The characteristic weight, colour and texture of paper is an important element in many artists and designers work. Handmade paper as a medium has become popular in current art and design practice because of its tremendous versitility. This course will introduce you to historical and contemporary papermaking that will lead to the understanding of the technical and creative possibilities facilitated by making paper from a variety of materials. Experimentation and reflection will be encouraged to combine papermaking techniques with the your existing skills allowing for new creative developments. The sessions will consist of practical demonstrations, group participation, individual practice opportunities and one-to-one tuition to the develop the nessesary papermaking skills. The course will:  * Introduce Historical and Contemporary papermaking * Teach skills needed to create Japanese and Western styles of papermaking using equipment that can easily be obtained and which will enable the newly learned skills to be used after the class at minimal cost * Make low relief and simple 3D structures * Experiment with different plant fibres, recycled papers, pigmentation, inclusion and decorative techniques * Daily group critiques that will help to develop ideas that will lead to further experimentation of the processes * Produce final outcomes that demonstrate learning and development through purposeful reflection and analysis.