Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood. The End Papers, just a tease.

 My biblionautic chums and friends.

Booker Time Update.

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker.../prize-years/2024

My Booker Book is Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.

Having read from cover to cover once I shall be reading again. However the initial design idea is bouncing around my head and sketch book already. So much so that I have started on the end papers already. They will be leather jointed so work on the doubler can be done later.

Below tiny snap shots of the end papers, I cannot reveal them in completely until after the event, just a glimpse, a teaser perhaps....

I will be posting progress over the next 6 or so weeks.

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.

Booker Prize 2024. Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Booker Time.

Now that the Booker 2024 Short List is out.....

https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker.../prize-years/2024

I can reveal that my Booker Book is Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood.

The specially printed sheets will be arriving soon but I have my reading copy.....

One of the highlights of the annual Booker Prize season comes when each of the shortlisted authors is presented with a unique, hand-bound edition of their nominated works. These one-of-a-kind books are made and designed between the shortlist announcement and winner ceremony. From folding the specially printed sheets into sections, each book is the result of around 150 hours of dedicated work and the process, which involves at least 25 distinct stages. What would normally take months is condensed in to weeks, this year I have 6 week!

I will be posting on progress over the next 6 or so weeks.

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.

 

 

 

 

Buried Book in a Box, a stop motion page turner of a video!

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Buried Book in a Box, a stop motion page turner of a video!

https://youtu.be/XyM7gtQQ3So 

 

 

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.

 

Manhattan End Bands.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Many years ago, when I was a Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders, I had the chance to get up close and personal with a binding of Moby Dick by the late Philip Smith. Many things impressed me, the use of materials and the way he had shaped the head end band to form a spine profile that continued the wave design across the boards amongst other things. The end band sort of stuck in my mind.

A few weeks later I was faced with the binding of a text block that had beautiful hand made paper, deckle edge and all to the fore edge and tail, you know the sort of thing. And, as such, one does not trim a text block that had beautiful hand made paper, deckle edge and all. So..... I wanted to have sewn end bands and it was then that I remembered Smith's shaped end band... what if I were to reverse it? To follow the contours of the text block at the tail, to have an end band that fitted the text block? Any way, I gave it a bash, why not? What could possibly go wrong?

I made up a practise text block and bashed away. On completion I looked at it and thought that it looked okay. One of my students came over to see what I was up to, he too thought it looked okay. Then asking how I had done it he asked what the technique was called. I had know idea, I had just done it, so in one of those casual moments I replied that it looked similar to the Manhattan sky line. The name stuck.

All of this because I reversed what someone else had done.

A Picture of Dorian Gray, hand sewn, Manhattan, single needle end band with Pip beading in silk to the tail.

Please note.... I realised, of course that there is little that is new under the sun... I felt pretty sure that in the 2,000 or so years of the codex that someone some where would have done the same.

Please further note....there are other end band styles, 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.

 

Full Leather Binding, Buried Book in a Box, the next exciting chapter.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Buried Book in a Box, the next exciting chapter. The drying out process continues, for the last few days the book has supported on a mesh tray to allow air circulation for an hour or so then pressed in wooden boards, to absorb moisture, under weights. Then an hour on the mesh tray... repeat, repeat etc.

Slowly the book begins to dry out and revealing more textures contained within the text block.

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.

 

 

Ortigas Foundation Book Arts Exhibition

 

The 10 participating artists who brave the on-off rainshowers of Enteng and habagat to formally present during the opening night of the book art exhibit at Ortigas Foundation Library. From left: Francine Lima, Mitch Garcia, Diana Aviado, Marz Aglipay, Claude Tayag, June P. Dalisay, Loreto D. Apilado, Ginoe, Epjey Pacheco, and the National Printmaker Pandy Aviado. In front is the artist's book and design binding of renown British book artist and master design bookbinder Mark Cockram.

Photo: Wig Tysmans.

exhumation

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Yet another exhumation of a Buried Book, this time full leather...

https://youtu.be/oYYSw4gZUlw 

 

 

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.

"It's a lesson plan darling"

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Sunday in Studio 5.... A student on the 2nd module of the Studio 5 Creative Studies in Contemporary Bookbinding and Book Arts course.

A 4 day intensive that follows on from the Multi Sectional Flat Back Case Bound Book Module. Last Sunday was day 3 with the 2 previous days (last week) concentrating on section folding, tipped on end papers, rounding and backing, applied end bands etc etc etc.... Oh and Flottage paper.. we do a lot!

So back to Sunday, a day of case making for the first text block (yes, we do make 2 books) in a full buckram and a couple of hours introducing the student to lettering in foil.

First we start with the handle letters and ink pads, learning how to hold the tools, correct movement of the letters and pressure. Then we move to lettering with carbon paper. In this phase we learn about heat and and placement. Finally on to foil... this phase is all about dwell.... how long the heated tool is in contact with the foil.

As a teacher, for the introduction of lettering in foil I feel it is important for the student to be at ease, gradually learning the various steps involved. Equally I do not bog the student down with the need to get everything in a straight line.. that may/can come later with practise. The 3 key elements are pressure, temperature and dwell, additionally I do like to encourage a little fun and experimentation.... And why not? 

 

As one of my tutors was oft heard to say... "It's a lesson plan darling". 

In the past I have seen other tutors teaching lettering with foil, they make it appear so complicated... so difficult... no wonder so many students and beginners are scared off. If the subject is broken down in to small steps, each step leading on to the next to build up the skills then it becomes a pleasure not a chore.. Fun is the key I feel.

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.