PASTE
GRAIN DECORATED PAPER.
Decorated papers have been used over many centuries to
enhance items and turn them into something of beauty. Books , furniture, boxes
and screens have all had the paper treatment over the years. When visiting
museums or historic houses keep your eyes peeled for papers used in this way,
you will be surprised how much you will spot. And of course these papers are
still made and used by artists and book binders today.
Traditional marbling on paper ( a technique of laying
pigment on water or size and transferring to paper) had been used in the book
binding process to create interesting end papers since the very first books. Discovered in China and then highly developed
in Italy the art of decorated papers soon become something of a skilled and
valued art form. Another old traditional process to decorate paper was
developed at around the same time – that of paste grain.
This technique
involves mixing up a flour ( grain that is ground to a fine powder) , adding
water, cooking it into a paste, ( this forms a glue) adding pigment , spreading the coloured paste
onto a sheet of paper and making
impressions with combs or any kind of mark maker. This process of decoration
when done correctly creates a 3 dimensional pattern on a 2 dimensional surface.
It’s a great fun process to play with and although appearing
easy to do, it takes time and skill to achieve a more complex pattern.
Although intended for use on paper, pastegrain can be
altered and adapted for use on fabric. Come along and have a go.
Here is what you will need to bring along :
Essential
requirements for Paste Grain Papers
·
PAPER Selection of plain papers A4 &A3
– cartridge/brown/lining/black
Selection of
coloured papers – wallpaper/wrapping/novelty.
Old maps/
old books.
Beforehand put initials on back of each sheet please.
·
PAINT
Watercolour tubes/ acrylic/poster. This can be cheap stuff from the
Works. Better coverage is achieved if using Artists quality but is not
essential.
Metallic
colour or iridescent is really nice to use if you have any.
·
MARK MAKERS anything to
make impressions into the paste. Comb/ rollers/bottle tops/ old credit cards/
forks/knives/ rubber stamps. Collect what you can. I will bring loads.
·
You will also need:
Selection of
household brushes 1” or more wide. About 5 – I have some you can borrow.
Plastic cups
(or glass jars) if you have them.
Plastic
table covering.
Apron or old
shirt.
Small towel
or dishcloth/ j cloth for wiping hands.
·
OPTIONAL you might want to bring:
Foils,
gold/dutch leaf/glitter glue/any shiny stuff.
Some white
or dyed fabric to try pastegrain on.
Small
cutting mat/ scalpel/ scissors/ glue/small boxes/ cards. We might get time to
make something with our papers.
I will bring:
Pastes,
mixing bowls, plastic cups, buckets , and lots of other things we might need. I
will also have sample packs of interesting papers if needed.
Please email or phone me if have any problems of questions. Feb 9th. Kislingbury village Hall.
Sally Hutson
