At Studio Eummae, I like to emphasize the importance and beauty of the paper used in the print making process, which captures a brief instant from endless and infinite outcomes. As such, I believe the paper itself should be regarded not merely as a sheet of paper that ink is applied to, but a work of art in itself, and strive to use many different kinds of paper from countries such as China, Japan, and Korea. Many of these papers are extremely high quality, handmade sheets, crafted with skill, knowledge, and care, passed down over time from skilled craftsmen and craftswomen. While suminagashi is mainly seen as a method for marbling and decorating cloth and paper, my approach is to focus on the paper first, and let the ink compliment with paper in how it interact and reveals itself on the surface.

Below you will find an overview of the various types of papers I have used for the number of suminagashi print series produced at Studio Eummae. Depending on the pattern that emerges in the water, I select which paper to apply the final design to, and it is the type of paper selected that defines a series. Sometimes I will wait for dozens of prints before I come across a pattern that will suit a very special and select paper. Each type of paper will have its own look, feel, and way that it interacts with the water and the ink. Some papers will result in very vibrant colors, while others will take on a much softer, faded tone. Papers can also have different textures and fiber inclusions to further enhance the look and feel to create a truly unique style of suminagashi print typically not seen by other suminagashi artists.

Prints also come in various sizes, anywhere from small printer-sized sheets to very large prints, as certain types of paper are available in different sizes. Depending on the type of paper used, I may use traditional wet mounting techniques (like in the case of fine handmade Chinese Xuan paper) to reinforce the sheet and give it a crisp, clean look. Other times, the print will be made from a single, unbacked sheet of paper (as in the case of highly textured papers) to accentuate the beauty of the paper used. Highly specialized prints from extremely unusual or delicate papers may be offered pre-mounted in a modern acrylic frame to support and protect the artwork. While most suminagashi prints from other artists rely on either thicker weight paper, or higher strength machine-made paper blends, most of the papers I use focus on thinner, fine conservation-grade paper, which often requires a perfect lifting technique for small prints, or a special supported lifting method for larger prints to prevent the prints from tearing upon removing them from the water bath. By using these techniques, I can explore the use of virtually any thickness or delicacy of paper at any size that would normally be considered extremely difficult or otherwise impossible to use with standard hand-lifting techniques, opening up an incredibly diverse pallet of textures and options typically not seen with modern suminagashi prints.

This list is still an ongoing work in progress, as I am always on the lookout for new and unique papers to explore for suminagashi print making, and as such, I will continue to update and add new paper selections as I offer new suminagashi print series.