Aged Paper Labels

I enjoy making potion bottles, especially ones that look very old and distressed. However, an old-looking bottle requires a similarly aged label. To create the effect of an aged label, I used a simple graphics program (in this case, MSPaint but you can use GIMP, Photoshop, or even MS Word) to generate the label, then print and age it using materials found in any kitchen. The result can look positively ancient.

Step 1 A Word About Ink

Because I want the printed elements of the label to look distressed, I aged the paper after the design was printed. I think this is the best way to age a label. However, some printer ink can’t stand up to this process. The ink should be color-fast. If yours isn't, get your labels printed elsewhere or photocopied.

Test Your Printer's Ink
Factory-filled cartridges or those refilled with pigment-based ink tend to work well. To check if your ink is colorfast, simply print something (or use paper you’ve already printed) and brush or splash water onto the printed page. If the ink does not bleed, chances are your ink should work fine. Try both black ink and color ink; you might find a difference. If it does bleed, one way of dealing with this is to use a light table (or window in bright light) to trace your printing with pigment-based markers onto your paper (again, if unsure, test for colorfastness).

Comments

[porcupinemamma]

LOVE IT!!!!