Get to know me!!

 


Good afternoon to everyone reading!! First and foremost, I would like to introduce and share a little about myself. My name is Mikaela and I am currently studying Fine Arts at Slippery Rock University, in Pennsylvania, hoping to one day move onto graduate school and further my education to become an Art Therapist. 

Enough about about me, onto why we are all here, Sustainable Handmade Paper!! Back in March of 2021, I had applied for a grant through my university in hopes of expanding my knowledge on papermaking, something not specifically offered in our program. At the time, I had little to no knowledge on papermaking and wanted to utilize the grant for workshops in the area and experimenting with fibers I would not have been able to find in my surrounding areas.

From here on out, I will take you through the journey this grant has led me on and share as much of my knowledge with you guys! 

*ps the picture shown above is from a workshop I had attended at Contemporary Craft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania*

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June 20, 2021

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 I did the cooking process of the kozo and gampi the day before and let it sit in the same liquid it cooked in overnight. Today, I started the beating process of the kozo around 10 and it had beat until 12:30. Kozo has about the same consistency as the mitsumata - pretty slimy.  Then, I decided to take a decent amount of the hemp pulp and add the koalin clay to it to see the difference in texture and color. In a measuring cup, I added around 1/4th of a cup of clay to 4 cups of water per the directions and let the clay disperse into the water then added it to the pulp. The clay is meant to give the paper a more smooth and opaque quality once dry. Pictured, you can see the difference the clay made with the dry sheets, it was less transparent and more smooth. After that, I started the beating process of the gampi without sizing around 12:45 and as soon as it started I knew it was not going to take long to beat. It only beat for about an hour and was already a fine pulp. 
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June 19, 2021

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