Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 49

Inspiration

The Sunday Paper #145, February 5, 2017

Paper of the Week: Not Paper!

I posted this image on instagram, and someone commented that she thought it was a sheet of my paper (wow, thanks)! Another commented that it looked like cast glass. And someone else wondered whether these were the salt flats of Utah. What do you see?

When I was composing the picture (from a plane) I was thinking about what a painter would see and how s/he might compose a painting. There was also the photographic challenge because I was sitting near an engine (see the bit of it on the right). The frosty bits of clouds between the plane and the ground add depth and interest, don’t they? BTW, I’m traveling to attend the Codex Book Fair in the Bay Area (I’m a visitor rather than an exhibitor) and the fact that I noticed this image from the plane window tells me that my mind is open for inspiration.

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In the Studio:

I’ve been working on the how-to videos and written instructions for my online class, Paper Illuminated, which begins March 8th. I’m flattered by the number of you who’ve signed up! This is a mini shoji screen we’ll be making with lattice-work balsa wood screens backed with paper and a unique Japanese hinge.

The Codex Book Fair begins today! I look forward to seeing some of you.
Have you visited Colorado? The Red Cliff Paper Retreat takes place in my studio next September.

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Maurice Sendak, who died in 2012, left the bulk of his personal library of rare books to the Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia. Here’s an interesting story about the books and his will, along with some videos of some rare pop-up books at the Rosenbach.

If you’re in LA, head over to Mixographia to see these new paper works by Jacob Hashimoto.

In the first half of the 20th century, the advent of radio and television helped to drive the final nails into the coffin of the paper theater. But during the previous century, paper theaters — also known as miniature or toy theaters — were a popular form of family entertainment in England, France, Germany, and other European countries, as well as in the United States. You can see a collection of these now at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe.

French constructed paper theater, 19th-early 20th century; dog cut-out, Spanish theater accessories, late 19th-20th century; family cut-outs, French constructed paper theater, 19th-early 20th century; photos Polina Smutko, courtesy Museum of International Folk Art

This is some pretty cool furniture made from compressed newspaper blocks by designer WooJai Lee.

Check out these intricate shape-shifting blocks made from a simple blueprint.

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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? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.

And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks again to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Thoughts on Equality

The Sunday Paper #144, January 29, 2017

Paper of the Week: Equality Broadside

My biannual online paper sale is going on now through Tuesday, January 31. Treat yourself to unique handmade papers that you won’t find anywhere else in the world!

This 18″ x 12″ cotton broadside is one of papers featured in the sale, and it is pigmented pink! The image is a watermark, which I cut by hand and adhered to the papermaking mould. During sheet forming, the watermark (made from a thin rubber material) protrudes into the wet pulp, making the paper thinner in the images areas. After pressing and drying, the image appears, especially when backlit.

I have been thinking a lot about equality (for years actually, but the recent election and women’s marches brought my thoughts to the forefront). There are so many ways to think about equality: women’s rights, human rights, sexual and gender bias, religious freedom, income inequalities, etc, etc, etc. Why do we feel powerful; when do we feel weak? This is my humble attempt to voice my feelings through a love of letterforms, watermarks and design. The root is love, the letters are blooming, and I was delighted to discover the grid/ladder that formed when the roots of the letters intertwined with the rainbow earth at the base of the image.

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In the Studio:

This is the title page for my next artists’ book, Nebulae, which has to do with clouds, colors, and nebulous ideas like our daughter’s tale about the time before she was born (as told at age 3). It is all hand stitched on abaca.

I’ll have this book with me later this week at the Codex Book Fair in Richmond, CA. I hope to bump into some of you there!
The price for my first ever online class, Paper Illuminated , goes up February 1. Join 30 other participants from around the world!
Check out my 2017 workshops.
Don’t forget to take a peek at my online paper sale.

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If you happen to be in New Zealand (Nelson specifically) check out these recycled paper works by Janet Perrier at the Parker Gallery. Once collected, Perrior spends hours re-purposing materials into distinctive art works by folding, splicing, opening up, and revealing the structure of cardboard, the wine carton, or glimpses of maps, while challenging our perceptions of the normally mundane materials.

British artist Jonathan Korejko recently introduced his clever papermaking literature to me, which you can view here in the form of flip books. Check out these clever works!

As seen on Nerdist: three insane Star Wars origami tutorials to help you learn the ways of the fold. This would have saved me a lot of money back when my son was into building (and buying) lego Star Wars kits.

Paper cutting is getting a lot of attention these days. Here’s a show that looks interesting that’s at the Greater Reston Arts Center in Virginia. Here’s a video about Eric Standley‘s work, who is one of six featured artists.

Do you make artists’ books? Consider submitting work to Celebrate! the third in an ongoing series of satellite art exhibits. Orchestrated by Abecedarian Artists’ Books, the exhibit will be on view at University Libraries, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado. International in scope, the exhibit will feature works that celebrate any aspect of food, dance or music.


There’s a new episode featuring Susan Mackin Dolan on my podcast series, Paper Talk. Have a listen!

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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? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.

And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks again to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Pretty Paper Posies

The Sunday Paper #143, January 22, 2017

Paper of the Week: Marbled Momi – Tropical Reef

This is another paper in the supply kit for my online class Paper Illuminated. Its soft, fabric-like feel comes from crinkling the paper by hand. The paper’s gorgeous colors and patterns are achieved by hand marbling each sheet. Marbled momi is available from Mulberry Paper & More and comes in color schemes.

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In the Studio:

Here’s what we’ll be turning this paper into in my online class, Paper Illuminated, which begins March 8th. These collapsible lanterns are amazing sculptures: you begin by constructing an armature, wrap it with rings of reed and then cover that with paper. Finally, the armature is collapsed and removed (and reuseable).

Look for my bi-annual paper sale later this week… I’ll be peddling light paper, equality paper and collage packs!
Registration for this on-line class, Paper Illuminated, is now open! Register by February 1 to receive the best rate. Here’s a video I made about the class.
Check out all of my 2017 workshops (San Francisco, North Carolina, Snowmass, Forest Grove, and Whidbey Island)!

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In light of the heightened outcry for women’s issues (keep it up, ladies), check this out: Janet Hovnanian spent 172 hours meticulously piecing together “Pretty Paper Posies.” Hovnanian, who teaches a class in the paper-art of quilling at the retirement community where she lives, enlisted her students in making the tiny paper flowers. On March 16 at Adelphi University in Garden City, NJ, 137 original works of art—called Creative Cups—will be auctioned to benefit the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program.

Here’s a really nice interview with Lynda Benglis in Bomb Magazine, about materials, context and content.

This is a sweet story about a 10-year old origami wizard, Marz Miguel-Lopez who creates complex three-dimensional paper creations, from animals and Pokemon, to Chinese dragons, and other cartoon characters.

Stone paper… seriously? I’m not terribly convinced that this is a good idea, but it is intriguing. Take a peek!

Do you use a fountain pen or inks in your work? Chances are if you have more than an handful of ink samples, you’ll be wanting to make notes about the qualities of each that are especially useful for your projects. Here’s a really cool storage and note-making device, the Pen Palette by Ilisha Helfman. It comes with a changeable paper top for tests and/or notes.

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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? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.

And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks again to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Paper Screens

The Sunday Paper #142, January 15, 2017

Paper of the Week: Japanese Tissue – White Sudare

This is another paper in the supply kit for my online class Paper Illuminated. This thin Japanese tissue is available from Mulberry Paper & More and comes in several patterns.

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In the Studio:\

My inspiration into the world of paper began many years ago on a brief trip to Japan when I observed light filtering through the papered screens in a traditional Inn. Here’s what we’ll be turning this paper into in my online class, Paper Illuminated, which begins March 8th. Not only will we be “weaving” wood, but this incredible Japanese paper hinge connects the panels and allows them to flex in both directions.

Registration for this on-line class, Paper Illuminated, is now open and I encourage you to register by February 1. Here’s a video I made about the class.
Prefer to work with me in person? Registration for the 2017 Red Cliff Paper Retreats (Sept 8-10 and Sept 12-14) is now open!
I’m offering a short (and sweet!) workshop at the San Francisco Center for the book on February 4th.
Do you still need a calendar? The year has begun, the content in the Twelve Months of Paper Calendar is everlasting and calendars are 50% off.

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Susan Niner James is someone you should know. She writes the blog The Papercraft Post, and recently she reviewed Paul Jackson new book Cut and Fold Paper Textures, in other words: paper as surface design. I can’t wait to get my copy!

The artist Movana Chen knits paper that has been shredded into body suits and even performs in them.

The artist Nghiep Luu is exhibiting a special installation to raise funds for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital by creating 10,000 paper cranes! That will be quite a feat for such a wonderful cause!

Here’s a fun story about collaboration and hand papermaking at Elizabethtown College, where psychology, art and ecology students made paper using duckweed from a pond on campus.

This is a nice article about the benefits of paper in the digital age.

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Another year of Sunday Papers has gone by. That’s 52 issues packed with paper news. If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.

And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks again to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Paper Illuminated!

The Sunday Paper #141, January 8, 2017

Paper of the Week: Nepalese Batik Lokta Paper

This is another paper in the supply kit for my online class Paper Illuminated. This Nepalese lokta paper is available in four sizes from Mulberry Paper & More.

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In the Studio:

Here’s what we’ll be turning this paper into in my online class, Paper Illuminated, which begins March 8th. I just opened enrollment this week and am pleased to report that I have a nice group of participants forming from sea to shining sea (Canada to North Carolina, Alaska to New Jersey)! There’s a link to a free tutorial at the bottom of the page about the class. I invite you to take a look, try it out, and join us if you like. One of the unique aspects of this online class is that you’ll make new paper friends from around the world in our private facebook group!

Wraparound lampshade featuring Nepalese lokta paper

Registration for this on-line class, Paper Illuminated, is now open and class starts March 8th. Here’s a video I made about the class.
Prefer to work with me in person? Registration for the 2017 Red Cliff Paper Retreats (Sept 8-10 and Sept 12-14) is now open!
I’m offering a short (and sweet!) workshop at the San Francisco Center for the book on February 4th.
Do you still need a calendar? The year has begun, the content in the Twelve Months of Paper Calendar is everlasting and calendars are 50% off.

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Speaking of the Twelve Months of Paper calendar, if you have one, have you made the January project, the Window Star? Here’s a variation that Kathleen Hartley made and shared! Gorgeous!

Lori Goodman has been making paper as long as any of us and has created some incredible installations over the years. Here’s an overview of some of them on The Phythians.

Here’s another Top 10 list on Creative Boom that I think you’ll enjoy. Not everything is paper, but this work by Parth Kothekar is just stunning.

Also on Creative Boom: oooh, take a look at these illustrations that paper artist Sam Pierpoint created for Australian wine labels. I’ll grab a bottle if I ever see these here in the states!

Here’s an interesting article about the history of mummies and papermaking.

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Another year of Sunday Papers has gone by. That’s 52 issues packed with paper news. If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.

And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks again to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Happy 2017!

The Sunday Paper #140, January 1, 2017

H A P P Y  N E W  Y E A R !

Paper of the Week: Thai Nature Touch – Lemon Grass

Thai Nature Touch – Lemon Grass, available from Mulberry Paper & More

I’ve been busy this week with the holiday, family in town, finishing up a custom paper order, and planning my first on-line course. A few weeks ago, I visited Mulberry Paper & More in Parker, CO and picked out a selection of papers to use for the projects in my on-line class.

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In the Studio:

Here’s what we’ll be turning that paper into. I love how the flip of a switch transforms the paper!

Panel Shade Project from my on-line class Paper Illuminated

Registration for this on-line class, Paper Illuminated, opens on Tuesday, January 3 and class starts March 8th. Here’s a video I made about the class.
Prefer to work with me in person? Registration for the 2017 Red Cliff Paper Retreats (Sept 8-10 and Sept 12-14) is now open!
View my full teaching calendar for 2017.

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Take a look at this! Fubiz has prepared a 2016 Year in Paper Art for us.

Um, can I go back to school (to MIT)? Wowza, I will never cease to be amazed. Check out aeroMorph, an inflatable structure that is programmed through robotic-assisted sealing methods to transform into a pre-determined geometry. It’s similar to how origami works, except the material expands to become a specific shape, such as a paper crane, on its own.

This is pretty cool: using origami to fold seaweed wrappers for shaped rice balls. They call these delectables munchable masterpieces.

I moved to NYC in 1987 and just noticed that the origami tree at the Museum of Natural History began around that time. I love coincidences like that, but I’m sad to say that I never went to see the origami tree! Before we leave the holiday season, here’s a look at this year’s tree, with a dinosaur theme and 1,000 folded ornaments!

This stop motion video shows the progression of artist Benja Harney’s 3D model of Sydney, Australia, which inspired the theme for the 2017 New Year’s Eve celebrations as well as the lighting effects, fireworks colors and projections that lit up the city.

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Another year of Sunday Papers has gone by. That’s 52 issues packed with paper news. If you read this blog regularly, would you consider making a donation to support the research, writing, design and delivery of The Sunday Paper? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.

And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks again to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Let it Snow!

The Sunday Paper #139, December 25, 2016
25 Days of Paper 2016, Day 25

Aren’t snowflakes miraculous, especially given that no two snowflakes are alike? They create the watermarked pattern on the December project in the Twelve Months of Paper calendar, which features the only paper in the custom paper pack that is handmade in America. I’m going to start looking for a miracle every day… they must be as abundant and variant as the snowflakes outside my window.

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Here ends the 25 Days of Paper 2016: It was a great time to celebrate paper; thank you for following along! If you’d like more info about the Twelve Months of Paper Calendar, click here. Now we will return to our regular scheduled Sunday Papers.

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And here’s your Sunday Paper.

Speaking of snowflakes, Peter Dahmen designed a fantastic holiday card for the Swedish paperboard company Iggesund. Watch the video, it’s gorgeous and inspirational!

Now do you feel like making your own paper snowflake? Here’s a cool tutorial as seen on Insider.

How about An Arctic Christmas? Read about the development of this new pop-up book that was engineered by Yevgeniya Yeretskaya for Jumping Jack Press.

I love my Moleskine journals (and I’m guessing that some of you do too). I stumbled across this MyMoleskin Templates page that has a series of fun projects. You have to join MyMoleskine (very simple) to gain access. You’ll be able to download templates like the one below to create some fun paper objects!

Moleskine Decosphere Template

Here’s a great story about an origami guy who offers hope through wishing. A lovely sentiment for this season and always!

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In the Studio:

This week I launched the a video about my on-line class which starts in early March. Registration begins next week! Please take a peek and share this with your paper-loving friends.

Papery Tidbits:

Registration for the annual Red Cliff Paper Retreat is open! Treat yourself to a retreat in the Colorado Rockies next September!
Custom Paper Packs for the Twelve Months of Paper calendar will be available again in mid-January. Calendars are still available here.
The Papermaker’s Studio Guide DVD and Water Paper Time are now available as downloads.

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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? Click on the paper button at the left (I made that paper) to see how you can provide support.

And if you run a paper-related business, you might be interested in promoting your business in The Sunday Paper.

Thanks again to those of you who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

24: Happy Holidays!

25 Days of Paper 2016, Day 24

I wish all of you a peaceful, harmonic, loving and joyous holiday season. Here’s a community card from last season. I collected words daily from you, starting with A and ending with Z and this was the result:

I have a fondness for fonts. There’s a template here for this pop-up alphabet. Print and cut out the letters, and then pop them up!

I have a few copies of this alphabet, called Alpha Blocks, available here.

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About the 25 Days of Paper 2016: It’s a great time to celebrate paper, and I’m delighted to share my ideas for using this amazing material with you. If you’d like more info about the Twelve Months of Paper Calendar, click here. Receive these blog updates via e-mail by adding your address in the upper right hand corner of this page. Enjoy the season, and feel free to leave a comment below and check out what people are making in the 25 Days of Paper FB Group!

23: More Projects

25 Days of Paper 2016, Day 23

Friends! This 25 days seems long, so I’ll make this short. These are the projects that I wrote about during the 2015 25 Days of Paper, which featured instructions for each of the paper objects pictured above. I created a list of the blog posts for your reference. Enjoy!

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About the 25 Days of Paper 2016: It’s a great time to celebrate paper, and I’m delighted to share my ideas for using this amazing material with you. If you’d like more info about the Twelve Months of Paper Calendar, click here. Receive these blog updates via e-mail by adding your address in the upper right hand corner of this page. Enjoy the season, and feel free to leave a comment below and check out what people are making in the 25 Days of Paper FB Group!

A Papermaking Museum

25 Days of Paper 2016, Day 22

There’s a very cool paper museum in Atlanta which is dedicated to papermaking!

The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking is located in Atlanta, Georgia and is the home of the collection of Dard Hunter.

Born in 1883 in Steubenville, Ohio, Hunter developed a life-long passion for the craft of papermaking. He travelled around the world, collecting objects and learning from papermakers. These trips provided the foundation of the books he wrote about different papermaking traditions. By 1934, Hunter had collected over 10,000 artifacts and 2,000 books on paper and papermaking. The museum opened in 1936 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Hunter is considered by many to be the father of hand papermaking in North America, and is the author of Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft, first published in 1943. This book continues to be an important reference for paper historians.

Artifacts in the museum collection include a Japanese prayer and pagoda from 770, created by the order of the Empress Shotoku, and a paper mold and sample papers created in orbit on the space shuttle.

Paper ephemera such as mill journals, historic letters, and a variety of watermarks are included in the collection. Tapa cloths from the South Pacific and historic parchment and vellum samples are examples of non-paper elements collected by Hunter. Decorative papers by numerous twentieth-century artists are a particularly vibrant part of the collection. Museum staff are digitizing the collection to make it available online.

25 Days of Paper FB Group!