from january’s bookshelf: paper transformed

In Paper Transformed, Julia Andrus shares more than 100 recipes for making handmade paper designs including creating the look of embossed metal, lifting color with bleach or rubber stamps and designing with compressed sponges. It is advertised as the ‘ultimate paper designer’s handbook’ and while that may be true, I found several techniques that are polymer clay friendly.

The recipes appeal to me more than the projects, but the ‘Painted Tin Frame’ sure does look like the real thing. I had to look twice before I was convinced that it was paper. The most striking projects are the tin frame and the ‘Mottled Dressed Mannequin’, with a skirt made from paper petals and rivets (polymer clay petals could easily be substituted for the paper skirt petals on the mannequin).

Equally intriguing is the ‘Soot Prints’ recipe although it can’t be done with polymer clay. The technique mimics old photo negatives and involves matches, so you’ll have to buy the book to see what I mean, but trust me – it is an interesting way to create images!

The book is set up in a clear, easy to read format, with recipe samples shown on small tags like the ones pictured below.

Here’s an excerpt (click on picture to enlarge):

I like recipes. They are jumping off points and help me to focus right before I take off on my creative tangent. Two of the books that I keep close at hand in my studio are Polymer Clay Surface Design Recipes and The Art of Polymer Clay Creative Surface Effects. I also like cross-pollination. We borrowed Mokume Gane from metalsmiths and Millefiore from the ancient glass artisans and adapted them to the clay. Why not paper?

My copy of Paper Transformed sits on the shelf in between the Kato and Marshall books mentioned above. You can’t have too many recipes…maybe too many cooks in the kitchen, but never too many recipes.

Julia Andrus also has a website complete with products, how-to’s and online video tutorials.

Links to Paper Transformed are in the sidebar.