Colored Pencil Repousse

History Repoussé (or Repajado in Spanish cultures) is an ancient form of relief sculpture in which a design is pressed into a sheet of metal to create a 3-dimensional surface. Ancient Greeks worked in bronze to decorate armor. Byzantine artists described religious events and persons in bronze and gold. Mexican and South American artisans have used copper and tin for centuries to produce jewelry and ornamental items. Gold, silver and bronze metals are heated and formed by hammering or using special tools, while copper and tin are suitable for working by hand. Softer metals are usually attached to a permanent base when finished, such as wood, stone or other metals, to retain the shape.

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples

Directions Sketch out 3 thumbnails of ideas – landscapes, patterns, or animals are excellent ideas Pick your favorite idea and draw it on regular printer paper Using something with a dull edge (a dull pencil or the end of a paint brush) to trace your idea on the metal paper. This is called embossing. REMEMBER: Your idea will be backwards after tracing.

Directions Once you have transferred your image to the metal paper, flip the paper over and add more texture from the other side. This is called tooling. Finish your repousse with colored pencils. DO NOT PRESS DOWN TOO HARD!