Sketchbook Sunday #2

On my last birthday, I made a “Two for Two Dozen” list: a little directory of 24 goals to accomplish while I am 24. One desire of mine was to keep a journal again— it’s something I have done on and off since I was a little girl. I realized when I made the list in January that it had been nearly four months since I had done any kind of free writing / journaling / sketching / record keeping and I decided that I wanted to remedy that immediately.

Since I make books, I simply grabbed a discarded journal I had made for a mock up back in college and started sketching. I say discarded because although I love it, it is not a high quality book that I feel is good or interesting enough to let someone else have. When I make books for others, I create them with intent from start to finish for the person in mind. Since this one would never be given away, I decided to fill it myself instead of letting it collect dust on a shelf.

Although I spend a lot of time working with my hands, it felt incredible to use them for sketching again. We spend so much time typing instead of writing these days: papers, text messages, emails, tweets, status updates, even simply using touch screens at the grocery stores creates such a void between humans and the written word.

My writing used to be so crisp and interesting, especially when I studied interior design and literally practiced hand lettering for hours a week. It was such a disappointment to barely even have the ability to scratch out half decent letters on any page (not to mention I practically lost all ability to even draw anything above a second grade level again!).

So even though I am so so happy to be sketching again, I have added another personal goal for myself: I want to make it a point to write / sketch / letter / doodle every single day. Now that I am working towards having a real studio to create in, it would be nice if I could actually create something visually pleasing when I sit down inspired to make something.

I shared the inside of this sketchbook for the first time here and I have since decided to make Sketchbook Sunday a regular feature here on Kitty Cat Stevens. As embarrassing as some of the pages are/will be, I hope to chronicle my progress and maybe even inspire someone else to start doing what they love along the way!

Is there anything you used to love doing that you’re itching to pick up again? Or just something general you want to work towards getting better at? Sometimes I really feel there might be some truth to the phrase, If you don’t use it, you lose it.

A Good & Easy Upcycle

Many, many months ago, I went thrifting with a good friend who absolutely fell in love with the cover of this vintage Betty Crocker cook book. Unfortunately, it was in very poor condition, and when she peeled back the tape holding it together, some of the cover came off, too. I wasn’t specifically sure how to rebind it, but I knew I would eventually learn. So she requested I hold onto it until I learned how to make it into a blank book to put her own favorite recipes in. And finally, (I really mean finally, I think we found this book in January? maybe even earlier. . .) during my busy summer, I had the chance to learn coptic binding (also called a chain-stitch). As soon as I felt comfortable with this binding (and got back home) I started work on giving this book a new life:I carefully finished removing the tape from the spine. Then I scraped off all the goo left behind and used a ruler + matte knife to clean up the rough edges where the spiral had come undone.

I used my trusty colored pencils to fill-in the missing sections of the cover. I was a little nervous at first, but really pleased with how simple it was and how well it turned out:

I am in love with the pink teapot on the back cover, so precious! When I finished filling-in all the tape spots, I gave each cover a coat of Mod Podge to protect from peeling/smearing & for easier cleaning. I thought I wanted to recover the inside of the covers, but I decided to keep the original paper and the note that came with it:

I created new signatures to go inside. Each one starts with decorative paper and includes blank sheets like requested. The extra strip of yellow card stock will help the book expand more easily if papers are glued into it later:

And here is the finished product: This book lies flat when open; it’s the perfect form for a lot of writing or sketching:

This was such a fun way to make something unusable into a new item with purpose. For just a dollar or two, I gave my friend something unique that she can use for many years to come. Not only that, but it was definitely great practice for me. I am also excited to keep the vintage inside pages; they will make great collage material in the future. Waste not, want not!

Movin’ & Shakin’

I am super excited to learn that two of my books will be featured in the Encoded Structures: Interpreting the Story exhibition in conjunction with the Handmade & Bound Festival in Nashville, Tn!

The festival takes place Sept. 30th & Oct. 1st at the Watkins College of Art, Design, & Film. The Opening Reception is September 30, 2011 @ 6:30 pm and the exhibit ends October 31, 2011. If you like books, zines, mini-comics, and other things handmade, then you should definitely check it out! You can also read about my two books that will be there: Dreamweaver and Wanderlust.

Fabric! Paper! Collage!

My final workshop at Arrowmont was packed with so much information. It was a great way to end the summer. I took Surface Design & Collage Techniques with Paper & Fabric taught by Hollie Heller.

We started off the week by dyeing papers and using techniques like batik and discharge to create patterns. Then we learned some iron on transfer techniques and applied them to paper and fabric. I used all of these techniques on watercolor paper, but I also used them on pages of a dinosaur book that I found the week before. Then we used the papers we created to make collages, this is mine:

I created this by pulling fabric over a stretcher frame (like you would canvas) and then applied additional layers of paper & fabric to it with acrylic medium. This made the layers really stiff, like a vinyl or waterproof shoes. But I didn’t want to just have this 24″ x 21″ collage piece, so I decided to cut it up in order to make smaller, more interesting collage surfaces:

After I had some interesting 3″ x 3″ squares, I knew I wanted to create a book with them. I have loved  Jacob’s Ladders since I learned about them in high school (I didn’t have one as a kid), and when I discovered it can be used as a book form, well, I fell even harder for the magical structures. Since I wanted six panels, and a Jacob’s Ladder is viewed from both sides, I needed a dozen collages. I started cutting, arranging, and stapling my pieces:

If you have never seen a Jacob’s Ladder in person, you can watch this video to see how it works. The instructions I used are from Creating Handmade Books, a text I had from the first book arts class I ever took.

I ended up weaving a small basket out of my collage scraps to house this book. I would still like to make a lid for it, but I am pleased with how it’s turning out:

This book is called The 21st Century. It is inspired by how disconnected we as a society have become to the world around us:

Detail of inside text:

Detail of back panels:

I feel like this class pretty much tied the entire summer up for me. I am positive I will use several of these techniques often. This book is very unique from any I have made in the past, and I am sure that with some more play, I can continue to push my books in new and exciting directions.

I’m excited to make this form again, even though it took me about 3 tries to bind it correctly. Maybe one day I will make instructions that aren’t so confusing so that no one has to go through what I did. Or maybe I’m the only one that had this much trouble with a Jacob’s Ladder? Either way, I plan on practicing this form again, so hopefully I will have more to share in the future. Let me know if you have any tips!

Pop-Up Books & Sculptural Bookbinding

I had the extreme pleasure of taking a workshop taught by Carol Barton while I was at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts this summer. Carol is not only the author of The Pocket Paper Engineer Volumes I & II, but also a fantastic book artist, often making editions upwards of 300!

We started the week learning simple pop-up constructions and how to layer them. Does this look like a face to anyone else?

We also experimented with some platform and prop structures (which you can learn about in her 2nd book) and then moved on to more complicated shapes. I played around with cutting out letters:

We also learned some 3D book froms, such as: accordion, carousal, and tunnel book structures. I wanted to try something new, so I decided to focus on making a flag book. I used materials I already had, like textured packing paper and a book of old maps. Here is the cover of Wanderlust Full Speed Ahead:

Covers & spine detail:

Inside spread:

Detail of cut-outs:

During the week several students worked on carousal books. Since I had made one before, I focused on getting the flag book done. However, after I finished it, I did eventually end up starting a carousal book. But I still wanted to do something new, so I decided to scale mine down and make a miniature. Here is the start of it:

It begins with three nested layers. When you are done, it folds into a circle or “carousal” shape. When I learned this form in college, we called it a “Star Book” for obvious reasons:

This book is about 2 1/4″ x 2 1/8″ and is shaping up pretty nicely. I plan on incorporating layered pop ups and lots of stitching into it. Here is a detail of the back:

I learned so much in this workshop that I can incorporate into my work. I am excited to finish this book and to start new ones. I can now visualize what I want to make and easily achieve it. Make sure to check back here to see a finished version.

Until then, you can click here to see some of the books my classmates made during the week or go here to read what Carol had to say about her time at Arrowmont. Enjoy!

Book-o-rama!

Although I have been making books for about 2 years now, I decided to take the Book-o-rama: Book Basics and the Artist’s Book workshop taught by April Flanders this past summer. Even though I knew a few of the book forms that we focused on, I still learned so much from just one week. It was great to get some perspective outside of my university instructors and learn new techniques. I mainly focused on playing around with coptic binding (or chain stitch) and also on toner image transfers. These are my two favorite pieces from that week:

I used a vintage children’s book I found at a thrift store to practice on. I re-used the cover and made this into a blank journal, filled with different kinds of pages:

This second book is called Dreamweaver. I never really thought I would be the type to make miniatures, but I absolutely love the way this book fits in your hand. This tiny guy is only 3″ x 3″ !! It is the first perfect binding I have ever done and I know it won’t be the last. The inside pages were designed with watercolor and also toner transfers:

Now that I am home, I can’t wait to play around even more with both toner transfers and watercolors. Until I get a chance to start experimenting, you can see even more pictures by visiting my Flickr. But be sure to check back, I still have a few more posts about my summer experience to share!