I often get drawing ideas from crafting. I made this decorated paper by mimicking the way I knit with many colors.
Stranded knitting (or fair isle knitting as some call the technique) can feel tedious at first. Constantly changing the colors can be tiresome. But if you do that long enough, your brain will get used to it. I think it is a way of thinking: constanty interrupting what you are currently making. If you do that, you will also prevent yourself thinking too far ahead and too logically.
I began with an odd paper that had been watercolored throughout. That way I created depth instead of showing white paper between the colored areas. Color pencils work great on watercolored surfaces a long as the paper is fairly smooth. I created the paper just by adding basic shapes so that they formed some kind of fairly free grid. Changing colors and plans all the time kept the interest at the work and prevented too monotone visual appearance.
After making that paper I began to think about handdyed fiber. I love this photo of my bobbins! It’s mind-blowing when I think about spinning handdyed wool and how the color changes so seamlessly.
I also often knit socks from handdyed yarn. Like these ones I just made recently.
As a result I decided that the irregular stripes deserve to get on paper too!
I began with few colors first, again on watercolored paper.
Then I added colors. I worked pretty fast here. Even if I like my papers to be super detailed the sharp and regular stripes often look too static.
Most of my papers have round shapes. These knitting inspired ones are edgier in style. They will look great when combined with the circles. When you are building the stash of hand decorated papers for collage art, take care that you have a variety of papers.
In these papers the motif size can also be maintained fairly small. So these will look absolutely gorgeous even when cut in tiny pieces!
P.S. I you are more of a quilter than knitter, read what you can bring to art from quilting.
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hi paivi-what a fun and beautiful post! fabulous pictures too. the handdyed fibers/your bobbins are indeed mind-blowing. and those socks you knitted-OH MY they look so comfy and soft. i can imagine both pages being cut up into small squares or punched with a small circle punch. i am putting this technique on my list for doing. i like that it requires just a few materials. and i like your explanation about changing the colors (it does sound a bit tedious- lol) i can see how this process would work to interrupt/ and keep you from thinking ahead-just focusing on the next line or shape of color you are putting down. it sounds like it would eventually be very relaxing. i would maybe pick 4 or 5 colors and only use those. thank you for sharing this-as always-a lovely and very inspirational post!
Jenny, thanks! I personally find the greatest joy when using just few simple supplies. One subject that I want to cover more in the near future is freeform cutting with scissors. To be prepared for that you might want to create some decorated papers first!
the top paper creation reminds me of a quilt
Yes, I am all for quilting too, see the blog post Things Learned from Quilting http://www.peonyandparakeet.com/things-learned-from-quilting/
Have you ever made paper? Do you have an easy recipe? I can remember going to the museum a long time ago. While there I took a very short class on making paper. While the “paper”was still wet, we added different textures to it. When it dried, it was ready to be framed!
Lisa, I haven’t but I would really really like to some day! Great idea from the museum too! Thanks for your comments!