paste paper again

i managed to make some paste paper, and had a good time with it. need a little more practice with different shapes, but what always attracts me are simple geometric shapes repeated over and over again, sharp outlines and good contrasts.

using the basic recipe of flour and water, i mixed a little water based varnish into the paste; about a teaspoon per 3 ozs of paste. it doesn't give the surface gloss, but i imagine that it gives the mixture a bit of strength, necessary if one is covering books or boxes.

in some of the pieces i painted the paper with orange, then overpainted immediately with black. i wanted a good solid black but now realize that isn't really possible, since one is mixing colour into transparent paste. will try again though, and see how it works out.

i used mat board cut as a comb, in various widths depending on what size of shape i wanted. and i used a rubber tool to make the curved shapes. since i am always looking to get around the lack of tools available, specially if i want to teach this, i am going to experiment with making the same shapes as i made with rubber, using matboard. also, i've discovered over time that one must never compromise on quality, but there are some things around the house or at hardware stores that one can substitute for expensive fancy items. like when i was making my arizona rock study collagraphs, i used car filler paste to make a plate. it came out really well, and is very very durable! i pressed silk and plant material into it, made cuts etc and it took the texture beautifully.

paste paper: links

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/paste-paper-making-with-sage

http://www.ehow.com/how_2167326_paste-paper.html

i found the above links to pages on paste paper making. although paste paper can be made using a basic formula of 1 part flour to 5 parts water, which you cook and then use with water colour (for transparency) or acrylic colour (for solid colour) to cover your paper, the more complex solution in the martha stewart recipe may be more durable. also, it will be glossy which is great for covering boxes or book covers.

the second link has very simple, clear directions. something i value when following any kind of recipe, whether food or painting. good for making the pages for a book. since my lesson plan for basic book making will be on the accordion fold format, and i am not sure what kind of students i will get, i think pattern play will be a good way to begin.

photopolymer etching, nature series

photopolymer etchings using two photographs superimposed over each other. printed in different colours.

all about yellow.

before the rains, in those very hot days of late june, i went over to my friend shazieh's to photograph her sunfowers. she had planted a hedge of them to give her lawn privacy. each flower was enormous, and all of them were in different stages of blossoming. wonderful. i spent a good hour around 5.30... i should have waited for the sun to go down a little more but had to go elsewhere. but i'm happy with what i got. each flower had it's own personality, each seemed to be saying something.

i'd like to make one or two of these into etchings at some point...just focusing on the centre of each flower, which are so like the sun's corona. to add to my nature photo-etchings.

or perhaps make a book featuring the centres of each flower. after learning about the fibonacci sequence, i have found the seed patterns, which are also found in daisies and other flowers, fascinating.