Inflatable Paper

Inflatable Paper

The Sunday Paper #170, August 13, 2017

Paper of the Week: Tracing Paper


Paper Lanterns Inflatable from Helen Hiebert on Vimeo.

I created the Text Ball almost 10 years ago and it’s still going strong (even after traveling around the world). And believe it or not, it’s made of plain old tracing paper. It was a challenge to figure out how to create the pattern for the panels, stamp the text (an Ezra Pound quote: The book should be a ball of light in one’s hand), and assemble the panels while keeping the text properly oriented! Inflating it (like you see me doing in the video) was is exciting!

We’ll be making an inflatable lantern in my online class Paper Lanterns. Grab your spot at the best rate now (the fee goes up on Wednesday)! Registration continues into early September, and class begins September 20th.

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In My Life:


Wow, that was quick! I seems like just yesterday that these two were toddling. I remember making paper with Will in a backpack! Now he’s 18 and Lucah will celebrate her sweet 16 on the day of the solar eclipse! Will is heading to Chicago for college and Lucah is settling into her new home as an exchange student in Germany. The next phase begins!
Papery Tidbits

  • My biannual online starts next Sunday. Whet your appetite for these Word Broadsides, two abaca packages, watermarks and a mystery package!
  • Want to work with me in person? Grab a last spot in my retreat (September 8-10 or 12-14), meet me on Whidbey Island (October 5-8) or find me in San Antonio (October 20-22).
  • Edwards/CO peeps. I’m offering a paper weaving workshop tomorrow (Monday August 14th) at the Alpine Arts Center. Join me!

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Jenn Woodward runs Pulp & Deckle Studio in Portland and just finished this unique portrait project. She drew 60+ subjects on handmade papers with embedded seeds. The next phase of the project involves planting the paper, but the experiences of all of the sitters is sure to live on in their minds. Jenn noticed that people rarely look closely at each other, and she thought if they did they might understand each other better. So she created “Fruits of the sun (for all the unknowns),” an art project to promote empathy. Watch the video and stay tuned for an upcoming podcast episode with Jenn on Paper Talk.

There are so many great nuggets in this story. I met Darren Simpson when I attended an International Association of Papermakers and Paper Artists (IAPMA) conference in Tasmania in 2009. And according to this story, he learned to make paper as a teenager through an unemployment support program. And he’s still at it! Read all about the unique fibers he uses (this photo might give you a clue) and check out Creative Paper Tasmania the next time you’re on that side of the globe.

Now that’s a paper airplane! The artist, Kiel Johnson, is also trying to make the world’s largest paper garden.

Check out Bridge Project in San Antonio, whose mission is to empower the creativity of others by offering unique making opportunities to businesses, individuals, and the community. Paper Clouds was created by local members of the architecture and design community.

Here’s an interesting article about the origins and traditions of Chinese oil-paper umbrellas.

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1 Comment

  1. Time sure flies. Coming back home is like visiting a time capsule. Everyone is older and gone different ways. Enjoy your free time!