Process Shot of the Week: Feeling Bookish

I'm finally on spring break this week, and trying to strike a balance between productivity and relaxation. I spent the first few days focusing on bookmaking. There's something meditative and soothing about making books, something I don't get in the metals studio. March was crazy and full of anxious moments, so the break, and extended book making were both needed. I tried several new structures: a tea bag book, sewing over paper tabs, a flower fold book, circle envelopes, stick binding and two signatures sewn as one.

Break is going fast, but I'm hoping to get some more book time in.

Books

I've managed to make two more structures out of the Alissa Golden book: The Snake Book and the Twist Card/Book. The Snake Book structure sat around for awhile before I came up with the content, but I'm pretty happy with the end result. The Twist Book was so simple it was a bit tricky. I think the paper I used was a little thick, or I should have just used one sheet of double sided paper.

On deck: the Brush Book!

Make-a-Day 2/12 - 2/18

After a slow start, it was a pretty productive week for making. The first few days were devoted to making collage examples for my Art Appreciation class, but I did manage to finally get my accordion book content sorted out. I'm pretty happy with my final results. By Thursday afternoon, I found myself with no pressing deadlines, so I took time to make some pins (not pictured) and start some pieces to ultimately sell at the Trunk Show at SNAG this spring. Saturday, which seems to have replaced Friday as my hard core studio day, was super productive. I made several charms and finished several pairs of Mica earrings. I fired up the kiln and spent some time enameling, which I hadn't done in months. After a few more found object brooches, I even got some time to just relax and watch a movie.


Gearing up for another jam packed week! I'll be subbing metals classes for my dear friend Autumn Brown, while she's rockin' it out at the Yuma Symposium!

Make-a-Day 2/4 - 2/11

Well, it was another crazy week, and another one is coming up, but I did manage to make everyday this week. Still playing with the bottle caps, I made this charm yesterday. I'm fairly happy with this one, but I'd like to buy an antique tin to cut up and use before I put this whole tin as a material thing to bed.
I made a bunch of these found object brooches this week, mostly because they're quick, and come together in a few minutes. I like making these and I'm considering for using them for the pin swap at the SNAG conference.


I also made a couple books this week, including an X book with pockets out of an old map. This was trickier than I expected, since the structure wanted to follow the existing creases in the map, and not the creases I'd made. The creases are also only 3/8 of an inch apart, so I kept confusing which was which. It took me a couple days to complete the blue book, and I started an altered book, which I now can't find. I'm having trouble coming up with the content for the simple accordion book. I know the theme I want to use, but I'm not sure about the imagery.

Well, lots to do as usual! Happy weekend!

Etsy Fav

I totally want these so I can make books out of them.

Brass Lockets from weiwenhaitun.

Process Shot

Like most artists, my dining room table is rarely used for dining.

Letter Press Adventure

I got my polymer plates for my book arts final and tonight during class we set up to print. I forgot how time consuming the set up and proofing are. Plus, the press started acting a little goofy. But we figured it out and I did some prints. They're not perfect and I'm not super happy with them, but they'll do. I still have 6 more quotes, the title page and a supplement piece. And that's just the printing!!! I still have to collage 14 pages, make the covers and the case! Yikes!
Anyways, here are some pics of me and graphic design faculty, Craig Malmrose, working the press. My instructor Lisa Beth and her friend Terry were also on hand to help out.

Progress Report

Fossil Rich Dirt from Piratefest

Here's a few of the things I've been up to over the past few days. As you can see, it's pretty book centric in more ways than one:

- photo plates ordered from Boxcar (I think I got my files right)
- power point about halfway done (still trying to figure out what direction to go with it, I don't want to talk forever, but I have a lot I could say)
- halfway through 2nd book for readings class (For the Time Being, by Anne Dillard)
- halfway through reading another book
- 23 wall brooches (so far)
- 2 coptic stitch books and 4 simple 2 hole books (just for fun and procrastination)
- chain for the case for my final book
- some salt experiments and a repair (Salt Vessel came back damaged)
- started gauche painting for a wet media mono type (for my end pages for my final book)
- fossil hunting a Piratefest (found a whole mess of shark teeth, some nice, two shark vertebrae, some tiny gastropods and a nice porpoise tooth, among other things. Thinking about making a piece with the bones I've found . . .)
- baked two loaves of Honey Whole Wheat Bread (delicious and nutritious!)
- Spring Cleaning!!! (ok, so I didn't vacuum, but you should see my microwave!)

Book Arts Update

So, it's not the maquette for my final project that I was be-moaning the other night, but here's some other book arts goodness. My Japanese stab bindings from a couple months ago and my Ethiopian Coptic Stitch book with wooden covers. We just learned how to do the end bands last class. We also learned how to make these nifty centipedes/caterpillars.

I finally did get my final project figured out, after two days of just plowing through it. I'll blog some pics soon. I'm also very excited because there's some letterpress printing in my future. . .

I can't believe this is what I go to school for!

Wearable Books

Black Spot Books

Allison Cooke Brown

Janna Syvanoja


So, I'm considering making a wearable book for my Book Arts final, and I was putzing around the interweb, doing a little informal research, and came across these. Not exactly what I plan on making, but cool none the less.

Process Shots of the Week

Pages for my stiff leaf binding project and "Gray Prayer", complete.

Process Shots of the Week

Ok, these are from last week. Most everyone was away last weekend, so I pretty much had the studio to myself for a couple days. I really love the people I get to work with everyday, but it was really nice to have a little totally focused uninterupted studio time. I made about 10 of those rock forms and am working on stitching some beach stones in fabric to go with them.

The little book I started in my book arts class last week and stitched together last night. We're also doing a slightly larger version, with wooden covers that's pretty cool. I still have to finish stitching that.

My pins for SNAG are DONE! As are my business cards. I'm trying to save money any way I can these days, so I made my own business cards out of scrap card stock and address lables with my info on them. Each card has a different little sketch on it. I figure they'll be ok for the pin swap, and I can keep my free, more professional looking cards from Moo, for people who warrent a more professional card. Does that make me a buiness card snob?

Pop Up Pandimonium!

So, as I've said before, I'm taking a Book Arts class, which is wonderful, frustrating, exciting and time consuming all at the same time, though I've given you very little proof thus far. Well, here you go. Our current project is pop ups, or paper engineering. These are just my practice pieces. I spent most of this afternoon working on the maquette of my actual book, which is due on Monday!!! I have my idea, and most of the structure worked out, but I'm still a little fuzzy on my imagery and on what media I'm going to use to execute my imagery. Although, I do have a hankering to do something in gouache. More pics to come!

Thanks for reading!

Here We Go!

Wow! What a week! Sorry I've been MIA for a few days but it was a busy, busy week. On Tuesday our BRAND NEW electroforming chemicals were delivered! So yesterday, the awesome people from campus Environmental Heath and Safety came over and helped me and a fellow grad empty the old chemicals out of the tank, and clean everything up. I then cleaned up the anodes and bus bars and after one little bus bar mix up we are back in business! I've seriously been waiting for this for over a year. I'm so excited! I swear it's one of the prettiest things I've ever seen!
Also this week, we had the Valentine's sale, and I had 3 Japanese stab binding books due (These were really frustrating, but I really like the way mine turned out. I didn't get a chance to photograph them before I turned them in, so I'll post when I get them back.) Our first crit was this week and I absolutely love the pieces I did. (Again, no photos, sorry). Oh, and my birthday was in there somewhere I think. Busy busy! Next on my plate: pins for SNAG.

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend!

Book Love/Hate

So, as I mentioned before I'm FINALLY taking a book arts class this semester. I've been waiting to take book arts for almost two years and I get to take it with one of the coolest people on the planet, Lisa Beth Robinson.
I love it, but this class is SO frustrating! So far, we've made a simple journal, which wasn't graded and our first graded book, a 12 page accordion with spine and covers that demonstrates some type of narrative is due tomorrow! The class is really demanding craft wise.
For the record, I'm not really a precision person. I'm not even a precision metalsmith. So the craft is really hard for me. I'm terrible at cutting and tearing paper, folding, and keeping my paper CLEAN. I think I've mastered gluing (fingers crossed), but narrative is also something I'm not particularly comfortable with.
Above are my efforts in the class so far: my journal at the back and the 2 1/2 accordion books. (The first one I made was actually better than the second!) The taller, standing accordion is the one I'll be turning in tomorrow. I just need to add my narrative and my spine.