Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 19

Engineered with Paper: Architectural Pop-Up Books

The Sunday Paper #401

February 20, 2022

I had so much fun with 200+ of you celebrating pub day for The Art of Papercraft. Special thanks to Akua Lezli Hope for setting the mood by opening and closing the event with her poems about paper; to the team at Storey Publishing for getting this book out into the world; and especially to Susan Joy Share, who interviewed me and showed off her contributions to the book. And thanks to everyone who showed up, has purchased a book (in print or on Kindle) or checked one out from your local library. If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the recording and make a Hexagonal Hat!

A couple of fun facts:

The Art of Papercraft was listed as #1 new release in papercrafts this week on Amazon (it has since fallen to #2).A reader told me she checked the book out digitally from her local library (on Hoopla).Another reader said she has a hold on the book from her local library (all 10 copies have been checked out).

I’d love to see your creations – if you’re on Instagram, tag me #helenhiebert, #theartofpapercraft. You can also post your renditions of the projects in my free facebook group, The Paper Studio.

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I had the recent pleasure of interviewing Kelli Anderson on Paper Talk. Kelli is a designer and paper engineer whose work operates in the space between conceptual art, graphic design, and tech. Her whimsical books have featured a working paper planetarium, a pop-up pinhole camera, and a paper record player. Whenever she can, she uses humble, lo-fi materials to expose the invisible magic of the world and make abstract concepts real and tangible. Enjoy our conversation!

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Wowza! Most of you know that I have a thing for Paper + Light. Japan-based artist Ayumi Shibata designs intricate landscapes using layers upon layers of white paper. Some of her sculptures are miniature, whereas others are immersive installations, and all are brought to life with the play of light and shadow, which create “movement” throughout her pieces.

As featured on Colossal: All images © Ayumi Shibata, shared with permission

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I’m going to start featuring one-sheet wonders here on the blog, since the projects in my book fall into that category. Please fill out this form if you have a one-sheet wonder to share!

Here’s one by Joel Stern. Envision this: stretching the model causes the eyes to blink and the mouth to open and close! Stern offers origami workshops for all ages, has published several books of original origami models, and exhibits his work internationally. He also coordinates a monthly origami workshop, Pacific Ocean Paperfolders (POP), and I’ll be folding with them on May 1st.

© 2012, Joel Stern, African Mask, 8 1/2 x 11″

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If you are in Berkeley, CA this spring, check out the exhibition Engineered with Paper: Architectural Pop-Up Books. A display of pop-up books focused on the built (and sometimes imagined) environment. Traditionally bound to two-dimensional architectural representations, paper engineers construct three dimensional forms that emerge from within the book and allow the viewer to move around and through buildings, viewing plans and elevations — often simultaneously.

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Paper Tidbits:We explored a unique Star Box structure in The Paper Year membership program in January. Watch this video  to see the variety of paper creations. If you’re interested in joining The Paper year, you can find out more here (registration opens again in April).There are two spots left in the Red Cliff Paper Retreat, held in my studio at the end of August.I’ll be exhibiting at the Codex Book Fair in Richmond, CA April 10-13. I can’t wait, and I hope to see many of you there!

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In the Studio:

This month is all about paper weaving, as I weave along with my amazing Weave through Winter course participants. Here are a few weavings I did this past week.

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, The Papermaker’s Studio Guide, a film you can download, the Red Cliff Paper Retreat, and Papermaking with Garden Plants (now available on Kindle).

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post Engineered with Paper: Architectural Pop-Up Books appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

The Art of Papercraft is Here!

The Sunday Paper # . . . 400!

February 13, 2022

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the HeArt of Papercraft is here! Click here to view this one-minute unboxing video featuring some paper love. If you ordered a book from me, I’ve started shipping them and they’ll be arriving in your mailbox soon.

Don’t forget to register for the FREE Virtual Book Launch on publication day, February 15th at noon MST on Zoom.

The book is getting some nice publicity! Ann Martin of All Things Paper wrote a lovely review, and she’s also hosting a giveaway on Instagram – put your name in the hat today (it ends tonight).

Her post sparked this feature on Colossal! I’m so happy that paper is having a moment!

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Each year the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center (KBAC) sponsors a non-juried exhibition The Illustrated Accordion. Open to all emerging and established artists, this exhibition focuses on books created in the accordion form. View the 14th annual exhibition online.

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©2021, Roberta Warshaw, “The Illustrated Letter,” Collage, stained Rives BFK paper, acrylic paint, book board

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HMPI was a part of Mahatma Gandhi’s swadeshi dream (the movement for national independence in India boycotting foreign goods and encouraging the use of domestic products). When Dr BR Ambedkar and other members of the Constituent Assembly declared India as a Sovereign Democratic Republic in 1950, they hand-wrote the words on stationery made at this factory, which  is still producing paper and paper products.

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UCLA’s Hammer Museum and its affiliated Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, which both collect works on paper, are creating a new Grunwald study-storage facility for works on paper that is nearing completion. In addition, a 3,100-square-foot exhibition gallery dedicated to paper is being publicly unveiled today.

Alison Saar, “Topsy,” woodcut/monoprint with chine collé (UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Hammer Museum)

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We explored a unique Star Box structure in The Paper Year membership program in January. Watch this video  to see the variety of paper creations. If you’re interested in joining The Paper year, you can find out more here (registration opens again in April).

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Paper Tidbits:There are only two spots left in the Red Cliff Paper Retreat, held in my studio at the end of August.I’ll be exhibiting at the Codex Book Fair in Richmond, CA April 10-13. I can’t wait, and I hope to see many of you there!

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In the Studio:

I am weaving daily along with my Weave Through Winter online class participants. It is truly amazing what you see and discover when you do a daily practice. And doing it in community is pretty amazing as well. Here are just three of hundreds of weavings that are being posted in our online classroom. From left to right: Laurel Rogers, Marijane Mercer, Susan Buhler-Maki.

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, Water Paper Time, a film you can download, the Red Cliff Paper Retreat, and The Papermaker’s Companion.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post The Art of Papercraft is Here! appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Love Letters

The Sunday Paper #399

February 6, 2022

I’ve decided that it’s time to get back to having people in the studio, so I’m offering the Red Cliff Paper Retreat at the end of August. I was curious to see whether anyone would sign up, but early registration, for those who had signed up in 2020 (when I had to cancel) and those who had expressed interest over the past two years, has been good. The retreat is more than half-way full (I accept 12 participants). The theme this year is Woven Paper: Books, Vessels, Lighting. My studio is light and airy, and I rent out the old schoolhouse gym which is just upstairs, where each participant has their own work table with plenty of social distancing. You’re welcome to join us – sign up before it fills!

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I love this promotional video by Paper and Pixel in Australia. Check out how Jean Kropper is turning paper into unique promotional materials for her clients.

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I have such interesting participants in my online classes, and I don’t even know what many of them are up to outside of class. Sarah Schwartz runs a hand painted sheet wall covering company, how cool is that? Sarah + Ruby has taken the centuries-old artisanal paste paper technique, used to create decorative end-papers, out of the book, and they are transforming it into a modern treatment for walls.

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These paper birds by Niharika Rajput, oh my!

(Courtesy of Niharika Rajput)

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This story is behind a pay wall (NY Times) but it is so good! This 8-year old kid stashed a book he wrote on a shelf at his local library and has gotten a crazy amount of attention (including from the NY Times). Keep up the great work, Dillon!

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Paper Tidbits:Have you had a chance to listen to my interview with Maro Vandorou on Paper Talk?I’ll be exhibiting at the Codex Book Fair in Richmond, CA April 10-13. I can’t wait, and I hope to see many of you there!Want to weave your valentines? Here’s my Woven Paper Heart Tutorial.

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In the Studio:

I plan to start shipping copies of The Art of Papercraft later this week. I’m waiting for my sustainable packaging to arrive – it’s paper, of course! One of the lovely parts about working with a publisher (as opposed to self publishing) is that they help with publicity. Here’s the image they used to promote the book on social media this week, featuring a pop-up alphabet (it’s a project in the book). I took the photo here in the studio, but their design team did some embellishing. We’re calling these “Love Letters”. Are you coming to my virtual book launch on February 15th? I’ll talk a bit about how I designed this alphabet way back at the beginning of my career.

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, Water Paper Time, a film you can download, the Red Cliff Paper Retreat, and The Papermaker’s Companion.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post Love Letters appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Zhen Xian Bao

The Sunday Paper #398

January 30, 2022

My poplular online class, Weave Through Winter starts on Tuesday, and we’ve got a great group of paper weavers who are committing to a daily practice that lasts through the month of February (it’s not too late to sign up).

Each week, participants receive a new lesson and each day, they’re given a structural challenge. Last year, we created a daily thematic prompt and invited paper weaving enthusiasts on Instagram to join in the fun. Click through for details if you’re curious, and we hope you’ll join us (if you’re on instagram) and share your weavings there.

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Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper just opened at the Longmont Museum here in Colorado, and I hope to get over to see it soon. The exhibit spotlights the works of nine contemporary Japanese artists: Hina Aoyama, Eriko Horiki, Kyoko Ibe, Yoshio Ikezaki, Kakuko Ishii, Yuko Kimura, Yuko Nishimura, Takaaki Tanaka, and Ayomi Yoshida. All of these artists use washi to create works that are unusual in size, unexpected in texture, and do not fit our expectations of paper art. Their art shows the endless contemporary uses of this ancient material.

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I had a lovely interview on Paper Talk with Maro Vandorou, a visual artist of Greek origin, who lives and works in California. Her work explores the process of transformation through installations of original photographic material, writings, and artists’ books. Her tools of choice are film cameras, gampi – a rare Japanese handmade paper – and platinum–palladium printing. The setting of images and the visual vocabulary of abstract concepts [grief, surrender, purification of intent, transformation] reference symbols and archetypes from her Hellenic roots.

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Paula Beardell Krieg and Susan Joy Share are teaming up to teach a 12-week Zoom class with the NY Center for Book Arts on Wednesdays, 1-3PM Eastern, February 16- May 4, 2022. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore Zhen Xian Bao, (meaning needle, thread, pockets), a traditional folk art practiced in a few Chinese provinces. These exquisite objects, comprised of layer upon layer of collapsible paper boxes in a simple cover, were originally used to house sewing supplies and treasured items. In this course, Krieg and Share will show historical folded constructions and guide you in how they may evolve and mesh with contemporary art concepts.

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BBC Radio has a show called Free Thinking, and recently there was an episode about paper. The riddle at the beginning is fantastic! The host, Laurence Scott, explores the cultural and social history of paper, from the Chinese Han Dynasty in 105 AD to the 20th-century workplace with several guests with an expertise in paper.

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Paper Tidbits:The virtual book launch for The Art of Papercraft takes place on February 15th. Please register for this free event where we’ll make a project together; I’ll have a conversation with book artist Susan Joy Share; and you’ll discover some behind-the-scenes of the book making process.Focus On Book Arts is taking applications to the Colleen Cavin Fellowship. The deadline is tomorrow.

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In the Studio:

Last week I wrote about my impatience about receiving a copy of my new book, The Art of Papercraft. Well this week, I received my advance copy along with 13 boxes of books to fulfill pre-orders!

I hope you’re planning to attend the book launch event on 2/15, where you’ll get a behind-the-scenes tour through the book, you’ll get to meet some special guests, and I’ll teach you how to make a Hexagonal Hat. You have to register for this free event on Zoom.

I’m going to be sharing images of some of the contents of the book starting tomorrow on Instagram, where I’ll begin with an unboxing video.

If you pre-ordered a copy (from me or anywhere else), we cannot ship these books until Valentine’s Day because the official release date is 2/15 – that’s when The Art of Papercraft will be in bookstores worldwide. I still have copies available if you wish to place an order. And I got some sweet news this week: Amazon placed an order for 1000 copies of the book, which means that your pre-orders (through Amazon) indicate that they need that many in their inventory. Thank you so much!!

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, Water Paper Time, a film you can download, Weave Through Winter online class, and The Papermaker’s Companion.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post Zhen Xian Bao appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

My Journey, On Paper

The Sunday Paper #397

January 23, 2022

Patience is a virtue, right? I have always thought of myself as patient, and I like having a virtue, but… I… just… can’t… wait to get my hands on a copy of my new book! If I hadn’t been told that the first copy arrived at the publisher two weeks ago, and that my advance copy was scheduled to be delivered yesterday, my patience might not have worn thin… sigh.

In the meantime, I’m delighted to share this article that I wrote for Storey Publishing about the decades of inspiration behind The Art of Papercraft. From art school in Tennessee to teaching workshops all over the world, follow my journey as a teacher, artist and writer. Here’s an old photo of me (from the article) teaching a plant fiber papermaking workshop at Focus on Book Arts in Oregon.

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There are quite a few illustrators who work with cut paper collage, and I was delighted (and sad) to learn about the award-winning work of author and children’s book illustrator Steve Jenkins, who passed away recently.

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Remember dark rooms? Contact printing? The ‘old days’ of photography? I found this two-part post by Sarah Hall fascinating. The title of the posts caught my eye: My Quest to Make Art for the Living Room Wall. I was looking forward to seeing the art on the wall, but I learned that will be shared in Part 3, still to come. Here’s Part 1, and Part 2.

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Holy cow! I just stumbled across the work of Peter Jacobs, who has created a collage from daily newspapers every single day, uninterrupted, for nearly 18 straight years. The article I’ve linked to has many interesting links, so I’ll let you wander down the rabbit hole. I love this quote, from his home page: “I strongly believe that one must challenge the previous day’s perceptions and find a new way to see this day.”

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A reader sent me this video, which features Japanese washi designer, Haraguchi Keiko (scroll to 19:00 to catch her clip). She designs amazing and unique lighting fixtures.

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Paper Tidbits:Weave Through Winter, a month-long online class where we make a paper weaving-a-day, begins on February 1st. There are now 3 scholarships available, and the deadline is tomorrow (1/24/22).The virtual book launch for The Art of Papercraft takes place on February 15th. Please register for this free event where we’ll make a project together; I’ll have a conversation with book artist Susan Joy Share; and you’ll discover some behind-the-scenes of the book making process.Focus On Book Arts is taking applications to the Colleen Cavin Fellowship. The deadline is January 31st.

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In the Studio:

I’ve shared a bit here about the paper engineering course I took last fall with Kelli Anderson (I’m interviewing her on the podcast soon). For my final project, I explored the slice form structure. There are so many possibilities, and I am so looking forward to what my Paper Year members do with it (slice forms is our topic in February). Here’s my pyramid, created with Duralar. I managed to do the drawings in Adobe Illustrator and cut the pieces on my Cricut (a real feat for me). Here’s a short video showing how the form collapses.

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds, The Papermaker’s Companion, and The Papermaker’s Studio Guide, a film download.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post My Journey, On Paper appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

The Hexagonal Hat

The Sunday Paper #396

January 16, 2022

I am excited to invite you to the virtual book launch for The Art of Papercraft on February 15th. Please register for this free event where we’ll be making this Hexagonal Hat. I’ll also be having a conversation with book artist Susan Joy Share (I designed this hat/book structure in a class with her at Penland in 1996) and sharing highlights from the book. I’m looking forward to it!

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Here’s a really cool project that a blog reader told me about. The Memory Net Remembrance Project, in collaboration with Densho resident artist Lauren Iida, is seeking submissions of “memory objects” that symbolize hope, strength, and/or resistance for you or your ancestors during WWII Japanese American incarceration. The artist will select some of these objects to incorporate into a 30-foot-long cut paper net to be hung as a semi-permanent installation in Densho’s community room. Densho is a Seattle-based organization that dedicated to preserving stories of the past for the generations of tomorrow.

Artist Lauren Iida with an earlier Memory Net installation. Photo by Cameron Nagashima, courtesy of Lauren Iida.

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Another reader (thank you, readers!) alerted me to this article in Tatter, about the artist Adebunmi Gbadebo, who works in handmade paper, using indigo and blue hair dyes, as well as black hair: “Short naps swept up from the barbershop floor are just right for papermaking. The resolute spirals and z-shaped kinks of 4b and 4c hair are just right for sculpting.” The article, by Mary Adeogun, is a fascinating look into the artist’s True Blue series, in which she “calls out the devastating colonial and imperialist history surrounding indigo in her family; in two South Carolina plantations; and in European, then American, slavery.”

© Adebunmi Gbadebo, Detail photo courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery

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This video shows every step in the process in some serious large-scale hand papermaking in a town in India that is keeping the craft alive.

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Focus On Book Arts is taking applications to the Colleen Cavin Fellowship. Three fellows will work alongside the board, instructors, and volunteers to create the Focus on Book Arts Conference, in exchange for on-site lodging, meals, and two days of class tuition, as well as the opportunity to rub elbows with leaders in the book arts world at the conference in July 2022.  The deadline is January 31st.

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Paper Tidbits:Have you listened to my interview with Deborah Balmuth, Publisher at Storey Books, on Paper Talk?

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In the Studio:

My popular month-long online class, Weave Through Winter, is now open for registration, and class begins on February 1st! This is the fourth year I’ve run this course, and each year there are new elements. This year I’ll be talking about ways to display and house weavings (like the book structure you see here) in our weekly Zoom sessions.

If you are interested in taking part in Weave Through Winter, but are not financially able to at this time, there are two scholarships available (sponsored by Washi Arts and Helen Hiebert Studio). The deadline to apply is Monday, January 24th, 2022. Two scholarship recipients will be selected and notified by January 25th. Click here to apply.

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds, The Papermaker’s Companion, and The Papermaker’s Studio Guide, a film download.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post The Hexagonal Hat appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Two Rivers

The Sunday Paper #395

January 9, 2022

Happy New Year again! I hope your year is off to a good start. We had our daughter and her boyfriend here from Oregon for a few days this past week and enjoyed our time with them.

In case you missed it, here’s Helen’s 100 Papery Picks for 2021. I hope you made some new paper discoveries, and that you’ll share you favorite paper things with me, too.

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I’m busy preparing for the official launch of The Art of Papercraft on February 15th. Save the date for a FREE Zoom event that will take place at noon MST on that day. I’ll be opening registration for the book launch soon.

In the meantime, I had a lovely interview with Deborah Balmuth on Paper Talk. She is the editor who discovered me back in 1995 and the reason I’m an author! She is currently publisher and editorial director at Storey Publishing, the publisher of four of my books, where she heads up efforts to acquire and publish outstanding, long-lasting nonfiction books that support Storey Publishing’s mission of promoting personal independence in harmony with the environment. We chat about how Deborah reached out to me after reading about a class that I was teaching at the Horticultural Society of NY in the mid-1990’s, as well as the nuts and bolts of how a book gets published. Enjoy our conversation!

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This is a lovely conversation with Jim Patterson, founder of Two Rivers Paper in the UK, where he has been making paper for over 50 years! The two-part video series is on Jackson’s Art Supplies in London – a website worth perusing!

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Rabbit hole warning: someone tipped me off to the work of Zoe Bradley who says “I work with paper just as a designer works with fabric: folding, pleating, curling and stitching the material“. Wowza!

                        Photographer: Zoe Bradley Design Studio

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The Holle Award for Excellence in Book Arts, sponsored by the University of Alabama, is taking applications through January 15th. Applicants must be Book Arts students currently enrolled in a graduate Book Arts program in the United States, or students who have graduated from such a program in the last 12 months.

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Paper Tidbits:Reserve an autographed first edition of The Art of Papercraft and get a free downloadable pop-up alphabet plus a reservation card in the mail.If you have pre-ordered The Art of Papercraft elsewhere, you can now get the free downloadable pop-up alphabet with proof of purchase through my publisher, Storey Books!

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Online Class Registration:

My popular month-long class, Weave Through Winter, is now open for registration, and class begins on February 1st! Would you like to jump start your creativity? Crave the inspiration you get from the act of making? Love beautiful papers? Have a desire to connect with others who share these same goals? Join us, as we weave our way through the 28-day month. I weave along with the group, and it is a lovely experience.

Registration for The Paper Year closes tomorrow (January 10th) and won’t open again until April 1st. I like to think of this as a year-long online class, and we are having so much fun exploring a different technique and project each and every month. I am continually blown away by the variety of approaches each participant takes to each project: choosing a variety of papers, expanding on the project, exploring the technique, and sharing what they discover in this creative community.

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds, The Papermaker’s Companion, and The Papermaker’s Studio Guide, a film download.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post Two Rivers appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Helen’s 100 Papery Picks for 2021

Happy New Year! Whether you’re just discovering this blog or you’ve followed it from the beginning (we’re coming up on eight years!) I truly appreciate your ongoing support! Thank you for following along on this paper journey.

This year, I’ve started a new tradition – an end of the year list of my favorite papery things. It’s actually a Top 10 Top 10 List (yes, that’s 100!) – from tools to tutorials, inspirations to online explorations – I hope you enjoy reading through it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. 

I would love to know your favorites too – please leave your comments below. And feel free to share this list with your paper-loving friends. Enjoy!

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Paper: Figuring out which paper will work best for a particular project is tricky, but it can be a delightful journey. There are so many qualities – thickness, opacity, foldability – to name a few. My advice: try it and see if it works. If it does, it becomes a favorite paper. If it doesn’t, you learned something! Here are 10 papers I enjoyed using this year.

Momigami or Crinkled Papers were used to make paper fabric for clothing in old Japan, but they also make great book covers, are fun to stitch on, and much, much more.A watermark is a translucent design incorporated into a wet sheet of paper when it is made that becomes visible when the dry sheet is held up to the light. I remember the first time I saw one and comprehended how it was created – magic!  There are very few watermarked papers on the market and this wood grain paper is one of my faves.I discovered Rock Paper, which is literally made from rocks using a patented process (I’ll be interviewing the makers on Paper Talk in 2022). I have yet to explore this paper’s potential, but Laurie Moorhead made these gorgeous Shadow Ornaments. Artisans throughout the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico use ancient techniques to create unique and deeply colored Huun Mayan paper. Made from the lengua de vaca plant, sheets are pounded with a specially carved stone, which adds texture to one side of the paper while the other side remains smooth. I’ve used this paper to make book covers.Awagami Nature Papers are made in Tokushima, Japan. They contains delicate flecks of vegetable matter from this agricultural heartland.Iris Nevins has been making hand marbled papers since 1978 and her specialty is the reproduction of early marbled papers, particularly the ones from about 1800 – 1860. Her papers are in the Paper Legacy Project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Kelsey Pike runs Sustainable Papercraft in Kansas City, Kansas, where she creates fine handmade papers and custom, hand-carved rubber stamps. Her Monthly Paper Parcels contain 4-8 different types and colors of unique handmade papers.Kite paper is similar to waxed paper and comes in brilliant colors. It is translucent and folds well. It is traditionally used in the Netherlands for handmade kites and is also used to create window stars.When you make your own paper, you can try out your wild ideas. One of my favorites to make is bendable paper: paper + embedded wire = a new material that you can manipulate.Tony Carlone makes paper from natural plant fibers using locally sourced agricultural waste as well as harvests from his garden.

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Techniques: There are so many ways to transform paper, and I am fascinated with all of them! Take a walk on the wild side with paper by following the links below – you might just end up in a paper vortex.

If you add air to paper, what do you get? Paper Inflatables!Recently, I took a class with Kelli Anderson through Cooper Union, and she introduced us to the jitterbug, a structure that Buckminster Fuller pioneered, and Ron Resch explored in depth. Here are some of my explorations with colored cubes and jewelry boxes.In that paper engineering class we also explored the Möbius strip. You have to TRY it to BELIEVE it! Check out a classmate’s Möbius strip running through a thermal printer. Another participant created this unique and meaningful Paper Spell for Grief (he includes instructions for making your own Möbius strip to honor a loved one).How many ways can you cut a sheet of paper? Watch Béatrice Coron’s Ted Talk, and take a look at what she’s wearing!There are many styles of origami, and one that puzzles me to no end is the tessellation. Madonna Yoder of Gathering Folds has a free 5-week course if you want to get a glimpse into this world.Slice Forms: there’s an app for that!Jean-Paul LeConte has been methodically mastering pop-ups over the past few years, and he shares his journey on Instagram. He’s also the co-founder of Best Pop-Up Books, a website loaded with tutorials, reviews and interviews about pop-ups.Have you heard of the old form of letterlocking? It is so cool!Paper Weaving seems to have originated with the kindergarten movement in Germany in the early 1800s, through the work of Friedrich Froebel. It is now gaining momentum as an art form.The Italian family-owned business, Uashmama, creates a line of innovative products for the home with a washable paper.

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Online Resources: I’m still a fan of actual books, paper, and libraries, but there’s no arguing that the internet allows us to share and learn about things we might never discover in the analog world. Here are ten blogs and organizations that spread the love of paper.

Cathryn Miller of Byopia Press does an annual Advent countdown with free daily tutorials on her blog.  My favorite this year was this post about volvelles.Artist Paula Beardell Krieg creates works on paper, teaches book arts, and integrates math into her work and instruction. She blogs regularly and shares generously at Playful Bookbinding and Paper Works.Ann Martin, a quilling enthusiast, has been exploring the worlds of creative paper art and paper craft over at All Things Paper since 2009. Topics range from the latest on the craft scene – stylish paper-related DIYs, trends, and book reviews – to interviews with established paper artists and emerging artisans with big ideas.The International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) is a membership organization for paper artists that was founded in 1986 in Düren, Germany. While paper history and production are one facet of the Association’s activities, the central focus is the role of paper as an art form and a contemporary artistic medium.Hand Papermaking’s print and online publications chronicle the finest work in the field of hand papermaking, while advancing the scholarship and production of handmade paper and paper art. The biannual print journal includes tipped-in paper samples; how cool is that?! Fun fact: I made the paper for the 2021 Year End Broadside, which features a lovely poem called “Why Paper?” by Akua Lezli Hope.North American Hand Papermakers is an organization that brings together people interested in hand papermaking, to encourage sharing of practical, historical, and artistic knowledge about the craft.Louise Levergneux, who writes the 1/2 Measure Studio Blog, put together a fascinating post about how book artists (yours truly included) have weathered the pandemic.The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking has an impressive set of online resources. In addition to the museum’s Paper Play series, you’ll also find a teacher’s handbook, info on the history of papermaking, lecture recordings and coloring sheets under their Resources section.I always enjoy watching Trish Witkowski’s Super Cool Fold of the Week. She focuses on printed materials, but many of the folds and techniques she shares could be applied to book arts and paper crafts.Jade Quek keeps tabs for us on everything book and paper-related with her Book & Paper Arts Calendar.

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Books: My collection of how-to books about paper continues to grow, and I was fortunate to have an intern this fall who organized them. Here are ten favorites.

Washi, The World of Japanese Paper , by Sukey Hughes. Hughes spent time in Japan in the 1970’s, visiting papermakers who made all kinds of papers for a variety of traditional Japanese paper crafts. She documented her findings in this book that covers the evolution of paper in Japan, how washi is made, and the people who make it. There’s a section dedicated to descriptions of at least 100 of the most common Japanese papers. This is one of the first books I acquired for my collection.I’ve written about Paper For Water, the nonprofit founded by two young girls who started folding origami to transform lives by bringing water and the Word to the thirsty. Katherine and Isabel Adams (16 and 18 years old!) just published a book, One Piece of Paper at a Time , in celebration of the organization’s 10th anniversary.I learned about the work of Ekaterina Lukasheva from the girls at Paper For Water. She has a new book called Curved Folding . Doesn’t folding a curve sound impossible? Lukasheva has perfected the process and shares all of her tips and tricks through a series of curved models.Edited by Neil Holt, Nicola von Velsen and Stephanie Jacobs, Paper: Materials, Medium and Magic explores every aspect of paper: its history, composition, production, application, and trade. Beginning with the anatomy of paper and its earliest forms, this book investigates how paper evolved from a symbol of political and economic importance and as a carrier of ideas (from literature to art, design, and music) to a medium with different surfaces, opacities, weights, and volumes used for printing, typography, graphic design, origami, architecture, and fashion. Complete Origami by Eric Kenneway is not your typical origami book. It is an A-Z of facts and folds.The protagonist  of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife  is a papermaker! This is a captivating love story (I read it in one sitting on a long plane flight) about Henry, who time travels involuntarily and Clare, whose life takes a natural sequential course. The Time Traveler’s Wife was made into a Hollywood movie, and Niffenegger is currently spearheading the renovation of an old mansion in Chicago that will become Artists Book House.I can’t wait to receive my copy of  The Complexities of Pop-Up , a new publication by master paper engineers David A. Carter and James Diaz, published by Poposition Press.Paul Jackson’s book, Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form , is a best seller and has been translated into many languages, along with his other design books, which have all been influential in establishing folding as a language of design.Hedi Kyle is a household name in the field of book arts, and she has pioneered so many ways to fold book and paper structures. The Art of the Fold is a must-have. Take a tour of the projects through Elissa Campbell’s rendition of every project in the book. The Art of Papercraft is my new book that will be published by Storey Books in February 2022! It features projects by several of the artists mentioned on this list.

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One-Sheet Wonders. This is the premise of my new book. The Art of Papercraft, which shares all the things that you can make with a sheet of paper (well not all of them)! Here are 10; you’ll find more in the book, and if you happen to have a one-sheet wonder to share, would you kindly tell us about it? I’ll be sharing more one-sheet wonders on this blog in 2022.

 There are many, many one-sheet wonders that you probably made as a kid, like a paper airplane.Check out Kelli Anderson’s Halloween rendition of the Muira-ori fold, a fold that has many applications, including retractable solar panels used in satellites and space probes. Polly Verity folds paper, and how!This Light up Whirlybird by Chibitronics, a company at the forefront of paper electronics, is sure to bring delight to all ages. Try it with the kiddos!Here’s a flexagon I made, and the structure is incredible: you can literally turn a sheet of paper inside out and watch the imagery transform.Poet Carl Adamshick wrote a lovely piece to adorn my own one-sheet wonder/artist’s book, Cosmology: double-couching, pulp stenciling, laser cutting and letterpress printing all on one sheet!Check out this history of curved origami sculpture by Erik and Martin Demaine.These circular fan folds by Paul Jackson are amazing!Michael LaFosse runs Origamido Studio, where he makes handmade paper for his origami (as well as for others). He has been folding paper since he was a kid, has written many origami books, and his one-sheet squirrel was cast larger-than-life in bronze for Origami in the Garden by Kevin Box Studio.Physicist and origami expert Robert J. Lang has elevated humble sheets of paper in so many ways!

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Artists / Designers /Tinkerers: I once thought I might run out of people to feature on the blog, but I’m convinced that this is a never-ending list. Enjoy these 10 and I’ll introduce you to 10 more in 2022. 

Josef Albers and his folded paper exercises have inspired many, both before and after computers.Rabbit hole warning: this article about kites in the New York Times is fascinating, touching on history (kite flying used on military missions) and kite art. Scott Skinner co-founded a kite foundation in Seattle to elevate (no pun intended) kite making beyond the toy level. Let’s go fly a kite!I’m a big fan of the work of Matt Shlian, who produces affordable paper multiples in a series called Eight Emperors.Take a look at the work students made in Kelli Anderson‘s Paper Engineering class at Cooper Union. This was her summer class (I took her fall class and will post our video once it is ready). Have you seen her book: This Book is a Planetarium ?I interviewed Paula Beardell Krieg on Paper Talk. She loves to explore the internal structure of books, including the patterns of folds, the sewing and knotting of bindings, and how everything fits together. She shares generously on her blog.Don Farnsworth of Magnolia Editions has been providing artists with technical expertise and access to large-scale, pigment-based electronic printing processes and innovative papermaking techniques with state-of-the-art tools since the 70s. His website is a fantastic resource.I love this! Andy Marks shows us (literally) how to reuse instead of recycle. The Marks family used six bags 569 times before they became the centerpiece of his piece, We All Speak for the Trees.The Museum of Modern Art sells pop-up cards designed by some of the finest paper engineers of our time.I met Ed Hutchins early in my career and recall fondly a day spent with him transforming a stack of 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper into numerous book forms. Get a glimpse into his thought process in this delightful video about how he created his recent publication, Cacophony.Paul Johnson‘s innovative artist’s books and teaching are inspirational! This site is a bit out of date, but you will discover his books about teaching pop-ups and his delightful and colorful movable books.

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Tutorials: There are endless possibilities for what you can make from/with/of/on paper. Here are just a few ideas.

This Pop-up snowflake card is one of my most popular all-time posts. Let it snow!Ann Martin, of the All Things Paper blog featured this tutorial for an attention-grabbing quilled necklace that’s bound to receive compliments and only requires two types of quilled coils. And it’s stunning!Paula Krieg taught a group how to make this Folded Folly Flexagon at the Museum of Mathematics recently. Ooh la la!This tutorial by Erin Fletcher for the Top Secret Belgian Binding (do you know why it’s considered a secret?) is designed for any skill level.Here’s a crash course in basic papermaking that I put together for Artsy a few years back.Ali Manning, who runs the Handmade Book Club, offers this free long stitch journal class (and so much more).Make this Pop-Up Lantern with me.We created this Woven Paper Valentine at one of my free Zoom events.A student turned me onto this book structure from Australia that is easy to make and so versatile! This post is from Alisa Golden’s blog, and if you don’t know about her book, Making Handmade Books , you should!PaperPaul celebrated a milestone with this pop-up hot air balloon tutorial that has beautiful curves and looks like it really inflates!

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Inspiring Projects: It is truly amazing to witness the ideas that people come up with to contemplate what is happening in our world and to make it a better place via paper.

There is so much to love about the Hearts for the World project, started by Linda Mihara, who owns Paper Tree in San Fransisco. Her mission – counter HATE with LOVE by collecting 1,000 Origami Hearts as a show of support to families of Asian American & Pacific Islanders who lost loved ones – received an overwhelming response. I participated in #amonthinpaper in 2021, and it is taking place again this month (January 2022) on Instagram. It is powerful to share your work. If you’re on Instagram, join the fun!Debra Collins recently shared her Zooming Church series in my Facebook group The Paper Studio. As with so many things during the pandemic, she ended up attending church online and had some revelations. She notes: “those Zoom “boxes” pulled me away from the liturgy, yet opened up another sermon, or maybe, a prayer.”Berk Armagan, a 26-year-old artist from Istanbul, Turkey draws the sites around the world that he visits on simple paper coffee cups to fund his globetrotting passion.When Covid-19 began, Chicago printmaker Beth Adler began making daily collages as a way to work through what she was going through.Check out this profile of Faith Bartley and the People’s Paper Coop, a Philadelphia organization that is turning shredded criminal records into sheets of handmade paper while helping women who come out of prison get back on their feet.I love Myriam Dion’s papercuts from humble newspapers.Jonathan Michael Castillo created these cyanotype prints of Julia on handmade paper with $80K of shredded US currency, the amount of Julia’s student loan debt.Oh, my goodness! Check out Caroline Gormley’s pandemic-inspired paintings – a year’s worth – on a roll of toilet paper!Peter Dahmen, a paper engineer based in Germany, collaborated with Iggesund Paperboard a couple of years back to create a holiday card, Letters from the Sky.

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Videos: If a picture is worth a thousand words, what does that make a video worth? Here are 10 videos in a variety of formats that I think are valuable to watch.

Here’s a fantastic demonstration of Paste Paper and Orizome Paper Decoration Techniques, with a little bit of history thrown in, thanks to the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!Have you seen the Origami Revolution Documentary?Maro Vanderou works with specialty papers to show off her palladium prints, commissioning custom papers to explore impermanence and fragility through images, letterforms, and materials. Scroll down to the link on her web page to view this video of her book, Persephone’s Chamber.Travel and living in another culture often makes you appreciate where you come from. Japanese craftsman Kotaro Nishibori is continuing the 1200-year-old paper umbrella (Wagasa) making tradition. The bamboo, the paper, the tapioca starch, oh my!This New York Times feature on collage and cubism is what digital media was made for!The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art’s new video series, Artist’s Books Unshelved, features artist’s books from the Cynthia Sears Collection.Paper + Stick is an intriguing film about the work of Ron Resch, an artist, computer scientist, and applied geometrist revered for his work involving folding paper, origami tessellations and 3D polyhedrons in the 60s and 70s.I have a fascination with the Japanese chochin paper lantern structure, which has been used to make everything from shop signage to balloon bombs (profiled in the film On Paper Wings, by Ilana Sol), so it was so fun to see this variation used for socially distanced dining in Tokyo.I saw the title of the film, Paper & Glue, in The New Yorker Magazine and got curious. Lo and behold, it is a documentary about the artist JR. Paper and glue are the basis of his graffiti, and his giant murals engage with art in public, especially among marginalized communities.James Lake creates lifelike human sculptures from cardboard.

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Tools: Since I make paper, I’ve divided this list between papermaking tools and tools for working with readymade papers.

Oblation Papers & Press is an incredible paper shop (that warrants another category, maybe next year) based in Portland, Oregon, that sells a Handmade Paper Making Kit (a great starter set ) which is bundled with my book The Papermaker’s Companion and DVD, The Papermaker’s Studio Guide.In order to make paper, you need a vat. It gets tricky when you want to make large sheets. I just discovered this large papermaking vat; if you prefer to source your own, my go-to vats are the cement mixing tubs that you can find at building supply stores.This is a popular post about pressing and presses on my blog.One of my most popular blog posts is about making a drying box for hand papermaking. I’ve even heard from printmakers, who have built this type of drying system to dry their prints. I decided to make this video to show how it works. You’ll find links to more drying system and paper drying resources underneath the video on YouTube.Water is the main ingredient in papermaking. I use this firehose-style nozzle in my studio.There are so many Exacto knives to choose from, but I always come back to the standard #11 blade. Did you know that you can sharpen those blades?Shanna Leino’s hand tools are to die for, both in terms of functionality and in their aesthetic appeal.I love using transparent rulers for perfect alignment.Punch a hole anywhere with this Japanese screw punch (bits sold separately).This is my go-to glue applicator, and it’s refillable!

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About Helen Hiebert Studio: My interest in how things are made (from paper) keep me up to date on current paper trends, which I write about weekly on this blog. I also host the podcast Paper Talk, featuring artists and professionals who are working in the field of hand papermaking and paper art.

Discover my most popular papermaking and papercraft resources – including information about tools and supplies, how-to videos, and paper tips – all in one place by joining The Paper Advisor (it’s FREE)! You are also welcome to join my free facebook group, The Paper Studio, where we share what we’re making with paper on Flaunt it Fridays!

I run The Paper Year, an online membership program, where we explore creative paper techniques each month in a supportive community. I’m also the author of six books about paper crafts and papermaking, and I offer an annual paper retreat and host two papermaking master classes in my Red Cliff, Colorado studio each summer and fall.

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Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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The post Helen’s 100 Papery Picks for 2021 appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

A Few of My Favorite Paper Things

Happy New Year! Whether you’re just discovering this blog or you’ve followed it from the beginning (we’re coming up on 8 years) I truly appreciate your love and support! Thank you for following along on this paper journey.

I’ve compiled 10 lists of 10 of My Favorite Paper Things. I would love to know your favorites too – please leave your comments below. And feel free to share this list with your paper-loving friends. Enjoy!

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Paper: Figuring out which paper will work best for a particular project is tricky, but it can be a delightful journey. There are so many qualities – thickness, opacity, foldability – to name a few. My advice: try it and see if it works. If it does, it becomes a favorite paper. If it doesn’t, you learned something! Here are 10 papers I enjoyed using this year.

Momigami or Crinkled Papers were used to make paper fabric for clothing in old Japan, but they also make great book covers, are fun to stitch on, and much, much more.A watermark is a translucent design incorporated into a wet sheet of paper when it is made that becomes visible when the dry sheet is held up to the light. I remember the first time I saw one and comprehended how it was made – magic!  There are very few watermarked papers on the market and this wood grain paper is one of my faves.I discovered Rock Paper, which is literally made from rocks using a patented process (I’ll be interviewing the proprietors on Paper Talk in 2022). I have yet to explore its potential, but Laurie Moorhead made these gorgeous Shadow Ornaments.Huun Mayan paper is created from the lengua de vaca plant (also known as the Sansevieria plant) by artisans throughout the Yucatan Peninsula of México. They use ancient techniques to create these unique and deeply colored papers. The sheets are pounded with a specially-carved stone, which makes one side of the paper textured, while the other side remains smooth. I’ve used this paper to make book covers.Awagami Nature Papers are made in Tokushima, Japan. They contains delicate flecks of vegetable matter from this agricultural heartland.Iris Nevins has been making hand marbled papers since 1978 and her specialty is the reproduction of early marbled papers, particularly the ones from about 1800 – 1860. Her papers are in the Paper Legacy Project at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Kelsey Pike runs Sustainable Papercraft in Kansas City, KS where she creates fine handmade papers and custom, hand-carved rubber stamps. Her Monthly Paper Parcels contain 4-8 different types and colors of unique handmade papers, with 10 sheets total.Kite paper is similar to waxed paper and comes in brilliant colors. It is translucent and folds well. It is traditionally used in the Netherlands for hand made kites and is also used to create window stars.When you make your own paper, you can try out your wild ideas. One of my favorites to make is bendable paper: paper + embedded wire = a new material that you can manipulate.Tony Carlone makes paper from natural plant fibers from locally sourced agricultural waste as well as harvests from his garden.

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Techniques: There are so many ways to transform paper, and I am fascinated with all of them! Take a walk on the wild side with paper by following the links below – you might just end up in a paper vortex.

If you add air to paper, what do you get? Paper Inflatables!Recently, I took a class with Kelli Anderson through Cooper Union, and she introduced us to the jitterbug, a structure that Buckminster Fuller pioneered and Ron Resch explored in depth. Here are some of my explorations with colored cubes and jewelry boxes.We also explored the mobius strip in that paper engineering class. You have to TRY it to BELIEVE it! Check out a classmate’s mobius strip running through a thermal printer. Another partcipant created this unique and meaningful Paper Spell for Grief (he includes instructions for making your own mobius strip to honor a loved one).How many ways can you cut a sheet of paper? Watch Béatrice Coron’s Ted Talk, and take a look at what she’s wearing!There are many styles of origami, and one that puzzles me to no end is tessellations. Madonna Yoder of Gathering Folds has a free 5-week course if you want to get a glimpse into this world.Slice Forms: there’s an app for that!Jean-Paul LeConte has been methodically mastering pop-ups over the past few years, and he shares his journey on Instagram. He’s also the co-founder of Best Pop-Up Books, a website filled with tutorials, reviews and interviews about pop-ups.Have you heard of the old form of letterlocking? It is so cool!Paper Weaving seems to have originated with the Kindergarten movement in Germany in the early 1800’s, through the work of Friedrich Froebel. It is now gaining momentum as an art form.The Italian family-owned business, Uashmama, creates a line of innovative products for the home with a washable paper.

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Online Resources: I’m still a fan of actual books, paper and libraries, but there’s no arguing that the internet allows us to share and learn about things we might never discover. Here are ten blogs and organizations that spread the love of paper.

Cathryn Miller of Byopia Press does an annual advent count down with free daily tutorials on her blog.  My favorite this year was this post about volvelles.Artist Paula Beardell Krieg makes works-on-paper, teaches book arts, and integrates math into her work and instruction. She blogs regularly and shares generously at Playful Bookbinding and Paper Works.Ann Martin, a quilling enthusiast, has been exploring the worlds of creative paper art and paper craft over at All Things Paper since 2009. Topics range from the latest on the craft scene – stylish paper-related DIYs, trends, and book reviews – to interviews with established paper artists and emerging artisans with big ideas.The International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) is a membership organization for paper artists that was founded in 1986 in Düren, Germany. While paper history and production are one facet of the Association’s activities, the central focus is the role of paper as art form and contemporary artistic medium.Hand Papermaking’s print and online publications chronicle the finest work in the field of hand papermaking, while advancing the scholarship and production of handmade paper and paper art. The biannual print journal includes tipped in paper samples, how cool is that?! Fun fact: I made the paper for the 2021 Year End Broadside, which features a lovely poem called Why Paper? by Akua Lezli Hope.North American Hand Papermakers is an organization that brings together people interested in hand papermaking, to encourage sharing of practical, historical, and artistic knowledge about the craft.Louise Levergneux, who writes the 1/2 Measure Studio Blog, put together this fascinating post about how book artists (yours truly included) have weathered the pandemic.The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking has an impressive set of online resources. Check out the Paper Play series, but you’ll also find a teacher’s handbook, info on the history of papermaking, lecture recordings and coloring sheets under Resources.I always enjoy watching Trish Witkowski’s Super Cool Fold of the Week. She focuses on printed materials, but many of the folds and techniques she shares could be applied to book arts and paper crafts.Jade Quek keeps tabs for us on everything book and paper-related with her Book & Paper Arts Calendar.

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Books: My collection of how-to books about paper continues to grow, and I was fortunate to have an intern this fall who organized them. Here are ten favorites.

Washi, The World of Japanese Paper , by Sukey Hughes, who spent time in Japan visiting papermakers who made all kinds of papers for a variety of traditional Japanese paper crafts. She documented her findings in this book that covers the evolution of paper in Japan, how washi is made, and the people who make it. There’s a section dedicated to descriptions of at least 100 of the most common Japanese papers. This is one of the first books I acquired for my collection.I’ve written about Paper For Water, the non-profit founded by two young girls who started folding origami to transform lives by bringing water and the Word to the thirsty. They’ve just published a book (at 16 and 18 years of age!) in celebration of their 10th anniversary: One Piece of Paper at a Time by Katherine and Isabel Adams.I learned about the work of Ekaterina Lukasheva from the girls at Paper For Water. She has a new book called Curved Folding. Doesn’t folding a curve sound impossible? Lukasheva has perfected the process and shares all of her tips and tricks through a series of curved models.Paper: Materials, Medium and Magic, edited by Neil Holt, Nicola von Velsen and Stephanie Jacobs. This fascinating book looks at every aspect of paper: its history, composition, production, application, and trade. Beginning with the anatomy of paper and its earliest forms, this book looks at paper as a symbol of political and economic importance and as a carrier of ideas, from literature to art, design, and music. It looks at the different surfaces, opacities, weights and volumes of paper and how it is used for printing, typography, graphics, and maps as well as a vehicle for origami, architecture, and fashion.Complete Origami by Eric Kenneway is not your typical origami book. It is an A-Z of facts and folds.The protagonist in The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a papermaker! This is a captivating love story (I read it in one sitting on a long plane flight) about Henry, who time travels involuntarily and Clare, whose life takes a natural sequential course. The Time Traveler’s Wife was made into a Hollywood movie, and Niffenegger is currently spearheading the renovation of an old mansion in Chicago that will become Artists Book House.I can’t wait to receive my copy of  The Complexities of Pop-Up , a new publication by master paper engineers David A. Carter and James Diaz, published by Poposition Press.Paul Jackson’s book, Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form, is a best seller and has been translated into many languages, along with his other design books, which have all been influential in establishing folding as a language of design.Hedi Kyle is a household name in the field of book arts, and she has pioneered so many ways to fold book and paper structures. The Art of the Fold is a must-have. Take a tour of the projects through Elissa Campbell’s rendition of every project in the book.The Art of Papercraft is my new book that will be published by Storey Books in February 2022! It features projects by several of the artists mentioned on this list.

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One-Sheet Wonders. This is the thesis of my new book, The Art of  Papercraft: sharing all the things that you can make with a sheet of paper (well not all of them)! Here are 10, you’ll find more in the book, and if you happen to have a one-sheet wonder to share, would you kindly fill out this form? I’ll be sharing more one-sheet wonders on this blog in 2022.

 There are many many one-sheet wonders that you probably made as a kid, like a paper airplane.Check out Kelli Anderson’s halloween rendition of the Muira-ori fold, a fold that has many applications, including deploying solar panels into space. Polly Verity folds paper, and how!This Light up Whirlybird by Chibitronics, a company at the forefront of paper electronics, is sure to bring delight to all ages. Try it with the kiddos!Here’s a flexagon I made, and the structure is incredible: you can literally turn a sheet of paper inside out and watch the imagery transform.Poet Carl Adamshick wrote a lovely piece to adorn my own one-sheet wonder/artist’s book Cosmology: double-couching, pulp stenciling, laser cutting and letterpress printing all on one sheet!Check out this history of curved origami sculpture by Erik and Martin Demaine.These circular fan folds by Paul Jackson are amazing!Michael LaFosse runs Origamido Studio, where he makes handmade paper for his origami (as well as for others). He has been folding paper since he was a kid, has written many origami books, and his one-sheet squirrel was cast larger-than-life in bronze for Origami in the Garden by Kevin Box Studio.Physicist and origami expert Robert J. Lang has elevated humble sheets of paper in so many ways!

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Artists / Designers /Tinkerers: I once thought I might run out of people to feature on the blog, but I’m convinced that this is a never-ending list. Enjoy these 10 and I’ll come up with 10 more for next year. 

Josef Albers and his folded paper exercises at Yale have inspired many, both before and after computers.Rabbit hole warning: this article about kites in the NY Times is fascinating, touching on history (kite flying used on military missions) and kite art. Scott Skinner co-founded a kite foundation in Seattle to elevate (no pun intended) kite making beyond the toy level. Let’s go fly a kite!I’m a big fan of the work of Matt Shlian, who produces affordable paper multiples in a series called Eight Emperors.Take a look at the work students made in Kelli Anderson’s Paper Engineering class at Cooper Union. This was her summer class (I took her fall class and will post our video once it is ready). Have you seen her book: This Book is a Planetarium?I interviewed Paula Beardell Krieg on Paper Talk. She loves to explore the internal structure of books, including the patterns of folds, the sewing and knotting of bindings, and how everything fits together. She shares generously on her blog.Don Farnsworth of Magnolia Editions has been providing artists with technical expertise and access to large-scale, pigment-based electronic printing processes and innovative papermaking techniques with state-of-the-art tools since the 70’s. His website is a fantastic resource.I love this! Andy Marks shows us (literally) how to reuse instead of recycle. The Marks family used six bags 569 times before they became the centerpiece of his piece We All Speak for the Trees.The Museum of Modern Art sells pop-up cards designed by some of the finest paper engineers of our time.I met Ed Hutchins early in my career and recall spending a day with him transforming a stack of 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper into numerous book forms. Get a glimpse into his through process in this delightful video about how he created his recent publication, Cacophony.Paul Johnson‘s innovative artist’s books and teaching are inspirational! This site is a bit out of date, but you will discover his books about teaching pop-ups and his delightful and colorful movable books.

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Tutorials: There are endless possibilities for what you can make from/with/of/on paper. Here are just a few ideas.

This Pop-up snowflake card is one of my most popular all-time posts. Let it snow!Ann Martin of All Things Paper blog, featured this tutorial for an attention-grabbing quilled necklace that’s bound to receive compliments and only requires two types of quilled coils. And it’s stunning!Paula Krieg taught a group how to make this Folded Folly Flexagon at the Museum of Mathematics recently. Ooh la la!Do black walnuts grow in your area? I’ve been intrigued by their dyeing potential since I first saw Cave Paper’s O’Malley Crackle many moons ago. I finally got my hands on some black walnuts and boiled them to make a stain which I used on  my a variety of papers that you can see here.Here’s a crash course in basic papermaking that I put together for Artsy a few years back.Ali Manning,  who runs the Handmade Book Club, offers this free long stitch journal class (and so much more).Make this Pop-Up Lantern with me.We created this Woven Paper Valentine at one of my free zoom events.A student turned me onto this book structure from Australia that is easy to make and so versatile! This post is from Alisa Golden’s blog, and if you don’t know about her book, Making Handmade Books, you should!PaperPaul celebrated a milestone with this pop-up hot air balloon tutorial that has beautiful curves and looks like it really inflates!

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Inspiring Projects: It is truly amazing to witness the ideas that people come up with to contemplate what is happening in our world and to make it a better better place via paper.

There is so much to love about the Hearts for the World project, started by Linda Mihara who owns Paper Tree in San Fransisco. Her mission – counter HATE with LOVE by collecting 1,000 Origami Hearts as a show of support to families of Asian American & Pacific Islanders who lost loved ones – received an overwhelming response. I participated in #amonthinpaper in 2021, and it is taking place again this month (January 2022) on Instagram. It is powerful to share your work. Join the fun!Debra Collins recently shared her Zooming Church series in my facebook group The Paper Studio. As with so many things during the pandemic, she ended up attending church online and had some revelations. She notes: “those Zoom “boxes” pulled me away from the liturgy, yet opened up another sermon, or maybe, a prayer.”Berk Armagan, a 26-year-old young man from Istanbul, Turkey draws the sites around the world that he visits on simple paper coffee cups to fund his globetrotting passion.When Covid-19 began, Chicago printmaker Beth Adler began making daily collages as a way to work through what she was going through.Check out this profile of Faith Bartley and the People’s Paper Coop, a Philadelphia organization that is turning shredded criminal records into sheets of handmade paper while helping women who come out of prison get back on their feet.I love Myriam Dion’s papercuts from humble newspapers.Jonathan Michael Castillo created these cyanotype prints of Julia on handmade paper with $80K of shredded US currency, the amount of Julia’s student loan debt.Oh my goodness! Check out Caroline Gormley’s pandemic-inspired paintings – a year’s worth – on a roll of toilet paper!Peter Dahmen is a paper engineer based in Germany, and he collaborated with Iggesund Paperboard a couple of years back on their holiday card, Letters from the Sky.

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Videos: They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. What does that mean about a video? Here are 10 videos in a variety of formats that I think are worth watching.

Here’s a fantastic demonstration of Paste Paper and Orizome Paper Decoration Techniques, with a little bit of history thrown in, thanks to the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!Have you seen the Origami Revolution Documentary?Maro Vanderou works with specialty papers to show off her palladium prints, commissioning custom papers to explore impermanence and fragility through images, letterforms and materials. Scroll down at the link to view this video of her book, Persephone’s Chamber.Travel and living in another culture often makes you appreciate where you come from. Japanese craftsman Kotaro Nishibori is continuing the 1200-year-old paper umbrella (Wagasa) making tradition. The bamboo, the paper, the tapioca starch, oh my!This NY Times feature on collage and cubism. This is what digital media was made for!The Bainbridge Island Museum of Art’s new video series Artist’s Books Unshelved featuring artist’s books from the Cynthia Sears Collection.Paper + Stick is an intriguing film about the work of Ron Resch, an artist, computer scientist, and applied geometrist revered for his work involving folding paper, origami tessellations and 3D polyhedrons in the 60’s and 70’s.I have a fascination with the Japanese chochin paper lantern structure, which has been used to make everything from shop signage to balloon bombs (profiled in the film On Paper Wings, by Ilana Sol), so it was so fun to see this variation used for socially distanced dining in Tokyo.I saw the title of the film, Paper & Glue, in The New Yorker Magazine and got curious. Lo and behold, it is a documentary about the artist JR. Paper & glue are the basis of his graffiti, and his giant murals engage with art in public, especially among marginalized communities.James Lake creates lifelike human sculptures from cardboard.

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Tools: Since I make paper, I’ve divided this list between papermaking tools and tools for working with readymade papers.

Oblation Papers & Press is an incredible paper shop (that warrants another category, maybe next year) and they sell a Handmade Paper Making Kit (a great starter set ) which is bundled with my book ‘The Papermaker’s Companion and dvd, ‘The Papermaker’s Studio Guide’.In order to make paper, you need a vat. It gets tricky when you want to make large sheets. I just discovered this large Papermaking vat; if you prefer to source your own, my go-to vats are the cement mixing tubs that you can find at home building stores.This is a popular post about pressing and presses on my blog.One of my most popular blog posts is about making a drying box for hand papermaking. I’ve even heard from printmakers, who have built this type of drying system to dry their prints. I decided to make this video to show how it works. You’ll find links to more drying system and paper drying resources underneath the video on Youtube.Water is the main ingredient in papermaking. I use this fire hose style hose nozzle in my studio.There are so many exacto knives to choose from, but I always come back to the standard #11 blade. Did you know that you can sharpen those blades?Shanna Leino’s hand tools are to die for, both in terms of functionality and in their aesthetic appeal.I love using transparent rulers for perfect alignment.Punch a hole anywhere with this Japanese Screw Punch (bits sold separately).This is my go-to glue applicator, and it’s refillable!

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About Helen Hiebert Studio: My interest in how things are made (from paper) keep me up-to-date on current paper trends, which I write about weekly on this blog. I also host the podcast Paper Talk, featuring artists and professionals who are working in the field of hand papermaking and paper art. I run The Paper Year, an online membership program, where we explore creative paper techniques each month in a supportive community. I’m also the author of six books about paper crafts and papermaking, and I offer an annual paper retreat and host two papermaking master classes in my Red Cliff, Colorado studio each summer + fall.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post A Few of My Favorite Paper Things appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.

Home on the Range

The Sunday Paper #394

December 26, 2021

I hope that your holiday gatherings have been special and filled with wonder. Ours has been snowy and cozy, with the doggies, Ted and my mother plus good food, and zoom gatherings with family in Chicago, Oregon, Texas and Japan.

I was over at my mom’s the other day and she showed me this card, drawn by me at age 10. It reminded me of the Episcopal church I grew up going to in TX. We had an actual barnyard with all kinds of animals (including peacocks) and some of them participated in the living nativity scene leading up to Christmas. The church was on a main road in town, so people would drive by or stop and walk up to view the manger scene.

What is most amazing to me is that my mother received this card in the mail this week. Her friend had kept the card for 46 years and decided to send it back – what a cool idea!

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These Carigami Puzzles by Nissan look fun to make.

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Several of you forwarded me this article that includes a how-to video about letterlocking, and I finally found 5 minutes (5 minutes!!) to sit down and make this. The spiral lock requires more than 30 steps and involves cutting out a “lock,” often resembling a dagger or sword, out of the blank margin of the letter. The lock acts as a needle and is sewn through the letter after folding it. This is an historic one-sheet wonder and definitely warrants more investigation.

A rare spiral-locked letter written by an unidentified author in 1638. Musée de La Poste, Paris, Vivarez Collection

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I’m so proud of my Paper Year members! Here’s a video showing a sampling of each of the twelve projects we created throughout the year. Registration is now open for 2022.

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I enjoyed this solstice blog post by John Cutrone, who writes The Book of Days, from Convivio Bookworks.

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Paper Tidbits:Have you listened to my interview with Radha Pandey on Paper Talk?Reserve an autographed first edition of The Art of Papercraft and get a free downloadable pop-up alphabet plus a reservation card in the mail.If you have pre-ordered The Art of Papercraft elsewhere, you can now get the free downloadable pop-up alphabet with proof of purchase through my publisher, Storey Books!Weave Through Winter is coming!

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In the Studio:

I drive 20 miles to visit my mother in her assisted living facility once or twice a week. She’s in Eagle, CO, which is a bit more rural than Edwards, where I live. I drove down highway 6 and saw a huge gathering of elk the other day (maybe 100 of them all packed together, waiting to do something). When I got into Eagle, close to my mother’s facility, I noticed this group of elk grazing in an open space right in town. Snow, mountains, elk… thus the title of this blog post.

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Featured this week in my Studio shop:

The Art of Papercraft, Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds, The Papermaker’s Companion, and The Papermaker’s Studio Guide, a film download.

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If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Or, perhaps you’re interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks to everyone who has already pledged your support!

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SHARE THIS blog post with your paper-loving friends!

I occasionally have affiliate links in my blog posts – links to products in which I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support!

The post Home on the Range appeared first on Helen Hiebert Studio.