In My Workroom: 2022

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Paper, Paint, Stitch and More... Lesson 6

Ephemera - Part 2

Paper Embellishments

Paper embellishing paper is not as boring as it sounds. We aren’t simply talking about adding another layer of paper to your piece but manipulating paper into something more dimensional and creative and adding the resulting decorative item to your work in progress.

One simple form of paper embellishment can be the use of paper die cuts. These can be purchased pre-punched and coloured, homemade from purchased metal dies, or purchased hand punches, and designed and cut using innovative technology such as electronic cutting machines. In fact, the term “die cut” has been expanded to cover most extras that are pre-cut from cardstock or paper included tags, dimensional stickers and chipboard elements.

Manipulating Paper

Paper can also be manipulated to make embellishments. As mentioned in an earlier class, weaving paper can be done on a large scale to make a background or as a way of making layers, but it can also be done as a form of embellishment. Partially weaving into a piece can enhance your artwork. A smaller, woven item can be used as an embellishment.

Paper, in the form of cord or string, can be knitted, to create an interesting texture. This can be firm in its own right if the paper cord/rope is thick but it can also be made firm by using a textile stiffener if that is what your piece requires.

In addition to paper, cardboard, particularly corrugated cardboard, can provide texture and dimension to paper art. The top layer of the cardboard can be torn or cut away revealing the corrugation beneath. This provides interesting opportunities for stitch.

Tips for Exposing Corrugation

Paper Beads

In addition to die cuts, there are other categories of paper elements that can be added to your work. One such element is a paper bead. Paper beads can be made out of a wide variety of papers in an equally wide variety of shapes and sizes. Templates for various bead shapes are easily available.

The thickness of the paper and the length and width of the template will determine the size of the bead.

The following video covers just about anything you would ever want to know about making paper beads – it’s long but good. She has also put time codes in the description so you can go to the sections you are interested in without watching the entire video. (though it is well done and easy to watch)

{MASSIVE} Fancy Paper Beads Tutorial - YouTube

This next video shows some wire wrapped beads made out of book pages. I included this video because the book page beads are long, have quite a different feel to the regular paper bead and include glass bead/pearls as well as wire. They would give a distinctive look to your piece.

How to Make BOOK PAPER BEADS for Junk Journals! Ep: 74 Step By Step Tutorial Paper Outpost! :) - YouTube

Paper casting

Paper casting is the forming of paper from fibre or pulp using a dimensional mold. The experimenting we are going to be doing will be with recycled paper or with layers of napkin or toilet paper. Typically, the paper would be soaked overnight or longer if you have the patience (this is definitely needed for recycled paper) to break down the fibres into pulp. . Heating the water can also help break down the fibres.

It helps if the soaked paper can be blended using a household blender or immersion blender to further break down the fibres. It is appropriate at this time to add a binder to the pulp. A bit of watered down PVA or methyl cellulose or wheat or rice starch paste can be added. A lot is not needed. The finer the pulp, the smoother the cast paper

DO NOT throw the excess slurry water down a household drain when you are finished – it will cause problems – the bits of fibre still in the water will harden when they dry. Dispose of it outside or let it evaporate and save any dried fibre for next time.

You can use almost anything as a mold. I have used deep cut rubber stamps. Carved wooden blocks have been used, clay cookie stamps have been used. Silicone molds, chocolate molds, and molds for polymer clay are just a few other examples. Anything that has depressions in it can be used. If it is a rubber or plastic surface, the paper won’t stick but it might to a porous surface so in that case it is wise to spray the mold with a release agent – like a silicon release or a cooking spray.

Scoop some of the pulp and pat it into the mold. It is good to protect your work surface because you will be removing the excess water and the surface could get wet. Put enough pulp into the mold to fill it and press down to compact the pulp and more if necessary. You need to press the pulp into all the depressions. You don’t want any air bubbles. When the pulp fills the mold, you can use a sponge or soft cloths to press down on the surface of the pulp to continue to compress it and to help remove some of the excess water. When you have removed as much excess as possible, leave the pulp to dry in the mold, naturally, in a warm place. Use the point of a knife to gently release the paper from the mold when dry.

Any excess pulp can be put in an air-tight container and frozen until you want to use it again.

Using pulp is the best way to do paper casting but there is a quick a dirty way that doesn’t involve the fuss and mess or making the pulp but still gives satisfactory results. This involves using layers of toilet paper or the extra plies of napkins. Yes, that’s right, toilet paper. These casting are a little more delicate than the pulp variety and you have to take a bit more care to bond the layers together, but you do get reliable results.

You need to have some watered down PVA, or PVA/methylcellulose mix ready in a small container because you are going to use this will a small, stiff paint brush to tamp the layers of paper together to bond them. When your mold is ready, tear a piece of toilet paper or napkin and lay it at the bottom of the mold. Dip your paint brush into the glue/water mixture and tap the paper into the crevices of the mold. Lay the next piece of paper into place and repeat the process. Keep adding paper and using the glue/water mixture on the paint brush to tamp the layers together. The first layers will seem to dissolve because the paper is so fragile, but gradually you will begin to see the layers begin to build up. This is something to do while you are listening to music or watching TV. It is much slower than using the pulp, but it doesn’t require the advance preparation and you don’t have to guess at how much pulp you are going to need to make.

Once the mold is full, you will use the sponge or cloth to press down on the paper to remove any excess water from the paper. When it is as compressed and dry as possible, leave it to dry completely in the mold and then remove carefully. If the layers have been completely saturated with the glue mixture, they should be bonded. The one weakness of this method is that if not completely bonded, the layers can separate if handled too much. That is not a problem if the piece is mounted and does not experience too much handling.

3D Embellishments from Toilet Paper and Glue - YouTube

TOILET PAPER EMBELLISHMENTS | JUNK JOURNAL DECORATIONS - YouTube

My Attempts at Paper Casting

Paper Clay

You can create your own dimensional embellishments using paper clay. This is also readily available from most craft and art supply stores. It is a staple in my home because I share the supply with a 12 year old who is very artistic and loves to draw, animate and work with clay. Paper clay is an air dry product that does not need any special tools or equipment to produce your embellishments. You need to protect your work surface – I use my Teflon mat which wipes down easily. I use a piece or plastic/acrylic tube as a roller to roll it out flat and you can use anything to make a mark or impression. I used the same molds that I had for paper casting as molds for paper clay. My molds are flexible, so it is easy to get the dried clay out without damaging either mold or clay. In fact, it was possible to remove the damp clay from the molds. The dried clay can be painted and sealed. If you are planning to stitch your embellishment onto your piece, don’t forget to make the stitching holes before it dries – that’s why I tried removing the clay from the molds while damp. ¼” is a good thickness for flat pieces.

There are recipes on the internet for making your own paper clay.

Paper Mache Clay Recipe - The Easy Original Recipe - YouTube

New Smoother Air Dry Clay Recipe - YouTube

Note: You can’t use DAP brand joint compound in these recipes – that brand doesn’t work for some reason.

Polymer Clay

This could become an entire class on its own, but I wanted to throw this in because it can be a great way to make molded or sculpted embellishments for those who like to play with clay. It’s oven dried, comes in many colours and is just fun. I played with it years ago and only used one example in this class. I took some PREMO Sculpey (Brand name) and rolled it out to about ¼” thickness and then I did a napkin image transfer to put a design on it. That is a very easy process that just involved taking the top layer of a napkin and putting it face down on the clay, covering it with a bit of parchment paper and rubbing it firmly with my finger. Now it’s ready to bake in the oven according to the clay directions. (Mine baked at 250 for between 20- -30 min)

The next step is to remove the paper from the clay and just like with any other image transfer you use water. You can spray water on the back when the clay has cooled or dip it in water. I used the spray method. Rub your finger over the wet napkin surface and the paper will begin to rub off. Keep wetting and rubbing until you have removed the paper and left the ink from the image behind.

Here is the video where I got my inspiration:

Easy Napkin Transfers forPolymer Clay - YouTube

Artist Links

Kelly High School Art

Ersi Marina Samara Instagram

Jennifer Davies

Stitched Paper Society Instagram of group that follows stitched paper artists

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Paper, Paint, Stitch and More... Lesson 5

Ephemera - Part 1

Lesson 5 Presentation Video

Ephemera is sometimes explained as “items of collectible memorabilia that were expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity.” When working with mixed media, this definition is loosely applied and the term “ephemera” can be used to describe collected, found, and made items that are added to works of art.

Working with Metal

There are a lot of ways you can add metal to your piece. Some of the easiest are by using metal charms or beads. These are easily found in $ stores, craft stores and by taking apart jewellery found in thrift stores. Using found items such tabs from pop cans or items from the hardware store (such as washers, finishing nails or chains) are another way to add metal to your piece.

Picture wire, craft wire, floral wire, and electrical wire are all easily available and can be used straight, as an element to weave into your piece or they can be bent into shapes and used as a decorative element that can be stitched on. Wire can also be wrapped around paper beads to add a further layer of decoration.

One thing that I do want to spend some time on is the embossing of metal. When you talk about the thickness of wire or metal you usually refer to the gauge. The higher the number, the thinner the metal. For example, a 16-gauge wire is much thicker than a 24-gauge wire; a 36-gauge metal sheet is thinner than a 24-gauge metal sheet. When you get to 36-gauge, it is sometimes called tooling foil. This is much thicker and has much more body than the aluminum foil that we use for cooking – even the extra heavy-duty type. It is made for tooling (or embossing with tools) to create raised and depressed areas.

We aren’t going to go to the trouble of trying to locate tooling foil, however. We are going to use some easy to find work arounds that are available in nearby home and hardware stores. To begin with, you can try heavy-duty aluminum foil – the type that is use for barbeques. Fold the foil until you have about 4 layers. Make sure the foil is smooth. Put the foil on a soft surface like a piece of craft foam or a layer of several newspapers (you want some give under the foil). Using a small ball topped embossing tool, or a ballpoint pen (that doesn’t work) draw your design on the foil. You want to use a rounded tool that won’t poke through the aluminum. If you have a paper stump, or a cuticle stick or a chopstick, these may come in handy for smoothing or creating texture. Something with a small, smooth curved edge can be handy as well.

From this point on there is going to be a lot of flipping back and forth as you try to create your raised areas on one side and emphasis them on the other.

Here is a video that explains the process.

metal embossing on aluminum - YouTube

Aluminum foil isn’t the only form of aluminum that is easy to access that can be embossed. You can also use the aluminum from aluminum cans. Cut apart the body of the can and use the aluminum you find here. You will need strong utility shears or tin snips to do this and will need to be careful because the edges will be sharp. They should be folded over, filed, or taped for you protection.

The same techniques for tooling are used here as well. You will use a small ball topped tool to trace your design and then begin refining it, switching back and forth between sides to enhance the design. The following video shows you how to make a small box but the steps he used to cut the can and do the embossing are exactly what you would do to make your embellishment.

Drink Can Tinwork - YouTube

Working on an aluminum can for any length of time can be hard on your wrist so my preferred method of working with metal is to use metal tape. Metal tape come in both aluminum and copper. Let’s start with aluminum.

You will find aluminum tape in any hardware store or department, and it’s typically used for HVAC work among other things. It comes in different thicknesses, measured in mil and if you are putting it over a cardstock background, any thickness will work. If you are trying to make a standalone item, look for the thickest tape you can find. You can use metal tape in a way similar to aluminum foil or can where you draw your design right on the back of the tape (or card the tape is on) and keep flipping back and forth to refine it. When the design is as refined as you like, the entire surface is covered with a coat of black acrylic paint. The paint can be let dry and then removed with steel wool or removed with a paper towel while still damp. The black paint should remain in the deep crevices of the design while being removed from the raised surfaces.

Another way to use metal tape is to lay something on top of the card stock (like chipboard letters or paper clips or anything else that will create a raised texture) and then put the metal tape on top of these items). The metal tape is then smoothed around these items, gently at first, to stretch the tape and then with more pressure to show more detail. This creates “faux embossing.” When sufficient detail has been revealed, the surface is covered with black acrylic as above and removed to highlight the design. If too much paint is removed, more can be added.

Working with Metal

Working with Metal II

Metal Tape Question

Metal Tape Art - YouTube

FAUX METAL TECHNIQUE - TUTORIAL ... FALSK METALL... - YouTube

In addition to aluminum tape, copper tape is readily available, and it comes in various widths. It is easily found in ¼,” a size that is frequently used for stained glass work. You can also find it in 2” width and this is the one that I use. Embossing copper works in the same way as embossing aluminum, in that you need to draw your design and then refine it from the other side. Just as with aluminum, you will go back and forth from one side to another until the design is the way you want it.

Working with Copper

One nice feature that aluminum does not have is that copper changes colour with heat. If you use a heat gun or a torch, the copper will turn yellow, red, and blue as it heats up. Copper will also oxidize as it is exposed over time to the air, so if you like the colour you achieve and which to keep it that way, you will need to seal the copper with a light coat of sealer/varnish. If you wish a patina to develop you can leave the copper exposed to the air or help it along by exposing it to vinegar and then rinsing when the effect has been achieved. You can also use other chemicals to develop a patina if you wish but these require precautions for use and disposal so won’t be discussed here.

Brass shim, which is a very thin metal can be purchased in a roll from Lee Valley. It also changes colour when heated and can be stitched through. It isn’t as malleable as the aluminum or copper tape and is quite thin so while you can do some embossing, the results are not as attractive, and it can be prone to tearing. It does look nice when textured and stitched into a piece.

Another way of adding a metallic look to paper is through gold or metallic leaf. In order to apply the leaf, an adhesive must be used. The leaf is applied when the adhesive is tacky but not wet. The leaf will stick to the adhesive and a soft brush will remove it from any area where adhesive has not been applied. If parchment or wax paper is put on top of the gold leaf, it can be burnished by rubbing with a smooth object like the back of a spoon or your finger. If you want a more textured look, gold leaf flakes can be used. There are proper gilding adhesives (they will give the best results) but acrylic mediums and PVA glues will work if you let them dry to a tacky state. Metal leaf comes in gold, copper, silver, and a combination of metals. There is also real gold leaf as well as the imitation. (For our purposes imitation leaf is a much better value)

BEST GOLD LEAF TIPS for how to get precise lines & fine detail on your artwork - YouTube

How to Apply Gold Leaf - full instructions, professional results - YouTube

How to Apply Gold Leaf | Nancy Reyner blog update to some of the information shown in video

While the last two references are geared more towards professional artists, they are the most thorough explanation of applying metal leaf for artistic effect, I’ve seen. Many people who discuss using metal leaf with watercolour do not discuss the possibility of the gold leaf tarnishing with exposure to air over time. If you buy a kit, (which is a simple way to start) you are provided with the appropriate sealer.

Working with Natural Elements

Natural elements can cover many things: twigs, leaves, seed pods, stones, shells, and we’ll include sea glass into that category since it is nature that gives it its characteristic muted tones and soft edges. Many of these things can find their way into the work of paper artists.

When you work with natural elements there are always things to consider:

· Cleaning

· Preserving the element if it is plant based

· Attaching the element to artwork

Cleaning

Cleaning shells has as many recommended methods as there are shells. The shells I was given had already been cleaned so I can’t vouch for any of these methods personally. I would start with the easiest and safest first.

Cleaning Seashells: Easy Tips and Tricks for Beginners

When using natural plant material that you have gathered from outside like twigs or seed pods, place them on a foil lined pan in a 200° to 250° oven for 30 minutes to make sure there are no uninvited guests.

Stones and sea glass can just be washed with soapy water and dried.

Preserving

There are many ways of preserving plant material. It can be dried when twigs and seed pods have been dried, they can be given a coat of matte varnish to seal them before use.

Drying and Preserving Plant Material

Attaching Elements

Depending on the weight of the element, most elements can be attached using a wrapping and couching technique. In some cases, the weight of the element will require adhesive to be used as well as stitch to bond the element to the substrate.

Other Elements

Under other elements we can include embellishments such as recycled materials and non-traditional materials. Buttons, punchinella , jewellery findings, bread tags and a multitude of other things can be included in this category. It is open to your imagination.

Artist Links

Ruth Mescall

David Luck

El Anatsui

Donna Sakamoto Crispin

Michelle Moode

Ersi Marina Samara Instagram

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Paper, Paint, Stitch and More ... Lesson 4

Holes

Lesson 4 Presentation Video

Having holes in your paper can be an interesting device when creating a piece for stitching.

Planned

The placement of holes in your work can be carefully planned and executed. When I was working on my stitched accordion book, I was careful to place my circles in exactly the same place on each panel of the accordion so that they would line up when the book was opened like a codex. I wanted the stitches in each circle to overlay one another and build up the effect. That took planning on my part. I measured and drew my circles from the back of the accordion and cut them out with an exacto knife. I could have used a die cut machine or scissors – use whatever you feel comfortable with.

Random

You can choose to place holes where you want on the paper and while they may be perfect circles or any other geometric shape, they don’t have to be. They can also be placed haphazardly on the paper.

Torn

Holes don’t have to have clean, smooth edges. They may be torn into the paper.

The sample I did using acrylic paint simply had holes torn randomly into the accordion panels.

Tip: Start the hole in the paper with something sharp and then begin to tear. If you tear down (pull down on the paper you want to remove) you will get a smooth edge around the hole, if you tear up, you will get a layered white edge if your paper is painted, coloured, or patterned. The top layer of the paper is removed when tearing up and the core is exposed, and the bottom layer is removed when tearing down.

the paper was torn down in the holes shown below.

Just as the holes can be precise or random, so can the stitching. How you stitch across or around the holes is up to you. My sample above shows random stitching. I crossed my hole and connected my stitches where and as I wished with no real plan other than to concentrate stitches in certain areas. If you wish to create a more even pattern, I’ve included links to some filler stitches.

Interesting filler stitches.

Net Stitch | Easy Hand Embroidery Stitch - YouTube

Detached Buttonhole variations - Stitch Floral

Tutorial: Double Brussels Needle Lace Stitch

When you are working with layers of thin or delicate paper, particularly when you are using machine stitching as a way of holding the paper together, it is easy to remove areas to create holes. For example, when you are using machine stitch to make a grid on newspaper, it is very easy to remove sections of the grid by using water and a paintbrush. Use a waterbrush or dip a narrow paint brush into water and draw a line of water next to the machine stitching. Allow the water to soak into the newsprint. When the paper is wet, it is easy to tear the paper away, leaving the stitching intact. This will leave holes in the grid. You can then apply colour to any of the remaining areas.

Making Holes Using Water

Not only can holes be cut, torn or punched, holes can be burned.

Burning Holes in Paper

Burning holes in your paper can add an additional design element to your work as well as visual interest. One way to accomplish this is through the use of a soldering iron or a woodburning tool. This will allow for a controlled burn. Safety precautions are needed because the tools get to significant temperatures. It is best to work on a heat resistant surface, have water and a damp cloth available as well as a stand or suitable place to rest the tool while hot.

I usually work over an aluminum cookie tray with a Teflon sheet on the bottom. This will catch any ash or embers from the paper. My heat tool comes with its own stand, but I have that on a granite tile as well. I have a spray bottle of water close at hand. I find that this tool is useful for making small holes or tracing a larger shape that I want to take out of the paper.

Here is a link to a tutorial from Papertraders – she uses cut up maps in her work.

PaperTraders Art: Burned and Layered Holes Tutorial (papertraders-art.blogspot.com)

My Experiments Burning Paper

My favourite way of burning holes in paper is to use an incense stick. The smoldering end of the incense is not an open flame ( I did experiment with burning the edges of paper with a candle) but provides enough heat to burn a hole through paper easily. It is also easy to control the size of the hole. You can let the edges of the hole continue to burn away until it is a size you’d like and then blow out the embers. Don’t wait too long, though. It is better to move the incense stick around, inside the hole to make the hole larger.

If you have the option of trying both methods, see which one you prefer. They each have their strengths. In addition to burning holes, both methods are useful for burning the edges of paper. Torn edges can be enhanced by burning, particularly when you are layering differing weights of paper in monochrome layers.

Tutorial: 2 ways to burn paper edges: very different end results - YouTube

Artist links

Adam Pritchett instagram works on textiles not paper but inspiration for stitching holes

JihyunPark article Pointillism video

Michelle Moode

Ula Einstein instagram

Donna Ruff

Fiona Dempster

Heatherat Papertrades Art link to tutorial on blog

Lindy Lee

Marian Jazmik Meet the Artist video

Anca Gray

Eszter Bornemisza

Daniella Woolf

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Paper, Paint, Stitch and More... Lesson 3

Layers

Lesson 3 Presentation Video

As referenced in the previous lesson, there are many types and weights of paper that can be used for stitching and essentially it becomes a matter of personal preference. Once you have taken into account the necessary stability required for your work, the choice of paper is up to you. You will be making the decision of whether your finished piece will be mounted on another substrate and therefore it does not need to be substantial in and of itself or whether it must stand or be displayed on its own.

Paper can be layered to provide greater strength and this layering also provides interesting creative options.

Simple layers

Some paper/textile artists use two or more sewn layers of paper (folded and not) to create amazing geometric works of art
White on white layers can be mesmerizing in their simplicity and complexity

Collage

Different colours and weights of papers providing background interest to stitch
Use of translucent and textured paper
Prints from Gelli plates or stencils providing form to be stitched
Torn edges to provide texture

Weaving

Paper weaving can provide texture and visual interest
Paper string as a component of the weaving
Other media woven into the paper (more on this in a later lesson)

Ephemera

Will be considered as a separate topic

Modifying Paper to Use for Layers

There are a number of methods, or surface treatments, that can be applied to paper to make it an interesting layer for use in a project. Let’s look at just a few.

I use diluted acrylic paint as a glaze on tissue paper to make stained tissue for coloured papers for collage work. I’ll direct you to great videos for this technique. Just as the video suggests – you do want to set aside some time and space for making the papers. You are going to enjoy the process and just like potato chips, you aren’t going to want to stop after just one.

Tissue Paper Staining, neutrals - YouTube

Shibori Fold and Dye Technique on Rice Paper - YouTube

I’ve included a few videos to give you some different takes on using acrylic paint to colour tissue paper for use in your backgrounds for stitching.

Howto Use White Tissue to Make Great Collage Paper - YouTube

Making Collage (tissue) Paper with Marie Cummings - YouTube

The same videos that you saw about Gelli printing on regular paper in Lesson 2 can be applied to tissue paper to make collage papers.

You can also use diluted acrylic medium to add fibres such as string to tissue paper to make a textured paper for your project. The following video will show you the steps – it’s really quite easy.

How to MakeTextured Paper - YouTube

Embossing paper can provide a subtle but effective texture.

How to Emboss Paper with Awesome Designs - YouTube

If you have card making supplies like embossing folders or stencils, this video may be of use to you:

How to emboss without a machine - YouTube

Something as simple as crumpling tissue paper, copy paper, paper that comes as protective packaging in parcels can provide an interesting texture to paper that is then painted and used as a layer in your project. The paint or ink will be darker in the creases and provide and interesting effect that could enhance your stitching. We spoke of this last lesson.

If you want the look of layers without the stiffness of a regular collage, you could consider making fabric paper or paper fabric. This is the technique of layering/bonding thin papers on a base of thin fabric using a liquid medium. Typically, a fine cheesecloth or muslin is used as the base (though even dryer anti static sheets work) and a wide range of delicate papers may be used to build up the paper layers. Diluted acrylic medium or PVA glue is used to bond the layers together. The texture of the diluted medium should be like milk so that it can easily saturate the papers and not tear the delicate fibres.

Learn to Make Paper Cloth! - YouTube

Making Paper Fabric Two Ways

Handmade paper has a unique texture, particularly if it is a recycled paper. The thicker quality of the paper and the deckle edges give a stitched piece a character all its own. Making recycled paper does not have to be a difficult or expensive undertaking.

Making Your Own Paper

If you want to try some simple recycled papermaking, here are a couple of videos showing how to do it without investing in much more than dollar store supplies. You will need a bit of patience to let the paper pieces soak to soften but it is workable. If you put the paper through a shredder, it will be smaller and if you soak it longer it will disintegrate even more. You can use an immersion blender if you don’t have a large one or even pull it apart by hand if you have the patience. (Make sure to clean the blender out well when you are finished). When you are squeezing the water out, you can also run a rolling pin over the tea towel to get some extra water out. Make sure you protect your surface before you start this project.

How to Make Paper | HomemadePaper (Recycled) - YouTube

Handmade Paper using dollar tree supplies / without blender tips - YouTube

My Attempts

Acrylic ink or diluted acrylic paint added to the paper slurry will add colour to the paper but will stain any towels that are used to dry the pages. (a sponge might be better in this case) The colour will be lighter when the paper dries.

Creating Fibre Skin Layers

Paper is made out of plant fibres – cotton, cellulose, mulberry and many different kinds of barks and plants. It is a matter of breaking down the plant fibres so that they can be beaten and pulped and recombined into sheets of paper. We are going to take a look as something slightly different and the term used is skins. This comes from the fact that acrylics, when left to dry, will form a pliable skin on a non-porous surface that can be carefully removed in one piece. We are going to use that property to make a sisal fibre skin that can be used to add texture and dimension to your work. It is easy to stitch through and easy to manipulate.

To begin you will need a non-porous surface to work on. I used freezer paper, and cling wrap but a Teflon sheet or plastic sheet would work. You will need watered down acrylic medium (consistency of milk), a brush that you use with acrylic medium, and a piece of sisal rope.

You need to separate the strands of sisal rope and keep separating them until all you have are fibres. My rope consisted of three large strands which broke down into smaller strands, which then broke down into fibres. Start with a piece that is 4’ to 5’ in length. It is easier to unravel smaller pieces than larger ones. You can always cut more.

Brush a layer of the diluted medium on the freezer paper and begin laying down the fibres (though the fibres are so thin, it also works with just a layer of medium on the top of the fibres - that is necessary if you are using cling film because the medium just beads up on the film). When the fibres are in place, put more medium on top of the fibres to hold them in place. Let everything dry and then peel the sisal off the backing.

In the video below, you’ll see that I used cling film for this try.

Making a Sisal Skin

Making a Cheesecloth Skin with Text It was an interesting idea

Weaving Paper

Weaving paper strips can add a lot of texture to your piece. In fact, you can create an entirely new piece of paper from scrap strips of paper that will provide an interesting background for your work. We all have offcuts of paper from trimming things down to size. If you’re like me, it’s hard to throw beautiful and even not so beautiful paper away because you never know when that piece may be just the one you need. Well, now the time has come.

If you don’t have a pile of scraps, you can take old book pages, old maps, artwork you are unhappy with, pieces of wrapping paper, newspaper, or even paper you paint especially for this purpose and cut up just for weaving.

Here is a video that shows a very simple way to do a basic under over weave that let’s you secure as you go and doesn’t have you working with too many strips at once. Those weavers among you, please feel free to disregard this method.

Weaving Paper Scraps Part 1- Weaving and Stitching - YouTube

The following is a link to some free paper weaving patterns:

Paper Weaving Patterns | Kids Paper Crafts | Origami Resource Center(origami-resource-center.com)

I will be sending you Paper Weaving Templates – my license allows for personal use by my class only (not to be distributed or shared to others)

Paper weaving to aspire to: (I can only dream – but her work is so beautiful, that I had to share the video)

Jessica Pribula, Paper Weaving - YouTube

Paper String

In addition to paper weaving, paper string can be added to you piece or even used as a component in the weaving. It can be purchased inexpensively from $ stores and craft stores and even made from newspaper or other delicate papers.

Paper thread or yarn is made by cutting continuous strips of thin paper from a large sheet. These are then rolled until they form one long thread. The Japanese use this thread to make a traditional woven cloth called Shifu.

The following is a video demonstrating the process of rolling the strips:

Rolling Paper Strips into a Thread - YouTube

This video shows the process of cutting the paper into strips and shows an abbreviated rolling procedure to give an overview of the entire process.

Paper Thread making for Shifu- YouTube

When you work with newspaper or tissue paper or any other delicate paper, you cut the paper into thin strips 1cm to 1” and roll in between your fingers to get the twist. When you get close the end of one strip (about an inch from the end) overlap the beginning of the next strip of paper and continue twisting. There will be a slight thickening of the paper thread but that is to be expected. Sometimes it helps to slightly dampen the paper before you begin to work on it. Remember that western papers are delicate because the fibres are short.

You can also twist the paper using a drop spindle. You would join the paper strips in much the same way as working by hand. Here is a video by Noreen Crone-Findlay to explain:

How to Spin Brown Paper Yarn by Noreen Crone-Findlay - YouTube

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