The Paper-Maker Workout!

Despite being swamped with work since September, I still have time for the odd bit of fun. And for me, fun is in the form of crafts (I’m like an old woman).

Last week I finally managed to get hold of an affordable paper making kit, after months of searching. I remember making paper with my Aunty when I was younger and I found it so fascinating. Not only is it fun but there are tons of things you can add to the paper (among them seeds and onion skins!) and it’s also a great way to recycle used paper. Handmade paper also looks fab for gifts and artwork! So having been given two briefs in the last fortnight that involve recycling, I thought what better time to start honing the craft.


The kit I bought off eBay was a beginner’s starter kit from House of Crafts and did a great job of introducing me to paper making so that I can adapt it my own way. The frame I was given was circular and very small but it did the trick for me, and now that I can see how it all works I can build my own A4 or A3 frame.

The kit included the frame and some mesh, a few sheets of pulp paper, colouring dye in primary colours, and some extras (box template, ribbons, card, PVA glue and a glue spreader) to create some cards and gift boxes. It’s all very quaint and pretty.


I thought I’d try something simple to start with. I cut a sheet of pulp in two (half a sheet makes two fine pieces of paper) and then chopped it into little pieces.



I left it to soak in half a litre of boiling water for about 2-3 hours. The longer you leave it the finer the paper will be.


But when I started to work with the paper it hadn’t broken down very well. I think this was due to the fact that I cut the pulp into little squares with scissors rather than tearing it up, which would have softened the fibres.

I took a couple of spoonfuls of pulp and put them into some cold water in a large bowl. Now for the fun part!

I decided to experiment with textures so I added some lavendar to the pulp, and used some blue and red colourent to dye the paper purple.



I fixed the mesh into the frame and dipped in into the water, moving it around under the water until I was happy with the layer of pulp.



Then I separated the mesh from the frame and laid the paper/mesh onto a teatowel, before going over it with a rolling pin to squeeze out a good majority of the water.



I managed to get two pieces of paper made from my pulp mixture. I noticed that the first piece had not been dyed very well, so I sprinkled some red food colouring onto it whilst it was still damp, letting it fade to pink.


They took a while to dry, but here they are - my pink and purple lavender paper!


They’re not perfect; because of the way I cut the pulp paper it did not break down very well, so once the paper dried it was very fragile. Also, the dye didn’t take as strongly as I would’ve hoped.

However I learned a lot and I think I’m well on the way to creating fantastic pieces of paper to use in my artwork. And hopefully this little tutorial/picture book will inspire some of you to recycle your old paper and make something new and creative!