Paper Alchemy: Marbling, Book Forms, and Material Exploration with Carey Watters

Concept

Explore the possibilities of paper in this five-day workshop combining marbling, bookbinding, and hands-on experimentation. Learn the process of paper marbling to create a range of patterned sheets used throughout the week. Practice traditional techniques, as well as more playful, exploratory approaches to build a varied collection.

Experience

With your marbled papers, Carey shares how to construct several book forms - including saddle stitch, Coptic, casebound, and secret Belgian bindings - while developing skills in folding, sewing, gluing, and structural design. In addition, use your papers in smaller projects such as notecards, buttons, and other handmade ephemera. The workshop concludes with the design and creation of a custom slipcase to hold your completed books and small sampler of marbled patterns. Leave with a useful reference set and a solid foundation for future book and paper projects.

Skill Level

Open to all levels; no prior experience required.

Instructor

Carey Watters’ work is mythical in nature; using insect pins and needle and thread to connect historic iconography and age-old imagery into her own personal narratives. For Carey, teaching helps her grow as an artist and designer alongside her students. The interaction, discovery, and development always reveal new perspectives. When not in the studio, she is folding clothes, working in her garden, or playing games with friends and family. Carey earned her MFA from UW-Madison and is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Typography at UW-Parkside.