The ancient paper mache art of cartapesta

by Catherine Baker

An intricate process, Cartapesta was originally developed for creating church statuary and architectural detail. Now, one can use it to make sumptuous hand-torn roses or bead necklaces that weigh like popcorn but look like stone. Find out more.

Cartapesta is an advanced and delicate form of papier-mache. Immerse sheets of paper in a pan of very hot water for about thirty minutes. If you're going for the quicker option, agitate the paper in the water to break it up. Once your paper is softened (and you can do this with toilet rolls, newspaper or paper sheets that you've delicately hand-crafted yourself - it's entirely up to you), rip the paper with your hands to form smaller pieces with rough, torn edging. Tearing the paper is vital to cartapesta. Tearing the paper makes the edging unique, as it follows the texture and grain of the paper you've used. Once you've torn your paper, you can do all sorts of things to it - glue it to card to make christmas cards, or make necklaces out of it (see below)...

It was in her home town of Lecce that Luisa Cotardo learned the cartapesta skill. A small town in the southernmost area of Puglia, there is a diminishing and elderly population in Lecce that to this day creates Catholic effigies using the ancient craft of Cartapesta Leccese, and Luisa learned from these teacher - the world's best.

Luisa uses her cartapesta skills to make beautiful roses, which is how we first heard of it. Applying the skills learned and those inherited through generations of those before her, each of Luisa's exquisite roses is individually crafted using papers found through her travels - some previously discarded, some painstakingly made by hand, some dyed then left to dry in the sun.

The paper is never cut, only carefully torn thereby allowing the irregularity of the texture and weave to organically flourish, and creating a Venetian feel of centuries-old luxury and excess in contrast to the humble beginnings of the paper used to create such beauty.

Spread beauty in the world. Buy Luisa Cotardo's roses.

Or make something using the old craftsman's skill of cartapesta yourself.

Make a recycled newspaper necklace using cartapesta

• Make your newspaper pulp by tearing up newspaper by handing and placing it in a pan of very hot water. Leave it for 30 mins or so, agitating it to break it up.
• Drain most of the water from the mixture and form it into a bead-shaped and sized ball around a skewer. Press hard to squeeze more water out and ensure it stays together.
• When you're sure your bead will hold its shape, remove it from the skewer and put it on a flat surface (like a plate or breadboard).
• Make as many beads as you need, and leave them to dry on the plate for a few days.
• When they're dry, smooth them with sandpaper or leave them in their rough state, as you prefer.
• Apply clear varnish or acrylics to your beads. For a dappled look, paint the beads one colour then dab them with a sponge that has been very lightly dipped in paint of a different shade.
• Blot the paint with kitchen paper or a cloth, and repeat for as many layers of paint as you wish.
• Leave the beads to dry once more, then thread them.

The cartapesta necklace and instructions for making it were created by Phizzychick.

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