The bookmakers.

The bookmakers 

OFTEN THE MOST EXCITING, interesting and successful results occur when we are forced into a situation that demands our performance regardless of the obstacles. The situation may be brought on by something we say, do or promise, much like a child bragging to friends and being forced to "put up or shut up."

This is exactly what happened to me after attending a workshop at the local art museum on papermaking and bookbinding. I had such a great time, not only with the "hands-on," but with the beautiful individual interpretations of "book" created by extremely talented artists, that I knew I had to expose my students to this wonderful craft experience.

I made all of the arrangements to bring the workshop to my school and informed the class of what was to come. I worked up such an enthusiastic lather that the students were filled with anticipation. Unfortunately, I must have made more arrangements in my mind than in actuality because I was hit with the bad news that the bookmaker presenter could not fit me into her schedule, despite my promise to the class of the wonders of the forthcoming workshop. Now what? I had made paper before--well, sort of. I had bound pages together--once. I had experimented with primitive processes of marbling--long ago. I could do it now. I had to do it now because my students were ready. I made them ready, and now I was going to make them a workshop and my workshop was going to be bigger, better, longer and more memorable than the one originally planned. It had to be.

Making paper

The history of papermaking itself is extremely interesting and worthy of classroom research. The dictionary states that paper is manufactured principally of vegetable fiber reduced to a pulp. The Chinese formed the first paper about 100 A.D. and the technique they used is basically still being used today. This process consists of mashing, beating and breaking apart fiber until each individual filament stands alone. This mashing is more easily achieved in water as it helps to separate the fibers and soften the individual elements. The fibers are lifted from the water on a screen-like sheet. As the water drains away, a layer of fiber remains. This thin layer becomes a sheet of paper when pressed and dried.

I am certain we could make paper in the classroom with limited machinery, given proper chemicals, but our handmade paper was created from waste paper. Making paper from paper hardly sounds like papermaking, but it does give the student a feel for the process, and new respect for the abundant and lowly material so easily taken for granted. Recycling would probably be a more accurate term for this process. The reclaimed waste paper must first be broken down to a pulp stage. To do this it could be soaked and mashed by hand in a large bucket of water or, to save time and energy, whipped in an old kitchen blender. This suspended pulp is then run through a sheetmaker (made from plastic dish pans, aluminum screening and wood strips.) After the excess water is "rolled" or "squeezed" from the new sheet it is set aside to dry. Experimentation will lead to coloring possibilities and the limitless textural materials which can be added to or embedded into the new sheet. Every sheet will be different and students will not be happy making just one sheet. You will discover that the new paper is actually art in its own right.

Papermaking can be an "end" of an art activity, or the beginning of an adventure. The possibilities for elaborations on this theme are as endless as the variety of the paper sheets themselves. Handmade paper has become a popular and reborn art form as is evident in contemporary interior design accents as well as in gallery showings. Framed collages, reliefs and sculptures are just a few of the directions modern papermaking has taken.

Marbling 

Marbling of a paper's surface offers an equal number of possible directions, variations and applications. Marbling, by definition, is the technique of laying a patterned medium on the surface of water which is then transferred to paper to create a design. The addition of new man-made materials into the arts and craft world makes for continuous and ever changing technical processes. You will find both water and oil-based materials suitable for the marbling technique. Once again, experimentation, exploration and patience will eventually determine the best approach to the marbling process. The size of the class, the length of the studio time, the age of the students and the physical setting will all help in making these decisions. Whatever the choice, be prepared for excitement and enthusiasm that not many other activities can evoke. The effects of marbling are so instantly fascinating and equally beautiful that everyone naturally wants to make another and another and "just one more."

So that everyone may have unique marbled paper, have students experiment on different types of papers--newspaper, tissue, foils, wallpaper, glossy, textured--as well as other materials. The marblized papers/materials may be used for end sheets, covers, pages or decorations when considering applications in the construction of a book.

Bookbinding

Finally, the "book" must be bound. A book may be any number of pages, but it is best to limit the size of the first attempts so that the processes may be learned in a manageable manner. Four, six or eight pages will allow the student to experience the steps of bookmaking, while leaving room for individuality and experimentation. Books do not have to be rectangular in shape; they can be square, round, heart shaped, quarter moon shaped, star shaped, free-formed or any shape in between. Books also do not have to open from a left sided binding; perhaps a top binding would be of greater interest, or an accordion fold, or a fan pleat. Obviously, variations are limitless and after the initial introduction to the technical aspects of "bookmaking" the student should feel confident in his ability to expand through experimentation.

The original purpose of books was to store, record and save the spoken word. Books have taken on many new functions and faces since the first books were created by the Egyptians of the third millennium B.C., and have been revived as an art form for contemporary artisans. Our books were not created to contain words, but rather to be enjoyed for the beauty of their individual components.

If planned carefully the bookmaking activity can encompass several techniques, processes and an infinite number of materials. Experimentation is the key to discovery and the discoveries should be equally infinite. Bookmaking is most certainly a contagious event and the bug will not only bite you, but will attack your young artists as well. The process of bookmaking also lends itself to the team teaching and interdisciplinary approaches to education. If you give it a try I am certain you will develop the event to include multiple aspects of your program, and you will be most pleased with the response and results.