A special project in the timeline of the intellectual collaboration projects this year was July’s.  We had the opportunity to collaborate in person! So for this special occasion, we decided to practice a technique instead of complete a book project. We chose to experiment with paste papers and paste cloth as it is a material that has many applications and one that I continue to come back to.

Here are a few of the paste papers that were a result of our session. I tried to break out of what I normally do since the idea was to experiment…these still look like what I try out, but I tried pushing it a little further than normal.

As seen in the detail photo below, there are three comb patterns. The green/yellow paper and the red/purple paper was combed then blotted with a damp sponge. The yellow paper was just combed.

This paste cloth example (below) shows a little bit more of what we were able to try. Paste cloth is created by applying the back side with a clear layer of paste, then flipping it over on a piece of Mylar. If you want the color of the cloth to show through once it is combed, then apply another coat of clear paste. However, if you want to vary the decoration and add an extra layer of interest, you can add the paste mixed with paint instead or do a bit of  both.

In the above example, clear paste was applied to the center in a circular pattern. Paste mixed with red paint was applied to the outside. The blue was added on top of the clear paste overlapping some with the red which created the purple in some areas. Then the combing pattern was done to reveal the white color of the cloth where the clear paste was applied and pink and blue where that paste paint was applied.

Now we both have a great group of papers and cloth to use in future projects, or to inspire more paste materials.

Space Paste Press July Project

Past Spring Leaf Press Intellectual Collaboration Projects
June: Accordion
May: Ephemera
April: National Poetry Month
March: Stuff in a Box
February: Zine
January: Jacob’s Ladder