Sunday, January 20, 2013

I Could Write a Book


. . . and I have!
A whole book out of handmade paper.
Here is my illustrated version of the children's song "This Old Man."
I have always loved that song. That little "knick-knack-paddy-whack"  captures my imagination. What exactly does it sound like and what makes that sound?  In my version "knick-knack paddy whack" has a very definite sound.

This old man
He played four
He played knick-knack
out my door



 And who is this old man anyway?  I made him a not-so-old old muscian.

If you have seen my cards, you know I love to make pictures that tell stories. So even this little rhyme tells a story of the day a girl, her mom and their pup are visited by an old friend, who makes music all over the place, and then rolls home.


He played knick-knack on my hive!



It was great fun to make this book and to make the paper for the illustrations --from the beige band-aide, to the yellow dandilions. I am already humming a tune and collecting paper for my next book.

Please enjoy this preview, and yes, it is for sale!

By Illustrated by ...

Monday, January 7, 2013

Olives, anyone?

Happy olives dancing in brine! Pulp painting makes it easy. Olives make it fun. Enjoy.


Wrap a glass jar with a new sheet of handmade paper.
 
Using a scissor handle as a mold, make the green olives.
Use the black mesh screen placed on top of the white plastic grid from the
Arnold Grummer Medium Pour Mold, pour pulp into mold.
Place the olive onto the wet yellow paper, press in place.
Pour a smal amount of red pulp onto the black mesh/white grid and form it into the pimento.



Lift the pimento off the screen and dab it into place. Repeat until jar is full.




Please enjoy this olive-themed video.




Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year's Resolution: More Owls in 2013


Okay, even if they have to be recycled paper owls -- on my refrigerator.
The other recycled paper magnets are from a can of pie cherries. Those paper wrappers can be really pretty.

Happy New Year!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Away in a Manger


 
Wooly sheep, sturdy manger, radiant child.
Each done with handmade paper.
Merry Christmas to all!


Monday, December 17, 2012

Paper Pear and Partridge




I have added pears to the list of items wrought beautiful in handmade paper. This is a Christmas Card made with recycled and handmade papers.

May all your Christmas Days be merry.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Christmas Village of (Milk) Cartons






Now that we have covered a milk carton with paper let's slip the paper off and make a house.

 I love using both the square bottom section of the carton and the pointy top to make one of these houses. You make these house in three phases. First the walls, then the pointed part of the house above the walls, then the roof.

Start with the walls, doors and windows:
Make enough pulp for at least two 5 X 7  sheets of paper made in the Medium Pour Mold. For basic paper making instructions visit the Arnold Grummer Website. Make the pulp in batches, then combine the batches in a container, that way all the components with be the same color.


Make a template of the house walls, it will take two sheets of 5 X 7 paper to cover a half gallon carton. Make a seperate template for each sheet of handmade paper
Cut out the doors and windows on the template, place it in your frame. Place blocks where the doors and windows will be. REMOVE TEMPLATE, LEAVE THE BLOCKS IN PLACE.




Hold the blocks in place while pouring in the pulp. This may require three hands.



Drain the paper as usual, leaving the blocks in place. Once drained, remove blocks and sponge and couch as ususal.


 
Wrap the wet sheet around the bottom of the carton.
 
Now make the pointed section of the wall:
 
Try to mimic the angles on the top section of the carton.
 
 
Using the pulp painting technique,  make the triangle shape with some kind of straight edge. I used a ruler, an extra white grid and a section of paint stirrer. Place these on top of a black screen/ white grid set-up. Pour the same color pulp you used for  the walls to make the triangle.
Sponge the triangle, then place it on the carton. Overlap the wall a bit and press the triange and wall sections together where they overlap. Repeat on the opposite wall.
Dry in place.

The roof:
When the walls are completly dry, slip a knife between the paper and the carton to gently loosen the house from the carton. Slide the house up the carton until the  peak of the triangle section is aligned with the top ridge.


Make the roof with a contrasting color of pulp. Measure the house to see how big a sheet you need for the roof.  To make a smaller sheet of paper, use a section of paint stirrer to make a smaller pour mold.

You will want the roof to overhang the house on all four sides.
 

Place the wet sheet of paper over the top of the carton. Press the edges into the wall and triangle sections of the house. Dry completely.


When the roof is dry, slip the entire house off of the carton. The roof might not stay attachted to the house when you take it off the carton, but you can just set it on top of the walls once it is off the carton.
 
To make the snowy gingerbread house roof, I added a layer of brown pulp to the white roof.
To get the tile effect, I placed an extra white grid on top of the black screen/white grid set-up used for pulp painting. I poured the pulp into each of the grid squares. Then I placed the wet squares onto the wet white sheet I made for the roof.
 
Have fun. I would love to see what kind of house you make!
 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012