Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn to make paper by hand
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Dipping a mould into a vat of pulp and lifting out a wet sheet that holds together is an old trick that still feels like magic, and the same few steps can make plain writing paper, textured sheets or cast 3D pieces. Courses provide the equipment, and you leave with a stack of your own paper.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsWith othersUK and US
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What you actually do
Fibre is beaten into a pulp and diluted in a vat; you dip a mould, a wire screen on a removable wooden frame called a deckle, into the vat, and as the water drains the fibres settle into a sheet. The wet sheet is then turned out onto a felt, a step called couching, and later pressed and dried.
Hold old handmade paper up to the light and you can see the pattern the mould left behind, including the fine laid lines and the thicker chain lines. Watermarks were made by sewing a wire design onto the mould, and the University of Warwick's guide calls a watermark the paper's fingerprint.
Modern courses go further. At Morley College students use cotton rag pulp and recycled paper to make embossed, textured and laminated sheets and 3D forms, while West Dean's landscape course works with Western and Eastern fibres such as mitsumata, and colours paper with plants gathered on the estate.
Ways in
| Provider | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Morley College, London | Creative Papermaking: Winter, four Fridays with two 2.5-hour sessions each day (22 Jan to 12 Feb 2027); open to all levels | £300, or £225 concession |
| Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis | European Papermaking: beginner weekend, 9 hours in all (August 2026 run, now past) | $221 tuition plus $35 materials; members 10% off tuition |
| Dieu Donné, Brooklyn, New York | Positive & Negative Space: three-day workshop, no experience needed (August 2026 run, now past) | $750 plus booking fees |
West Dean College in Sussex runs papermaking courses, with optional paid accommodation; listed materials, equipment, daily lunch and an arrival-day dinner are included. Its course pages did not show a price when we checked, so ask the college.
How to start
- Look for a beginners' papermaking course: an adult education college such as Morley College in London, a residential craft college, or a book arts centre in the US.
- Read the course page for what is included (pulp, moulds and deckles, felts) and what you must bring, such as an apron, cloths and a box for damp sheets.
- Ask how long the sheets take to dry; at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, students come back a week later to collect their paper.
Where to go
- Morley College London: Creative Papermaking UK
- West Dean College: Creative Papermaking: Landscape in Paper (Sussex) UK
- Minnesota Center for Book Arts: European Papermaking (Minneapolis) US
- Dieu Donné: Paper Institute workshops (Brooklyn, New York) US
We opened these links on 12 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
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Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need experience to do a papermaking course?
Not usually. Morley College's course is open to all levels, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts course is for beginners, and Dieu Donné's summer workshops say no papermaking experience is required.
What is a mould and deckle?
The mould is a wire sieve that you dip into the vat of pulp, and the deckle is the removable wooden frame it sits in. As the water drains through, fibres collect on the screen to form a sheet.
What is handmade paper made from?
Historically, from rotted and pounded rags. Courses today use cotton rag pulp, recycled paper, abaca and Eastern fibres such as mitsumata.
What should I bring to a papermaking class?
Check the course page. Morley College asks for an apron, cloths, jam jars, a plastic box or strong bag for damp sheets and some newspaper.
Where this comes from: Morley College London, Creative Papermaking; Minnesota Center for Book Arts, European Papermaking (August); Dieu Donné, 2026 Paper Institute Workshops; West Dean College, Creative Papermaking: Landscape in Paper with Jane Ponsford; West Dean College, Creative papermaking: emboss, layer and cast with Lucy Baxandall; University of Warwick, LIMA: Characteristics of Hand-Made Paper. Opened 12 November 2026.
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