Helen Hiebert's Blog, page 74
December 5, 2012
21: Cardboard
Cardboard is a sturdy paper product which can be used as a construction material. The Cardboard Book is a great inspirational resource.
Foldschool furniture, featured in The Cardboard BookWhen I was a college exchange student in Mainz, Germany, I took paper course and we built furniture from cardboard. I designed a triangular bedside table that doubled as a waste basket (the top lifted off to reveal the wastebasket underneath). Fast forward a few years and I was living in NYC and invested in a cardboard chair from the MoMA Design Store (click to check out the holiday paper goodies they have in the shop).
I wanted to include something made from cardboard in Playing With Paper and was delighted when I discovered the work of Giles Miller in London. They’ve created this groovy cardboard chair, meant to be used poolside.
Pool Rocker Chair, by Giles MillerTheir innovative surfaces really push the limit with cardboard. Check out this folding screen,
Flute Screens by Giles Millerand these pendant lamps
Flute pendants by Giles MillerHere is another incredible cardboard creation – a functional bicycle. Maybe I’ll see you riding on one of these one day soon!
Izhar cardboard bike project from Giora Kariv on Vimeo.
There are more cardboard wonders on my Pinterest board. What an amazingly versatile material it is.
Have you made or seen anything innovative from cardboard? If so, please share it with me by emailing or leaving me a comment below.
Please share this blog with your paper loving friends. I’ll be offering the first giveaway tomorrow!
___________________________________________________________________
About the 25 Days of Paper: I’m going to be a crazy blogger in December, featuring cool paper products, projects, blogs, books, or papers each day. Join in the fun by reading along! I’ll also post links on my FaceBook page. Enjoy the season!
December 3, 2012
22: Stretched Paper
Creating With Paper, by Pauline JohnsonPaper Folding & Paper Sculpture, by Kenneth Ody is another gem, filled with diagrams and ideas for pleating, slitting and constructing with paper.
Paper Folding & Paper Sculpture, by Kenneth OdyCreative Paper Design, by Ernst Röttger is another book in my library that I often refer to for inspiration.
Creative Paper Design, by Ernst RottgerOne of the techniques that is covered in these books is what I’ll call slit paper. Most of us has made one of these slit paper lanterns at some point in our life.
Pin It
It never ceases to amaze me how a single flat sheet of paper, folded in half, slit multiple times through the fold, unfolded, wrapped into a cylinder shape and smushed a bit transforms into a three-dimensional form.
And leave it to some brilliant artists and designers to come up with some really complex and innovative twists on these forms.
Check out these air vases by Torafu Architects. I first saw these on the blog about everything paper: UponaFold (a warning, if you click on the link – and you should! – you will be sucked into a paper vortex).
Airvase by Torafu ArchitectsThese delicate forms can be sculpted into a plate, vase, or bowl. Watch this video to see the vessel being sculpted.
One of the artists featured in the gallery section of Playing With Paper is Matthew Shlian. He’s engineered paper in multiple ways, but this Stretch Series relates most to what I’m typing about here.
Pin It
Matthew Shlian, Stretch Studies
Matthew Shlian, Stretch StudiesMatt and his partner have just launched a new website showcasing their smaller art objects in paper and wood.
There is one last technique I want to mention, although I don’t have a good photograph. In Japan there is a technique called shifu, which is a way of spinning paper into thread (and then weaving it into cloth). The beginning of the process requires slitting the paper… here’s a set of images from the Japanese Paper Place (worth a visit if you’re in Toronto) that gives you the idea.
Do you have any old books about paper art or paper crafts? Have you seen other ideas for stretching paper? If so, please share it with me by emailing or leaving me a comment below.
___________________________________________________________________
About the 25 Days of Paper: I’m going to be a crazy blogger in December, featuring cool paper products, projects, blogs, books, or papers each day. Join in the fun by reading along! I’ll also post links on my FaceBook page. Enjoy the season!
23: Paper, 종이, Papel, Papier, Papīrs, 紙
When I was writing Playing with Paper last winter, I asked readers and fans to send me swatches of their favorite papers. My goal was to create The Ultimate Paper Swatchbook. And you delivered.
The Ultimate Paper SwatchbookThe largest contribution came from Lori Moritato, VP at Graphic Products, who sent me over 800 paper swatches that are imported from all around the world. By the way, their website is a great resource for information about paper.
Graphic Products paper sample booksI got to thinking about where we get our paper. Many of you know that I make paper, and have always been fascinated with where things come from. My first book, Papermaking with Garden Plants & Common Weeds covers how to make paper, literally from the ground up.
To see hand papermaking in action, watch this lovely 2-minute book trailer which gives you a glimpse into the Eastern style of hand papermaking. Produced by Aimee Lee, this trailer is for her new book, Hanji Unfurled, the first English-language book about Korean paper arts.
Aimee Lee’s new book, Hanji Unfurled
And you can watch a short trailer about Western hand papermaking on my new DVD, The Papermaker’s Studio Guide
The Papermaker’s Studio Guide DVDBut back to where the paper we buy comes from… Graphic Products is a paper distributor, and there are a handful of other distributors in the US. These distributors import and wholesale their papers to retail stores, where we can buy them. When I first got interested in paper 20+ years ago, there were few places to find decorative sheets, even in NYC where I was living. Now you can find them at art supply stores, university book stores, stationery stores, etc. Here’s a short list of some of my favorite paper stores.
New York Central Art Supply in NYC
Hollanders in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Paper Source, a national chain based out of Chicago
Hiromi Paper International, Santa Monica, CA, imported Japanese papers
Paper Connection, Providence, RI, imported papers from the East
And just last year during my travels, I found unique papers at Wet Paint in St. Paul, MN, Guild Art Supply in Northampton, MA, the Museum School Bookstore in Boston, and Cave Paper in Minneapolis.
Of course, there is nothing like handling the real thing to feel and see the paper qualities, and if you can’t get to a store and need to see or touch a sheet prior to purchasing, most stores will send or sell you paper swatches.
Do you have a favorite venue where you buy paper? If so, please share it with me by emailing or leaving me a comment below.
______________________________________________________________________
About the 25 Days of Paper: I’m going to be a crazy blogger in December, featuring cool paper products, projects, blogs, books, or papers each day. Join in the fun by reading along! I’ll also post links on my FaceBook page. Enjoy the season!
December 2, 2012
24: ‘Tis the First Day of Advent
Happy Advent Everyone!
Life sized paper nativity scene in LondonAlthough advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, it has become quite a season of shopping in anticipation of Christmas day, regardless of belief.
I find it challenging as a parent during the holidays when my kids want things that I’m not inclined to purchase. I’m always on the lookout for a unique advent calendar that will make counting down the days fun, while hoping they’ll forget (yeah, right!) about the chocolate filled advent calendars they’ve seen elsewhere.
I love this pop-up advent calendar available through the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Met’s Avian Holiday Pop=Up CalendarAnd this DIY advent calendar made from envelopes also caught my eye at MarthaStewart.com. I don’t know that I could come up with enough treats to fill all of those envelopes, but I can imagine how fun it would be to open one each day!
I like using envelopes for projects. Paper Source has a great selection in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes.
The ready-made pockets in envelopes make it easy to cut windows and slip decorative papers inside. Two of the projects in my book Playing With Paper feature envelopes in this way:
The Envelope Folding Screen (which can also be folded into a square lantern form),
Envelope Folding Screen, photo by Stephen FunkAnd the Piano Hinge Photo Album
Mini Photo Album, photo by Stephen FunkBoth of these projects utilize a variation on the piano hinge with bamboo skewers threaded through the hinges to hold the pages together.
I’ve started an Envelope Art board on Pinterest. Have you seen another creative use for envelopes? If so, please share them with me by emailing or leaving me a comment below.
______________________________________________________________________
About the 25 Days of Paper: I’m going to be a crazy blogger in December, featuring cool paper products, projects, blogs, books, or papers each day. Join in the fun by reading along! I’ll also post links on my FaceBook page. Enjoy the season!
December 1, 2012
Day # 25: Start at the Very Beginning
In honor of the publication of my new book, Playing With Paper, I’m launching this 25 Days of Paper blog marathon. Today is Day 1, but we’ll count down from 25, ending on Christmas day with a giveaway!
And since it is the holiday season, I’ll be hosting a few other giveaways. Be sure to check in daily to learn how to win a copy of my book (set to publish January 1st), my new DVD and a paper ring (like the one pictured on the cover of my book)!
Okay, here we go… (to be read to the tune of Do Re Mi from the Sound of Music).
I just happened to google paper alphabets and discovered there are quite a few of them! This one is clever, because you can click on the alphabet below and follow diagrams or animated instructions to make your own.
I folded one of my favorite words using this fun origami paper that I found in Korea last fall (the origami paper selection there was amazing!)
Check out more paper typography here.
Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander of Origamido Studio are featured in the gallery section of Playing With Paper. They’ve authored several books and origami kits; I own Origami Adventure, which I use often in an after school Paper Club at my kids’ school.
Origami Adventure kit, by Michael LaFosseMichael and Richard have a unique origami style: they make their own paper and fold it when damp, which allows them to construct amazing animals, flowers and more. If you’re near Haverhill, MA, check out their holiday box and ornament folding workshops on Saturdays in December.
I couldn’t resist taking a peek at some origami creations on Etsy. This wreath, by kreationsbykia is one of my favorite products.
Origami/Kusudama Paper Flower Wreath 12″/ Flower Arrangement by kreationsbykiaThere is even a documentary film about origami! Between the Folds chronicles the stories of ten fine artists and intrepid theoretical scientists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at hard–earned graduate degrees—all to forge unconventional lives as modern–day paperfolders.! I highly recommend it (you can find it on Netflix).
Oh, and by the way, I’ve started a shelf featuring some of my favorite origami books on Goodreads.
Do you have a Pinterest or a Goodreads origami board or list? If so, share it with me by emailing or leaving me a comment below.
________________________________________________________________
About the 25 Days of Paper: I’m going to be a crazy blogger in December, featuring cool paper products, projects, blogs, books, or papers each day. Join in the fun by reading along! I’ll also post links on my FaceBook page. Enjoy the season!
November 25, 2012
25 Days of Paper!
I’m going to try something new in order to jump-start my blog activity in anticipation of my book, Playing With Paper, which will be in stores January 1st! (If you really want an autographed copy before Christmas, you can order one here (please place your order by November 29th).
Each day I will blog about a paper product, how-to project, paper artist, book or blog about paper. I welcome your ideas and suggestions.
Here’s a sneak peak of LeafPDX, a small business in Portland, Oregon where owners Joe Freedman and Ilisha Helfman create amazing paper products like Emily’s Dollhouse.
Emily’s Dollhouse, by LeafPDXEverything is laser cut and designed to collapse flat for easy storage,
complete with front and back gardens,
Emily’s Dollhouse, gardenand 33 pieces of furniture including this sewing room!
Emily’s Dollhouse, Sewing MachineLeafPDX also specializes in greeting cards, like their new Vine Card
featuring clever paper engineering,
Vine Cardand great packaging too!
Vine Card packagingSign up to participate in the 25 Days of Paper and find out about other unique paper products, projects, companies and more!
November 18, 2012
The Papermaker’s Studio Guide
I want to share the evolution of producing The Papermaker’s Studio Guide, which has been quite a feat! I have to say there were moments when I thought I’d throw in the towel, but now that we’re at the other end, I am proud of what has been accomplished and pleased that I stuck with it.
I sought funding for this project from the Celebration Foundation in Portland and the International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA), asking for support so that I could hire a filmmaker to create and edit a how-to video. Both grants were awarded.
It was great to have the grant proposal as a guideline for the project. I knew that I’d be working with Ian Lucero who made a lovely little documentary about The Mother Tree Project. What I hadn’t thought about was the fact that Ian knew very little about papermaking and I knew very little about producing a film. We really needed a director to pull this all together, but that wasn’t in the budget.
I spent a good six months tossing various ideas around and finally settled on filming in four different papermaking studios in and around Portland (we didn’t have a travel budget either) to show a variety of workplaces, papermaking equipment and techniques.
We filmed at Oblation Papers & Press,
at Oblation Papers & Press, photo by Kamala Dolphin-Kingsley
at HiiH Studio, photo by Helen Hiebert
at Marilyn Wold’s studio, photo by HH
and Helen Hiebert Studio. Each studio is profiled in the extras on the DVD.
Filming at Helen Hiebert Studio, rain or shine!
We used The Papermaker’s Companion as our guide and script.
You are invited to Watch the introduction of the DVD here.
And You can order a copy here. Don’t forget to check out the cost-saving packages in my web store, too: The What’s New Package includes the DVD and my new book, Playing With Paper; and The Papermaker’s Package includes the DVD and The Papermaker’s Companion.
Stay tuned for some fun giveaways hosted by the publishers of my books, who were so generous in providing financial support for producing the actual DVD’s and cases.
September 26, 2012
A New Paper = For the Birds!
Green Bird Paper
I wrote about this technique a couple of years ago in Hand Papermaking Newsletter. I came up with the technique after failing to create a unique paper utilizing a heavily pigmented watermarked paper. I have been fond of watermarking ever since I learned to make paper in the early 1990′s, and I still believe that it is an under-utilized technique that has so much potential.
Alpha, Beta, …edition of 25
After my failure (in which I wanted to have legible text that wasn’t printed, as you see in the box pictured above) I discovered that I could pull a very thin sheet of paper and let the pulp slip off of the blocked watermarked areas and then couch that sheet onto a base sheet in another color. In this case, I made a white base sheet, and the burgundy colored paper is the pseudo watermark.
Technical details:
bird stencil/pseudo watermark cut from ‘buttercut’ on my Tim Moore mould
I hand cut the bird images out of ‘buttercut’, a 1/16″ thick rubber material that has an adhesive backing using an xacto knife (you can do this digitally as well). You can get buttercut from various suppliers, including papermaking suppliers. The adhesive backing makes it simple to adhere to the mould. The adhesive even lasts for several uses!
butter cut watermarks stored in a mini photo album
I store my used watermarks in a small photo album (I peel off the plastic part that creates the pockets for photos to reveal a nubby backing that holds the watermark (it would be difficult to remove from the plastic, but peels right up from this nubby surface).
abaca/cotton bird paper in assorted colors
I used a finely beaten cotton linter (1/2 hour at 1 in my new Reina beater) as my ‘watermarking’ pulp. I charged the vat with very little of this pulp and scooped a very thin layer onto the mould. Most of it slips off of the areas covered with buttercut, but a bit stays on top, which gives it a lovely effect. For this particular paper, I first made a solid sheet of overbeaten translucent abaca paper and couched it onto my felt. Then I couched the thin colored bird veil onto the base sheet. I then pressed the sheets in a hydraulic jack press and dried them in a restraint dryer.
I’ve just realized that this technique is reminiscent of the lovely papers that Galbraith & Paul used to make for their lamps (now all of their work appears to be block printed textiles).
I held a little contest on Facebook to see who might be able to best guess my technique. I’ll be announcing the winner in just a few minutes (they will receive a free sheet of paper).
September 5, 2012
North Carolina Artist Leigh Suggs
I met Leigh Suggs at the Penland School in 2009, when we worked together during my 2-1/2 week Paper in Three Dimensions class. As students began delving into their own projects, I recall Leigh casting wet sheets of abaca paper over fence post caps she got at the hardware store. She made at least 100 hollow hemispheres, which she attached to a cast paper balloon. And the result was stunning.
Leigh Suggs, 2009 Penland Light
Leigh lives and works in Carrboro, North Carolina, and her work involves the repetition of shapes and lines. She focuses on a single gesture, whether it is cutting, stitching, or marking. As her rhythmic and laborious gestures accumulate, pattern-making begins.
Leigh Suggs, Distend, 48″ diameter
red vellum stitched on linen
Leigh recalls the “patterns and shapes she saw behind her eyelids as a child. The circle (or dot) has countless meanings, but for me it represents the infinite, the never-ending shape or object. Its start never ends”. Watch this video by Ippy Patterson to get a glimpse behind Leigh’s eyelids as dots and circles move across the screen.
Leigh Suggs, Blue Memory, 24″ diameter
hand folded security envelopes
Leigh is a recipient of the prestigious 2012–2013 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship Award. Congratulations, Leigh!
Leigh Suggs, Perseveration (Blue I), 22″ x 30″, handmade dyed abaca paper
perforated with screw punch
And her solo show, Red, White, Black and Blue opens Friday at Light Art & Design in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
August 31, 2012
The Pop-Up Hand Shadow Book
The Pop-Up Hand Shadow Book, 6″ x 18″ x 8″, paper, graphite, letterpress, book board/cloth
This project took 16 years to complete (although there was a long hiatus in the middle) and touches on many facets of my career (collaboration and inspiration, to name two). My initial interest in paper came from pop-up books and cards, and I made the prototype for this book in Susan Share’s class at Penland in 1996. When I showed the prototype to University of Washington Special Collections librarian Sandra Kroupa a few years ago, she encouraged me to edition it.
Snail pop-up with poem by Nora Robertson.
In 2011, I applied for and received a project grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council in Portland. Their generous funding allowed me to purchase materials and work with many talented individuals: Nora Robertson, who wrote the lovely poems;
Laser cut box, gate fold book, flashlight and colophon.
Melanie Brauner, who letterpress printed the text and bound the books;
Foil stamped cover.
Phil Poehlein, who foil stamped the book cover;
Laser cut box made of cherry and plywood.
and Joe Freedman, who laser cut the pages and the box.
Interacting with the book.
I am thankful for the design and illustration assistance I had from interns Leah Uvodich, Kate DePara and Jaclyn Bowie. And Spicers Paper generously contributed the paper for the book pages and colophon.
Child’s pop-up created at the Holgate Library workshop, July 2012.
I have already enjoyed a couple of interactive workshops with children. in which I share the book with them, read the poems, and have them create their own pop-up animal. Then we engage in shadowplay using flashlights.
Child’s shadow puppet created at the Holgate Library workshop.
Shadowplay at the Holgate Library.
Special thanks to Dan Kvitka for the photography. This is an edition of 50 books, and you can view this book in the John Wilson Room at the Central Library in Portland, Oregon (more venues coming soon)!
