Using the fibres

When I start a project, that will include plant material, I always photograph the plants and use 

those colours as a starting point.

When embedding plant material into handmade papers it's so important to 

remove as much of the organic stuff as possible - using the cellulose matter only. 

This is because that stuff will ruin the papers when it naturally breaks down and 

deteriorates the papers from the inside. 

So.... I pigment the abaca, gampi or kobo with pigments, referring back to the photos, 

to add colour!

Then - after the project is done - it's playtime!