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I found what I was looking for, and it was full of poo

I don’t like drawing on pure white paper, but I don’t really like the really dark ridged paper intended for pastels and chalk, either. My favorite papers, hippie nonsense aside, are many of the unbleached 100% recycled papers, because they’re usually slightly off white and have these delightfully random speckles in. I’ve been looking for a good source of supply by the sheets.

These people. These people rule. They make recycled paper out of 100% post-consumer waste collected from schools and offices, and then they put stuff in it.

Elephant shit. Rhino shit. Reindeer shit. Herbivores only. They wash it down to the roughage. Also, grass, straw, banana peel, old blue jeans and chewed up twenty-pound banknotes. Sawdust from particular building projects.

Also, flower petals and viable seeds. So you can write your friend a note and say, “bury this note in the garden and lavender will grow out of it.” And a lavender will grow out of it. I’m sorry, hippie bullshit or not, that is so cool.

I exchanged emails with someone there about the archival properties. He reassured me about the manufacturing process. They can’t call it archival because of the inclusions — which will likely change color with age — but the end product is neutral to slightly alkaline and likely to last an acceptably long time for an art paper.

So I bought a bunch of it. As papers go (particularly recycled ones) it isn’t terribly expensive. A sampler at first so I could pick out my favorite. Definitely elliepoo. Dark and warm, with little flecks of….well, you know.

So there it is: Elliepoo. The new official dick paper of the Dead Pool.

I was born to type that sentence.

Comments


Comment from unkawill
Time: July 23, 2013, 11:22 pm

Well that’s ecchclectic.


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: July 23, 2013, 11:28 pm

I am in love with your sketches. Having them on the right paper must be really satisfying. There is an almost oriental mysticism in having the right pen, the right ink, and the right paper helping the artist to attain a beautiful synergism in the artwork….


Comment from Uncle Al
Time: July 23, 2013, 11:29 pm

Ellie poo! I think I dated her in high school…

Mme. Hermine said

Also, flower petals and viable seeds. So you can write your friend a note and say, “bury this note in the garden and lavender will grow out of it.” And a lavender will grow out of it. I’m sorry, hippie bullshit or not, that is so cool.

Part of me wants to despise this, what you so accurately characterize as hippie bullshit, but I simply can’t. You’re absolutely right, this is indeed so cool!


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: July 24, 2013, 12:12 am

I think the hippie guy got his feelings hurt when I called elliepoo “elephant shit” though.


Comment from marymary
Time: July 24, 2013, 12:38 am

Have you ever thought of making your own (recycled) paper? It’s been a while since I did that in summer camp once, but seems to me it was pretty easy to do and didn’t require much skill or equipment (a screen box, a paddle-stick). I imagine volume would be an issue — we just made one sheet — but it turned out pretty nice and interesting paper.


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: July 24, 2013, 12:46 am

I’ve been reading this blog for a few years now and I still can’t decide if you’re a proper genius or just nuts 🙂

One thing is for sure though, you just don’t hear this kind of stuff anyplace else.

Making your own recycled paper sounds pretty neat…you could use your chicken’s poop to make it more custom and special…


Comment from Christopher Taylor
Time: July 24, 2013, 12:59 am

If I was a courtin’ sort and of the right age, I’d write a love poem on a sheet like that and give it to a girl with a pot and dirt in it, so she could grow herself a flower out of the poem. Or throw it at me when she’s mad.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: July 24, 2013, 1:00 am

I think the best way I can describe it is, the insulation on my wires isn’t very good. So I make weird, arc-y connections that better-wired brains don’t.


Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: July 24, 2013, 1:59 am

A drawing of Oba^H^H^Ha big ol’ heap of dung on a paper made from dung.


Comment from Oh Hell
Time: July 24, 2013, 2:55 am

Totally cool!! We did the flower seeds in a scratch pad for Christmas at work one year. Gave all of our clients a pack of pads and a genuine made in the USA cedar pencil. It was a big hit but I could never get anyone to plant the damn things because they were to pretty…..


Comment from Deborah
Time: July 24, 2013, 2:59 am

I share your affinity for premium papers. I’m not an artist, but I was a draftsman (woman!) for many years, and I lovelovelove a swathe of 100% rag vellum or a sheet of linen, and fine fine deliciously black ink.


Comment from marymary
Time: July 24, 2013, 3:42 am

wow – here’s an Amazon Grow-a-Note Plantable Seed Paper in (drum roll) Oceana Blue.

Each sheet is embedded with a colorful variety of non-invasive wildflower seeds.

Heh.


Comment from tomfrompv
Time: July 24, 2013, 4:44 am

Do they smell? Or is the elephant dung aged or something? Are they safe for young children?


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: July 24, 2013, 10:51 am

Oh, no. Seems completely inert and harmless.


Comment from Oceania
Time: July 24, 2013, 12:01 pm

Oh now I know why you call it liberty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AQv-sdMCClQ

We in NZ can do what we want.


Comment from steve
Time: July 24, 2013, 1:15 pm

Have you tasted it yet?


Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: July 24, 2013, 1:23 pm

Does it ever whisper to you in the night, telling you to not replenish the roll when you use the last sheet?


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: July 24, 2013, 3:39 pm

*blinks*


Comment from ermine
Time: July 24, 2013, 5:07 pm

yup, brings new meaning to “shit paper”

nice work btw


Comment from feynmangroupie@gmail.com
Time: July 24, 2013, 9:15 pm

The website describes the weights of the paper in grams

But at first I thought it was describing it in orgasms, as in 11 0gsm and 28 0gsm instead of 110gsm and 280gsm.


Comment from feynmangroupie@gmail.com
Time: July 24, 2013, 9:20 pm

I’ve always been drawn (scuse the pun) to heavy rag-stock and quality paper as well. It makes one want to write noteworthy things that might be saved by others. I liked the “bits” and nubby feel.


Comment from GIL
Time: July 24, 2013, 9:21 pm

I can’t even tell you what a nice link this is–I’ve circled it to all my old Colleagues and people I used to hang around with in the American Community.

It’s time to include this link–I don’t think I’ve ever posted it here, but it might have been discussed. Rather than tell you more, just read it. It fits right in with the Healing this World is going through. Have a look at the Drudge Headlines. Look what Sweasel has been posting. Chickens, teaching, Pope Stuff. My place is literally turning into a Church and School. Have a look.

http://anti-valentine.hubpages.com/hub/ASMR

For Christmas, I’d like to give you all a £1.40 stainless steel collapsable back scratcher with sharp teeth. I have one and can’t remember where the link is. lol.

x

Mark


Comment from Veeshir
Time: July 24, 2013, 10:26 pm

Now I really need to win the Dead Pool again.

I want to shut up those people who said I wasn’t worth sh*t.


Comment from Nina
Time: July 24, 2013, 11:18 pm

Now I’m really jealous of the winners!


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: July 25, 2013, 12:04 am

It’s seriously nice paper, if anyone would like to give it a try. I bet they’d ship overseas. The dude I dealt with was very helpful and the order was insanely fast.

My favorite was the 330gsm elliepoo, which is the heaviest board they make. Sadly, I’m all alone there – they’re discontinuing it for lack of interest. I bought the last remaining stock of 34 sheets. The 300 gsm will take watercolor like a champ too, though.

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