Today I made the most of a pleasant summers day and moved my studio space outdoors into the quiet peacefulness of my garden. I’ve been meaning to start this little project for a while now and today seemed just right with a nice gentle breeze, not too warm and some cloud cover to diffuse the strong summer sunshine….. paper making production perfect!
I haven’t made my own paper for something like 20 years. It’s such a simple process and so satisfying and ultra relaxing that I’m now questioning why I have left it so long!
With just a few simple household items anyone can have a go, it’s such an easy process.
I had begun to soak and mulch some paper shredding and bits of paper scraps at the weekend so it was very nicely mushed and just needed a quick wiz with a hand blender. Then I stapled some mesh from my sewing box onto an old frame nice and tight, grabbed a long palette knife and away I go! I also used a few other shaped moulds for a little variety and got the production line going.
1. scoop out the pulp
2. press it into the mould on the mesh frame
3. Flip it onto some loose mesh… repeat !!!
I also added a few small flower petals to a few and now I’m looking forward to using them as artwork surfaces once they are fully dried, which luckily won’t take too long in this lovely weather.