Hand Papermaking Newsletter #42‘s “For Beginners” column interrogates the line between paper and paper-like substrates. Read the full text here.
It has been said that the earliest papermaker was the common wasp, which rasps dry wood in its mouth to create a pulpy substance for nest building. Humans have also used paper pulp as a building material. Modern sculptors use paper pulp as well. Most people, though, still think of paper as a surface for writing or drawing. But many such paper-like materials commonly used centuries ago, are not technically paper at all. More…