Iskandar Jalil. Pots talk among themselves in silent conversations. Leather paring and respect.

A mixed day in the studio. First there was a gawper (gauper) who shouted through the window "What do you do?"... Their face being less than a foot away from a large sign.... Then followed a reflective 30 minutes. I have worked on the title for the new book and cased the text block in. In the afternoon .. leather paring. It is often said that one of the skills that has to be mastered in book binding is working with leather. I would tend to agree, though I am aware of those friends I have who for them leather is a no go area... I digress. I like leather work, for me it is a blend of understanding and respecting the material, use of the tools and how they are used.. That is was a living animal, that the animal was not just reared for its skin, but for it's milk, hair, meat etc... For example, the tanning of leather is an ancient skill. One also has to respect the tanners for with out them I would have to prepare my own skins for use in my work. And before anyone asks... yes, I have prepared my own skins ..... The knives I use have also been made by artisans. It is a reminder that without the skills of others I would not be able to do what I do. So, this afternoon has been taken up with leather paring. I have wanted to create an under texture from the leather paring.. How and why in a later post perhaps.....

Iskandar Jalil. Pots talk among themselves in silent conversations. I wonder if books do as well ?

 One of the little seen or even thought about aspect of the sort of work I do is the amount of experimentation I do before I even touch the book. It is not about being different for differences sake, it is more to do with the desire to be honest, to be able to find a solution to the question of design.

 A close up of the fore edge to try to show the textures created by not sanding the edge to a glossy sheen. When sanded, the edge was painted over with titanium white acrylic. The brush lines have been deliberately left.

The front end paper. choosing the correct silks to sew the end band is so crucial. The end bands are one of those "Devil is in the detail" parts of bookbinding.

One of the nice aspects of having students and ex-students dotted around the world is that if I need something......

.... say some soil or clay from Singapore, then I would ask the wonderful Adelene Koh of dddots bookbinding..

Iskandar Jalil. Pots talk among themselves in silent conversations. Mark Cockram. I wonder if books do the same.... or grains of soil.
Soil, stones and Singapore. One of those days in the studio of drying out and sieving soil from Singapore... pretty ordinary really.

 Detail of the Stones and larger grains of sand having had a quick wash. I am just loving the absolute texture and the fanfare of colours. From the humble shard of brick to the multi faceted and coloured grain.

 The soil/clay and the larger material from the 1.3kg package will be used in the final work.  Iskandar Jalil likes to use local clays and materials in his work. I shall do the same. Tomorrow will find me on the banks of the Thames....