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New semester and new class in book arts, this one is the artist book class. Our first assignment was to create a sequence using one image. It could be changed how we chose and use the marterials we wanted, it did not say it had to be a book in the realm of a stack of pages with a cover. Me being me, I took a photograph I had taken of water, cut it up and glued in to colored wooden blocks then stuck them in a tray.

Formally it is:

   

   

Example of possible sequence

The blocks have the words: Water, H2O, Aqua, Wet, Rain, Tears, Ocean and River. Also four of the blocks have the letters: L, I, F, E. The sides of the blocks are painted in various shades of blue, white and green. It is alot of fun to play with the blocks and to watch other people play with them as well.

Finally, the Final

I finally have pictures of my final for the book binding class I took. So here is the Leaf Book.

The basics are a traditional round spine binding with a batik fabric cover, handmade paper endsheets and english somerset pages. Inside the book the endsheets are tea dyed, while the textblock is made up of pages covered with a watercolor wash and stamps of leaves in several colors. The text is a poem of sorts.

A leaf is a beautiful thing.

Just as a person is a beautiful thing.

Every leaf is unique.

Just as every person is unique.

No two people are exactly the same.

Just as no two people are exactly the same.

Leaves come in all shapes and sizes.

Just as people come in all shapes and sizes.

Every leaf has a part to play.

Just as every person has a part to play.

No leaf works alone.

Just as no person works alone.

All the leaves work together.

Just as all the people work together.

Working together all the leaves help the tree.

Just as working together all the people help the Earth.

The leaves can save the tree.

Just as the people can save the Earth.

The box/container is in the style of a japanese chitsu. The box is covered with the same batik as the book and lined with a tea dyed handmade paper. There are cutouts in the cover of the book and the box which show a single leaf in handmade paper.

Westernized Japanese Binding

Here is a picture of my last assignment for my bookbinding class. All I have left this semester is my final, which I will post when it is complete. This book is a variation on the Japanese books I made awhile back. The book is sewn on the out side in the same pattern as one of the traditional Japanese books, but made with western materials. The big difference is the covers, they are book board covered in cloth. The paper is a drawing paper that is heavier than Japanese paper. The hinge in the covers allows for the book to open so that you can read or write on the pages inside.

Sketch Book #2

Here is the third attempt at the round spine technique that was taught in class. It has blank pages and I am guessing it will end up being a sketch book. The cover is my favorite part with all the different textures. It has a pretty hand sewn headband and a ribbon place maker.

A Chitsu

A Chitsu is the hard cover or case for a book. As many Japanese books have soft flexible covers that are not like the hard covers usually found in the west. In order to protect a valuable book they would have a case or cover made. The Chitsu was a box like construction that would cover the book and protect it. To go along with the three Japanese Binding examples that I made earlier I have now made a Chitsu to keep them in. It is a very intricate little case with a lot of pieces that had to be put together in just the right way in order for it to all line up and close, but I did get it figured out and actually had a lot of fun in the process. The base is made of binders board covered with a printed Japanese paper. The lining as well as the thread for the clasp are also Japanese paper. The little bone clasp is not even three quarters on an inch in length, but it works beautifully. Hope you enjoy seeing the finished Chitsu as much as I enjoyed building it.

More Books ...

More books really is about it at the moment. I have been working on little else for the past bit so I figured I would share the 5 newest creations. First up is a sketchbook with beautiful English paper from Somerset and a batik fabric cover. Then I have a few examples of Japanese bindings. They are all made from Japanese papers.

School Projects

Here are a few shots of two of the projects I have done for a bookbinding class that I'm taking. It is a lot of fun and a lot of work. I will hopefully get some pics of some of the other books up soon.

Here are a few shots of a book I made with wooden covers and bound with what is commonly called a coptic binding. The covers are made of birch and stained with a color called fruitwood. If you look closely you can see the chain looking stiches that tie the pages together.

One of the other things we went thru in class was how to assemble a box out of binders board and cover it with fabric. There is one of the little boxes I made. It measures just three inches by three inches and is about an inch and a half tall.