Chapter 5:2 Paper investigation

For this chapter we were asked to do several experiments with as many different types of paper as we could find. We were to tear, fold, crease and crumple each in turn to see what effects resulted.

 Fig. 2.1

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Fig. 2.4

The labels on these scrunched up papers are hidden so reading left to right:

Top row: card; newsprint; lining paper

Centre: wrapping paper; kitchen roll; tissue

Bottom row: hand-made tissue; silk paper; architects tracing paper

 Fig. 2.5

Sample 1: Tissue paper hole punched with an oblong punch, then torn and layered

 

Fig. 2.6

Sample 2: Tracing paper strips cut with scallop edged scissors and overlapped 

 Fig. 2.7

Sample 3: Tracing paper cut with different scrapbooking scissors, patches and strips overlapped

 Fig. 2.8

Sample 4: Tracing paper run through the sewing machine without thread then torn into strips and overlapped

 Fig. 2.9

Sample 5: Pleated tissue paper strips and patches

Fig. 2.10

Sample 6: Tissue paper pleated in two directions

 

 Fig. 2.11

Sample 7: Scrunched tissue paper glued down to retain rough folds.

Fig. 2.12

Sample 8: Rolled and twisted strips of tissue paper

 

 Fig. 2.13

Sample 9: Tissue paper strips rolled and knotted

Fig. 2.14

Sample 10: Strip of tissue paper machine gathered along one edge and formed into a rough circle

 

 Fig. 2.15

Sample 11: Long strips of tissue paper machine gathered roughly down the centre and glued in place

Fig. 2.16

Sample 12: A large piece of tissue paper with four rows of machine stitch to gather up before gluing in place.

Some of these initial samples I think are already suggesting the textures on my trees but I'll play with them more in the next chapter.

Module 5: Texture in Landscape

Maybe I should have called this post 'My Love Affair with Trees'! I've loved trees for as long as I can remember ... vague memories of my hippie 'tree hugging' phase as a teenager. Established in our 'forever home' with a garden far too small to have a real life tree (the flowering cherry tree that was there had to go after much heart searching as it was causing cracks in the house wall), we set about creating our very own bonsai arboretum. I have oak trees which are no more than 10" tall grown from acorns which we planted ourselves, a crab apple tree 8" tall and 35 years old which is smothered in blossom every spring and produces tiny crab apples every autumn, a tiny quince which is the first to bloom each year with beautiful red flowers, a gingko, a selection of maples... well, you get the idea.

 Maple bonsai

Crab apple bonsai

Everywhere I go I take photographs of trees so when I saw the topic for Module 5 - Texture in the Landscape - I immediately knew what my subject would be! So tree bark it is.

Fig. 1.1

 

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Fig. 1.6

My first job was to narrow down the images that I would use as inspiration for my work and tried to pick out some of the trees with the most interesting textures. We were asked to zoom in on the particular area of interest and to manipulate the images in some way so as to emphasise the texture. It was then that I hit my first obstacle ... the last update of Windows 10 had rendered my copy of Photoshop Elements unusable! I found a couple of free photo editing programs online but they weren't really doing what I wanted. I waited to see if Santa would bring me an up-to-date copy of Photoshop and he didn't let me down.

 Fig. 1.7

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Fig. 1.14