I reflected on the paper made previously and found that the I was struggling to manipulate and bend the paper made from recycled paper. This was because I was manipulating it into a shape once it had dried using a spray bottle of water( this almost disintegrated the paper, making it unworkable), the paper was extremely fragile and ripped as I was bending it.
I decided I would change the way I was working and experiment with manipulating . I needed to improve the strength of the paper as well as the quality. I made the paper thicker initially and arranged the forms into a shape while they were wet. This seemed to work to hold the shapes but when I came to further manipulating and holding its own weight and the folds it struggled.
Although this was not very successful I enjoyed the way the folds created shadow and interest to the paper and how the lichen integrates into the paper. I want to continue to explore this but find a way to support the structures and strengthen the paper.
Lara Hoad Artist Designer: Maker 