How to Make Paper Look Old

Steps

Soaking Method

1. Boil water and make black tea.
2. Get a container that is a little bigger than the piece of paper you are using, like a 9x13 baking pan.
3. Pour about 1/4 inch of tea into the bottom of the container.
4. Put your piece of paper into the tea. Gently sink it to make sure all of the paper is under the tea. (You can also brush the tea onto the paper with a paintbrush.)
5. Keep the paper in the tea for about 10 seconds. Don't let it sit too long or it will become soggy and hard to handle.
6. Take the paper out of the tea and put it on a towel to blot off the excess.
7. Let the paper dry on a flat surface. It may curl a bit, which only adds to the old look.

Smearing Method

1. Prepare a normal pot of tea, saving the tea bag.
2. Lay your paper onto a flat surface.
3. Smear your teabag onto the piece of paper. This will give it the desired yellow look.
   • Keep your cup of tea handy, in case the teabag dries out, so that you can dip it again.
4. Let your paper sit on a flat surface to dry, or dry your paper with your hair dryer.

Flame Method

1. Hold the paper between 1/2 inch and 1 inch above a candle flame and move it back and forth. This will create the darkened look of paper that's been around for a very long time and with a little practice you'll be able to give the paper the look of having been a little damaged by time and circumstance.
2. Burn the edges with a lighter or a candle but make sure it doesn't catch fire. Wetting the edges before burning them offers a more ripped look.

Tips

• Use coffee if you want a darker look. Or, while the paper is still wet, scatter a little instant coffee on the page to make it look like foxing.
• Experiment with different quantities of tea in water. More tea leaves will make its color darker. Adding milk makes a different shade.
• Add turmeric to the tea to get some grainy texture on the paper.
• If you fold the paper first, then dip it, the folded parts will be darker. Don't use straight folds.
• Crush a paper with your hands and then straighten it again. Then applying tea solution will give interesting results.
• If you use coffee to make the paper look old, add a few glasses of red wine to the coffee. Because the substance is different, the coffee will be on the "large" spaces while the wine will be in the "little wrinkles". This gives a very old effect.

• Spray with transparent lacquer upon complete drying for extra finish.
• You can use a piece of soft cloth instead of brush to apply the tea to the paper.
• If you want a faster drying process, iron the paper on a low setting. Be careful not to do it immediately.
• While in the pan, if you press down on the paper with a fork or another object, it will leave a cool imprint.
• Plan what to write on your aged paper on a separate sheet of paper first. Write on the aged paper in pencil first, as to avoid permanent mistakes in pen. Begin writing in pencil lightly, then outline your writing in pen. Black ink is best.

Warnings

• Don't put your paper too close to your candle flame or it will be set on fire.
• Avoid using watercolor painting strokes (with less amount of liquid on brush) or else the brush strokes will be visible on paper and it won't give a smooth impression.
• Don't set the paper on fire unless you dip the paper in water.
• If using the Soaking Method, do not attempt to soak several pieces of paper at one time! The pages will stick together. Instead, soak your pages individually, using the same tea.
• Don't let the paper soak for too long, or it will begin to degrade.
• Practice the flame method on a different sheet of paper before you try it with your good sheet.

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