In the last week I scoured 3 amazing old books! I got these books with backgrounds for paintings in mind. I haven’t collaged much vintage paper into backgrounds because I have been afraid to use up the little I have! So I finally went on ebay and bought a HUGE vintage apothecary ledger. It has 100s of pages that are collaged handwritten perscriptions. There is some fire damage but the pages are larger than an 8×10 so I figure I can either discard that part of the page or it will add more character to the painting!
Vintage apothecary ledger – This is a good example of what all the pages are like.
Vintage apothecary ledger – Where it is indented is the fire damage.
I was thrilled when the ledger showed up but I was still on the look out for handwritten letters or lists or something that would create a more basic handwritten background. Thats when I stumbled across two more handwritten ledgers at a local flea market. There were some other great finds like alphabet writing practice that was beautiful, but too expensive for my wallet! So I walked away with two great ledgers for a $20 total. They each have 50-100 pages of beautifully written pages with checklists and dates and so much more!
1800 and 1888 ledgers!
Handwritten text from the ledgers
Handwritten text from the ledgers
Handwritten text from the ledgers
Handwritten text from the ledgers
I am so excited to start using these in my paintings now. No more hesitation for fear of running out! However first I need to work on getting more postcards and greeting cards made for the shop. Then I can get back to making new pieces of work. Oh the joys of running your own business and having to prioritize things! Do you use collaged pieces of paper in your paintings? Where do you find your papers and what kind do you use?
