Paper craft

I have been dabbling with all sorts of crafts as a hobby for a while now, my favourite one being paper craft. I started by using paper from books of patterned papers which you can pick up from most craft shops. Using paper folding techniques I firstly made little angels, hanging hearts and stars for christmas decorations.

I then started ripping up papers and arranging them to form pictures, mostly seascapes and coastal themed. My first framed pictures were given as presents to family. My sister (www.terrydonaldson.co.uk) gave me some great feedback and suggested I have a go at making my own papers instead of using bought ones.

Then followed tutorials with her in her studio, learning how to mix colours, use different watercolour techniques and print using gelli plates to make interesting marks on paper. I was hooked!

I returned home with many samples of 'made' papers in a whole array of colours on different thicknesses of paper.

Since then I love nothing more than spending a couple of hours with the watercolour and acrylic paints and all manner of 'printing' tools (think netting, bubblewrap, corrigated cardboard, anything really that will make a mark on paper). A pot of sea salt is never far away for adding different effects to a watercolour wash! I am never quite sure how things will turn out but it is always fascinating to see.

effects of salt

I soon learned that the different weight of paper also makes for 'interesting' effects and edges when ripped to add texture to my pictures.

So armed with all these papers I scrolled through my (never ending) albums of photos taken whilst walking along the coast paths of Devon, Cornwall and Dorset and tried to replicate some of them in ripped paper pictures.

Seascape