Module 1, Chapter2 - Making Coloured Papers

I chose the complimentary colour scheme of purples & yellows that was suggested by the image of Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona which I found as part of my visual research. Using procion dyes I coloured up a range of papers I had to hand including cartridge, tissue, thick brown & printer copy papers.



I only had a small sponge so as well as using this I applied the dyes with large brushes & scrunched up fabric. I let the pages get pretty wet so I could encourage the colours to run by lifting up the edge. This also enabled transfer of the wet dyes onto other papers which were pressed onto the wet sheets.



The above papers have been scanned with an A4 scanner - Clockwise from top left:

1. brown paper, creased – the colours look very different to when applied to white or cream papers.
2. cling film wrinkled over wet page – subtle textural marks
3. copy paper crunched up a few times before and inbetween applications of layers of dyes
4. tissue paper smoothed over wet page of cartridge paper to transfer colour
5. rock salt applied to wet page to form ‘halos’ – I’d used the salt previously which had absorbed some colour that then transferred to make colour dots
6. dripping of dye onto surface, tilting to encourage running.