Trying to Make Paper for the First Time (and struggling 😅)

I saved all my scraps from last year to try papermaking for the first time! I searched for the most simple methods that didn't require leaving the house, buying more things or ruining my blender. Here's how it went...

SUPPORT & SUBSCRIBE

0:00 How to Start
0:53 Making Pulp
4:33 Mould & Deckle
6:40 Making Paper
10:11 Drying Paper
12:54 Changing Pulp & Clean Up
14:31 The Results

SUPPLIES

HELPFUL BOOK

HELPFUL DIY PAPER VIDS

SHOP MY PRINTS, STICKERS & MORE

SOCIAL

MAIL
Sea Lemon
PO Box 1333
Scottsdale, AZ 85252
USA

MUSIC CREDITS

DISCLAIMERS
Links above marked with (*) are affiliate links, which means I may earn revenue or credits (at no extra cost to you) via those affiliated sites.

[FiMilton]

I was taking a papermaking class in college when we were sent home last semester so I have some experience make paper at home! I have some tips if you try this again. It really helps to have a finer pulp, it should feel like slush, this helps you get a thinner and more even looking piece of paper. For forming your sheets it’s easier if your mold and deckle has a wooden frame, without it the sheet warps and you don’t get as even as a piece of paper. In my first day of quarantine I only had popsicle sticks so I cut and glued them to get a sturdy edge. When putting paper on a surface like a window do it straight from your wooden mold and deckle and press firmly on all sides and the center to get an even piece. You can also reactive dried pulp for later. If you are keeping it out you need to wash it and change the water daily to prevent mold and it should really always be in the fridge. I’m so excited that you’re getting into papermaking it’s such a wonderful process! For one of my projects I collected flowers from my town and blended it into my pulp to make floral paper! You have to seal the paper with mod podge or something though to stop the flowers from decaying. I would love to see more of your papermaking adventures💕

[BacchusDiem]

"i'm going to beat the paper instead"
ah.... so you have chosen

[oksanatymoshenko]

Once I've been to a paper-making class with my son, he was quite young and now I understand why paper napkins were used for that class :))) it literally melted in water, no beating needed. having a bunch of kids around, that's exactly what you need - an easy process :) one thing which was unexpected - they used dried rose petals, the delicate ones and the paper turned out to be really cool, romantic even :)))

[craftygamerones]

Imagine walking by her house and just seeing all the handmade paper slapped to the windows 😂😂

[Minxable]

I like your approach. Reading a book instead of just the internet, not going out to buy stuff, you just give it a try and know itˋs a process and doesnˋt have to be perfect the first time.

[TariHuffaker]

I love that you share the WHOLE learning journey. I think I will opt for drying my paper outside...I think it will dry faster and it could be covered with a screen or cheese cloth "tent" to keep the bugs out.
I like that you can put flower seeds in you handmade paper so that it can be recycled into the garden or a flower pot.

[matthewcienki]

Try using Japanese binding technique with this paper. That would be cool!

[bookbindinggeek]

Thanks for the great introduction to paper making! I tried paper making for the first time last Fall at a course, and I made enough A4 sized papers to make a small book in the future. We used a hand blender in a bucket to make the pulp after letting the paper scrabs soak in water. And to dry the paper we first used a sponge, then ironed the paper in between a couple of pieces of cotton fabric. Just don't use steam when you iron, because that's counterproductive.



A lot of papers alreary have the size on them, that helps to hold them together. So if you use like office paper or old mail, you don't need to add size to your pulp water mixture, because the papers already have it.



If you want to make some fancy papers, I recommend adding the top layers of some nice paper napkins to the paper, right after you lift the deckle from your water pulp mixture. The fibers stick to each other. I also added dried and pressed flowers to my papers this way and they turned out really pretty.

[rae_d]

Sorry, I got distracted with your dog in the background 😂

[dragoniraflameblade]

The struggle is real. I did this years ago with my art teacher. It was so confusing.
Support your local libraries!

[atmajpasalkar]

Just imagine making 40 pages like this and making a sketchbook from those pages

[alanmcnamara]

An interesting idea is to add plant seeds to the pulp and create greeting cards for gardener friends who can plant the cards in the garden afterwards.

[seekyegwhore]

I recently made a book out of DIY paper and here are some thoughts to share to the void:
- I think adding a little cornstarch helped make the paper sturdier
- having a deckle also allows for you to have a slightly thicker paper that can withstand the hole punching process (i think it's because the edges are thicker because it's wood as opposed to tape but doubling the tape can help just the same I think)
- I also used single-sheet binding method so I didn't have to fold paper
- There are also some concerns with the type of pens you can use to write on the paper: ballpoint works well, gel pens can pierce, and fountain pens bleed too much (from what I've heard form others, this is also why sizing is important).
It was harder to do all that, the worst was being patient enough to compile all the paper to make enough pages, but all and all it was worth it to see a book you know you made entirely from scratch! pun intended

[Bingobango]

Aww Kona is so adorable laying with her arms and legs in the air 1:45

[erinkathleen]

I can't wait to watch this! I saved all my notes from last semester, and I'm going to make them into paper to make an art journal. Why not make something beautiful out of all my hard work? :)

EDIT: Well, I am undeterred. If I can't make sheets that will fold well enough to book bind, I'll make art prints out of them. :) Thank you for sharing your particular process and struggles! :)

[Liftbridgecards]

I find that a pour mold is easier to work with and eliminates the trial and error with how much pulp to have in the vat. Arnold Grummer has some really nice kits and a book with great techniques. You might enjoy his tin can kit if you’re looking for a less formal way of making paper with pre bought molds.

[ChiB]

I was literally doing this last night! I put a little glue in the paste so it sticks together

[RamoArt]

I really want to try this after seeing that there's a low budget and low commitment way to do this, but I think it's gonna have to wait until it's summer because this definitely seems like an outside project lmao. I'd like to do some impasto painting on it, I think that'd look neat.

[abhilipsapradhan]

I too made my paper but I soaked them for 4 days and they got easily pulped by hands😄😄

[kristencathey]

Thank you for saying papermaking was harder than you'd thought it would be! Experts make it look easy but I imagine there's lots of room for trial and error.