THE DODGY STORY

MY NAME IS DODGY ROGER THE PULP PROFESSOR, AND I HAND MAKE EVERY SINGLE SHEET OF DODGY PAPER ONE BY ONE FROM RECYCLED AND UPCYCLED WASTE PAPER.

THERE IS ENOUGH PAPER ON PLANET EARTH ALREADY, SO I USE ALL THE PAPER THAT COMES MY WAY TO TURN INTO FRESH SHEETS OF DODGY FOR YOU TO GET CREATIVE ON!

I STARTED MAKING PAPER IN 2017 WITH AN A6 KIDS PAPER MAKING KIT THAT MY GOOD FRIEND KEV GIFTED ME ONE DAY. HE WAS LIKE "HEY ROGER, I THINK YOU'LL LIKE THIS!". IT SAT ON MY STUDIO SHELF FOR ABOUT A YEAR, BUT THEN WHEN MY MATE OLI FROM LOUSY INK TOLD ME ABOUT HIS CONCEPT AND RECYCLED INK IT INSPIRED ME TO THINK MORE ABOUT RECYCLED MATERIALS IN MY ART PRACTICE. IT WAS THEN THAT I TURNED AROUND AT THE STUDIO, SAW THE KIT ON THE SHELF, OPENING IT UP AND FROM THEN I WAS HOOKED!

I MADE PAPER FROM OLD DRAWINGS, SKETCHBOOK PAGES AND ANYTHING MADE FROM PAPER I HAD AROUND MY STUDIO SPACE AT THE ARTSHOLE IN MELBOURNE. THE FIRST SHEETS WERE VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY DODGY. IT WAS THEN THAT DODGY PAPER WAS BORN.

I BUILT MY PAPER MAKING MOULDS OUT OF SCRAP WOOD FROM A CARPENTRY WORKSHOP BELOW THE STUDIO, REPURPOSED ITEMS WHEN NEEDED ( I'M A BIT OF A 'CREATIVE' HOARDER ), FOUND SOME STORAGE TUBS ON HARD RUBBISH, AND BOUGHT A $10 OP SHOP BLENDER. THIS ALLOWED ME TO SET UP MY FIRST DODGY PAPER FACTORY AT THE ARTSHOLE.

I GAVE SHEETS TO MY ARTISTS FRIENDS TO TEST. THE FEEDBACK WAS BAD, AND GOOD BUT ALWAYS DODGY. SEEING THEM CREATE ON THE SHEETS I MADE WITH MY HANDS WAS SO REWARDING! I NEEDED TO SEE MORE. SO I STARTED SELLING SHEETS ONLINE, MAKING MULTIPLE BATCHES EACH WEEK AND RECEIVING A NICE RESPONSE.

CURRENTLY I STILL HAND MAKE EVERY SHEET ONE BY ONE IN MY HOME GARAGE WORKSHOP. I HAVE MADE OVER APPROX 40,000 SHEETS IN MY PULPY JOURNEY SO FAR, AND DON'T PLAN ON STOPPING MAKING SHEETS ANY TIME SOON. SEEING PEOPLE CREATE ON MY PAPER IS WHAT KEEPS MY CREATIVE FIRE BURNING, SO IF YOU DO MAKE SOMETHING ON THE SHEETS I MAKE PLEASE SHARE WITH ME ON INSTAGRAM/EMAIL.

THE REST IS HISTORY, AND I MIGHT ADD TO THIS STORY AND TIME GOES ON. THANKS HEAPS FOR LOOKING AT THE PAPER I MAKE, AND I HOPE IT CAN INSPIRE YOU TO

 

PAPER MAKING IS A VERY RELAXING AND MEDITATIVE PROCESS
AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GIVE IT A GO YOURSELF!

THANKS FOR READING,
STAY DODGY, STAY CREATIVE,
DODGY ROGER ( THE PULP PROF. )