My friend Jasna of Dear Human has asked me to participate in a small project with a group of Vancouver artists and designers happening in Toronto early next year. The one requirement is for the work to be small and compact, so I’ve decided to use this as an opportunity to experiment with a new paper.

TerraSkin is a fiberless paper made from a combination of mineral powder and a small quantity of non-toxic resin. The paper has a slight gritty feel to one side, but the surface is smooth and easy to work with. It is also said to be water-resistant (not that I’ve tested this out). When cutting the paper there is no resistance to my blade because there aren’t any fibres to catch the edge upon.

The piece pictured here is the first of the small series of work I’m planning to create with this paper. It’s a lovely surface to work with, but I found myself working at a slower pace because it felt too easy for the blade to slip through this smooth paper and make a mistake.

I haven’t tested it out yet, but I’ve read TerraSkin is lovely to work with for printing and paints. I’m curious to test out my acrylic inks on the paper, and I’ll share more once I do so.