Fur In The . . . Paper?
It has arrived. A big box full of handmade paper goodness. I’m surprised Connie sent it on to me so quickly as last time she didn’t mail it out until after it had cured.
Maybe she thinks she can trust me this time to not automatically grab a sheet and try to create a masterpiece.
Hmm . . . more than likely she wanted it out of her house in time for her open house this weekend. She knows I am weak willed at times.
Do Zombies Ever Eat Paper?
I was anxious to see if I had made it right this time. The beauty of making handmade paper is that if you make it wrong, you tear it up, soak it and begin the process again. Never any waste.
Last time I forgot the crucial step of shaking the mold as I’m pulling it out of the water. This helps settle the fibers together. Not doing this makes a weird pattern in the paper that kinda resembles brains. For me it really didn’t matter as oil pastel would completely cover this defect. Still . . . it’s nice to do the just right.
Turns out no brain pattern but it’s not really smooth either. Kinda lumpy. Not sure if it’s because the paper should have soaked a little more (since we recycled last years batch) and it was still a bit clumpy. Or if yet again it was operator error. (probably the later)
Since the paper I made last time didn’t have enough sizing, it sat unused for about a year. Now a forward thinking artist (like Connie) would have put the paper in a bag or something until it was needed. I put it on a shelf but didn’t really hermetically seal it (yes that’s what it would take to keep out the Budda fur.) What I did was put a piece of cardboard on top and thought “eh, good enough.”
Evidently not. There was quite a bit of Budda fur in my paper pulp and yes there are quite a few sheets where a Budda hair is distinctly visible.
Ah well . . . thank goodness that oil pastel have great coverage.
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Hey, Budda’s hair in the paper could be a great selling point
That would be wonderful! Let’s hear it for Budda! Hey, if I knew the paper had Budda hair in it, that would be a good selling point. Especially if you did a cat, of course. Cat painting on genuine cat hair impregnated handmade paper? Way cool.
Heck, I should send you a tuft of Ari hair and pay you to make me a special sheet or batch with Cat Hairs of Inspiration in it. Budda was obviously thinking of inspiring you to even more beautiful painting! Thank the cat and give him some scritches and treats, it means he respects your art.