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Bev's Quick and Dirty Guide to Papermaking Page 3 |
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| NOTE: There may be plenty of times when you don't want to press your sheet: for instance, when you've couched onto a textured surface, or if it's 3D. STEP FIVE: Drying the sheet Paper may be dried in a number of ways: Leave the paper on the couch sheet, lay it on a flat surface, or hang it on a clothesline and let it air dry. When it's completely dry, peel the paper away from the couch sheet. Lay your sheet between absorbent papers, such as newspaper or blotter paper, and put a few books on top. Place in front of a fan to dry. You can speed up the process by changing out the absorbent papers when they become saturated. If you're really in a hurry, you can *iron* your sheets, or put them in a 250 degree oven till dry. VARIATIONS ON A THEME You can either leave your paper "as is" or use any number of kinds of surface decoration-- everything from acrylic paints and watercolors, to stamping, adding collage elements (metallic threads, bits of fabric, found objects, etc.): Lamination - basically, to layer one sheet or a portion thereof onto a base sheet; usually the sheets are of contrasting colors Textures - To add interesting texture to newly formed sheets, couch your newly formed sheet onto a textured surface, place a couch cloth on top, and iron till dry. |
| Surface decoration - acrylic paints, watercolors, etc. Pulp painting - get a couple of squirt tubes & fill with different colored pulps. Do free form painting or fill in a template/stencil Inclusions - see below for materials to throw in the vat or on the mold for collage effects. Embedding - Sandwich something between two sheets of paper (dried sprig of pine needles, penny, piece of old map). If the sheets are thin and a very light color you may be able to discern the image underneath. If the sheets are thicker or heavily colored and the object sandwiched has dimension, the sheets will dry around that object tightly and outline it. Photo transfer - Photocopy an old photo and place it face down onto your paper (some papers work better than others, so experiment). Rub the back of your photocopy with a Chartpak Blender marker. The toner in the photocopy transfers the photo image chemically to your chosen paper. Touch up the image with colored pencils. (Both color and b/w copies will transfer). Experiment with lacquer instead of the Blender marker. For a reverse, photocopy onto a clear transparency, then photocopy that. (From Carol Pallen Hicks and Donna Livingston, Dec. '95 newsletter San Antonio Calligraphy Guild.) Shaped scissors - Fiskars makes more than 20 different shapes of scissors for paper crafting. You can create an impressive card quickly and easily. For example, cut across the bottom of a finished card with a shaped-edge scissors. Experiment with aligning and mis-aligning your scissors. (Christine Angeli) Uses for handmade paper are many, from notecards and stationery, to use as decorative covering for boxes, vases, screens, and more. Think about lampshades, and placements. The uses are limited only by your imagination. |