Embossing Aluminum Foil for Paintings and Collages

Aluminum foil from the kitchen can be embossed, collaged, and painted. 

Some people use heavy string or cord under the foil.

Heavy duty foil is best for this, but any type will do. Cover one side of a piece of foam core with the foil, wrapping the edges and gluing them to the back. Use the tip of a dull pencil to form ridges, flat shapes, and patterns in the foil.

I filled the spaces with a deep layer of medium.

Paint it with alcohol inks, glass or metal paints, or acrylics. Take note of the image transfers used in this example, as well as inks and acrylic medium.

Also see the post  I did eons ago on this very same subject!

Aluminum Tape as a Decorative Feature

This self-adhesive stuff is a great way to add texture to a collage/painting. As you can see in the first photo, the roll I bought at a home-improvement store came with "writing" in red. (Gesso can cover any logo or words later.)

I placed this piece of the tape upside-down on a cushion of paper towels so I could press a design into it with a dull pencil. Instant embossing!

You can cut the aluminum tape into strips or use paper punches on it, too!


On this decorative paper, I first used some of my cut tape as stencils as I spray painted the card stock.
When the spray paint was dry, I removed them and applied painted strips. (Spatter was last.)