Tuesday Tips and Techniques: Peel Your Paper!

Have you ever wanted to use cardstock or other heavy paper in your journal but didn't want to add the bulk?
Paper has layers, or plies, that can easily be peeled apart.  It not only makes your paper thinner, but it also adds a nice tooth to the back surface for gluing.

Watercolor paper, magazine covers, and cards from old tarot or playing cards are among the papers easily torn into layers.

Most cards, like this card from a deck gifted to me by a friend for my art endeavors, peel very easily in one layer.

This watercolor paper (which I believe to be 140lb cold press), easily separates into layers, too.

This magazine cover is a bit more time consuming and tricky, but can still be peeled into layers.

The back of the cover is interesting as well, so I'll have too applications from one "peeling job".

When I hold the pieces up to the light, you can see how much thinner they are now.

The right side of the paper is still in it's original condition.  Note how much thinner the left side is.

When peeling a card or watercolor paper, begin picking at a corner.  It should readily start to separate.  The magazine covers are easier to peel if you tear along an edge to get feathering.  It will be easy to see where the layers are and you'll know where to start peeling.  Unlike the cards or watercolor paper, the magazine covers tend to shred off rather than separate into two full sheets.


Wherever your paper journeys take you, I hope you'll "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"