Upcoming Paper Making Workshops

Arkadelphia Arts Center
2 Day Workshop

Saturday, May 25, 10:30AM to 2:45 PM

(Lunch brake during that time)
and

Sunday May 26, 1PM to 3PM

This is a great workshop to learn about making paper by hand, or to simply make some high quality paper if you already have experience with the media.

We’ll cover a variety for techniques such as sheet formation, embedding, inclusion, skinning wire forms and pulp molding. We will also do some professional-level marbling with some of the sheets we make.
Topics we’ll discuss while we work:

  • why and how is paper paper?
  • designing and using paper for your creative work
  • fiber, pulp and sources
  • chemistry of paper production
  • tools
  • materials
  • techniques
  • resources for making paper on your own

Materials for the workshop will mainly be supplies, and included in the cost. Based on your own creative ideas, you may want to bring some supplies yourself.

Workshop Sign Up

The workshop is $50. There are 10 slots available in the workshop. Sign up to secure your spot – email me at artdadinski@cloud.com.

Include

  • your name
  • address
  • phone number and
  • the email address where you would like confirmation for the sign up.

This information will not be shared, but will be use confirm your identity.

Feel free to ask any questions about the workshop at artdadinski@icloud.com, as well.

Once your sign up is confirmed, I will send an email with payment information.

Payment

Payment should be received before the day of the workshop to insure your spot.

Payment can be made using the following methods:

  • Paypal
  • Apple Cash
  • Check
Workshop Processes 

Note: Papermaking is messy and wet. If having wet cloths bothers you, you may want to bring a plastic apron.

Saturday, May 25 10:30AM to 2:45PM

We focus on Sheet Formation, Embedding, Pressing and Drying. 

While you work on these things, I will talk about various aspects and items surrounding paper making. We will be making some raw materials to use on Sunday to create a group project, and use for marbling.

Sunday, May 26 1 pm to 3 PM

We pull more sheets, focus on marbling, and skinning wire sculpture with sheets of wet abaca. These can be marbled, painted or left in natural color. We will look at pulp molding, as well.

Since time is limited, we will not be able to focus on molding, but if you want to try while at the workshop, there will be cotton pulp for this purpose. You can use one of my existing molds, or bring your own mold. Drying pulp in a mold may take several days. So, this will have to be finished at home.

Making Sheets of Paper

I’ll try to give you a taste of how raw material (pulp) for paper making is produced, but you should focus your efforts on making sheet for yourself. Paper is made of cellulose fiber. All plants have cellulose. Some is great for making paper, some are not. We will use some of the best for making sturdy, robust, high quality, archival paper.

The main steps are as follows:

  • Fill a “vat” with pulp and water
  • Form a sheet with the pulp by dipping a “paper mold” into the vat
  • Lay pulp sheets on to “felts” in a process called “couching” ( pronounced coo-ching) – transferring the wet sheet of pulp to the felt
  • Stack up felts creates a “post”
  • Pressing the water out, and squeezing the fibers together using a a “paper press” creates sheets of wet paper
  • Taking the damp sheets of paper off of the felts and placing these on boards to dry.
  • Drying – Example of finished Japanese Mulberry (Kozo) sheets.
Embedding

This is a sheet formation process, but two sheets are couched together with objects placed between them. The image at the top of this page uses embedding for the cross pieces in the paper of the poster. Here is a more elaborate example.

Skinning wire armatures

Using strong fiber that shrinks a lot as it dries, such as over beaten abaca, we will cover wire shapes with wet sheets using methylcellulose as a glue. Example of using this method. When these dry, the paper become drum tight on the armature, and can be marbled, painted or left natural. Example

Pulp molding

Generally, any nonporus object or container could be used as a mold for casting in paper pulp. People use candy and jello molds, make impressions of objects in modeling clay (plasticine) or plaster of Paris, and sculpt their own relief into clay. 

Since drying molded pulp usually takes more than a day to dry, and the pulp has to be completely 100% dry before it can be coaxed out of a mold, we won’t have time to complete the process within the time of the workshop. So, this is something I will talk about and demonstrate, but I will leave it up to you to do either in the workshop, or on your own. 

There is a supply of cotton pulp available for anyone who would like to cast something. If you want to mold something, it probably a good idea to bring a mold the first day of the workshop. I can give you my opinion as to whether it will likely work out not. In general, pulp casting works better on things without a lot of detail. Casting should also be thick enough to hold up to being removed from the mold when dried. This usually requires more pulp than people imagine.

Although it may be possible to cast complete 3D objects, we will be looking at relief sculpting. Example

Constraints and issues we have working in the Arts Center 

There are a few things that will limit what we can do.

  • We are working in a space that is not designed for wet work like a paper making studio would be. We may need to do some activities like pressing outdoors. We may need to mop a lot as we work.
  • Time is limited and there is a lot to show and do.
  • Our press is small for portability. So, we will need to press often.
  • We will “board” dry our sheets. Finding available surfaces on which to plaster our wet sheets may be challenging. I will bring some boards, but you may need to be creative to find places to dry. Example of board drying