Painted Paper

I love painted paper! Somehow, it brings me back to childhood - playing with watercolor paints or crayons - even the time in elementary school when we put crayons in our glue to make the white adhesive change colors. I love the array of commercial and handmade decorative papers that is used in bookbinding and handmade box projects. But, it is also fun to experiment and create my own. There is just something about getting messy, playing with colors, and accepting the final product.

It is great to spend a couple of hours with liquid acrylic paint, black ink, Arches text weight paper, water, and other supplies. I love spreading out and going crazy (being careful not to get paint on the dining room table or the floor). Each sheet comes out unique and completely one of a kind! When trimmed into smaller pieces, the art looks very different. I can't just paint one sheet. I keep going - mixing the paints ever so slightly as I go along and spreading out the wet paper all over the living room floor until it dries. Yesterday, I painted 9 pieces of paper. When there is enough acrylic paint left, it is fun to paint book fabric. Like the paper, this painted fabric looks very different when attached to the cover of a book.

I have made a few journals in which the entire book block is comprised of these painted pages (one of these books will be posted to Etsy soon). At other times, I cut the paper and use it to embellish the book. Sometimes the painted paper is used to surround the spine of each section on a Coptic bound book and at other times, it is used for the cover of the book. Regardless, I find a great deal of satisfaction knowing that the paper used is partially designed by me, but mostly by the water and paint nearby. It seems to take on a life of its own.

Painting Book Cloth

I have always enjoyed playing with paints, but am sometimes reluctant to do so because I lack formal training in using these mediums. More recently, I am putting the uncertainty aside and am jumping in to experiment to see what works and what doesn't. Sometimes, the materials have ended up in the trash. Regardless, it is a lot of fun to pull out the paintbrushes, acrylic paint, glass of water, and other materials. Mixing the paints is also rewarding. When adding the colors, I might have an idea of what it will look like but am often surprised at the actual outcome. Since a specific color isn't required, I go with it!

Today, I sewed a little book with tan and black end sheets. I have some brown book cloth and decided to spruce it up some. I have been wanting to incorporate some printmaking techniques into my bookbinding. So, I pulled out some letterpress pieces - the letters B, E, and the numbers 2 and 6 (or 9). Some of these, I have collected over the years, and still others were purchased in Chelsea, Michigan on a recent trip to visit family in the area. I spread some paint on some well-used waxed paper, and using my letter press pieces (wood and metal), stamped designs on the brown fabric. Using some masking tape, I created some straight edges. In other places, I pressed the designs free handed. Then, I glued the book board to the fabric (after it has dried). Now, the project is in the press overnight. Tomorrow, I will be able to glue the book block into the completed painted cover. Look for it on Etsy soon!