| Pulp painting illustrated and described below.... |
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| A quick guide to the pulp painting process - click image to enlarge |
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The picture above shows you about the process of making handmade paper images. "Pulp Paintings" is the technical term used by fiber artists to describe this process. First I make pulp in a blender out of a cardboard-like substance called "linter". Linter is acid free and made from cotton, kozo, gampi, abacca or many other plant fibers that are not acidic like wood pulp used in books. (That's why the pages turn yellow and brittle.) The next step is to dye the pulp. The pulp floats in water. I then draw water and pulp out of the respective pots of dyed pulp using syringes, a turkey baster and other tools introduced to me by a good friend in the medical industry. Graphically, its best that we not discuss these in detail. Then I literally squirt the pulp on an old window screen --- that is rust proof -- and draw the images by layering the different colors of pulp. The water runs through the screen and drains into a tub or a floor drain. Excess water is then pressed out of the pulp and it is allowed to dry as single sheet of handmade paper. Once dry, the crisp piece of paper is peeled off the screen and mounted on mat board with acid-free linen or museum tape. The final step is to frame the handmade paper image. Voila! -- Keith Anderson, Fiber Artist |
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