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Ha. (warning, long rambling crap ahead)
I live in an upper/lower duplex, and the convoluted way the place was hacked together means that my backroom, originally I believe an open porch, has the furnace in it. This makes space a premium, since there are also three windows and two doors. Fun stuff!
Since I decided to try out pulp painting, the space is definitely filling up! I now have 14 large jars, 12 small jars and 12 condiment bottles (all they had in stock!) Shredder, blender, large metal bowl the paper-making screen sits on, giant tub for mold & deckle work, my whole desk is full! Plus two shelves and the entire top of the dresser of papers just for the bottles. What I'd give for more space =P
I've spent the last week messing around, trying construction paper, tissue paper and toilet paper. Construction decidedly likes clogging the squeeze tube the most while toilet is the clumpiest. I like that you don't need to pre-soak the tissues for a day before blending. Took me forever to find the right ratio of papers to water in the bottle, around 15% pulp to 85% water! All of the containers have more water than pulp, so it just settles to the bottom in a soft fuzzy layer. It's almost fun to just stir it lightly and watch the little fibers float around. >D
After soaking the construction paper for a day, I strained the now dyed water and instead of just tossing it, put it into another jar with torn toilet paper. This dyed the tissue a pale, almost pastel hue of the original, although the orange became an odd shade of peach. The green, unfortunately, because so pale as to almost be useless. *sad panda* 
I found out what *not* to do when I tried pulping a light brown bond paper. Not realizing the paper was dyed *after* being made, I ended up with yellow water and pulp that is a lovely shade of lavender.
I like using the paper-maker mesh screen over the large bowl since I can play with how the squeeze bottles, eye dropper and turkey baster work, then gather the mess up and plop it back into the bottle to start all over again. Yay watery goodness! 
I'm very annoyed that I only have one shade of brown, dark. Adding white makes it lighter but not that great and I don't think I've ever seen anyone selling brown tissue. I only have *one* piece of specialty chiri paper and it's difficult to get more. Any suggestions on making nice light browns?
While looking up pulp painting on Google, I found out about chigiri-e, which is *awesome*, anyone ever try it?
Anyway, if you've managed to get this far in my rambling, I'm wondering if I'm even really allowed to discuss pulp painting here, as it isn't exactly paper mache, is it?
Last edited by WillowleafArtistry (2011-04-07 17:57:14)
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Forgive any of the following advisement if already well considered-
The problem with using an icing squeeze is the the highly aqueous pulp state; it would be akin to handling a ruptured water balloon, me thinks.
If you choose to use clay or other natural mineral pigments, invest in a marble slab and muller - the earth tones tend to be gritty. Unless you are using a binder with your pulp, consider using a retention agent. Read more on the subject of dyes here:
http://newsletter.handpapermaking.org/b … /beg64.htm
and pigments in paper (and pulp painting) here:
http://newsletter.handpapermaking.org/b … /beg18.htm
and more general paper making info:
http://newsletter.handpapermaking.org/b … /index.htm
There is a bitchen painter, Scott Marr, that makes his own pigments and dyes from tree bark and plants that feature some especially nuanced earth tones- check him out here: http://scottmarr.blogspot.com/
I've found the character of browns may radically change when diluted, and that exceptionally vibrant hues may be obtained from constituents (livid burnt orange and various greens, for example)- think of Seurat.
Here is a great flick of a pulp painter using stencils, followed by her pressing method:
http://www.teachingbooks.net/show.cgi?m … amp;cont=1
and a masterful time laps of a highly elaborate pulp painting employing registered stencils as in serigraphy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9R7BzJMxfs
I'm following your progress with no small portion of excitement, and eagerly await your next installment.
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Acrolith - I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean; what is my "personal philosophy" that you speak of? =/ Also, the bottles I use already afford a nice "particular and controlled" method of making lines, and are solid in construction. Icing bags would be a poor choice to contain liquids. The turkey baster is for filling in large areas, the squeeze bottles make decent medium lines while the eye dropper gives very thin lines. I have a little flat edged tool that I use to gently scrape the edges of lines on the screen to straighten them if needed.
mavigogun - Thank you so much for your links! That last video was awesome, and I've already watched the mouse video! I really don't like the idea of using chemicals if I can possibly avoid it, especially since they can have detrimental affects on both paper and person, not to mention seemingly simple things like retention aid are so difficult to find here (not fond of internet purchasing) The idea of natural plant dyes intrigues me.
Your last sentence really made my day, thanks! 
I'm always glad to hear from you. I'm afraid I'm not *that* interesting, though, and tend to be very slow at doing anything. This last week has been more interesting than the past six months! But I will endeavor to bring you more info soon! 
(edit to add: while that artist, Scott Marr, has gorgeous items, I don't see any information on *how* he makes the dyes/pigments he uses, unless I simply missed it )
Last edited by WillowleafArtistry (2011-04-06 17:29:56)
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'I'm wondering if I'm even really allowed to discuss pulp painting here, as it isn't exactly paper mache, is it?'
I think it's probably close enough that Jackie isn't going to pitch a fit!
It isn't until you do something like you are that you realize what the different colors are REALLY composed of. Have you tried coloring your pulp with acrylic paint?
Natural dyes from plant materials can be found right around your home. Here's a website for starters: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/naturaldyes.html
But keep in mind that most natural dyes need a mordant to 'fix' the color. Without it, the color either won't 'stick', or fades quickly. And most finished projects made with them should be kept out of direct sunlight.
Hmmmm..... paper and color obsession..... why am I thinking you're not the first?
But the storage problem is always a problem. You know the rule: Got Space? Fill It Up!
Have fun!
Sue
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Oh, I am in love with that link, Catperson, thank you so much! I love how many options it gives per colour! So, according to it, all I need to make a "fixative" is salt or vinegar? Vinegar is an acid, so since that page was designed for use on fabrics, wouldn't using this method damage paper? Would my next best bet be alum, which I can supposedly by from a hardware store?
I haven't tried using acrylics just yet, but I have a box *filled* with a boatload of different colours. I am *completely* obsessed with colours, my eyes can differentiate between very subtle shades, and it has made buying paints a tad expensive since I want *every* shade I even have a rainbow dress....
EDIT: I've taken pictures, so check out my flickr stream http://www.flickr.com/photos/willowleafartistry/
Last edited by WillowleafArtistry (2011-04-06 18:58:30)
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Where did everyone go...?
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The banks of colour-filled jars are a warm, familiar sight; the battle for space makes us comrades! Are those naked studs under that sheet, begging for pulp? (There's a chick who fills the space with unbound, damp pulp...let me see... where's that link...)
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I don't know much about natural dyeing, but certain sources of colors may react more favorably with certain mordants.
You should be able to find high-quality alum in a grocery store, as it's used for making pickles.
Yes, salt and vinegar would seem to be counter-productive with PM, but all I can say is, Try It! So what if it doesn't last forever?
Every endeavor has a learning curve, and a lot of ideas for PM aren't documented, or very much.
I would suggest keeping a smallish notebook of ideas and things that work or don't work. The more stuff your brain retains, the harder it is to retain all that info in the proper 'internal folders', and the really horrible fact is that we have no DELETE key, so all the good stuff is locked in there with stupid advertising jingles, old song lyrics, halfway remembered quotations, etc.
As to where everyone is, spring is nearby, and everyone is glad to get out of the house, even if it is just mowing the lawn or pulling weeds.
Sue
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haven't time to follow all the links so apologies if this has already been covered - some years ago I did an art event with a paper maker, who used (among other things) spices to colour her papers - came up in lovely subtle earthy colours, including brown. Can't recall if she used any fixatives, but from memory: paprika (dried to dull orangey brown), cumin - quite a strong yellow, ginger, cinnamon - oh, and tea to get a mid-dark brown. Made her pulp smell nice, anyway!
Gerry Copple's books talk a lot about colouring - she specialises (or did) in what I'd call collage-style papier mache but I'm fairly sure she used pulp-painting techniques as well (sorry to be vague, at work so my library's not to hand).
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