Introduction
to Tear Art:
An Article for Those Who Want to be
a Little Rough Around the Edges
By Jill Davis
One night about six years ago, a scrapbooking friend
and I tore things up in my scrap room. Literally.
We ripped, folded, and glued paper and cardstock until
our fatigued fingers hung limply from our hands. This
late-night project was inspired by a fellow teacher
who tore paper pieces to artistically enhance her
classroom bulletin board displays.
Certain
that her "tear art" could be applied to our scrapbooks,
we set out to deliberately alter our perfectly pristine
pre-cut edges until our fanatical shredding became
a skill. Throughout the process we learned that paper
tearing:
Here's what else we discovered that grueling night:
How
do you tear paper or cardstock to get the look you
want?
-
Hold a piece of cardstock in
front of you with both hands.
-
Grasp it tightly between your thumbs and index fingers
(between the first and second knuckles).
- Squeeze
and pull forward at an angle with your dominant
hand and twist backward with the other. This way
your finger and thumb of your less-dominant hand
becomes your anchor and gauge while your dominant
hand becomes the tearing machine. Note: The closer
you hold your fingers (especially your thumbs) together,
use short pulling motions, and slow down your tear
speed the more control you'll have. The further
apart, the less control and the deeper the raw torn
edge will be.
-
Practice on scrap paper until you're comfortable
and can achieve the look you want.
Tearing
creates a soft edge on paper or cardstock that subdues
bold colors, enhances texture, and offers depth to
your layout without adding layers of paper to your
layout.
The
texture of tear art works especially well in country,
folk, collage, masculine, and heirloom layouts.
We found that torn edges provide an aged look
and feel in heirloom layouts that set off older photos
and that the more rugged the rip in masculine layouts
the better.
Different
types of paper produce different types of tears.
Dyed cardstock and paper create like colored tears
while printed papers are varied depending on the core
paper or cardstock the paper was printed on. Because
of this, torn printed paper produces a beautiful light
against dark contrast when the center layer is exposed.
My favorite paper of choice is the cardstock from
Bazzill
Basics Cardstock found in Monochromatic
and Trio Packs because of its texture, the way
the torn edge looks and the coordinating colors.
There
are many benefits to using tear art in your layouts.
For example, tear art is not precise so it is easy
to do. Here are some illustrations of what tear art
is:
|
1.
Tear art is a timeless technique that can be
used for present day or heirloom photos.
|
2.
Tear art is easy to do.
|
3.
Tear art is dressy or casual.
|
Eva:
"Eva Marie"
|
Nikki
"Beach"
|
Eva:
"LOVE"
|
|
4.
Tear
art is versatile and can be finished with numerous
techniques and products.
|
There are eight easy steps for making your final
tear art product a success.
If
you're a Type-A personality, the thought of tear art
and its irregular edges could make you squeamish.
I know. That's where I used
to be. But, by putting my precise ways aside, I've
learned that it's okay to let loose, tear it up, and
get a little rough around the edges; especially since
it's the imperfections of life that make our world
a masterpiece.
