Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 54

Paper Pop-Ups

The Sunday Paper #107, May 15, 2016

Paper of the Week: Pico Paisley Moss Green from GPC Papers

Double-sided papers are useful for a variety of reasons. But for this pop-up dandelion card (a tutorial is available here) the decorative side makes for a nice cover while the plain inside doesn’t interfere with the pop-up flower. This is a screen printed handmade cotton paper from India.

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In the Studio:

I was in Seattle and Tacoma this past week, where I taught a workshop with the Puget Sound Book Arts Group among other things. What a great group! We were productive, completing five projects in two days. Here you see an Instagram collage with sections of each project: shadow lantern, envelope folding screen, party light, inflatable ball, and woven paper lantern.

Colorado Peeps: check out my summer workshops at CMC Edwards on July 14 and July 25/26; and at Artmakers Denver September 18-20.


Midwest Peeps: I’m offering a plant paper workshop July 8/9 at Iowa Lakes Community College.


San Diego Peeps: I’ll be in your neck of the woods November 5/6.


I’ll be in Denver with the Rocky Mountain Weaver’s Guild November 18 & 20


Have you checked out my podcast series? Listen to my interviews with Catherine Nash and Tatiana Ginsberg. Coming up next month: Timothy Barrett.

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Tauba Auerbach has a new pop-up book produced in conjunction with Printed Matter. I got sucked into a rabbit hole, following threads through her work. Maybe you will too. You can start here with her paintings that look like folded sheets of paper.

I just discovered these wallets from Postalco, when Awagami Factory showed them off on FaceBook (the wallets are made of Awagami paper). They are calling the material ‘farmer’s felt’, but this is simply a thick Japanese paper. Be sure to click through to read more about the paper and to see the video, which includes leaf burnishing! And if you want one of these, click on Shops at the link to find retail shops that carry Postalco products.

Zim & Zou handcrafted works are full of joy – and the ideal vehicle to raise awareness for important (and sometimes controversial) ideas. For The Art of Saving a Life, the pair created intricate paper sculptures of needles, syringes and droppers with which vaccines are administered. The many sculptures were displayed neatly, to convey the sense of the order and professionalism behind the vaccination cause – which has the goal of reaching every children in the world by 2020.

I’ve featured Hari Panicker and Deepti Nair before, but their work is so good that it deserves another viewing. Their layered paper cuts start out with sketches on multiple translucent sheets, which are then combined into one complete image and illuminated with LED strips lights.

This is a great series of images and a video about the silhouette artist Karl Johnson. He practices this 18th century art that was all but lost when the photograph was invented.

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Paper ‘Art of Thrones’

The Sunday Paper #106, May 8, 2016

Paper of the Week:  Handmade Japanese-Style Paper with Stenciled Pulp

© Susan Mackin Dolan 2016, from the Designer Corn series, kozo with iris paper base, pigmented gampi stenciling

Artist Susan Mackin Dolan makes stenciled papers with adapted eastern papermaking techniques. In these works she combines Japanese fibers (kozo and gampi) with plant fibers from her own garden (iris) – look at the lovely feathered deckled edges. All of the black areas you see here are pigmented paper pulp that she creates as shaped sheets using stencils and laminates onto lighter-colored base sheets. Finally, she adds woodblock printing to complete the pieces.

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In the Studio:

I’m working on a new column for a craft magazine (more when the issue is published) and have been practicing my accordion folds and pleating. I love working with stained Tyvek!

I’m in Seattle this week for the opening of the Just One Look Exhibition at the University of Washington, an exhibit of 32 new artists’ books on display in Special Collections in Allen Library through July 29, 2016. Each book in the exhibit was inspired by a text proposed, for the most part, by faculty from the UW Humanities departments including, Classics, English, Asian Languages, Germanics, Art History, Jewish Studies and Philosophy.  Oral stories from the Salish, Muslim and Latino cultures are also included. I’ll have photos soon!


Colorado Peeps: check out my summer workshops at CMC Edwards on July 14 and July 25/26; and at Artmakers Denver September 18-20.


Midwest Peeps: I’m offering a plant paper workshop July 8/9 at Iowa Lakes Community College


San Diego Peeps: I’ll be in your neck of the woods November 5/6.


I’ve added another episode to the podcast series featuring Tatiana Ginsberg. That’s two in a row – you’ll have to wait a few weeks for the next episode, but in the meantime you can subscribe to the series called Paper Talk on iTunes.

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Congratulations to Jocelyn Chateauvert, paper artist extraordinaire, for winning the 2016 People’s Choice Award at Artfields 2016 in Lake City, SC. Her piece Invasive Species was created with some 1,200 sheets of handmade abaca in varying shades of translucency for approximately 300 morning glories. These ranged in size from 1 1/2” – nearly 6’ in diameter and invaded the Jones-Carter Gallery from walls to rafters covering about 55’ in length.

I will never tire of images like this of paper drying on moulds out in the sun. Nepalese factories producing handmade paper are making a comeback after being forced to remain out of the picture for more than a decade due to high production costs, shortage of raw materials, lack of manpower and the Maoist insurgency.

In his ongoing series of 3D origami animal sculptures, Vietnamese artist Hoang Tien Quyet loves to use a special technique where he wets paper to create curves instead of the usual crisp, folded lines.

This is a lovely video by Jackson Whelan about the evolution of papermaker and artist, Deborah Sharpe-Lunstead’s  paintings that lie within the sheets of paper themselves. View more of her work here.

Did you see the Game of Thrones intro that was created with 7,600 paper cutouts? It is actually a clever ad for Moleskine.

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Paper Swatch Poster

The Sunday Paper #105, May 1, 2016

Paper of the Week: So Silk Card Stock 

© Sally Blakemore 2016, page spread from The Life and Death of King John, Shakespeare.

Sally Blakemore is a paper engineer, illustrator and author who runs Arty Projects Studio in Santa Fe. I asked her to recommend a favorite paper for making pop-ups, and she suggested So Silk black card stock from LCI Papers (it also comes in white and six colors). It is strong, easy to cut, and can be ordered in small packs of 25-50 sheets.

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In the Studio:

I’m starting a podcast series about hand papermaking! I’ve been traveling and connecting with a variety of experts in the field, and so far I’ve interviewed four people. I’m pleased to announce number one: Catherine Nash of Tucson, Arizona.

Click here to watch a short video tour of her studio and listen to the 28-minute podcast.

I’ll be rolling out more podcasts over the next months and look forward to sharing them with you. Please note these are unedited interviews … I just don’t have the resources for that. You can subscribe to the series called Paper Talk on iTunes. Enjoy, and I welcome your suggestions.

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If you are in Brooklyn this weekend, don’t miss the 35th annual cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (ooh la la, still snowing here) and be sure to check out the gigantic origami of Taro Yaguchi, who will demonstrate his giant folding technique at two sessions on May 1, at noon and at 3:45 pm. In order to work with the giant sheets of vellum, Yaguchi hangs it from a rope, like a bedsheet on a clothesline, and then carefully creases and folds the paper. Check out Taro’s Origami Studio in Brooklyn, too.

 

 

The International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) is celebrating 30 years and is currently running a Boost the Bulletin crowdfunding campaign to support the annual publication featuring paper art from around the world. This gorgeous poster is just one of the perks for contributing to the campaign.

IAPMA is producing its 55th Bulletin, a deluxe edition celebrating 30 years of paper art from around the world featuring this special fold-out poster with 12 handmade paper swatches made by IAPMA members!

Produced annually, the Bulletin is a gorgeous full-color publication, traditionally with a handmade paper cover, which includes articles, exhibition and book reviews, and scholarly research by leading international contributors in the world of handmade paper and paper art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korean paper designer Lee Jihee has a way with paper. There are some cute paper puppies at the link!

Can you see what this made of? Mademoiselle Maurice keeps coming up with intriguing architectural works as she arranges brightly colored origami on buildings and in museums. Click the link to view more.

Sally Blakemore (the paper engineer featured at the top of this post) created this clever video showing the process of the creating a pop-up book. Enjoy!

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Pop-Up Transformers

The Sunday Paper #104

Paper of the Week: Laurelai Designs from Paper Connection International

Just look at these scrumptious papers! Laurelai Designs are an exclusive line at Paper Connection, based in Providence, RI. These hip and fun patterns are created in-house and are then silkscreened on recycled cotton in India. They’re great for all sorts of projects, from bookbinding, card making and collage to letterpress printing (the papers have a solid background color on the back) or simply to frame. Each sheet measures 20 x 28 inches and weighs 100 g/m².

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In the Studio:

My newest artists’ book is called Vertices, and it is now on view at the University of Washington. I made this video to describe the book. Fun fact – that’s my husband and me bickering at the very beginning. I know, I know, I need a video editor; and the camera could be on a tripod. But alas, those things would keep me from getting this out into the world, so I hope my technical challenges don’t bother you too much.

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Check out the new Transformers Pop-Up Book by Matthew Reinhart and Emiliano Santalucia. The paper robots actually transform. Make sure you click through and watch the videos! I’d love to see the behind-the-scenes development of these – this is some amazing paper engineering! 

Hand Papermaking Magazine is one of my favorite organizations, and they launched their annual auction yesterday. Join the fun! 55 unique and valuable papermaking items will go to the highest bidders, with 100% of proceeds benefiting Hand Papermaking. Starting bids range from $5 to $1300. This year’s offerings include rare and unusual books about papermaking, raw fiber, large sheets, stunning paper art, collector’s items, and several pieces of hard-to-find equipment. There is also an exceptional opportunity to spend a week in residency at Fabriano, Italy! 

I enjoyed the spirit of this piece about ‘Mindful Origami‘. I’ve been hearing the phrase a lot lately, and I’m happy that origami is the new craze. But seriously, I’ve had some of my most frustrating moments in life trying to figure out how to do some origami folds! But perhaps that’s the point.

Do you remember the De-File Your Taxes contest that I wrote about a few weeks ago? Well, tax day has come and gone and the contest produced some pretty cool entries. I like these fortune cookies by Charlotte Jones, but there were plenty of other clever uses of those tax forms.

I’ll end with a plug for a new venue I’m teaching at this coming fall. Join me at Artmaker’s Denver September 18-20 in the heart of the Denver. I’m offering a one-day and a two-day workshop, and there will be many other talented artists offering workshops in mixed media assemblage, modern calligraphy, hand-lettering, illustrative lettering, creating the look of letterpress, jewelry-making using unique metal smithing techniques, fabric dying using natural dyes, and digital oil painting. I think it will be an inspiring creative environment!

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift!

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Paper as a Good Thing!

The Sunday Paper #103

Paper of the Week: Moon Paper

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing my friend Andrea Peterson, who runs Hook Pottery Paper with her husband in Northern Indiana. She and I worked together in 1995/96 in New York City at Dieu Donné Papermill. Over the years, she has experimented with and refined a variety of image-making techniques utilizing pigmented paper pulp. These incredible papers look textured and have the illusion of being three-dimensional – with tiny craters dotting it like the surface of the moon – but they are absolutely flat to the touch. The 18″ x 24″ sheets are worth every penny! Hook Pottery Paper sells a swatch book of all of their handmade papers, and orders can be placed by e-mail or phone. 

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In the Studio:

I’ve started listening to podcasts when I’m in the studio, and I find that I stay a bit longer when my ears (and mind) are entertained more than just visually. Is it like that for you? I usually have a goal or two when I’m in the studio. Today I had two:

1. to locate a piece that will be in a show next month, which almost gave me a panic attack. I couldn’t find it – anywhere. I went through all of these thoughts – what am I going to tell the gallery… this is a gallery I’ve wanted to work with forever… and I’ve told them I have the piece… and I’ve already sent in an image for the catalog. Luckily, I thought of one more place to look, and low and behold, there it was!

2. I am making the covers for my retrospective catalog 10 sheets at a time, so I made my quota for the day. It takes about 2 hours, which includes making the 2-layered sheets, pressing them, loading them into the drying system and then brushing the felts and hanging them to dry.

And then, because I wanted to finish listening to the podcast (David Whyte with Krista Tippett) I decided to do a little cutting and stitching, which you see below. I’ve long been intrigued with the idea of stitching in space and think there is some potential for a book here. I’ve been saving these circular papers (waste paper from another project) for about 4 years now. I think it is time to use them!

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I love reading about companies like Log On Firewood (cute name)! Julia Pandeni is determined to help keep Namibia clean by providing the entire country with her product, which is made from newspapers or paper and water. She’s got big ideas: even though they are still a small company, she believes they hold an enormous amount of potential for creating self employment opportunities, as well as making a significant contribution to reducing land degradation through recycling waste paper and reducing the cutting down of trees. This seems like a business model that could grow and serve other countries as well. Go Julia!

I’ve written about Paper for Water before. Fair warning: you might need a kleenex when you watch this video about one of the families these two young girls have helped. Isabelle and Katherine Kei Adams started their nonprofit Paper for Water when they were just eight and five years old, making and selling origami Christmas ornaments. In the four years since, the siblings have raised $800,000 to deliver clean water to 100 communities in 12 countries.

I always enjoy reading Ann Martin’s blog, All Things Paper, which comes out twice a week and always has something I’ve never even heard about in the world of paper! Check out the extraordinary collection of layered paper athletes by Raya Sader Bujana that was recently featured on All Things Paper blog.

This is practically pure advertising, but I couldn’t resist posting these origami style lampshades. Screen-printed on a vintage press, each crease and pleat is folded by hand to create a stylish and contemporary lampshade, adding bold color, stunning geometry and a soft warm light to your favorite room. Does anyone know who makes these? There’s also a green lamp in a different shape.

I received a lovely card this week from a friend who went to New Zealand and discovered a unique paper studio: The Papermill is a fun, creative and safe environment where artists with disabilities craft beautiful products from natural and recycled materials. Another fabulous business model!

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift! 

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Patty Paper

The Sunday Paper #102

Paper of the Week: Patty Paper

I had a lovely conversation recently with my sister-in-law, who is a middle school teacher in the Chicago area. We got to talking about some of the interesting projects she does with her students, including building tetrahedra using origami. She told me they use patty paper (that wax-like paper used to separate meat patties) because it folds well, is inexpensive and is cut into 5-1/2″ squares. She uses the book Patty Paper Geometry, which contains 12 chapters of guided and open investigations for geometry using patty paper! I’m ordering a copy right now.

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Out of the Studio:

I’ve been in Kalamazoo this week where I am lecturing and opening my 25th anniversary retrospective exhibition (have your ordered a copy of my catalog yet?). I’m teaching two one-day workshops over the weekend, and there’s a lovely group of paper and book enthusiasts here who are entertaining me to no end! Here’s a shot of The Wishing Wall (more images coming soon), which is on view through the end of the month at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center. 

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Check out these amazing paper cut sculptures by Clare Pentlow as seen on Fubiz. I want to run my hands over them (shhhh…).

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Winsome Jobling a couple of times over the years. She is also celebrating with a retrospective exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin, Australia. I watched her demonstrate a wonderful watermarking technique (using underwear) to create these pieces below at a paper conference in Cleveland, Ohio a few years ago.

© Winsome Jobling, Sweat, watermarked handmade paper

There’s an exhibition of paper replicas of 80 buildings from around the world from the Kemnitzer Paper Model Collection at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. that opens April 16th. After touring the world, visitors will get the chance to build their own models with two structures designed by Museum staff (there are a few pdf templates at the link, too).

A reader recently turned me onto the work of Imin Yeh. Check out her Paper Bag Project, a wall installation of paper shopping bags accompanied by this video showing the laborious process required to make each bag from scratch. Entirely handmade from cut up rags to rag paper, the bags are hand cut and screen printed, creased and constructed and fitted with a hand weaved rope. This project is directly inspired by a paper factory in Sanganeer, India that employed hundreds of workers to make shopping bags in the exact same process.

This is a fascinating article about the history of paper in England, which was a revolutionary material at the time. Dr. Orietta Da Rold from the Faculty of English and St John’s College is leading this project called Mapping Paper in Medieval England.

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift! 

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

A Paper Limerick

The Sunday Paper #101

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway in celebration of the 100th issue of The Sunday Paper! Congratulations to Louise Levergneux, the grand prize winner (click on her name to view her latest artist’s book) as well as the five lucky door prize winners: Linda McCausland, Anne Dunlevie, Bonnie Halfpenny, CE Boehme and Georgie Cunningham (I wasn’t too good at requesting your contact info, so if you see your name here and haven’t heard from me, please send me your e-mail address)! 

Your comments were wonderful, and I especially enjoyed this limerick by Chuck Crockford:

I found out from my fav, ‘Sunday Paper’, 

Making sheets is a fun kind of caper. 

Most things under the sun, 

Even elephant dung, 

Can be used to make wonderful paper!

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Paper of the Week: Woodgrain – Fruitwood

Here’s what I made with the Yuzen Umbrella paper that I wrote about last week. I paired it with another GPC Paper called Woodgrain – Fruitwood. This is like a thin wood veneer and is subtly “etched” with a detailed woodgrain pattern. Its text weight of 110 g/m2 makes it a versatile choice for book covers, product packaging, home decor projects and a multitude of paper crafts. It is also laser printable for use in event announcements, menus, invitations and more (it comes in white too). I’ve developed a tutorial for making the paper weaving you see above. Check it out here.

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Check out these gorgeous paper pieces by Mere Phantoms of Montreal. Their work combines shadow theatre and paper cutting. Exhibition goers are often equipped with hand-held LED light wands as they move among the vignettes, casting the artworks in light and dark on the walls. These must be magical to experience (their photography is great, too).

Did you catch this cute video about Quilted Northern Rustic Weave that launched on April Fool’s Day, wink wink?

OrigamiHouse Colonia is a paper folding museum that will open in Uruguay next fall.The museum has received hundreds of models from international artists, and many others are expected to arrive after the closing of Folding Paper: the Infinite Possibilities of Origami, an exhibition that toured the United States for four years (it is currently in Colorado and is truly an amazing show – worth visiting anywhere in the world). OrigamiHouse Colonia has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to help them put the finishing touches on the museum. Every donation is welcome and there are rewards! To donate, click here.

Origami Rabbits by Ron Koh (Singapore)

These drawings on ledger paper recently caught my eye. They are in a new exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian, Unbound: Narrative Art of the Plains. The exhibit, curated by Emil Her Many Horses [Oglala Lakota], introduces the origins of narrative art with historic pieces dating to the early 19th century, created by various plains figures and artists, including Long Soldier [Lakota/Nakota], Mountain Chief [Blackfeet], Black Chicken [Yanktonai], and Chief Washakie [Shoshone].

This is an interesting article about a counterfeiting operation in Peru. 

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift! 

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

The 100th Issue of The Sunday Paper

The Sunday Paper #100 – Let’s Have a Giveaway!

Wow, I can hardly believe that this is the 100th issue of The Sunday Paper! Special thanks to all of you for reading it and for sending your enthusiastic comments, suggestions and donations. Keep them coming! (If you’d like to donate, just click here). 

Grand Prize: I’ve put together a paper care package (pictured above) for one lucky Grand Prize Winner which includes a copy of Alpha Blocks, a Wish (this is the very first Wish in an upcoming series of wall pieces), a watermarked card and a copy of the Mother Tree Documentary. 

Door Prizes will go to five others who win the luck of the draw. You will each receive a download of my three films plus the latest project from the Custom Paper Pack! 

Enter to Win by leaving a comment about The Sunday Paper below. Double your chances by submitting a wish for The Wishing Wall. Entries must be received by midnight on Friday, April 1st (no fooling), and I will announce the winners next Sunday!

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Paper of the Week: Japanese Yuzen Umbrella Paper

I love the silkscreened Japanese papers and this is one of my favorites. These papers are also known as Chiyogami. They are hand-screened onto washi made of mixed kozo and sulphite and a full sheet measures approximately 24″ x 36″ (these are on the expensive side, so some suppliers sell partial sheets). I’ll be featuring this lovely umbrella paper in April’s paper project (a paper weaving), due out next week! 

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I adore the work of Paul Johnson, and he was featured in Make recently. Johnson is committed to teaching literacy to children and has developed the most inventive folds and paper connections to entrance them. He’s got numerous artist’s books and how-to books for teachers out there. Check him out!

© Paul Johnson, watercolored paper transformed into an artist’s book

[image error]Here’s a lovely feature on Artland about Paperhouse Studio in Toronto.Emily Cook co-founded this studio that pushes the boundaries of papermaking and printmaking.

Two for one: check out these amazing origami vessels that were featured recently on Eric Gjerde’s Origami Tesselations website. I featured Eric’s work in my book Playing With Paper, and his website is full of resources. 

Mahadevan and his team have characterized a fundamental origami fold, or tessellation, that could be used as a building block to create almost any three-dimensional shape, as seen above (credit: Mahadevan Lab/Harvard SEAS)

This installation is made up of 35,000 paper cubes! Flow Creation in Blackpool, England and founded by designer and artist Sam Robins, was commissioned to create the large-scale installation for a Manchester Exchange Square store as part of a sustainability initiative. There’s a great video that shows the creation of the piece at the link.

The Prague Zoo, in cooperation with the 420-year-old paper mill at Velké Losiny, has installed a papermaking facility so that visitors can make a piece of Elephant Poo paper! How cool is that?!

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift! 

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Put a Bird On It

The Sunday Paper #99

This is the 99th issue of The Sunday Paper! Let’s celebrate next week (#100) with a Giveaway and other surprises. Be sure to check your in-box on Sunday, March 27th!

Paper of the Week: Goyal Bird Paper

When I was in Iowa City a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across an adorable stationery store called R.S.V.P. The storefront window was adorned with a paper cut illustration, and the shop was filled with cool stationery items, including a rack full of paper, many of which I’d never seen! I purchased three sheets of screen printed Indian handmade papers, including this one with the birds on it. These papers are imported from Goyal Crafts, and it was easy to turn the larger sheet into this lovely panel lampshade. Instructions for this project appear in my book Paper Illuminated (which, sadly, is out of print, but perhaps you own a copy or it can be found in many libraries).

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In the Studio:

I just picked up my retrospective catalog from the printer on Friday. I’m still making the paper covers (40 down, 210 to go) and then there’s the binding! I’m using a really cool double pamphlet stitch that yields the tab you see below in the center spread so that I can tip in a string drawing.

Read all about the catalog and pre-order your copy. They will start shipping next week! Here’s a picture of the center spread of the deluxe edition, which features an original string drawing. 

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Did you see the CBS coverage of Mindell Dubansky’s recent Blook exhibition at The Grolier Club in NYC? It is so sweet to watch how passionate she is, getting teary eyed talking about books. She’s produced a great catalog of her Blook collection and its available here. 

I stumbled across Robbin Ami Silverberg‘s website this week (I’ve looked at it many times before, but this time these spools caught my eye). For this series “Proverbial Threads,” she chose to focus on text, working with proverbs from cultures around the world that focus on woman’s work. Proverbial Threads is an open series (over 100) of industrial bobbins, each wrapped with paper threads that have a repeated proverb printed on them about women’s work. For example: “The only skill that women have is turning the spinning wheel.” (Hebrew)

Check out these lovely paper lamps by Gigi Sarsfield, papermaker and owner of Handmade Papers Gallery in Brooklin, Maine. She believes that lampshades can enhance a room’s atmosphere, and I agree!

Have you tried FreshPaper? Kavita Shukla came up with the idea that she patented at 17. She used an old family spiced tea recipe to develop these sheets that extend the shelf life of produce in the fridge. What a great way to prevent food spoilage and waste, and they’re compostable too.

FreshPaper with berries (Steven Olimpio) The Washington Post

Do you ever have a hard time deciding which toilet paper to purchase? I sure do. Here’s an entertaining article about calculating and comparing those rolls we find stacked in the grocery store. 

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift! 

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!

Poetic Papermaking

The Sunday Paper #98

Paper of the Week: Printed Wrapping Paper

I purchased a sheet of this Italian wrapping paper at Two Hands Paperie in Boulder several years ago (and yes, it is still in my flat file, at least part of it is). There are many printed wrapping papers sold in single sheets that are printed with everything from bugs to flowers to maps and more. They are often gorgeous, and the next time I teach a panel lampshade workshop, we’re going to use these papers, because they make cool shades! I never took a photo of the lampshade I made using a map of New York City. Hmmm, perhaps I’ll make a sample and share it in next week’s post.

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In the Studio:

My retrospective catalog will be printed this week. I spent this week designing the cover and have just started fabricating the paper… here’s a sneak peak. I’ll have details about how you can order a copy next week!

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Here’s a review of Teresa Cole‘s current exhibition at Whitespace in Atlanta. It looks to me like she travels the world making her work in various hand papermaking studios. What a cool life! 

Teresa Cole, Saturate, 2015; printed and dyed Washi (Japanese paper) with bamboo, 48 by 84 by 8 inches.

Thanks to all of you who sent me this image to include in The Sunday Paper! Here’s a slideshow of works made from old books on FuBiz. Unfortunately, the artists are not credited. 

I love this: a vacant storefront transformed into a gallery space, but there’s more. The artist Julie Weber hung long vertical pieces of photographic paper in the space and exposed them to light. Her “Light Chronology” exhibit develops, changes and merges colors before the viewers’ eyes. I wish I could see it in person!

Now these may just be digital images, but the idea of paper maps is enough for me. Stephen Lund took his doodles in a new direction by drawing them with his GPS on a city map. He rode 115 kilometers on his bicylce to do this drawing. Here’s a great Ted talk about his GPS doodling. 

And now for the poetic papermaking: I like how Doug Foxgrover describes working in paper: “There is one take, and no undo,” he says. “Once you start, you keep moving. Every pull is unique, the hands guided by the moment and by the learned memory of practice.” Lovely sentiment about the craft. 

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If you enjoyed reading The Sunday Paper today, why not sign up to get it delivered to your in-box each and every Sunday? Click here to subscribe (it’s free), and you’ll receive my nifty pop-up alphabet template as a thank you gift! 

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 that cute paper button (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.

Thank you to those who have pledged your support, and enjoy your Sunday!