine, I really really enjoyed watching you create all these amazing collage paper’s and they’re truly amazing and adorable too. Please stay safe and well too xxx Mags ❤❤❤❤

[@catrains.artist]

I truly appreciate you watching my art demos Mags. Thanks for the loving feedback.

[@katieamodio7144]

I love this! Thank you for sharing 🌸

[@catrains.artist]

So glad that you liked this technique. Have you tried it yet?

[@bethhiggins8721]

Love this technique! Ty so much for sharing! ❤❤

[@catrains.artist]

So glad you liked it! Thank YOU for watching!

[@susanbilyeu22]

Another absolutely fabulous, interesting technique!

[@catrains.artist]

Thanks so much Susan. Glad you liked the demo!

[@lidimaparis4799]

Thank you for this great tutorial.

[@catrains.artist]

So glad that you enjoyed it!

[@ritazita1111]

Fantastic!

[@catrains.artist]

Thanks so much!

[@patriciaahlers5434]

Amazing technique…thanks so much for

[@catrains.artist]

You are most welcome!

[@ZsuzsaKarolySmith]

I'm so gonna try this 😍Thanks for sharing!

[@catrains.artist]

Hope you enjoy creating these!

[@donnaalley4908]

Awesome, thank you Cat

[@catrains.artist]

You are welcome Donna!

[@EmilyBlitzer]

Vey cool.. can't wait to try this technique

[@catrains.artist]

I love how open you are to trying all types of collage paper making!

[@lindacallaway2253]

New to your channel, and I’m enjoying your techniques. Thanks.

[@catrains.artist]

So glad that you are here! Thank you for subscribing and watching my videos🙏🏻

[@janicerobinson5286]

Super idea. Thank you! On a fun note: when you hit your paint brush back and forth on your water bucket, it brought back the exact sound memory of Bob Ross doing the same thing! It’s that hilarious? ( those videos were popular back in the late 1980s and into the 90s! ) BTW, I’m watching this on Thanksgiving Day/night. Hope you had a happy one. Thanks again. 😊

[@catrains.artist]

Thanks so much for sharing that with me Janice. I love that anything that I'm doing would remind you of Bob!

[@TeAsEnToRmEnT]

Ohh and I bet using alcohol inks on top of wet acrylic paint would be fun too!

[@catrains.artist]

I actually tried it and it didn't work, however substituting alcohol ink instead of rubbing alcohol does!

[@TeAsEnToRmEnT]

@@catrains.artist that's what i was suggesting lol when my crafty room is tidy I will be definitely giving it ago :)

[@debbiebunyard4829]

Thank you for sharing this fabulous technique. I will try it next week. I wonder if you could contain this spread of the alcohol by using a heat gun to speed up the drying

[@catrains.artist]

@@debbiebunyard4829 Sounds like an intriguing idea. Hope you will try that and let me know how it works!

[@missdeesaccount]

You can do this with acrylic ink!! ❤😂😊thanks Catherine ❤❤have a Hicks day!!

[@catrains.artist]

I tried that and it didn't work, HOWEVER, alcohol inks work amazing. Just like rubbing alcohol!

[@maggiefreeman6513]

Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing your process 😊

[@catrains.artist]

So glad you enjoyed the video. I appreciate you watching!

[@donna6516]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! I'm wondering how this will work on rice paper (I'm loving it for gel printing, and what might be different if matte medium is used rather than gloss. Can't wait to try it!

[@catrains.artist]

I'm not sure if this will work on rice paper, but I'm thinking it would. Sounds like an experiment waiting to happen! Let me know what you find. I can't remember when I used either medium. Hmmmm, maybe to seal between layers???

[@barbarajdaley]

wow! your videos give me insomnia! its just too exciting.I must watch in the morning only!

[@catrains.artist]

I'm so sorry, but thank you! 😂 I am so glad you find them so exciting though! 💕

[@barbarajdaley]

So now I view them only in the morning!

[@catrains.artist]

@@barbarajdaley Too funny! Good strategy.

[@judithlapato6185]

Love the texture with the shop towels! What size are your MDF boards. Thank you.

[@catrains.artist]

I LOVE that texture too! I had these boards cut at Lowes hardware, and they are 8x10.

[@salliebinder60]

I can’t wait to try this! Have you tried spraying the alcohol on?

[@catrains.artist]

I have and although the spray produces small dots, they quickly smudge in with the watered down paint so go away. Maybe using a different kind of spray would work, but mine didn't.

[@creativesmedley10]

Love this technique. Does it work as well with other acrylic paints?

[@catrains.artist]

As far as I know, it works with all acrylic paints.

[@arsenioamador2370]

Great presentation! What's it like with alternating warm with cool colors?

[@catrains.artist]

I haven't tried it with this particular paper . I usually do the "alternating" when I"m making a collage with various papers with different warms and cools.

[@myartsymindteracolleen5649]

I love your videos. Thank you for sharing this with us.😊 Question..The acrylic paint in the jars, do you mix the paint with anything to slow the drying time? My paint dries so fast.

[@catrains.artist]

I made these paints in petrie dishes that I can close with a glass lid. That helps them stay wet until I'm done using them.

[@pamelaholmes113]

Where can I find your 5 day class about using the collage papers we've made?

[@catrains.artist]

Here you go www.collageworkshops.com/start. Would be honored to have you join me!

[@tonit9389]

Have you tried tiny drops and let it run run down in rivulets or to use alcohol in a mister?

[@catrains.artist]

Never tried that, but now will have to! Thanks for sharing your inspiration!

[@libbyyeldezian1088]

Are you only coating the paper once with gloss medium or are you putting it over the paint of every layer?

[@catrains.artist]

The gloss medium only goes on the bottom layer.

[@cgjefferson1929]

Do you get chipping of the painted pieces, when you start using the dried papers. Does ripping or cutting work best?

[@catrains.artist]

Great questions! The paint did not chip off when dry. I personally love the look of ripping these papers, but cutting works great too.

[@RevJoan]

Does anyone know if the alcohol affects the "archivalness" (is that even a word?) of the paper in the long run? I have the same question about the baby wipes that everyone likes using for removing acrylic paint thru stencils; wouldn't the chemical ingredients in those also affect the paper over time? Any scientist-types out there know the answer? Thanks!!!

[@catrains.artist]

I just did a google search to answer this question, and couldn't find an answer. But did discover that alcohol ink is not archival, but can be sealed with UV varnish to keep it from fading so fast. But is that the same for papers made with pure rubbing alcohol? The question is still out there!

[@jillpontiere1814]

Do you ever put a tissue paper over the design to transfer the print?

[@catrains.artist]

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking. Can you respond with more specifics about what you want to know and I'm happy to share.

[@jillpontiere1814]

@@catrains.artist after you get your design, putting tissue paper over it to get a transfer and using that also for collage paper.

[@catrains.artist]

@@jillpontiere1814 Yes, I do that too! Thanks for the clarification.

[@jillpontiere1814]

@@catrains.artist thanks for confirming that you can make a print from the original

[@jehuckphoto]

It is a cool technique but for some reason I just can't get it to work. I am using acrylic paint and then dropping isopropyl alcohol on top. Is there a difference between rubbing alcohol and isopropyl. I am using 91%.

[@catrains.artist]

No, they are the same thing. Try again making sure that your paint is VERY wet. Even a little bit of drying will prevent this from working.

[@janetliebenow3274]

Do another color

[@catrains.artist]

Great idea, and I will with a totally different paper. Since I create a new paper (almost) every week, I rarely go back to the one's I created the week before unless I need more of that particular paper to create a collage. Maybe you can create this in another color and show me!

[@suerothberg143]

is there a way to get this result on tissue paper? i tried it but nothing happened. thanks so much!

[@catrains.artist]

I've never tried it on tissue, but I think this will only work when using rather heavy paper.

[@suerothberg143]

????

[@suerothberg143]

@@catrains.artist ok thank you...i had a feeling that was the case

[@janhulse9518]

I liked it better where the music showed through.

[@catrains.artist]

I agree, need to make more like that! Thanks for the feedback.

[@dianegreene1711]

Are you combining water with your paint because I can’t seem to get the circles

[@catrains.artist]

Yes! I'm dipping my paintbrush in water before I dip it in the paint. The paint is moist before I drop the alcohol. It take a bit of experimenting to figure out how much water to add to the paint. Too much, and the alcohol runs off and blurs. Too little, and you don't get the circles. Keep at it and you'll find your way with this. Took me a bit of experimenting to figure out the water issue!

[@gillritchie5359]

Sorry , new by here….gloss medium? What is that

[@catrains.artist]

Gloss medium is an acrylic liquid that protects the surface of the paper, kind of seals it. You can also use it as a glue.

[@sushanart]

😇🩷🙏🙌

[@catrains.artist]

🙏🏻❤️🎨

[@dancingqueen2131]

hyper jumpy voice 100 miles an hour, not one fraction of a second of space between words the whole way through , this is like a demo of ADHD.

[@catrains.artist]

Thanks for that feedback, you can adjust the playback speed if it's too fast for you.