Rain and paper casts

One of the techniques I learned at Maggie Grey's workshop was the use of soluble paper to make wonderfully textured bits. I have been experimenting with a range of soluble stabilisers and papers, stamping with expandaprint and puff paint.

It has been raining all week (we need the rain, the farmers are liking this, the dams need the top up, the garden is looking good, etc, etc) and as a result the humidity is much higher than usual. It took a whole day for the stamps to dry enough to be zapped with the heat gun. That happened on Tuesday and I then wet and distorted the base papers. They are still not dry.

I know, I should have laid them out in front of the heater. I tried the hairdryer today, but they just blew about.

I have used water soluble paper, Kozo paper, Lokta paper and a machine embroidery wash away stabiliser. I think the white expandaprint is the most successful resist. The black expandaprint did not puff up at all, while the Dala puff paint puffed almost too much. I don't like the results on the stabiliser, but the papers have possibilities. I will try to remember to take photos before I do anything else.

And I don't know how people who live in damp places get anything like this ever finished.