How To Tea Stain Paper

Tea staining is a popular method that is used to make a drawing paper look aged. This might sound funny, but tea staining is also done on fabrics and materials, to make them in sync with the tea party theme. It gives a nice, delicate tan color to the treated items. At times, tea staining is also done for scraping, card making and in other crafts. In case of drawing paper, tea staining creates an antique look, which makes the drawings look like a masterpiece. Tea staining a drawing paper is an easy task, which requires minimal effort. In the following lines, we have provided information on how to tea stain paper effectively.

Tea Staining Drawing Paper

Material Required

3 Black Tea Bags
2 cups Warm Water
Heavy Drawing Paper
Paper Towels
Heavy Books

Directions

Dip 3 tea bags in a pan containing 2 cups of warm water. Allow them to soak for at least an hour.
Take out one tea bag from the pan and rub it over the paper. This will make the paper acquire a deep shade of brown. Do not worry if the tea bag breaks or tears apart. Once you have used all the moisture of the tea bag, throw it off.
Repeat the process by rubbing the second and third tea bag on the paper, in the same way. This will help you get the effect you are looking for.
Using paper towel, blot up the excessive moisture from the paper.
Now, place a paper towel on both the sides of the sheet of paper.
Keep the paper on a smooth surface and place heavy books on top of it. This would prevent distortion of the paper while it is getting dry.
Leave the paper below the stack of books, for about 12 hours. This would help you get the perfect tea stain paper.

Additional Tips

In case you have to stain more than one piece of paper at the same time, put the tea bags in hot water for a period of 20 minutes. Now, pour the hot water into a shallow baking pan. Immerse the papers into the baking pan and let it absorb the tea color for about 5 minutes. Remove them carefully from the pan, separating each piece. Lay the pieces of paper in the open, to dry.
If you want to stain the appearance of antique stationary, you can write a note on the sheet of paper, before staining it. Use a calligraphy pen to write the note.
In order to achieve a serrated, medieval appearance, roll the paper into the shape of a tube and scorch its edges, with the help of a lighter.
You can do your own creative experiments to give different appearances to the tea stained paper. Once the paper is stained to the desired effect, brush a sheer coat of metallic bronze acrylic paint on it. You can also use coffee grounds and walnut ink to add more effect to your artistic piece.
For giving the paper an aged look, rip off its edges in an uneven way.

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