subject: Paper Casting: The Amazing Art of Allen and Patty Eckman91 [print this page] Paper Casting: The Amazing Art of Allen and Patty Eckman91
paper casting is one of the simplest techniques to learn. It requires little in the way of specialized supplies and equipment, and yields quite lovely results with minimal training. With simple household tools andscrap paper, paper casting techniques can be used to create exquisite decorations for handmade greeting cards, scrap-book pages, and special gift wrapping tags.
Paper casting is truly a green activity, and a great craft to do with children. By using scrap paper, paper that would normally be consigned to the recycle bins or dumped straight in the land-fill - fliers, junk mail, and old catalogs - you can create delicately tintedhandmade papers that can be embossed, or directly cast into almost any shape you can imagine.
The art of makingpaper has a long and interesting history. Every great civilization has created some form of material on which to record its history and create its works of art, and we are certainly not the first to create lovely embellished papers.
The Ancient Egyptians usedpapyrus , a form of paper made from Nile reeds. Papyrus is extremely fragile, though, and immersion in water will quickly dissolve it into soggy, mushy fragments.
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Conspirators in theMiddle Ages are said to have used this to safeguard their secrets, knowing any secret writings consigned to papyrus could be quickly and easily destroyed should discovery become imminent.
Vellum was used extensively, along with the sturdier parchment, for books which, until the appearance of the printing press, were hand lettered. Making a copy of a book was an extremely skilled, time-consuming, and arduous task, most often undertaken by scribes in monastic orders. Only the very wealthy could afford to own books or commission them.
These books were often works of art in their own right, with intricatedecorations and hand-painted embellishments. A famous example, "Les T rs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry ", the Duc de Berry'sBook of Hours , a book of prayers to be said by the faithful at each of the canonical hours of the day, contains many such exquisite illuminations.
Commissioned by Jean, Duc de Berry around 1410, it is probably the most important illuminated manuscript from the 15th century. The manuscript includes 131 with large miniatures and many border decorations, along with 300 decorated capital letters.
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The Basics of Paper Casting
Paper casting is one of the easiest and least expensive crafting techniques. In a short time, you can produce beautiful paper castings.
Supplies:
paper - any kind will do and junk mail works well
clean tap water
a clean, empty, 4 liter (4 quart) ice cream pail
a blender - second hand is best, but clean it very, very carefully if you plan to re-use it for food
a sponge - the inexpensive kind work well
a strainer - old is fine, as long as it's not rusty
some paper towels
a mold - many companies sell beautiful molds for paper casting. You can also use candy or cookie molds, or even rubber stamps
Method:
tear paper into 1" pieces
pour a cup of water in a blender and add 8 - 10 pieces of paper
blend at high speed for 20 seconds, or until paper is completely pulped
holding the strainer over the ice cream pail, pour thepaper pulpinto the strainer
pour the drained pulp into the mold, patting it in place with your hand
pat the paper with a sponge to remove excess water
squeeze out the sponge and continue gently pressing out the excess water
gently pat the paper casting with paper towel and carefully lift the casting out of the mold
set the casting aside to dry
The finished castings, once dry, may be colored with chalks, inks, water colorpaints, acrylic paints, or even make-up - different shades of powder eye shadows and blushes.You can also use dry, carefully sieved tempera paints.
To decorate or color your casts with paints or ink, seal the casting first with a thin coat of a mixture of half water and half white glue, or a spray sealer.
The drying time can be shortened by using a standard hair dryer with a diffuser attachment.
WARNING...
You can reuse the water from the strained pulp but when you are finished your projects, make sure you dispose of the used water safely.
Once you are completely finished casting, take the bucket of used water outside and pour it on the driveway or directly down a sewer grate where it can dissipate without harming anything.
