Paper matters

Paper matters and I'm just starting to figure it out. With a bit of time on my hands because of leave, and now that I can concentrate after 3 weeks, I did a few plant prints with the Acua ink and Gelli plate. I used a random collection of papers that were my scraps and some of Crystal's scraps and postcard blanks. I had some fern leaves that I found in the compost pile from Bob B's greenhouse of exotic plants that I had flattened a few weeks ago. 

Paper is a mystery. It's thin, bleeds through a bit to the backside, has a fine texture. This piece is a bottom section of the the leaf the postcard is from a section closer to the tip. The detail is excellent and I would also say mesmerizing. The postcard version has less detail and looks juvenile compared to print on the lighter paper. The postcard is heavier Strathmore multimedia paper. 

Printing: I inked up the Gelli with black Acua ink, placed the fern leaf, pulled off the ink from the base, pulled off the leaf, then added my final paper. 

Whatever this paper is, I would love to print a big sheet then tear it for a book so each page would be a surprise. 

Next steps:

1. Try this out with known scraps of printing or bookmaking paper that I have on hand. 

2. Get more of these leaves from Bob's greenhouse trimming