Thinking of a romantic vintage-style photo album or want to surprise your little brother and his friends with an exciting quest with old maps, pirates and chests full of treasures? Then you cannot do without a sheet of aged paper. Antique papers are priceless artifacts of the past, mysterious and inspiring a desire to reveal the age-old secrets kept by them. Notes, sketches, letters, photographs and maps - only after passing the test of time, they acquire a high status of a rarity, turn into piece and expensive things. But you can still cheat time and "age" the paper in a matter of hours.
It is necessary
- - paper of different grades;
- - tea / coffee / cocoa / milk / onion peel decoction;
- - brush, cotton swab, toothbrush;
- - iron;
- - candle or lighter;
- - hard eraser, fine sandpaper.
Instructions
Step 1
There are several ways to give your paper a vintage look. For example, with the help of strong tea or infusion of other herbs and plants. Brew a strong tea and pour it into a container such as a tray or tub. Dip a sheet of paper into tea (you can with tea leaves) and hold it there for a while so that the fibers of the paper are saturated with the dye solution. Then take out the sheet and dry it. To speed up the drying process, you can use an iron, radiator or hair dryer.
Step 2
If you need paper that is unevenly colored, as if in places darkened, then using a brush, you can reapply the tea infusion to its surface, covering it with arbitrary spots. Torn edges can be obtained by tearing the paper right in the tea container.
Step 3
The second way is coloring with instant coffee. Pour boiling water over a few teaspoons of coffee in a large bowl. Place the paper in coffee and hold for 10-15 minutes. Then take out the paper and dry naturally or with an iron. Evaluate the result, and if it does not satisfy you, repeat the staining again, adding more coffee to the staining solution. You can dip crumpled paper into the coffee - it all depends on the effect you want to achieve. In the same way, paper is tinted in brewed cocoa. Only the shade is slightly different.
Step 4
Toning with onion peel decoction. To do this, soak the onion skins in room temperature water for three hours. The husk should fill the container by ¾ of its volume. Then bring the husk and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour. Put paper in the prepared cooled broth and wait until it is soaked in liquid. If you want an even tone, then place the paper in the strained broth. Dry the aged sheet after staining. Experiment, because the outcome cannot be accurately predicted. Achieve the desired effect empirically.
Step 5
A good result is obtained by wetting the paper surface with milk. Use a cotton swab to apply milk to the sheet. Dry a little and then hold the paper over a hot plate until it starts to darken. So you can get "old" unevenly darkened paper.
Step 6
Additional effects of antiquity and "damage" by time and circumstances are achieved with the use of candle or lighter fire. Gently scorch the edges of the "rarity" with fire or hold the entire sheet over the flame to smoke it in some places. In doing so, do not forget about safety precautions.
Step 7
Traces of a cup of tea, coffee or a glass of wine will look intriguing on aged paper. Place a cup with a bottom wet from tea or coffee on the sheet so that a trace will be imprinted. You can simulate accidentally spilled drops or "puddles" from drinks.
Step 8
An additional effect can be given by splashing on the paper with a toothbrush of all the coloring solutions used for toning or paint of a suitable shade.
Step 9
You can also imitate scuffs, creases and other defects in antique papers. Rub the surface with an eraser or fine sandpaper, fold it in half and make folded corners. Place under pressure for a while. In general, imitate everything that paper, book, writing, photography could survive during its long years of existence.
