The Art & Craft of Handmade Paper

If you can chop vegetables and boil water, you can make paper. It's easy with this fascinating step-by-step guide to making paper with vegetable fibers. No special tools are required and quality results can be had in a very short time. The opening chapter of Vance Studley's clearly outlined, beautifully illustrated text introduces the reader to the origin and development of paper, describes its use in history, examines cultures that made paper and explains why quality paper is ideal for creative use. The author then shows you in detail how to make attractive and useful paper in a vast number of sizes, shapes, textures, and colors. Details of the papermaking process range from scissoring the raw material and beating the pulp, to blending the contents and forming, pressing, drying, and separating the sheets. Step-by-step instructions and over 160 sharply detailed illustrations introduce professional artists as well as students of all ages and levels of expertise to necessary materials, tools, and equipment. A final chapter suggests a variety of projects, including the compilation of a portfolio, creating papers for printmaking and drawing, and producing a collage from the designer's finished product. An invaluable book for the craftsperson interested in learning a satisfying and fascinating hobby, this comprehensive manual will also appeal to artists in search of distinctive papers and teachers looking for a refreshing change in classroom projects.