Studio Practices: Paper Making - 2
This week I’m exploring paper making, not only as a break from work but also as an experiment to see if I can introduce handmade paper into my projects, as well as understanding if it’s possible to incorporate paper making into my regular studio practice.
The last post spoke about turning scrap paper into pulp. This pulp can go on to becoming sheets of paper, or the pulp can be used as some sort of ‘clay’ to be used for sculptural projects.
This post will go further into two sections: Making a frame or deckle and Making paper.
A deckle is a frame with mesh stretched over it. To turn pulp into sheets, the pulp is sieved through this flat mesh to evenly distribute the fibres.
How to make a deckle:
Things you will need:
- Two wooden frames of the same size: either picture frames, old painting canvases with the fabric removed- here I’m using two old screen printing frames
- A staple gun or nails
- Fine mesh : either cloth, mosquito/screen mesh, metal mesh (make sure it’s rust proof)
1. Take two identical wooden frames (in size and frame thickness) - one will hold a mesh, the other will be as is
2. Get some mesh material. I’m using this fabric mesh I had lying around
3. You can also use mosquito mesh/screen door mesh. I actually prefer this, but I didn’t have any spare
4. Start stretching the material over the top of frame 1
5. Secure the stretched edges with a staple gun or nails. Make sure there are no wrinkles and that it is fairly taut
6. Now this is an important arrangement to keep in mind: frame 1 (with mesh side up) sits at the bottom and the blank frame sits on top of it
Making Paper :
You will need:
- A basin larger than your deckle
- Lots of water
- A sponge
- Lots of old smooth fabrics/towels - maybe old bedsheets folded
- Tea Tree oil (optional)
- A glass/non-porous surface for drying
- A lot of place to lay paper to dry
- Heavy books to flatten
To setup:
- Keep in mind- this is a very watery and messy process
- Fill the basin with sufficient water and keep ready on the left of your workspace
- On the right, cover a table with layer of towels, old bed sheets etc anything to place the soggy paper on to drain out. The paper will pick up the texture of the cloth it is placed on, so choose the topmost layer of cloth accordingly
- Find a non-porous surface like glass to transfer your paper to for final drying
7. Fill a large basin/vat with plenty of water
8. I added a few drops of Tea Tree oil for its anti-fungal properties
9. Disperse the pulp into the water
10. Use your hands to disperse the pulp, stirring the water with your hands is enough. You will see the pulp suspended in the water.
11. Arrange your frame and keep it ready (read step 6 in How to Make a Deckle)
12. Orient it landscape and hold them firmly on either side of the frame
13. Begin by inserting the bottom of the frame into the pulpy water. You want to basically scoop up some pulp.
14. While scooping up the pulp, gently move the frame from side to side so the pulp gets evenly distributed onto the mesh.
15. Gently lift out of the water and remove the top (blank) frame. You will notice that the paper collected on the mesh. The top blank frame has helped contain the pulp and prevent it from flowing out.
16. You will see the layer of pulp sitting on the frame. Gently tip the frame to the right and let the water drain out. Do not to disturb the pulp.
17. You can wipe off the excess from the edge of the frame, this helps the paper release better.
18. Get ready to flip the frame over onto the layers of fabric you have kept ready, this will soak the excess water away and leave behind only the paper sheet.
19. Gently but swiftly flip the frame over onto the fabric - pulp side down. Be careful not to disturb the pulp.
20. Gently press down onto the towels. You can also use a sponge to dab and remove excess. You can let the frame rest for awhile to let the water drain out/dry up before lifting off.
21. Once the pulp starts losing water it will slowly release from the mesh. You can either let the frame sit there for a while or keep trying to reduce the water content by dabbing with a sponge. A fan on high speed will help.
22. You will see the paper has stuck to the cloth is releasing from the mesh. If it doesn’t that means the pulp is still too wet.
23. Once the paper is quarter or half dry on the cloth, you will be able to pull it away and place it on a glass sheet to flatten. At this point another round of dabbing with a sponge will flatten it further.
24. While it’s damp you can roll the edges with your finger to create an interesting edge
25. Once the papers are dry you can press them under heavy books to finally flatten.
If you want coloured paper the vat of water can be tinted with inks and dyes to produce colored paper.
Alternatively, you can tint small batches of pulp in small bowls and then pour onto the deckle to form colored sections of paper.
Important Note:
Anything that is damp needs air circulation to dry, do not press damp papers without periodically checking on them.
If they are not dried properly they can develop fungus or mold. The same applies for any other wet materials and tools.
Hope you enjoy experimenting with paper this week! If you try this at home, tag me on Instagram @piameenakshig. I would love to see what you have made!
Studio Practices: Paper Making - 1
Lately I have been thinking a lot about the different studio practices of an artist. The modern system seems to dictate that an artist should be focused on churning out work that revolves around their primary line of creation: if your’e a painter you paint, if you’re a sculptor you sculpt.
Personally, I find myself drawn to exploring various other creative pursuits in the midst of my primary work- and that has proven to be the most effective in keeping me creatively refreshed. It keeps my mind busy and gives my hands some new unfamiliar sensations to work with.
A lot of artists through history experimented in various mediums on the side. Picasso experimented with junk sculptures, painting, lithography, bronze casting, plaster casting, ceramics and wire sculptures to name a few. Salvador Dali experimented with photography, sculpture, furniture etc.
Most artists are restless, both physically and mentally. I have found that Introducing medium-experimentation into my studio practice is possibly the most effective way to be productive, while taking a break from my primary medium.
This week I have been experimenting with paper-making - a craft I have been drawn to for years. A few years ago, I had attempted making paper on my own and even though the results were not the best, the process left me curious to know more.
During my residency in Japan, we were lucky to be taken to the Ozu Washi store in Tokyo, a premier maker and retailer of washi paper worldwide. We were shown a film on how washi paper is made using kozo fibers and how the plant is harvested. This was followed by a mini-workshop where we made some paper and during that brief demo I picked up a few tricks that helped me improve my paper-making.
Our instructor showing us the correct position to hold the frame
The paper I made at the demo. Once the pulp was laid on the frame I used a hose to sprinkle water on the surface to create the dotted pattern.
The paper’s thinness and transparency seen against a light.
I wanted to use this week to experiment with making paper. I am currently working on a picture book with my husband, and the work had started overwhelming me. The idea of paper-making seemed to be a refreshing change and my aim was to try and make paper to use for painting and printmaking. At the residency we were taught a bonus technique of sizing paper.
‘Sizing’ is the process of preparing the surface of the paper to take on paint/ink. If paper is unsized then the ink and pigments will blot ( like tissue/toilet paper). Sizing prevents the pigments from going all the way through and spreading out.
My plan for the week was to make paper, size it and test it for printmaking and painting.
Below, I am going to briefly explain how I went about doing this, in the hope that it would be useful to anyone who would also like to attempt paper making.
I will start with making paper pulp, talking about how to make a frame/deckle and then the actual paper making process.
Part 1: MAKING PULP
Now all paper is made from pulp. Where does one source this pulp? Well, any scraps you have at home will do. Maybe old envelopes, old printer paper discards, unwanted sketches etc.
Few things to keep in mind:
- Paper thats gone through a printer will result in grey pulp - this includes documents, newspaper etc.
- Most courier packaging will end up giving you brown pulp
Practicing with whatever paper is on hand is the best way to begin. There is a lot of trial and error with paper making.
(Note: Please don’t use coated paper with glossy finishes/laminate or plastic coatings. As close to natural is best)
I had a small watercolour sketchbook with paper texture that I didn’t like so decided to recycle it. There were maybe 4-5 sheets of A5 papers.
What you need to make pulp (please read and prepare materials before starting)
- Scrap paper
- Kitchen mixie (the juicer fitting works best)
- 2-3 large vessels
- A cotton cloth
- Something like a plate with holes/sieve
1. Tear up paper scraps into small pieces
2. Soak scraps in a basin of water. All the paper should be submerged. Leave overnight
3. After soaking, grab small amounts and blitz in a blender with water
4. Make sure there is sufficient water added, otherwise the blades won’t move
5. As the paper disintegrates it absorbs more water, so keep adding water until the paper becomes a chunky pulp
6. This is stage 1 of blending. The point of this initial round of blending is to make sure all the paper is pulped and there are no large pieces
7. The paper pulp should come apart and no large pieces should remain
8. Repeat the blending process, this time with small amounts of pulp and more water. The more time spent blitzing the finer the pulp will become. The finer the pulp, the finer the paper
9. You can use a metal sieve to press out water from a fist-full of pulp
10. Then squeeze out the last bits of water by hand
11. Or you can wrap a fist full of pulp in a smooth cloth and wring out the water. Smooth fabric works best, textured fabric holds a lot of the pulp which gets hard to clean later
12. I form the paper into bundles, which I then spray with a mixture of water and tea tree oil to prevent mold
13. They can be used immediately to make paper or sun dried and stored away for a later day
14. I usually make pulp and keep in batches according to the paper type and here is an example of a bunch that didn’t dry properly and ended up with mold. Sun drying is the best way to avoid this. Once dry don’t put in a jar or any enclosed container for a week at least. Let it dry inside out .