Front Board finished .... Adding to Insult to Injury.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Front board now sort of finished for Adding to Insult to Injury.

W I P......

With the work mainly finished to the front board my eyes turn towards the back board.

The folds, creases add to the texture.... A frieze of altered forms layered with differing leathers over grotesque clown like masks/faces.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

Adding Distortion to Insult to Injury.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Adding to Insult to Injury.

W I P......

Now that the inside of the Insult to Injury is near enough finished my attention can return to the outside of the binding.

All of those miniature (1:72) models, melted, deformed and otherwise altered can now begin to be applied to the binding.

What may appear to be random is, in fact, deliberate. Each form carefully placed, juxtaposition and balance, or, indeed, non balance to create further layers and tension.

When the adhesive has dried covering with very thin and hand dyed leathers can start.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

End Papers and Doublers, Adding to Insult to Injury.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Adding to Insult to Injury.

W I P......

After the ink has dried and all the sanding has been done to achieve a smooth surface (as smooth as a smooth thing in a smooth place on a smooth day) the edge to edge doublers/doublures can be put down. With the end papers, leather joints and doublers finished I can resume work on the binding.

Images... Front end paper and doubler and back end paper and doubler.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

Adding to Insult to Injury.

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Adding to Insult. to Injury

Work progresses again...

On the odd occasion that I find myself in a pub ... perhaps... and the conversation drifts towards what it is I do all day in Studio 5 ... I try to be as honest as possible. I mean the last couple of days have seen me getting deep down and inked up with a little montage printing for some edge to edge doublers/doublures (finished print size 41cm x 30cm) and melting/transforming/altering/cutting off... what have you....... Napoleonic model (French) soldiers. All in all pretty normal for me.

 

For a little of the background and what has indicated my thinking for the design perhaps one could look up the Chapman Brothers work in relation to their dioramas.

 

  https://www.theartcircus.com/pick-from-the-web-jake.../ 

 

 

 The melting/transforming/altering/cutting off etc Napoleonic model (French) soldiers is a direct response to the Diorama 'Hell' that was destroyed in a fire. The twisted forms, I feel, resemble the casts of human forms from Pompeii in addition to having a stricking similarity to classical low relief friezes.... Elgin comes to mind!

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

 

Adding to Insult

 My biblionautic chums and friends.
Adding Insult.

Work progresses... as in Work In Progress (WIP). Various different coloured strips of leather are hand pared, hand dyed and applied to the binding. Each worked over the grotesque clown-low relief forms. The undulations, variations in grain and differing tonal quality lend an air of disquiet and tension. The overlapping of the applied strips of leather are echoed in the print technique used for the end papers and doublers.

Images of the texture, initial infill to the doubler/doublure, leather joint and front end paper.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

Adding Insult.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Inbetween spells of teaching and whatnot a new commission has slowly been taking shape on the benches of Studio 5.

A few years ago I viewed an exhibition of work by two controversial artists, The Chapman Brothers. So taken by the exhibited work I bought a catalogue, always with the thought that I would like to do something with it. Anyway, a few months ago a long time collector of mine visited Studio 5, you know... for a chat and stuff. It so happened that I had been purusing said catalogue and it was open on a bench. After some discussion and thought we decided that it would make a rather interesting design binding. To this end I was commissioned to "do something with it". Let the fun begin!

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.