Ifugao Paperblog

IFUGAO PaperCraft is a papermaking studio, utilizing both Western and Japanese methods. We offer artists a variety of fibers, including cotton, abaca, cogon grass, and gampi. Our Saturday workshops are available for both experienced and first time papermakers. [email protected]

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Ray's Sheep - reduction linocut on kozo paper inspired by the contrast between the wooly sheep and bananas. I used a stencils to ink the block.

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Brown Tree Snake - linocut reduction print.

This is a hand-carved, multi-block linocut print inspired by the dense, colorful chaos of the tropics. The brown tree snake winds through jungle plants under a burning sunset, blending in—but always watching. Printed by hand with oil-based inks on paper.

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Self Portrait

After brushing my teeth, I saw this character in the mirror.

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A prototype, displaying ongoing pulp concentrations in the vat. Exposed wiring and mess 

will be encased in a harness after the exact position is determined. 

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Vacuum cleaner creates agitation nearly equal to a washing machine!  The button on the machine has been replaced by a rheostat, enabling subtle variations.   

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Two inch PVC pipe to vacuum cleaner.

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Workshop at Mino, Japan, Aug., 2011

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This isn't the first barrel vat ever made but the design is a perfect fit for our small sugeta. The perimeter splash guard is especially effective, keeping the wave from breaching the vat.  Plastic barrels are about $15. Four 2x4x8's, bolts, and caulking are the only materials.  A band saw and table saw are needed to shape front and back of the guard. 

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USF Printmaking students spent the entire day harvesting Kozo (Mulberry) for our Japanese Papermaking workshop.  The entire process, from tree to finished paper, was introduced.  We pulled a whopping 167 sheets, enough for each student to print a small edition with this traditional Japanese fiber. 

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Kozo haresters. Choose your weapons!  After three days of butchery, I have enough fiber for an upcoming workshop. I will describe my method, not so much to instruct, as to solicit critique from those with more experience.  

A 3'x3' x 3/4 inch sheet of plywood is place at an angle on vat sugeta supports so my hand can hold the blade at the necessary compound angle that lifts the green bark enough to allow the index finger to grasp and pull the whole mess forward.  One or two of these scrape/pull movements is usually enough to clean about half the bark. The strip must lie very close to the edge or continued abrasion against the board will rub fingers raw.  My tools were hand made for me by an Ifugao blacksmith. Either straight or angled knife works well but it is wise to change tools periodically to avoid cramping.  Also, it is important to wipe the blade clean after each action on the edge of the board to remove collected fiber that prevents the blade from biting into the fiber. A standing position seems to be less stressful than sitting. 

Removing green bark is so repetitious and time consuming, I would appreciate any advise, particularly from those who harvest Kozo annually, that will improve this method.  

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By all accounts, Cogon grass is one of the world's most noxious invasive weeds. Animals, both wild and domestic, can't eat the stuff because its leaves contain tiny abrasive silica. No other plant can grow within its circular habitat, destroying pasture and forest alike. The entire southeastern United States is infested with Cogon grass. 

In the Philippines, the lowly Cogon is a resource for many of the country's papermakers.  Last summer I visited Imugan,  a small mountain top village where a group of women were pulling sheets of Cogon in a makeshift outdoor studio. Here in Florida, a web search revealed the extent of the threat but didn't mention the fiber can be used for handmade paper. The field in the photo is five minutes from my house. I harvested six pounds in about six minutes, chopped it into three inch pieces, and cooked it an hour in 20% caustic soda. After 30 minutes in the Critter, the pulp was scooped into a stainless deep fryer screen for a hard spray to separate the larger, uncooked stems.  I pulled the sheets in our "Ifugao Sugeta" with a hybrid Nagashizuki/western method.  The paper is on the heavy side, something appropriate for end papers or board covers, nice rattle, good texture, and color but little tear strength. Yield is not so promising; four 16"x20" sheets per pound, dry weight. Peroxide wouldn't touch it so I reluctantly used chlorine bleach. Possibly in sunny Florida, UV bleaching may be an alternative. 

If you have experience with Gogon, we would appreciate comments or suggestions. 

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Philippine Gampi or Thai Kozo?

Thai Kozo or Philippine Gampi?   To avoid a headfirst dive into a storm of protest, the reader can be assured this ad is not suggesting one fiber is a substitute for the other.  Their relative virtues have been described in detail by recognized authorities on Japanese papermaking.  However, if apples were half the price of oranges, I might be tempted to make a pie rather than fruit cocktail for dessert.  This would seem to be the case with Kozo and Gampi.  For those who are intimidated by the high cost of Kozo, you may find Gampi an affordable alternative, with unique qualities all its own.   Please visit our store for photos and current prices. Or, send a SASE to our address for a sample. 

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New Fiber, new web store, new work space!

Finally, my shipment arrived from Manila with two new fibers to work with; Migo (rice straw) and Abaca from a small mill that produces a pulp made especially for local papermakers.  Photos and details are featured on our web store.  After struggling with code and searching for the "just right" prefab web store template, my son suggested Goodsie which is far and away the best yet (I have no affiliation). My new studio is actually the same two car garage, just twice the space now that all standing woodworking tools are in a new shed.