Mock FMP

Mock FMP

Stretching Paper

2/12/15

Stretching paper allows you to get more out of materials such as water colours and inks. By strecthing paper you are making it so that the fibers within the paper are pulled, and therefore don't hold as much water as paper that hasn't gone through this process.

It is a simple process, however is hard to get right at the beginning.

How it's done:

To do this process, you will need a flat board that your paper fits onto. It needs to be clean and devoid of any lumps, and so may need to be cleaned. The board needs to be slightly damp on the cleaned side. 

There are to different methods for the next step in the process, which will vary the time needed to wait until the process is complete. 

Method 1:

Put your paper under a lightly running tap and use your hand to move the water about, careful not to scrub the paper, as this will start to make the paper break apart. Once you have done this, put it onto the clean and damp board as flat as possible. This methods takes longer because the paper is wetter. 

Method 2:

Lay a piece of dry paper onto the damp and clean board, and then, using a sponge, carefully tap water onto the paper. The sponge needs to be clean to avoid the paper changing colour and to prevent anything else that may affect the outcome of the process. once the paper is sufficiently dampened, you can then move onto the next step.

Using Gumsptrip, you carefully rip or cut off pieces that fit the size needed to securely old your paper to the board, then you lay the gumstrip, shiny side down to the paper, onto both the board and the paper, (half and half) smooth it down, and then, using the same sponge you dampened the paper with (or a clean one depending on the method used) run it over the gumstrip, making sure that it is flat. Do this for all sides of the paper.

(Do not get the umstrip wet when in use, as it will stick together and will be of no use if this happens, as well as a waste.)

Once this is done, the paper then needs to dry.

This process stops the buckling of the paper, which causes, in my case, ink to flow into ridges created when the paper gets damp. If done right, the process outcome is a smooth piece of paper that won't buckle when being used, and that also allows the material you're using to move more smoothly. In my case, it helps me to get a better and crisper line when using inks.