yes ... you should have taken the paper off first. however ... and i mean this sincerely ...
i like the way the two halves don't match exactly. that may not have been the plan, but it gives it life and motion. as though the star was pulsing or twinkling ... or something "notsittingtheredoingnothing"-ish.
:P
i buy pads of kids' drawing paper. the kind that's grayish-tan and thin like blank newsprint. kinda pricey at $2.47 for 40 sheets, but it tears away nicely and costs less than vellum or tracing paper.
i also have an ancient case of 15lb pinfeed computer paper. i think they still sell it. a case costs a lot, but lasts for years and years and years. AND as a bonus, the older it gets, the more easily it tears away. :P