Papermaking for Artists and Designers
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Papermaking for Artists and Designers
Mandy Brannan
The characteristic weight, colour and texture of paper is an important element in many artists and designers work. Handmade paper as a medium has become popular in current art and design practice because of its tremendous versitility. This course will introduce you to historical and contemporary papermaking that will lead to the understanding of the technical and creative possibilities facilitated by making paper from a variety of materials. Experimentation and reflection will be encouraged to combine papermaking techniques with the your existing skills allowing for new creative developments. The sessions will consist of practical demonstrations, group participation, individual practice opportunities and one-to-one tuition to the develop the nessesary papermaking skills. The course will:
- Introduce Historical and Contemporary papermaking
- Teach skills needed to create Japanese and Western styles of papermaking using equipment that can easily be obtained and which will enable the newly learned skills to be used after the class at minimal cost
- Make low relief and simple 3D structures
- Experiment with different plant fibres, recycled papers, pigmentation, inclusion and decorative techniques
- Daily group critiques that will help to develop ideas that will lead to further experimentation of the processes
- Produce final outcomes that demonstrate learning and development through purposeful reflection and analysis.
Mandy Brannan has studied Japanese and Western styles of papermaking, which has led to the development of a personal style of papermaking that involves the combination of traditional techniques with experimental production and pigmentation methods. Recently she graduated from Camberwell College of the Arts with a Masters in Book Arts. www.mandybrannan.co.uk and www.paperpypr.blogspot.com
Alternative Dates and Times
Many of our courses are repeated throughout the year. If the above dates is not suitable for you,
or there are no dates showing for this session, then please choose an alternative session.
For students to bring :
- 1 x small, inexpensive paint roller
- 1 x A4 mould and deckle - http://www.fibrecrafts.com. The tutor will provide spares but ideally you should have your own so that you can continue your work after the course.
- 1 x plastic tub (a good example is the Ikea plastic tub - £3.99 SLUGIS (lid optional but handy to have). Again, the tutor will provide some but it is worth owning.
- 4 x old bath towels
- 4 x old hand towels
- 5 x 4mm thick perspex sheets
- Note book
In addition to the kit above, you will also need to think about collecting materials to use in your work, such as:
- Start collecting plant leaves and let them dry out (such as iris, gladioli, daffodil, tulip, nettle, oak, rose, onion skins). Store them in large paper carrier bags. No more than half a pound when dry is a good amount.
- String-like materials – wool, thread, thin wires etc.
- Non-bulky dried plant materials – flatish seeds etc.
- Fabric pieces.
- Rubber stamps and ink.
- Ready made papers to experiment with.
- Photocopies of simple line drawings or images.
- Printed image transfers for fabrics.
- Postage stamps etc.
- Imagery that pertains to your personal practice that could be used in some way.