Several years ago I thought it would be fun to make my own paper. I searched for instructions, found more than I’d ever have time to read, and decided to just jump in – wing it. The results may illustrate that choice but I like them anyway.
People suggested buying special pulp paper to make paper pulp. What? No. Never. I collected old advertising circulars and tore them into pieces instead.
The next steps would be to soak the paper, then compress it to get the water out. Numerous websites offered paper-making whatsits for sale. They were usually made of pressing parts and screens, with water collection containers attached. Buy those? No. Never. So, I found an old barbecue grill screen – the kind that has small holes because it’s made for a portable grill – and part of an old book shelf instead.
I filled a large bowl with water and dumped the paper in, to let sit for a day. But then I thought of how fluffy and tiny dryer lint is when it collects on the dryer filter screen. Hmmm…would it work well with the pieces of paper? There was one way to find out: I added a giant clump of dryer lint (including the usual oddities, like hair and cat fur) to the water and mixed it with the paper.
The next day, I drained off the excess water and removed the gloppy paper. Then I put the screen on top of the bowl, plopped a handful of wet paper pieces and dryer lint on top of the screen, placed the piece of shelving on top of the pile of paper, and pressed the water out. I had to repeat this step several times but eventually I was able to gently remove a sheet of soggy paper from the screen. The paper was bumpy, holey, and a bit hairy. Perfect.
I let it dry, scanned it, and uploaded the image to my Shop on Redbubble for printing on several products.
Handmade paper! It’s one of my favorite pieces: colorful, messy, and fun to explore.
Art by Robin King 
You know…this seems like a good print for Earth Day. I can’t stop staring at the textures and layers!
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You’re so nice to say that! Thank you! It was soooo much fun to make! The big $5 makes me laugh! And the holes are kind of mysterious-looking, esp on the clothing. Thank you again! 🥰
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I’m glad you had fun making it! If you didn’t, I’d have questions lol
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Yep, this is really nice artwork and it looks great as a T shirt as well!
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Hi!! Thank you very much!! It was sooo much fun to make! 🥰
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Brilliant Robin! I would like to try something like this someday, I love me some texture! 😉
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Thank you very much!! It was great fun to do, and much easier than I expected. LOL – wow, yes, texture is wonderful! I ❤️ it, too! 🥰
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Methinks I sense a kindred spirit here! Loving the DIY ethic. It’s resourceful; it’s creative; it’s punk!
The first thing I thought to myself when I saw the first image was “That’d make a cool fabric design”…then I keep reading and see that you’ve put it on a shirt. Poifect!
Love that you’ve recycled other paper products/ junk mail etc. too. ( I didn’t even realise there was such a thing as pulp specifically made for paper making. Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?).
I’ve toyed with the idea of paper making before. I’m pretty big on texture, so homemade paper appeals to me with it’s delicious textural elements. I’m pretty lazy, though, so I never got around to it 😆 . I think I’ll just look at your posts instead..,.much easier!
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Hi!! Thank you!! Hooray for repurposing stuff! I love to do that. It’s win-win, I think. Plus, it’s always an adventure. One thing I’ve wondered: at what point does paper turn into sculpture? I have some little things I’ve considered adding to a new batch of paper-goo, but it’d end up MUCH thicker & bumpier (what I made above is already thicker & bumpier than any “real” paper). How far can I go with that before the result is sculpture? Haaa! Guess I need to look up exactly what “sculpture” includes. 🥰
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Your handmade paper artwork looks great, my dear friend! What a creative idea Robin ~ have a wonderful weekend, too 😙🌹
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Phil!! Thank you very, very much! It was soooo much fun! I had no idea how it’d turn out so I think I got lucky. (((Thank You))) 🥰
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This would make a great art print! It has a 60s style pop art vibe. I also love that you’re so adventurous with media. I tend to overthink stuff and end up never doing it at all. (“Is this right? Did I put too much in here? Do I need to start over?”) Your technique is really a form of art in itself.
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Hi!! Thank you! I like this a lot, too. It’s weird in person bec it has a lot of holes, plus it’s super thick in places. But it cracks me up, you know? It’s just fun to look at. Yeah, I overthink, too, sometimes. Too often, probably. But for the paper I was on my own bec there was no way I’d buy tools or supplies for it and all the instructions I found expected that. But you’re right, it’s an adventure. That’s usually why I do anything. If it seems predictable or organized or done-to-death I’m not interested. It’s exciting to explore! And thank you about the print! This is available on all of the Redbubble products, including prints. 🥰
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I like this!
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Hi! Thank you! 🤗
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