Adventures in cotton rag paper

Journal pages, Mary M Payne

I found a new empty journal book in an artsy shop in Nice called "L'arret creation".   It was just calling out to me.  

This smallish book is about 8.5 inches square

 ( 22cm.) 

 I liked the deckled feathered edges which are one of the signs of handmade paper.  And the price was about 12 euros which is good for handmade paper. 

Journal pages, Mary M Payne

It is from the Khadi mill in south India...made from recycled cotton rag. 

 The book, though is quite fragile. In fact the spine came off early on and I had to tape each page by the end of the work to make the book hold together.    These journal pages can be watercolored or inked but not much else. 

Detail of stencil , pens and handmade rubber stamping , journal page by Mary M Payne

The rag paper doesn't really like glue but I have forced the issue and each collage page is "bumpety rumpety".  The different gram weights of paper collage and glue make the book fatter and more interesting somehow. 

collage journal page, Mary M Payne

Tissue type papers and gel glues were the most successful collage materials I found. 

collage journal pages, Mary m Payne

Some pages like this one just didn't work as the paper didn't really take a layer of gesso to get back to "square one".  The gesso made it almost impossible to outline with pen afterwards so that part looks pretty clumsy.  

If you don't crack the shell, you can't eat the nut,  journal pages Mary M Payne

 Really, I shouldn't be so precious about it all.  It's a journal for "christsake" ....meant to be about spontaneity.  

journal pages, Mary M Payne

But hey, 
the game of journaling, like most of life,  is all about process and discovery. 

Even if I am not really proud of the results of this little journal,  I am still attached to the stuff I learned...


 so yes,  I will show you the rest of it later.