Artisanal Paper Elaboration (Spanish, Multisub)

Learn to make paper by hand using plant fibres
Juan Barbé is a papermaker who handcrafts high quality paper using traditional and traditional techniques. Artists like Eduardo Chillida, Manolo Valdés, Rafael Canogar or Antoni Tàpies have used their paper to express their works, which means that their work is exhibited in museums and galleries around the world.

In this course you will learn how to make craft paper with vegetable fibers from the harvesting of the plants to the pressing and drying of the sheets of paper. You will discover traditional techniques for making craft paper that you can use in artistic projects, engravings, bookbinding, restoration, decorative arts, etc. In addition, you can experiment with different vegetable fibers, observing the differences in color, texture and properties that each one offers in the final result.

About this course
You will begin by getting to know the work of Juan Barbé and his influences. He will also tell you about how he started in the artisan paper making trade and he will tell you everything you need to know about the indispensable materials to be made manually.

Then he will talk about what paper is, how to locate the fiber in the plant, how to collect it and how to store and dry it to obtain quality fibers for the production of your sheets of paper.

Once you know the whole process of obtaining plant fibers you will get down to work. Juan will show you all the treatment that the plant must endure to become paper pulp: how to cut the plant, clean it and how to cook it to eliminate unnecessary components.

To finish you will see how to extract a sheet from this paste and you will then go to the pressing and drying process of your sheet of paper.

What is this course’s project?
You will perform the entire manufacturing process of a high quality sheet of paper, from the harvesting of the plant to the pressing and drying. Juan will explain all the steps to make craft paper from the Enea plant.

Who is it for?
To artists, illustrators, bookbinders, artisans, restorers and anyone interested in knowing and learning the craft of craft paper making.

What you need
No prior knowledge of any kind is necessary, since Juan will teach you the whole process step by step, as if you were his apprentice.

With respect to the materials you will need: Enea plant, alkali, a trainer, a press, a utensil to cut, cloths and fiselinas. All these are easy to find materials, although Juan will give you some alternatives so you do not have problems when carrying out your final project.