Weathering papyrus

[Confused85]

Has anyone done any work with papyrus?

I have made a copy of the parchment seen in the Hellboy "Seed of destruction" comic, but it looks way too shiny and new.
I tried the usual paper weathering tricks on a test piece but it wants to crack if you screw it up and it isn't too porous for soaking up tea etc.

Any ideas?


Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[kalkamel]

Try Distress Ink: http://www.amazon.com/Ranger-Tim-Holtz-Distress-Ink/dp/B0013LCUXK

 

[PartyRichter]

I once remember reading that you could soak a cotton pad in milk, wipe it over the surface of your paper then 'bake' it in the oven at a low temperature, to give a brown and aged appearance...

 

[Darth Lars]

I tea-dyed papyrus once but I don't remember much because it was long ago. I think I had to dry it under pressure to prevent it from warping. The tea made it look more golden than before. Printed on it afterwards.

 

[Borg69]

I would suggest tearing and burning the edges. They look too crisp and cut. Wad it up, open it, and repeat until it looks more aged.

 

[Mike J.]

Light rubbing with fine steel wool should take some of the ink off the front surface and allow the texture of the papyrus to show through the printed areas, giving the illusion of fading and age. Don't burn the edges for any paper document, ever, it's a terrible cliché.


-MJ

 

[Confused85]

Some great ideas to try on some scraps. I had been wondering how to get that moth-eaten look. Thinking I may have to go at it with a scalpel to cut tiny holes in it and then rough it up maybe.
Thanks guys!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[nickc]

After lightly scuffing it up, try a wash of brown acrylic paint i.e. burnt umber etc. Dry with a hair dryer or heat gun. repeat until you get the desired effect.

Then seal with a clear matt spray.

Look forward to seeing your finished piece.

 

[Confused85]

Interesting stuff to work with papyrus...
Turns out tea does work but just takes longer to take on the colour than normal paper.
The issue I found was that it will warp with the slightest bit of moisture left in it. Fortunately if it does warp you can just re wet it and flatten it out again.
For the frayed, moth eaten look I found that a few scores with a scalpel and then scruff it about with the tip of the scalpel. As its more like fabric than paper you need to work with the weft and the worp of it so to speak.

Anyway, here it is:
As it appears in the comic


Mine


Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[nickc]

Impressive, the moth eaten areas are a nice touch.

 

[lmgill]

For future projects like this. We use leather dye, cut with alcohol (A lot, like 20-1) in a spray bottle. You can spray it on lightly and gradually, depending on your mix. if you really soak the paper, as the alcohol evaporates it pulls the dye with it, giving nice unevenness. Also using a brush, or the spray bottle, you can age areas, like edges, harder than others.
You can also use a blue/gray mix to simulate foxing by using an old tooth brush or stiff brush and "flicking" the dye on. (Or if you have a crappy spray bottle, it will do it for you!).

 

[Mike J.]

I was messing around with some papyrus a while ago, and I was horrified by how durable it was

Did not want to rip or tear hardly at all.