KITCHEN PAPER MOP-UP SHEETS
Following on from my recent post about scratch papers, it seemed a logical progression to do one about my gorgeous kitchen paper mop-up sheets.
I make scratch papers by applying excess paint or ink onto paper with a brush or stamp, or perhaps a stencil, to clean them off without wasting paint down the sink. There’s a different technique for messy ink on the desk.
Saving ink for art
Working with ink can be a messy business especially if applying it in spray form, or by rubbing an ink pad onto a surface and spritzing it with water and then picking it up. (This is known as “smooshing.”)Â It’s impossible to use it all up in this way. Most of us just grab some kitchen paper and mop it up, and one then tends simply to throw the kitchen paper in the bin. As with the scratch paper, it does seem a pity to waste all that good ink, though.
I have a box of used squares of kitchen paper with varying degrees of inking on them from moppoing up. I try to pick one out that has a similar colour scheme so I don’t end up with mud.
Some “maturing” papers
Finished papers
Once all the white of the paper is covered, the square is flattened out and makes its way into the pizza box where I store them.
In the above close-up view, you can see some bits where I’ve cut off portions to use in projects.
One of the amazingly fabulous things about kitchen paper is that it is either two- or three-ply. You can separate the layers and end up wtih double or triple for your money!! You can tear these papers up and use them in collage, where they have a gorgeous velvety feel. I love collage pages in an album to be full of texture and to be enjoyably tactile.
Years ago I bought some Dylusions spray inks designed by Dyan Reaveley. She is famous for her vibrant colours, and sprays these inks about with great abandon! To mop up the excess, she rolls a roll of kitchen paper over the work – quick and simple, and it yields great results on the kitchen paper as well as the work!
One day I’ll do a post about a method of inking that I think I have invented, which produces more than one result and is fabulous.
My usual method of mopping up is just to tear off a piece, and use that to mop up, rather than using the whole roll.
Here are some of my mop-up sheets from the pizza box.
The above photo shows the layers separated, and part cut away for use.
Sometimes they rip when you separate the layers, especially if they’ve got any glue or acrylic paint on them. This just adds interest to the paper when used in collage so they certainly don’t find their way into the bin.
A three-ply piece with the layers separated.
I have some tea-dyed papers too. Not perhaps so interesting amongst this riot of colour, but they have their uses!
My splat box
This is very useful when spraying things with ink. Without some sort of protection, the spray goes everywhere and makes a terrible mess of one’s desk. Years ago I made this splat box from a recycled cardboard box.
If I want to spray something larger, I pull the two sections apart.
I like this arrangement because it takes up less room when the sections are pushed together, but I have the option for spraying larger pieces when it’s pulled out.
Splat box papers
In the bottom it has a wad of pieces of kitchen paper. This absorbs the excess from the spraying, and the ink gradually soaks down to the layers underneath. When the top layer is well covered, I remove it and put it in the pizza box. I replace the used sheets with fresh ones at the bottom of the pile.
Some splat box papers. They have a different appearance from the usual mopping-up ones, because often what you are spraying acts as a mask and leaves different shapes on the paper beneath.
Favourite papers. I love the gold one. This is Seth Apter’s Izink gold ink spray. His inks are very rich.
This is the underside of an early maturing splat box paper. I love how the ink has revealed the texture of the paper. I probably won’t add anything further to this sheet.
This is a splat box paper which has been separated into its three layers.
I have probably got far more inked papers in my pizza box than I shall ever get to use! Every now and then I get the box down and look through them and stroke them! I think I should probably make a selection of them and turn them into a book. They’d make great backgrounds for some stencilling or stamping, and mark-making.
The papers in use
In the meantime, here are some examples where I’ve put some of them to use in collage.
This is a sheet I made by glueing small pieces of inked kitchen paper onto a card substrate, with gilding flakes, all applied with acrylic gel medium.
Some pages from my “Mamhead Memories” mini-album. I made this little book after some friends took us to Mamhead Woods several years ago. This is a beautiful local forest of mixed mature trees with made-up paths throughout, leading to a splendid view right out over the sea. It has become one of my favourite places to visit. One day I’ll do a video flip-through of this album, as it’s got some fun interactive pages and a lot of mixed media and photo manipulation.
I have added some glitter to the collaged inked paper on this page, and carefully cut the pieces to extend onto the next page.
I chose a rich purple piece for this spread, to echo the purple flowers among the ferms. I also added some inked and embossed leaves that I made, and some gold heat-embossing. I love the texture of the purple paper with its dark creases, and small flecks of green.
For the final spread in the book, the view over the sea, I added small dots of glitter glue in various colours to the inked kitchen paper. I also drew some lines with a fine glitter pen for a bit more sparkle. On the right-hand page, yu can see the translucency of the single layer of kitchen paper as it is laid over the photograph.
I think you will agree that these randomly inked papers are pretty cool! Next time you are mopping up messes in your studio, or rinsing off brush and palette, think about what kind of art you could make rather than wasting these precious resources down the sink, with very little extra effort. It will reward you in spades, and also save the environment if you are that way inclined.
