Tuesday, April 12, 2022

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

Ephemera - Part 2

Paper Embellishments

Lesson 6 Presentation Video

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

 

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