The Shaving Cream Technique is an old one. I can remember people doing it when I still lived in CT and that would put it in 1992 or earlier. I’m familiar with this technique, I’ve told people how to do it, but until today I had never actually done it myself. I’ve had the can of shaving cream sitting on the shelf but I just never felt like doing something quite that messy. Silly me.

The process is pretty simple. Get yourself something to put the shaving cream in, a jelly roll pan or a styrofoam meat tray is good. Squirt in some of the cream, a little goes a long way, and add some drops of color. I experimented with glazes, acrylic paints, and dye inks. The glazes were a bit dull but the inks and paints produced bold colors. Start by spreading out the shaving cream then add several drops of color across the top of it. Use a pick up stick (or something similar) to drag trough the surface, creating patterns with the color.

When you see something you like, stop and grab a piece of paper. I used regular white card stock. Lay the card stock onto the shaving cream and gently smooth it down so the entire surface makes contact with the shaving cream. Carefully lift off the card stock and place it face up on the table. Now you have a choice. You can either scrap off all of the cream with a credit card or the edge of a second piece of card stock, or you can let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe it all off with a paper towel. The paper towel method tends to smear more color into the background. Experiment with both ways and see which you like better.

Save all the shaving cream that you scraped off and when the cream in the container starts to loose it’s color or become muddies toss your scrapings back in. Gently mix it all together and start adding papers again. You will get completely different looks. If it seems dull and boring add a little more ink or paint to it and swirl it around again. When working with this second generation cream I was having the best luck my getting my fingers in there and spreading it around. If you do this you will really want to be wearing gloves.

This was pretty messy so you might want to do it next to your sink. Be sure to cover your counters with an old plastic table cloth and put on an apron.

I love the look and feel of my new papers but the smell is making my nose twitch. Does anyone know of a shaving cream that doesn’t have a strong odor?