If you've taken a painting class with me then this is old news. Anaglypta: paintable textured wallpaper. Here I've used it with gesso, like a stamp, directly on white paper, then painted over it. The gesso resists the paint so you can buff it off, revealing the pattern.
Above left is using the wallpaper with paint as a stamp (mounted on my favorite foam) over a painted background. Above right has the wallpaper under the paper, rubbed with crayon, then painted over. The crayon resists the paint, so once again it can buffed to reveal the pattern. Your paper can't be too thick or the rubbing won't work. Notice how the crayon color migrates from turquoise to black, and the paint transitions from black to turquoise. Much more interesting than if you had used only one crayon and one paint color.
The sampler above clarifies what the wallpaper looks like and how you can use it. This wallpaper is available on rolls from places like Home Depot and Lowe's, and there are some handsome borders too. I think I have 3 or 4 different scrolly patterns - love this stuff. My friend Anne Bagby scored some anaglypta with text on it! You can use the wallpaper as a tool like I've shown here, or paint on it and you'll see the two-tone effect it's meant for - also a great element to use in your work.
Buy a roll and share some with a friend......OR......here's a Cheap Trick: get a hunk of it from the sample roll often found in the wallpaper department. (Bring a big purse). Over on the Street Team blog this month we our sharing Cheap Tricks. Come see the fun stuff we are learning to use in art making.
