Creative papermaking with colour and thread

Sunday 15 February – Thursday 19 February 2015

Explore the creative possibilities of papermaking using cotton and linen pulps. Incorporate colour and structure using thread and dyed pulps. In this enjoyable and hands-on short course you will develop your skills and used traditional western style papermaking techniques to make beautiful and unique artworks inspired by textiles.

In this course as part of a themed week on cloth and thread we will investigate the creative possibilities of papermaking using fabric and textiles as our starting point in terms of raw material, structure and colour as well as inspiration. After an initial practical session running through traditional western papermaking we will experiment with making and using cotton and linen pulps to form sheets before moving on to incorporating thread and joining, layering and collaging paper and thinking about how this alters the structure of the paper. Referring back to the structure of cloth and thread we will investigate working with dyed pulps to overlay colour and designs. We will also think about how drying and pressing the paper can alter it, which can be used in a creative way to enhance the structure and shape of the paper. Paper does not always need to be flat!

The course will be taught by means of demonstrations and practical work as well as individual attention to support your project. There will be information and handouts to allow you to take these skills further independently after the course. We will be making paper traditionally using a Hollander beater and professional equipment but will also explore more easily accessible and more experimental techniques.

At the end of the course you will have made a selection of beautiful handmade paper and unique artworks. You will have experimented with making and dying pulps and casting (couching) sheets of paper using a range of techniques including laminating, embossing, pressing, building in insertions and you will have gained and built upon skills to take further in your own work. This course is in our week of courses linked by a theme of Cloth and Thread. Each explores this versatile material in two and three dimensions and various scales. The week includes a short cross-over session when you work with a different tutor, and illustrated talks by other tutors in the series of courses.

More information here: https://www.westdean.org.uk/resources/longdetails/4D5140.pdf

Booking here: https://www.westdean.org.uk/CollegeChannel/ShortCourses/Courses/Courses.aspx?ref=4D5140