Books I've Been Working On

The problem with making your own books to use as journals is that when you need a portfolio, everything you've made has been tossed around in your purse for a year and looks terrible.  A few weeks ago months ago (this post has been sitting in draft for a while) I needed to work up a small portfolio ......


leather, headband, marbled paper from Istanbul

 

flat back casing

regular old coptic

paper case binding with spine stitching, paper from Bangladesh

 

Birthday Books

There was a time when  I only gave homemade presents.  And then I got embarrassed because who wants something with glue stains or crooked pages or made from hemp/fabric/buttons/leather/pipe cleaner?  And then I realized that they are actually awesome afterall.  Here are a few that I made a few months back for my work colleagues. 

Raven's Foot Binding

I've been carving out some great studio time lately and I've even FINISHED some books.   Last night I finished my first Raven's Foot Binding.

Raven's Foot, like a Coptic binding, features exposed stitches and hinges on the outside of the book instead of hidden away beneath glue and book cloth and other sundry junk.  But instead of knotting the threads together along the spine like a Coptic binding, you wrap them around a core which later becomes the "Raven's Foot" on the outsides of the cover.

I had to restart this book a few times to get the tension just right on the wrapping.  I'm still not 100% satisfied with the consistency of stitches along the spine, but that's why you practice.  Doy.  (Have I been watching My So Called Life on Hulu?  Maybe...)
 

18 cover holes, four signatures, two covers
and a wooden drawing  mannequin's foot.  

You have to sew on a little sewing frame which can make
things a bit wonky if your text block and the frame aren't properly weighted...as mine were not.  

And Blamo.  Waiting for the fly pages to dry on the inside.  

And thar she is.  The sewing holes got a bit stretched out
after sewing and un-sewing a few times, but you sew and you learn.    

Jerusalem Gems

I made several books during our days in Jerusalem that I am just now getting around to blogging about.

rounded spine with hand sewn end bands

three signatures with boards attached directly to the spine cloth

rounded spine with Chines rice paper and "Jerusalem" in Hebrew hot foil pressed into cover

A Book, a book...and a book

As often happens, I get started on one project that kind of spirals into several. I do a lot of work in a flurry and then don't make anything for a while. But whatever. It's my art and that's the way I want to do it :) So, I finished the book I mentioned previously...and a few others.

This book will be a photo album from our time in Jerusalem.  Max is going to write Israel/Palestine in Hebrew and Arabic (respectively) and I'll put it in that indented space on the front.  It opens left to right, like Arabic and Hebrew books do.  I made this paste paper (not the paper itself, but the design on it) a few weeks ago and it was the only one to turn out decent from the whole batch.  I chucked the rest.  BUT I am going to try and make some more paste paper this weekend.  I'll blog about my results if things turn out well.

This book deserves a little note and a thanks to my Mom.  Someone came to visit us when we first got here and she offered to bring something for us.  I wanted paper.  My Mom probably thought I was a little loony, but paper she sent - this orange mosaic piece among them.  I don't know if my Mom always understands me, but she supports me and that means a lot.  She's the best.

This book is made of one signature (folded pieces of paper).  It's a good way to make a sturdy little book.

What I've Been Making

I'm really excited about this series of journals I'm working on.  The second one has a picture of the Western Wall and if I do a third it will have an illustration of The Holy Sepulcher.  For you nerds out there, I sewed them on linen tapes and bound them with a traditional flat back case binding.  I used hand marbled paper I got in Siena, Italy last year for the fly pages and hand sewed head bands on top and bottom with the bead on the spine (not pictured).  I'm taking an Adobe Illustrater classes online again (lynda.com - you are the best thing since my Max) and the illustrations are original.    I'm thinking about making some sort of clamshell box or slip case to house them when I decide how many volumes I want.   

The second is a leather binding with a diamond shape spine pattern.  I'm not sure what I'll use it for...but I have visions of myself camping out in the old city and drawing so maybe I'll use it as a sketch book or a place to put finished paintings of the old city.  You know, when I actually get back to painting...