So lately I have been having the urge to revive a childhood science class activity-- making paper. I did this once in elementary school and once in middle school. Back then, I could not appreciate the thick, textured paper that was produced from dryer lint and paper pulp, so obviously now seemed as good a time as any to try it out again.
I have been saving all my old papers and magazines for this project. I have never been a master at recycling (my apartment complex doesn't have a recycling center), and because paper that I work with for class runs anywhere from two to six dollars a sheet, I better start reusing!
The process was just as easy as I remembered. All I had to do was blend scraps of paper with warm water and then pour them onto the deckle with the other frame creating a (semi)smooth edge. Usually you are supposed to dip them in a tub and sift out the pulp, but my tub was entirely too large for this round of papermaking. Anyway, next I flipped it onto a Shamwow, with the screen now on top, and sponged out excess water. As of now they are drying in my bathtub!
I'm going to have to work with the color a bit more... these two pieces had a lot of pieces of magazine in them and the dark ink created a purple color. I would love to get some with a tea-stained tint! I am also going to make a deckle and frame that are much, much larger. These are 8"x10".
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