Saturday, October 18, 2014

How to Make Paper!

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of some handmade paper I've been working on and many of you asked to know how I made it.  Well, here you go!  I have two friends who inspired my paper making obsession. The first is Arnold Gummer who is a paper making genius!  The second is my friend Robert Mahar who gave me the skinny on how to create my own screens from inexpensive 
Ikea frames and by-the-yard plastic screen from the hardware store.  
A rainbow of colors
My favorite color.....green using marigold petals and leaves from my yard
Golden yellow and pinks with flower petals, large chunks of newsprint and gold flakes
Watch the video tutorial here!
YOU'LL NEED
Blender
2 flat frames
2 rubber bands
Newspaper or any recycled paper
Americana Acrylics (to color your pulp)
Plastic screen (1 yard should be plenty)
Large bin
Staple gun
Remove the glass and cardboard from your frames, you only need the frame
 Cut two pieces of screen the exact size of your frame
Staple one piece of screen to the flat side of one frame making sure it's taut
Sandwich the stapled screen in between both frames with a rubber band
*Flat sides together
Rip up about 2 sheets of newspaper or several sheets of copy paper
Fill your blender 3/4 full with water
Add Americana Acrylic Paint to the water
Blend until the paper becomes pulp 
*It will look cloudy 
 Pour the contents into a bin and add more water if you want 
With the plain frame on top, scoop the pulp from the bin catching it on top of the stapled screen
Carefully remove the top frame and place the extra piece of screen on top of the pulp
Using a sponge, remove as much water as you can from the pulp
Carefully peel the flat, wet pulp from the screen and place it between two sheets of newspaper
Place a pressing cloth on the newspaper and iron the flat pulp until it's dry and becomes a sheet of beautiful paper
*You can also let your pieces dry naturally overnight


3 comments:

  1. I never thought to add acrylic paint to the paper pulp! What a great idea! It's much better than the gray color I usually have. I'm definitely trying this with my next batch!

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