An update on the haul I got from the florist.

This paper is from all the red flowers after I extracted the dye, I’m working through the colours down to the white.

I made three different size papers purely from roses, these are the smallest. I got impatient and dried them fast rather than the right way since I prefer just ironing them later, anyway. Those pieces are the same, front and back, showing the difference between the rough(exposed) and smooth(screen) side. I left the pulp extra pulpy, for texture, so I can use it later for book covers.

Fun paper facts: Some commercial papers have a rough and a smooth side, too, especially with thicker artisan papers. In mills, pulp is pulled from the slurry on the “string” which is the screen. Mills use either one string or twin strings, with the later producing paper that’s equally smooth on both sides. This production method also creates the “grain” of the paper, the way the fibres align in the direction the string is pulled. The grain is an important factor in high speed and mass printing operations.

Rate my set up:

I have my pulp bucket, screens and deckles from cheap canvases, screen material is from an old silk scarf, gloves are essential, sponge for sponging, board for drying, and a glass of water because I stay hydrated, homies.