When I started out, I used a sheet of 3/4" plywood with white laminate on one side. (You could also use a "sink cutout".) I glued a strip of narrow strip of the laminate to the face to act as a stop, and then marked out the perimeter of the paper using a black felt-tip pen with the strip of laminate as one edge. Then, i put small tabs of double-stick masking tape in the corners.
I could easily compose using the image projected onto the white plastic laminate. Then, apply the paper, pressing lightly to stick it to the double stick masking tape.
Periodically - every few months - it was necessary to replace the masking tape, but that wasn't a big deal.