Victorian, full cloth case binding restoration/repair.

 Not often seen on my bench..... For many years I worked as a bench monkey.. standing at a bench and working for peanuts. I learned so much, more of that later...... a book repair job.  I do not usually do restoration work, however for interesting jobs, a nice person or for long term clients... exceptions are made.. Please note, I am not a full time restorer, the methods and techniques I use may be different to ones others use, different does not automatically mean wrong.

 I balance the requirements of the book, the clients wishes and what I think is applicable. Oh yes... and budget.

  My ethos is simple when it comes to this sort of work. Minimal intervention, keep what is important, both for the history of the book and the owners needs/wishes. Be reasonable in costs and no B.S.

 The usual Victorian, cloth bound case binding. Very bumped, worn spine and some dear in the past has adhered the spine of the text block to the spine piece... got to love them......

The text block is removed from the case and will be worked on separately.

 Once the turn ins have been peeled back the true extent of the damage to the boards can be seen. The square is way too big and has become vulnerable to bumps, knocks, warping over the edge of the text block. This in turn has led to the board de-laminating.

 What still fascinates is the archeology of the book. In this case the hemp boards, with either soot of cinders trapped among the fibres, things like that still fire my imagination.

 Repair papers are toned by cross-hatching various coloured pencil crayons.

 The problem with this particular book is that the square is too big for the thickness on the board resulting in the board edges becoming very vulnerable. The corners have been repaired and reinforced with a repair paper, the boards have been retained - lined with a 130gsm neutral ph paper. The spine has been repaired with a repair paper a new spine piece of manila has been applied.

The work on the restoration of this Victorian, full cloth case binding draws to a close. The Case was allowed to dry around the text block, under pressure/weights overnight. The corners are firm, the board edges are stiff.

I know everyone bangs on about leather restoration and the like but cloth bindings do have a patina that works with age.

The ABA Rare Book Fair London, Evolution of a book... in the studio. A re-think.

 It is bizarre, I sit in front of the computer for a portion of every day I am in the studio. I know the potential of the device and am in the shadow of many when it come to realising the potential of this new (new when compared to many other forms of doing things....) device that has changed so many lives and aspects of our everyday lives. It sits on the work desk, allowing me to access a new world that I realise I know so little about. Over time, as new ways of communicating, seeing and being seen have become available, the time worn phrase " the world gets smaller and smaller" is often heard or read.
I am not sure that the world becomes smaller, I believe that I have become smaller as I now realise how small a thing a single life is when compared to the whole of life before during and after.. Any way less of my ramblings. Back to Evolution.

It has taken me sometime but I have, at last, sort of finished the text block for my workshops for the ABA Battersea Evolution, London SW8 4NW .
A combination of a construction technique used by the Pamphleteers, old school cut and paste as used in early Fanzines and the trusty Mac and printer. It has been something of an evolution - from one revolution to another. The finished Booklet/Pamphlet with have an end paper and a semi limp cover.

 I have often said that I combine, perhaps now I am beginning to evolve as well. By drawing into the huge potential of the immediate of the machine I sit in front of, I will be able push my work forward.

 The finished text block combines different skills  from different ages. A combination of the traditional with the now. Perfect.

A B A Book Fair.....

Evolution.. How a book evolves in the studio......

 I suppose the first thing is to have the idea , the notion of what the book will be about. This book is my interpretation of evolution. How something, in this case a book starts, the stages, the cul-de-sacs of thought and doing that follows a path, eventually expiring forcing us to begin a new path, a new process of evolution.

 First the paper is stretched, when dry, the base colour is applied, bold sweeps of sponge and pigment, enhancing the subtle texture of the page.

 As with much work it is often a question of waiting.. waiting. Then the frantic dash, waiting, waiting.....

 Since the Man Booker, last year, I have been enthralled with this little chap. Since his creation, I have wanted to give him a new life and I think that Evolution could be perfect for him.

 Further to my interest in the little chap the copies of him, less eyes and the like (used to create the multiple eyes, noes and mouths held a fascination. A little macabre perhaps, like experiments in evolution, tragically wrong or small steps in the evolutionary process.

 By arranging the various elements on a spreads I am able to create the narrative, a pictorial journey.  The enlarged half tone lends depth and a physical tension. The almost machined, plain factory functionality of the dots reacting with and against the frailty of experimental evolution and an element of the state of human kind.

 Finally the stretched paper is released from board........

 .... and the final spreads cut in preparation for the next process.

Evolution A B A battersea, London.

Cut and paste, with the first image now complete only a few more to go .....

Cut and Paste, Imperial 70 Typwriter.

After a few false starts and looking for my correction/delete pen I have managed to sort the text out and the page numbers. I love the rhythm that the text has, the living line as it were. Next is cut and paste. For those of us born PC (post computer) Cut is done with a knife , scissors or shears. Paste is sticky stuff for adhering stuff to stuff.

Key Board Action for the ABA

Taking my inspiration from the Fanzines I made in my youth, I am working on the text for EVOLUTION... Various Studies.  I have to remember there is no delete button.

FREE TICKETS FOR THE ABA

The ABA Rare Book Fair London

With only a few weeks to go to  The ABA Rare Book Fair London I am busy preparing the Artists book for the workshops I will be hosting during the event.

I will be making only 40 of the books which the workshop participants will be able to make during the event, adding their own individual touches to make unique books.

 First I folded a section up, without cutting to get the correct page order, what goes where etc

Then a template in a grid structure to ensure that I have a good base to work from, to ensure that the imagery, text and page numbers will be in alignment. The techniques and methods will, in the main, be BC (Before Computers) 

For FREE TICKETS please follow the link below. Please do not forget to say where you heard about the event...... me  😀

FREE TICKETS 

Stop.

The text has been added to the individual spreads, creating the continuity of thought and expression. Work can no begin on the binding.

Flawlessly Chronic Inner Dissatifaction

 Flawlessly
Chronic
Inner
Dissatifaction

New work taking shape.

So, what is a book?

So, what is a book?

In idle moments this question pops its head over the parapet of the utter chaos that takes the place of reasonable thought and order that is my mind. A simple question that one may reasonably have thought I would have at least one if not possibly two answers on the tip of my tongue.

To be honest, the more I work with or experience the book the more my thoughts of what a book is or, in fact could be, are enhanced. New works start today. Where I ask myself the question to find possible answers.

A B A Rare Book Fair, London 2018

It is with a degree of pleasure that I am able to announce that I will be doing my thing at this years ABA rare Book Fair in London... A new venue...

I hope to be able to have a new collection available and to be holding workshops and the like. The event promises to be fun....

/ABA Rare Book Fair

Creative Bookbinding in Manila.

 This promises to be a very cool couple of days.........

Ortigas Foundation Library. Lecture.......

I think that the poster says it all, except the bit about me being a 'Renowned'  If you can be there it would be great to see you.

A small rant... What is more important... ?

A small rant... What is more important... ? I hope this post goes a little way in answering a recurring gripe that some of our community have.

Please note that this post contains my individual thoughts and opinions and has nothing to do with any of the organisations or institutions I am a member of or am affiliated with.

I used to teach in institutions where the minimum class numbers were, for example, 12. As I am sure you can imagine or perhaps have experience of .. it is impossible for any tutor to teach a hand, craft-art course to that number of students and expect the students to be able to achieve any degree of success or to realise their full potential. The class has to be geared to the slowest student and the lowest common denominator. This can be both frustrating and embarrassing for all concerned. There is then the wait to use equipment. Board choppers and other capital studio / class room equipment for example. Board choppers take up space and are expensive and in the main have only one use.. so much of the time they are standing idle. But, when the need arises in a workshop or a class room then they are in big demand. It is very rare for there to be one working, 100% board chopper between 4 students, usually there is, at best 2 board choppers in the class room.... One being a little suspect.
A while ago I was delivering a 2 day workshop in book binding that required the students to round and back a text block. There were 14 students and one backing or laying press. It took nearly 3 hours for everyone to back their books. I realise now that I should have checked what equipment was available but when one is told that the work shop had all the equipment necessary for 14 students.... Well, hind sight is a perfect science, lesson noted.

What is more important... ?

I have often heard that my fees are expensive. All is relative. As a tutor my fees are derisory when compared to many institution tutors wages. This is not a moan it is fact. I try to offer a balanced practice and endeavour to ensure that all my students get value for money.... not to ensure that have bought my latest book or have purchased the latest 5 minute wonder gizmo when all that is needed is a kids geometry kit and a length of board. No offence to those who do have a book published or sell wonder gizmos but you know what I mean.

One of the problems is that many courses run by institutions and organisations are subsidised, giving a false idea of the costs to those who are attending. But if people think that sitting around chit chatting for half the day is good value for money while they wait for a piece of equipment to become available....then they can go a head.... Perhaps those students find the idea of working and studying for the whole day a little bit difficult or it is not so important as they are learning for pleasure not learning for a career... the teaching sort of getting in the way of the social side...

What is more important... ?

Now, before I start to be the hate figure in book binding it is important to realise that, in the UK at least, the number of Book binding and Book Arts courses are on the decline.. to the point that there are non except a very small hand full. Nearly all of those courses are attended by people who have been going for years (They remember the previous 2 tutors) and are there for the social side of things... Those wishing to learn for a career find it increasingly difficult to find space on any course. If they do it is more often than not a couple of hours a week without any form of progressive education that is constructive or offers a learning pathway.

What is more important... ?

As I said to small group (5) who attended my last UK Master Class... "If you think this is going to be a social event, the door is just there. We are here to learn, experience and work. This Master Class is about you getting as much as possible from the 2 days.. It is about you and not me". .... Do you know something? everyone who attended completed the work. Produced some amazing work that really stretched them to new levels.

What is more important... ?

So, what is good value for money? Non of the students in Studio 5 are wasting time waiting 3 hours to use a piece of equipment and then being shown the next step...... It is not rocket science to understand value for money. I understand the fee situation, I do try to be as fair as I possibly can.

What is more important...