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Possible Workshops

Cyanotypes and Handmade Paper (One Day)
Journey; an Artist Book from Go to Whoa (Five Days) Make a unique artist book incorporating handmade papers, suitable for anyone with an interest in books whether or not they have done any papermaking. The class will start by making a mould and deckle, the only specialist piece of equipment required for papermaking. At least three sample books will be made including piano hinge, toji and accordion with hard cover, one of these styles will be chosen for the major project. Participants will learn about making pulp from plants and from other papers and will make sheets of paper incorporating various decorative techniques including pulp painting, embossing and watermarks.
Denim and Lace (One Day) Use high quality pulp made from denim and cotton sheeting to create special papers. Learn about the history of watermarks and how to make permanent and temporary watermarks for your own moulds. Make watermarks from a variety of materials including lace, blutac and copper wire and use them for identification and as an artform.
From Plant to Paper (One Day) Learn how to turn common garden plants and weeds into paper. Learn techniques for harvesting, preparation, cooking, beating and sheet forming. Paper can be made from cumbungi, NZ Flax, grasses, red hot poker and many barks. The morning will be spent preparing fibre and the afternoon making many sheets of paper from different fibres. The paper is suitable for collage, cards and some for writing on. Suitable for beginners and those who have done some papermaking.
Coptic Binding plus variations (One Day) The Copts, a group of early Christians based in Egypt as early as the 2nd century CE, developed the distinctive style of book known as the Coptic binding. In this class students will learn how to create the trademark Coptic spine stitch that resembles a chain stitch as used in embroidery. They will also be given the opportunity to explore variations on the stitch such as the crossover Celtic Binding. Some advantages of these types of binding are that the cover material doesnÕt need to be flexible so timber, metal and clay can all be used for covers along with the usual covered card. Another advantage is that the book can lay flat very well so is extremely suitable for a sketch book, it can also open right out and form a circle making it a very suitable binding for sculptural books. Materials list provided on application.
Oriental Binding (One Day) Make several styles of oriental binding with your own paper or with some of the beautiful oriental papers available in the shops.
Soft cover sewn through spine Binding (One Day)- Make a soft cover book which can be used for drawing or writing in or for storing and displaying your special photos.
Papermaking pulp painting & decorative papers (One Day) Learn to use many different techniques for decorating paper and for making artworks from paper.

Workshop Content

Introduction to Papermaking,
Topics covered include paper selection, sheet formation, embossing, inclusions and decorative techniques

Plant Fibre Papermaking
Topics include fibre selection and treatment, sheet formation and some decorative techniques.

Make Paper from Plants (Two Day).
Day 1 Learn how to turn common garden plants and weeds into paper. Learn techniques for harvesting, preparation, cooking, beating and sheet forming. Paper can be made from cumbungi, NZ Flax, grasses, red hot poker and many barks. The morning will be spent preparing fibre and the afternoon making many sheets of paper from different fibres. The paper is suitable for collage, cards and some for writing on.
Suitable for beginners and those who have done some papermaking.
Day 2 Learn techniques for using high shrinkage paper. How to get it flat and how to use it’s high shrinkage to advantage. Participants will come away from the class with a paper vessel and the techniques for producing paper for lamps and individual artworks.
What to bring • Plastic apron • Wooden or rubber mallet or a 60cm long piece of thick dowel (3-4 cm diam) • A piece of thick plywood (2-3 cm thick and about 30 x40 cm) an old cupboard door would suffice or an offcut of laminate. You will be using it to beat the fibre on. • 10 pieces of sheeting or other smooth fabric approx 30 x 40 • 1 packet of standard size chux or plain label cleaning cloths • 2 pieces of fibro cement approx 60cm square • A clean paint roller standard size (20+cm) • Materials fee $10 per person
From Paper to Book Allow Gail to take you on a journey from paper to book. This class will appeal to painters and printmakers looking to extend their experience and to writers looking for an alternative way to present their words. You will make your own mould and deckle and will use recycled and plant fibre pulps to produce art papers which you will bind using four different bindings. Along the way you will have fun with many aspects of papermaking and bookbinding and come away with a collaborative limited edition artist book, a journal and lots of ideas to continue with.

Festive Cards and Gifts from Handmade Paper

Make creative gifts, cards and gift boxes out of your own handmade paper.

Over two sessions Gail Stiffe will show you how to make your own unique recycled and natural fibre paper and will demonstrate the potential of this fantastic medium to create beautiful and personal gifts and cards.

Content

Discover the specific skills and techniques needed to make paper. Learn how to use this paper to make your own artworks, cards and books.

This course will cover:

Fibre selection for papermaking.
Sheet forming techniques.
Decorative techniques including embossing and adding inclusions.
Using stencils and coloured pulp to create cards and artworks.
Using deckles to make shaped papers.
Carving into plaster to create a small cast.
Using a range of papers and paper casts make several collages for use as bookmarks, cards, book covers etc.
Using decorative papers to make a series of gift boxes.
Making a softcover two section booklet

This course is suitable for beginners who have never tried papermaking and for those wishing to refresh and extend their knowledge of papermaking in order to make a range of gifts for the festive season.

Outcomes

Students will learn the skills to make a range of different decorative papers and to incorporate these papers in collages, gift boxes, cards, bookmarks and books. They will come away from the workshop with a range of items suitable for gift giving.

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