Decorative Paper 1: Itajime, Suminagashi, and Translucence

Decorative Paper 1: Itajime, Suminagashi, and TranslucenceCourse Code: 26SPT101I This in person workshop takes place on Saturday and Sunday, March 14th 15th, from 11AM to 5PM ET Saturday, March 14th, from 11AM to 5PM ET Sunday, March 15th, from 11AM to 5PM ET Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on March 1st, at 11: 59pm Eastern Time. About the Workshop: Explore a range of beautiful paper decoration techniques in this hands on weekend workshop. Students will create richly patterned and layered

Course Code: 26SPT101I

This  in-person workshop takes place on Saturday and Sunday, March 14th - 15th, from 11AM to 5PM ET

• Saturday, March 14th, from 11AM to 5PM ET
• Sunday, March 15th, from 11AM to 5PM ET

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on March 1st, at 11:59pm Eastern Time.

About the Workshop:

Explore a range of beautiful paper decoration techniques in this hands-on weekend workshop. Students will create richly patterned and layered papers using itajime folding and dyeing, suminagashi marbling, rice paste lamination, and encaustic/shellac translucence. These versatile techniques produce unique surfaces that can be used in future bookbinding and artist’s book projects.

This workshop is part of a two-session series, with each session taking place over one weekend. The two parts complement one another, but each may also be taken independently. Students who register for both sessions receive a 10% discount on total registration. 

In Decorative Paper Part 1, participants will learn how to fold, dye, marble, laminate, and layer paper to create a range of decorative effects—from bold geometric patterns to subtle translucent surfaces. Leave with a collection of handmade papers and techniques you can continue exploring in your own practice.

View part two of this workshop series here!

Required Materials:

• Optional: gampi paper or other thin Japanese paper

All other materials will be provided by the Center for Book Arts at no additional cost.

About the Instructor:

Ana Paula Cordeiro is a Brazilian national, New York City -based visual artist working primarily in the book form. The co-author of a book about making books called Bookforms, she has also co-organized the multi-media installation Introspective Collective at The Clemente. She was awarded a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and an Honorable Mention at the International Human Rights Arts Festival Creators of Justice Award for her essay “Citizen”. In 2024, she had her first solo show in the US at the Gallatin Galleries, and she was awarded The Governor’s Medal of Arts and Culture during the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations. Ana is graduating in 2026 as Dean Scholar for the Arts in the MA program at the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies at NYU, with a concentration titled “The Collective Introspective: How Artist’s Books Can Sabotage Patriarchy and Colonialism”.

Artist books can be a solitary practice, but as the Introspective Collective manifesto states, no artist is an island. Ana Paula thrives in the shared space, having been a part of the Center for Book Arts communal shop for her entire career. She was a resident at the LMCC Arts Center in Governors Island and a research fellow at Hispanic Society Museum and Library, which became her sponsor for a regrant by NYSCA. Ana Paula has an extensive exhibition history, and her artist books are collected privately and institutionally.

All images courtesy of the instructor.