Spreads Layered
Vellum Overlay Spread
A sheet of 112 gsm vellum laid over a dense collage hides about 60% of it and reveals the rest as a soft shape — the cheapest way to make a busy page look considered.
12 layers 6 min
Vellum is a filter, not a cover
A 112 gsm vellum transmits roughly 55% of visible light, which means a mustard scrap under it reads as pale olive and a rose scrap reads as dusty pink. That is the point: it does not hide the collage, it re-tints it. Build the underneath loud — colours you would never use together side by side — because the overlay is going to average them out anyway.
Hinge only the top edge
Vellum buckles if you glue it on more than one side. Run a single strip of removable tape along the top 10 mm, extending 15 mm past each side edge and folding those tails behind the page. The sheet then hangs like a curtain and can be lifted to show the collage underneath, which turns a static spread into a two-state page.
Draw on the vellum last
Fine-liner on vellum takes about 40 seconds to become smudge-proof and stays slightly raised, so it catches light at an angle. Draw after the sheet is hinged and held flat, never on a loose sheet you then have to handle. Keep the drawn marks in the outer 25 mm so they do not sit on top of the most interesting part of the collage beneath.
Weight, not heat
Vellum that has been rolled or folded will not lie flat from a bone folder alone. Press it between two sheets of blotting paper under 3 kg for 24 hours. An iron on a low setting works faster and leaves a permanent sheen that shows up as a bright patch the moment the light moves.
Assembly order
- 1Build the underlying collage loud, with adjacent scraps deliberately clashing.
- 2Press the vellum flat between blotting paper under 3 kg for 24 hours.
- 3Tape only the top edge, letting the tails run 15 mm past each side and fold behind.
- 4Lift the sheet, check the reveal, and adjust the underneath if a shape is lost.
- 5Draw the fine-liner marks in the outer 25 mm while the sheet is flat and hinged.
About 6 minutes of bench time, plus whatever the adhesive needs.
Supplies
- Vellum sheet 112 gsm, 148 x 210 mm
- Underlying collage scraps 10-14 pcs
- Removable tape 12 mm, low tack
- Black fine-liner 0.5 mm, waterproof
- Bone folder 150 mm
Vellum weights, measured overlay effect
| Weight | Transmission | Underneath readable? | Prints? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 gsm | 68% | yes, colours stay separate | laser, curls |
| 112 gsm | 55% | shapes only | laser, ok |
| 150 gsm | 41% | silhouette | inkjet only |
| 205 gsm | 26% | hidden | no |
Where this goes wrong
Vellum is not archival in the same way as rag paper — most sheets are plasticised and can migrate onto adjacent paper in humid storage. Keep vellum spreads away from photographs and never stack two vellum pages face to face for long.
