Finger Painting for Adults
I had heard about paste paper; watched a few videos on the process but last week was the first time I gave it a real try.
I was supposed to attend a retreat in Falmouth Massachusetts last week but I could not make airline reservations work out—I thought I would end up sitting overnight in Logan Airport or without a ride to get back to Logan at the end of the retreat—plus the hotel had been more than challenging with difficulties in making reservations.
And so I ended up being a Zoom student.
I got a kit in the mail containing papers, wheat paste, and some paint.
I mixed up the paste. We made ‘tools’–from fun foam with teeth in shapes of sawblade or a jack-o-lantern smile.
Instead of using small containers, I used foam plates—-
And then I had to let all these papers dry. I used a dog food bag as my drop sheet—very handy they are!
It is quite humid here, the paper took overnight to dry. Then I had to put them under weights to flatten them out–but now I have a nice collection of paste paper to use in book-making.
I was not enamored of the selection of paint I was given—but now that I understand the process, I can choose colors more to my taste.
Sylvia Weir Art 
I’m on the fence about this technique. I’ve seen some really intriguing results but never having seen and handled a finished piece, I have questions. And also not sure how I would use paste papers (although I’ve seen how others have). Plus, I’m really not keen on messy processes which this always looked to be from tutorials I’ve watched. And yes – color choice seems to be the key to good results and I’ve always been disappointed with my choices when trying, say, marbling. I’m just not sure I want to “mess” with it, but if you keep experimenting, maybe you can win me over!