Saturday, 30 October 2021

Imbre Flores.

My biblionautic chums and friends.

As a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders I am, at times expected to participate in various events and shows. One such event is the Designer Bookbinders International Competition. The theme being flowers, plants etc. The hand in date was some months ago but with the judging only now finished I am able to post images of my offering.

342mm x 195mm x 12mm

Minimalist-Tight-Flat Back Binding. Secondary sewn, full linen/leather - laminated board attachment. Leather jointed end papers. Full Doublers. Hand dyed fair goat to spine and all board edges. Mixed media, hand graffiti work on paper.

Unintentionally captured in the Graffiti artists glare of colour.
Flora appear as delicate shadows.

Please note there are other ways of doing stuff, opinions..... 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

The binding.

Detail of the head.

Front board.

Detail of the minimalist spine.

Front doubler, leather joint and ens paper.

Title page (Hand printed).

Below are the illustrations.

Back end paper, leather joint and doubler.

Finally the back board!......

Sunday, 24 October 2021

A Busy Couple of Months

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Time keeps going on and on. I had not realised that my last post was soooo long ago, whoops!

So, what have I been up to you may ask...... a few things I would answer. Since the easing of lock-down Studio 5 has been busy.

First is progress on ALI, part of the Icon Series... Work in Progress.

Next is The Ship That Sailed to Mars.

A designed binding that required a new text block as the existing paper that carried the plates was in a shocking state.

However... we start with some hand dying of fair goat....

As is my working practise, I like to further work on the book as it were. Once the leather is on the book I final (ish) application of dye and on to the cold gold work.

In the case of The Ship That Sailed to Mars... Sunago. A technique that is normally used with S. E. Asian Lacquer work. Bascially the gold leaf is sprinkled on to the surface. There is, as I am sure you appreciate, more to it than that, perhaps for an other post.

Once the Sunago/gold leaf was fixed in place the surface of the leather was worked over again. I wanted the finished binding to have a reptilian feeling.... Dragon Skin.

A final coating of adye stuff and fixative. The deapth of colours, the monement of colour as the book is handled ..... The finhed work almost breating.

Friday, 20 August 2021

ALI..... Spray on!

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Ali..... An artist's book, a commission in the series of Icons I have been working on.

Basically a day of collage, stencil cutting and spray work.. A day of waiting for paint to dry and stuff.

Please note there are other paintings, icons, book arts studios, opinions..... 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.

First was to create the silhouette.

Then the gloves... Red.

Then shadow.

Then a little detail.

Finally to take the back ground down a little.

Wednesday, 18 August 2021

THE GREATEST ROCKS ON.

My biblionautic chums and friends.

A busy 5 or so weeks now that C19 restrictions are easing.

A chance to resume the residential workshops at Flatford Mill was most welcome.

Perhaps one of the most iconic of all English painting greated me each morning. I refer to Constable's The Hay Wain.... What a start to the day and this was before breackfast....

Perhaps an other icon too? Breackfast at Flatford Mill.

Back in Studio 5 much has been happening. I would love to share with you but... Well, for the first time in many years I have entered a competition. It is with no false modesty that I say that my offering will not be in the running, as it will not. I was sort of expected to enter as the Competition is an international competition of Designer Bookbinders... Of which I am a Fellow. I have no choice. One of the rules of entry is that no images are posted on social media sights and the like... When the time is right I will post.. promise.

Frm the icons of The Hay Wain to Breackfast it would only be correct to finish with another Icon. In fact part of the Icon Series.. Muhammad Ali.

A little practice stencil work before going onto the book for real....

Please note there are other paintings, breakfasts, icons, book arts studios, opinions..... 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.

Thursday, 8 July 2021

THE GREATEST.

My biblionautic chums and friends.

The last few weeks have been busy, busy but not bench busy. Articles and stuff to be written, studio to be moved round to create more bench space and the repair of old brown books. Odd minutes working on the bench have been rare and cherished.

So, you ask, what is new? Well the latest in the Icon Series is new... The Greatest.

Yes, I refer to

Muhammad Ali

Of course.

So many numbers in his life. When I was younger, much younger, Ali was always in the news or on the TV.

This particular Icon is a small trip down memory lane, when to be world famous you had to be something else, something special.

Inaddition there is a new exhibition in BASE

IMBRE 2021.

Mark Cockram.

A hand made Artists Book. Inspired by urban Graffiti .

Mixed media including, paper and leather. Neo Tight-Flat Back Binding.

BASE exhibition No 4

Please note there are other Icons, opinions..... 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.