Book Arts and Photography » Art 466 Receipies

Chinese lantern flower or Bougainvillea + cotton

Jim — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:44:02 +0000

Shanna Kaczynski, Sarah Ripp and Kathyrn Petke have been collaborating on sheet formation. Kathyrn brought in some puffy plants which I think are called Chinese lantern flowers or maybe they are Bougainvillea. Shanna harvested some dill will. There is no shortage of wild dill weed in Wisconsin during the summer. Sarah Ripp provided some white cotton fiber. The plants were dried under pressure for several days and added to beaten pulp in the vat during the formation process. The result are sheets with randomly placed dried plant matter on a white sheet. The Bougainvillea have lost some color but the texture and shape add visual interest to the sheet.

Andrea beats rags to a pulp

Jim — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:37:04 +0000

Often, in class, the question is posed. “Is this pulp beaten enough?” Often my reply is, “It depends” In Andrea Brdek’s case, this pulp is almost ready for what she wants to do.
See, Andrea is planning on using this pulp for drawing images on larger wet sheets. The size of the pulp clumps is much smaller than usual. Andrea plans to put the pulp in squeeze bottles before she applies it on the damp sheet. She may need to beat it even further if she want to place the pulp in an eye dropper or other fine line drawing instrument.
Below is a detailed image of some of her first test painting with her beaten plup.

Today, she formed a large sheet outside, read this link. As soon as the water stopped dripping, she brought it inside to the studio and applied pulp to the wet sheet. Here is a photo of her squeezing the pulp on the damp sheet.

A closer inspection of the pulp on the damp sheep reveals how pulp, when mixed with formation agent, lays down a beautiful line quality. The diluted pulp pools or puddles and leaves a wetter looking line. Obviously other wet media could be used for painting or drawing. However, pulp mixed with formation agent lays down a nice looking line. Check out these details.

Using retention aid

Jim — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:29:12 +0000

These instructions were included in the shipment of Retention aid.

Carriage House Retention Aid is a cationic poly(arnine) specifically manufactured for the retention of pigments, dyes and other fillers in paper pulp.

Directions for using retention aid

Please note that all pigments, dyes, and other chemicals should be handled with care. For more information as to the proper precautions in working with art materials, contact: Cent for Occupational Hazards, 7 Beekman St., New York, NY 10038. The Center has several detailed publications on this important subject.

Use and Instructions:

Retention Aid is used by first making a stock solution. This is then measured out for use and diluted further before adding to the pulp. The dry powder has an indefinite shelf life. The mixed solution is best used within one or two days, but will store longer under most conditions.

Making stock solution:

The stock solution is made by mixing the dry powder with water to make a concentrated solution. To allow the solution to mix properly, it is best to make it the night before it is needed, though in most circumstances a solution free of lumps can be made within an hour. The ratio of the powder to the water is 1 tsp. powder per 1 pt. of water. Slowly add the powder to the water while mixing, until all powder is into solution. If necessary, use a blender to break up the clumps.

Use of stock solution:

The stock solution must first be diluted with 1 gal. of water before it is added directly to the pulp to allow for even dispersion. Add your pigment to the pulp. Once you have the color you want, slowly begin adding the retention aid solution. Continue to add until the pigment is retained.

Use with sizing:

If you are using sizing, the order for mixing is: pigment, retention aid, sizing. Allow about 5 min. between steps for proper mixing.

Carriage House Paper

1 800 669 8781

Adding pigment to fiber

Jim — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:28:23 +0000

A resent observation. A student was using pigment to add color to the cotton fiber. She added too much pigment to the pulp. When she squeezed the pulp to, she noticed that alot of the yellow ran out. When this happens, you need to rinse the pulp. Do not add more retention agent as that will not keep the pigment from running out. Adding more retention agent is not going to keep the pigment in the pulp. It is simply over saturated with pgiment. Rinse the pulp with fresh water to flush out the excess pigment prior to forming the sheets. Not rinsing it will stain all the felts. It is best to be safe and wear rubber gloves when flushing out the pigment if you think it is at excess levels.

Soda Ash

Jim — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:16:53 +0000

Using Soda Ash – Use eye protection and rubber gloves.
USE: Cooking raw fiber to prepare for papermaking.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS: For fibers such as Kozo, use 4 to 5 ounces per pound of dry fiber. Cook in a stainless steel or enameled steel pot NOT IN an aluminum pot, .
PRECAUTIONS: Soda Ash is considered mild, but it a caustic and requires careful handling. All alkali chemicals should be added to water, never add water to an alkali as spattering can occur; wear eye protection. It rarely irritates the skin, but can cause drying and cracking; wear rubber gloves.