The Paper Trail - from Ancient Egypt.......to the Himalayas

The traditional art of papyrus making is still practiced today so artists can experience the sensation of writing, drawing and painting on the world's earliest paper. Papyrus - which gave its name to paper - originally meant "that which belongs to the house" (of Egypt). It's still hand-made as it was from its beginnings around 3000BC. The pith of papyrus stems, stripped of their bark, are cut into narrow strips are soaked in water until they are flexible and translucent. Two layers of papyrus strips are then arranged at right angles in a lattice pattern, beaten until they fuse together and left to dry. Decorative artists use papyrus to create distinctive certificates, book covers and folders, gift wrapping, decorated book
marks and models. Papyrus adds character to calligraphy and can be coloured with tempera, acrylics, water colours, gouache, pastels and felt tips for decorative and fine art work.

The natural beauty of the soaring Himalayas is matched by the exotic charm of the handmade papers from the sunny foothills and the rugged higher regions. The tough Daphne shrubs that grow beyond 3,500m yield long resilient fibres to make sturdy paper with leather-like strength for a variety of applications from hand-printing to fine art, collage and mounting. The glowing colours of natural Himalayan paper are derived from local plant extracts, including henna, cassius bark and juniper. The more delicate edgeworthia shrubs that grow on lower slopes produce lighter softer papers.All Himalayan papers are made in the timehonoured way, hand-crafted by women from local leaves, fruits, roots and bark. The rough deckle edging on all sides lends a rustic quality that complements the range of silky surfaces, rich textures and special effects. We can't guarantee that hair from the legendary Abominable Snowman goes into Yeti Original... but we can promise that the highly decorative Yak Hair Bright Yeti really does contain yak hairs, finely worked into the structure.