Paper Making

Summer is the perfect time to make homemade paper. I was first introduced to making paper over 20 years ago and most recently in my intro to printmaking class.

Recycling wastepaper is fun and a way to be creative on the cheap.

You start with old and used paper. Any paper will work. Newspaper, old wrapping paper, cotton paper from failed art is great and so is printer paper. Run some paper through a shredder, or you can tear it by hand into little pieces. Soak in water for a little while, thicker paper more soaking. With a blender (this can be the expensive part) you will fill the mixing section with water and add a little bit of soaked paper and blend until it is just cloudy water, about 2 minutes or so. Pour the cloud water over a fine mesh screen in a wood frame over a large tub that will catch the water. Let the water drain and you will have a very soft sheet of paper. My frame with the screen has a decal frame attached by hinges I got from Amazon. The frames come in different sizes. After the water is drained carefully turn your wet paper onto a thin sheet of plexiglass. The screen side is up, press a sponge gently through the screen and remove more water. Squeeze the sponge out after each pressing of the wet paper. Lift the frame away carefully and sponge more water from the paper. Lots of water in paper making. Repeat until your plexiglass has more wet pieces of paper. They dry quickly outside in the sunshine.

You can iron and run your handmade paper through a press to smooth it out. Each piece is unique, has a beautiful texture. The paper I am using is wood pulp based, I have seen different plants used to make paper from banana peels to mint. Processing the plant material is another lesson and one that I have yet to try. I have used dried flower petals blending them in with the paper pulp and colored paper makes colored speckles in your homemade paper.

my homemade paper

I have special containers I use only for making paper. A large plastic tub for water, a blender I use only for making paper, and papermaking screens. After each paper making session, I dump the used paper water in the garden and not down the drain. I use the paper in book making, letter writing, and art. I pour the water back into the blender bowl after each time I blend and make a piece of paper.

I have more paper to make, looking forward to it.

Thank you for stopping by, see you next time.