Paper Wallflower
17 December 2013
Mark making and drawing is important to Hanne's practice as a ceramic artist. We love the seemingly accidental and sometimes minimal scribbles in her work, strongly influenced by abstract painters such as Cy Twombly. Sometimes the surface of her ceramics is her canvas, sometimes it is a wall with thoughtful placements of pieces. Here, her mark-making has become a paper wallflower, a decoration that can be made by young and old together.
YOU'LL NEED:
- 15 sheets of A4 ivory paper
- 1 sheet of A4 card (for the back)
- 20 cm of red Paperphine twine
- A carpenters pencil
- A red crayon
- Pair of scissors
- A stapler and staples
STEP ONE
Cut all the A4 paper in half. Start mark-making in pencil - create some interesting texture on the paper. Hanne has made abstract scribbles, but whatever you choose, stick to this 'style' of marks to make it coherent. Draw on both sides of all the sheets and stay away from the edges to give a frame. Vary the intensity of marks, but keep them random (not too linear) to contrast with geometrical feel of the flower.
STEP TWO
Once you have marked all paper you need to cut them in half again, leaving you with 15 x 11 cm sheets of paper. Pick 3 or 5 bits of paper - it's up to you how much accent colour you would like, but choose an uneven number. Draw blocks of colour on them with red crayon, again leave a frame around the edge and slightly vary the width for variation. Draw firmly with the crayon to get a beautiful intense colour.
STEP THREE
Cut out a circle from the A4 card, roughly 20 cm diameter (use a plate or something round). Draw a smaller circle in the middle with a radius roughly 1/3 of the radius of the large circle. Cut out the smaller circle and keep it. Make a knot in each end of the Paperphine twine and staple it to the back of your ring.
STEP FOUR
To make the cones, fold the ivory paper round diagonally and wrap the extra bit of paper around the back. Flatten the pointy end to hold it in place. Place the cone along the edge of the circle with the point towards the middle. Staple from the middle using the hole. Work your way along the edge of the cardboard ring.
STEP FIVE
Place the next row alternately in the spaces between the existing cones, to keep the cones round. You want the overall shape to be slightly domed so use your judgement and staple them slightly higher up if you need to. The third row is a good place to add the accent colour - two here and a third in the final row for a splash of colour. Using the stapler from underneath may help when you start on the last row as it will start to get tight.
STEP SIX
Take the circular middle piece of card. Staple cones around one side of the circle plus two in the middle facing each other, then around around the other edge. The cones will flop down but don't worry! Once this is in place they'll be supported. Gently push the small circle of card through the hole in the middle of the large circle, until it sits behind the outer ring - it normally doesn't need fixing, but you can add glue if it does. The piece is ready to hang.