Recycled Bookery!

I made this book about the same time as this one but I thought I’d spread them about a bit.  This one is a little different from the ones I usually make, in that it is not a blank sketchbook, rather a book art piece.

 

Its cover is formed from glued slats of boxwood salvaged from a packaging crate destined for the skip (recycling idea #1). It is Japanese stab bound (drilled, not stabbed, obviously) using some old garden string I had lurking in the garage (recycling idea #2) and then stained with Mrs’ Lestaret’s used teabags (recycling idea #3).

The pages are torn from an old hymn book I bought for another project (just used the cover) and I also used parts of it to create the cover panels on the last project (recycling idea #4).

 

 

The cover opens by way of two small hinges tacked into rebates cut into the slats.

The cover label is a line from one of the hymns that has been vigorously rubbed and distressed.

Each of the pages has been irreverently defaced in response to the content.

I had originally started making this book much earlier, during the summer, but laid it aside as I wasn’t sure about what it should contain. As I have a few old books in various states of dismemberment from different projects, I had begun to explore what else may be made of them. As I was making the papiér maché for the last wooden book, I began to recall many hymns from my childhood Sundays at the local church, where most of the kids on the street were sent on a sunday morning to give their parents a rest! I was in a less than charitable mood on the evening I made this and went through a number of pages, responding to what was on each page in red ink. The defaced pages and wooden slatted cover were bound together in bookery…

There is a nice movement to the cover as it folds back on its hinges, and I managed to get a good tension in the string, so the book feels really solid.

The gold print on the edges of the pages also adds something to the overall texture of the piece, complimenting the brass hinges too.

As an artist’s book, this doesn’t run deep in context, but has been a cathartic and rewarding experience…

Printmaking #2

Last week I did my first prints from a new lino block and promised to publish the results here when they had dried. So here they are. And before anybody starts harping on about the state of the typography, I did say right at the start I was being a bit ambitious!

I always find that I over ink on the first one and this is no exception: the vertical cuts on the bottom left of the press are largely full of ink and don’t show. I am satisfied that I am using the right amount of pressure though. Another inking and a second print:

A better print this time. I was very encouraged by this quick improvement and prepared another to see if I was really doing this right or just got lucky:

Over inked again. So I’m in the right area – vairiations in inking and pressure can be expected on a hand press like this, but I am still impressed with the general consistency of the results so far.

The vertical cuts on the bottom left of the press are obviously not very deep and have filled up with ink. I decided to print another one without re-inking the block. I was hoping that another impression might ‘lift’ the ink and clean up the block a bit:

I like the results of this under-inked print – it looks ‘printed’ if you know what I mean? I know that sounds daft, but sometimes you need to labour the process a bit to gain an effect.

Another inking then and back into the press:

Not bad! I have manged to retain the detail that had filled in before, and allowed a few patchy areas (top left and centre) that give it that ‘printerly’ feel, and gained a few more cutting ridges in the white areas. I think this is a result. I will now start cutting lino for a series of graphic prints … watch this space!

Earlier this week I did a few more prints with the kids. As we were finishing off, I picked up a pigeon feather that had blown into the garage some days before, and, using the the last of the rolled out ink, I inked it up and bunged it in the press under a few j-cloths to spead the pressure a bit more. This is a high res image – click on it for the full effect!

I’m really excited about the possibilities here. I know I have access to more sophisticated equipment at college, along with the technical support and ready advice from my colleagues and students, but this is something else.

An Artistic Weekend

This last weekend I’ve been back up north to Sheffield. See the folks; show the children off, etc. In amidst this scene of prosaic domestic activity, I managed to squeeze in a couple of exhibitions. I spent a good hour browsing, reading and marvelling through the entries at the 2nd Artists Book Prize at Banks Street Arts, where my own humble offerings are on display with seventy-nine other entries. There were some very unusual ones that challenged the concept of ‘bookness’, a good many altered books, lots of handmade papers and a few commercially bound editions. There were many types of format, content and execution, and most were unnamed and only identifiable by a small blue sticker with a number for voting purposes. There were voting forms in the exhibition for the public to register their two favourites.

There were too many books to go through fully, which meant having to decided which were to be investigated further. There were perfect bound digitally printed volumes, hand-made paper creations, elegant casebound books, accordian folds, flagbooks, Japanese stab bindings, loose leaves and even a CD!

I was obviously drawn first to the more formally bound books, and then moved on to those with more unusual formats and materials. An early favourite was title ‘Clocks’- a slim casebound volume in grey cloth, around 30 x 25cm, which began typographically with single words on each page, progressing to beautiful graphic swashes on graph paper, and ending with pinholes in the page in the position of numbers on a clock face: booky, graphic and mysterious – it ticked all the boxes for me.

  

I was also really charmed by this tiny (around 9cm tall) slim accordion book of prints depicting rice terraces, held in a gatefold cover and fastened with tooth-like toggles. The simplicity and quality of the single colour printing appealed and inspired me – I need to think about my own themes and practices if I am to produce anything as delicate and communicative as this.

   

My favourite (and got my vote) was this tooled brown leather box, around 10cm square and 4cm deep titled ‘Working Song for a Shetland Shearer.’ The lid lifted away to pull out a… well, I don’t know the technical term for this, but it was a sort of double/twisted accordion, which, when expanded, the panels revealed engaging wood/linocut prints in three colours. The content featured interconnected verses of Baa-Baa-Black-Sheep, with directions for sheep shearing and mixed illustrative styles. The result was a beautiful and seemingly inconsequential work, that ‘spoke’ much more intensely than I had first thought. This is a book made not to celebrate or inform, but exists for the romance of itself, imbued with importance by its own craftsmanship. The leather box binding makes the book solid, timeless, precious and personal. This is a book that I wish I had within easy reach of my desk right now. I seem to enjoy the perverse feeling of creative inspiration tainted by jealousy!

    

There were seven other books that really twisted my melon, and a whole host of others that sparked ideas, made me think and made me smile. Here are some of my favourites.

  

   

 

 

 

The winner of the first Book Arts Prize, Katherine Johnson was awarded an exhibition at the gallery where she displayed a range of altered books and book inspired concept pieces.  There were two main installations. The first one, in a stark, white room, featured paper planes made from book pages, emerging from a casebound book titled “Wings of Fate; Strange True Tales of the Vintage Flying Days” by Norman Macmillan. These were suspended on drop lines fro the ceiling, and emerged from the book in a graceful arc across the room to a point just above the door. Mesmerising in the simplicity of its effect. These images don’t really do it justice, but they are all I’ve got.

 

  

The second piece, in a darkened room lit by a single spotlight, was a thick vertical  column of paper chains, each link made from a line of text cut from a book. Suspended from a single point at the ceiling, they fell to the floor and spread outwards to an abrupt end.

 

Both were elegant and inspired works that made me smile and wonder about the possibilities held within the form of the book. There were a number of smaller pieces on display too, each confidant in it’s execution and beautiful in their detail. One to watch.

 

My thanks to John and the kind folk at Bank Street Arts, who gave me permission to take the photographs, as well as all of the artists whose work is shown here. I apologise for the lack of individual credits but I would be happy to add details and weblinks to any of the featured artists. Go visit the gallery if you are in the area. It’s a small, independent gallery, run by enthusiastic, friendly people. Try the Bakewell tart in the café too!

  

I also went off to the other side of Sheffield to the Cultural Industries Quarter, to the Yorkshire Arts Space  to see an exhibition of posters by Martin F. Bedford, a designer, illustrator and photographer who was an early inspiration for me as a young pup! He designed lots of gig and event posters for many of the cities arts and music venues, especially The Leadmill, (some history here - many a lost night spent in the bar in my time!!!) which many of us aspiring designers wanted to do. I did, in time, design quite a lot of posters for them (so thanks Martin!) but back to the story.

 

BUT. Yes, but. There has to be a but. It was shut. Why aren’t galleries open on a bloody Saturday? So go to Martins website  and take a look at his work online – buy a print (I wish I could afford a John Cooper Clark one, above!) or buy the book.  I have had one of his books since last Christmas. It is really a blast from the past for me, but is also full of quirky, colourful grassroots design and striking imagery, and has lots to offer those who enjoy music design and ephemera, and may never have even been to Sheffield! It is also worth considering that The Leadmill was notorious for quick turnarounds and last minute work – many of the posters I did were commissioned on a Wednesday, printed on a Thursday, flyposted on a Thursday and Friday night for a gig the next Tuesday! As I recall, they only paid a flat fee of forty quid for each design! But you could get in to the gig for free and see some great (and not so great acts) and see lots of people carrying your posters which they had paid a pound for!

Anyway, following my disappointment at this exhibition being shut, I wandered down the road to the Site Gallery  (which was open and free) and spent a while in a wonderful exhibition space showing a minimalist video installation by by New Zealand-born, Melbourne-based artist Daniel von Sturmer. I’m not usually moved by this sort of work, but these wes playful and beguiling films, well presented with crystal clear sound. The fact that I was the only person in there answered my earlier question about galleries don’t open at the weekend (they did have two very delightful ladies on reception though!) but it was nice to have the place all to myself.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Visit your local galleries and arts centres. Apart from supporting real, honest people sharing and promoting the work of other creatives, you may leave inspired, educated, baffled or just smiling. Exercise your intellect and your emotions.

What the F…riday!

Is it just me, but did somebody not think about this before it was published? Chocolate chips anyone?

Printmaking

I didn’t wait too long before getting the press into service. After pressing a few books it was time to print something. I was going to use a lino block I had cut last year, but decided to cut something new as this was the first time. I decided to create a sort of “private press” style logo using the press itself as the motif. After a few abortive attempts I settled upon this one, quickly sketched out to give a good indication of the relief areas and traced in reverse onto the lino block using carbon paper:

I got a bit ambitious here – the design only measures 10.4 x 8.2mm so there was no way I was going to get the letters cut accurately, but hey, I may as well try. After transferring to the lino, I prefer to draw pen over the relief areas. This helps me to prevent cutting away the wrong parts!

 

Out with the old lino tools and after warming the lino for a few minutes (this softens the lino and prevents it from ‘tearing’ as you cut) I gouged out the edges to get a feel for the sharpness of the blades before getting into the details. Of course, I tackled the type first…

A quick word on the tools. For the edges and details I used the number 1 and 2 ‘v’ shaped blades (below, left) and a flatter number 10 ‘shovel’ shaped blade to take out large areas and remove the peaks created by the smaller v shaped blades. I often leave these peaks on for a more rustic look, but decided to go for something a little cleaner this time.

Health and Safety note – keep the fingers of your other hand behind the blade when cutting. (I expect many tales of linocutting injuries following this post…) Please observe the postition of my hands in the previous images.

I did the cutting over two evenings – this is quite taxing on the eyes and hands (Jeez – I sound like an old geezer!) but the surface textures of cut and smooth lino are just so lovely I had to photograph them!

  

And to finish, a quick check with a wax crayon…

 

I flipped this one over on screen just for the effect of comparison here.  And now we go to print. I have just recieved a tin of water-based relief ink (Caligo 250gsm from GreatArt) so it’s out to the garage (a temporary home – I’m hankering after a cool garden studio).  A small amount of ink goes a long way. Transfer out a smear (it’s the consistency of marmite!) onto a smooth surface – I’m using a spare kitchen tile and roll out smooth with a clean roller until it sounds like frying bacon. (Mmm, bacon!) and roll onto the block in all directions making sure that all the surfaces are evenly coated.

 

Into the press then. With the paper carefully placed on top and a J-cloth as a press blanket, a good amount of pressure was applied.

 

And the results? Well:

I did 5 prints in all, and my eldest daughter (Uppercase) also did one. She also took the last 5 photographs! They are drying at the moment so I will hi-res scan them in and post them soon. Oh, I’m such a tease!

Parthenocissus Tricuspidata

What can I say? Autumn is upon us in a big way and I can’t help being affected by the changing colours. I have been documenting the ‘turn’ of my Boston Ivy over the last month, photographing the same patch each morning and afternoon to chart the changes in colour. I aim to compile these as an animation and post them here when all thoughts of autumn are gone, the depressing, dismal stretch of winter sets in, and we need a burst of colour to cheer us up!

This evening as I arrived home I was amazed at the spread of colours on the one plant, so I swiftly plucked a handful of leaves and scanned them. Being a bit of a graphic designer geek (OK – a lot of a geek!) I also Pantone matched them. I first used the median filter, set to 100% in PhotoShop to create a more standardised colour field, then sampled the broadest sweeps of colour to capture the Pantone colour:

OK - this is not a scientific method as the filter uses all of the pixels, including the white highlights, but I feel that they are honest enough to pass muster.

Anyway, enjoy the colour around you before it’s gone… remember, this is nature’s last ‘Hurrah!’

ADDITIONAL – check out Chris Glass’  blog from 2006. I feel like I’ve been really naughty!

Typewriter

Visiting a friend recently, I noticed a rather beautiful, scruffy old typewriter in the corner under the stairs. When I asked about it she replied that it was about to go back up the attic again so I asked her if I could take it away for a bit and photograph it. So it has been sat in my garage for a few days until last night, when I took around 150 images. I also did a bit of geeky internet searching and found out that it is an Imperial Model 50 which was made around 1927-37 and considered rather good!

The finish on the metal is really interesting – a brainlike or coral reef texture:

Anyway, I kind of fell in love with it as I was taking these images; it kept changing its nature as I closed in on it, with it’s elegant decay and fluff gathering abilities, it turned from a typewriter into abandoned agricultural machinery, an early mechanised weaving loom into instrument of torture, and finally into a sculptural memorial of obsolete technology. I have selected a few of my favourites here, and the rest will be uploaded onto Flickr eventually.

Then there’s the typographic bit – well, there’s always a typographic bit isn’t there? Gill Sans just looks so good here:

     

   

And just a few more!

As I was finishing, I began to play a little more. I am currently encouraging my students to consider image making as something other than taking photographs, and using cameras to create effects, being less precise and expecting a few happy accidents along the way, so I decided to follow my own advice. This is a selection of the results! (If it isn’t doing anything, click on it to see the animation…)

So thanks Michelle, it can now go back up into the attic, but don’t forget about it…

UPDATE: I tried to get a full set of character imprints from the typewriter this week, but sadly the mechanism that propells the main roller is jammed solid. A friend is going to give it a clean up and try to get it working again!

Books!

So it’s been a while since I posted anything I’d made or experimented with, but it has been a busy start to the new academic year; lots of new changes, lots of new students (hello first years!) Well, if you are a regular here, you will know that I’ve renovated a nipping press and entered a book into a competition, as well as having a stinking cold (not swine flu, utter rotter flu or venezuelan beaver thrush!) but I think I can be excused from a lack of general creative activity!

So what else have I been doing? Well, I’ve been making a few books; normal and unusual, learning some new stitching skills and techniques along the way. I was intending to a general overview here, with about half a dozen images, but once I sat down and looked at the images I had taken I decided to shown you one project at a time. So here is the first:

This book has wooden cover boards attached by cords laced through, with the text block bound over the cords. This was a tricky job without a sewing frame, but I managed ok in the end with only a few new swear words coined!

The boards were a bit scuffed in places so I decided to make some decorative panels. These were made from strips of pages from and old hymn book I had bought to use the cover for on another project, ripped up and soaked in water and PVA to make a sort of papiér maché.

These strips were laid out into a new sheet and left to dry.

They were then trimmed to fit and glued on. I popped the book into the press overnight (the first thing in!!!!!!!!!) to flatten and ensure a good fix.

I love the way this type of binding opens and exposes the cords between the covers and sections. It is a very visible structure, but appears very delicate between the thicker boards…

It also opens very flat, wherever you open it…

Mmm. Booky!

Featured

Each month (more or less) I will be posting a feature on someone, or something that makes me wish ‘I’d done that’ or some such exclamation. I aim to be generally design based, but will inevitably wander off as my whim takes me. So far, I have planned out pieces on designers, illustrators, photographers, typographers, products, advertising, type, retro design and, of course, one or two guilty pleasures! Enjoy.

 

To begin with I would like to bring to your attention the subject of Urban Sketching and the work of Wil Freeborn. Urban sketching is, as you may have already gathered, the art of drawing cities and the urban environment, directly from observation on the spot. Wil lives and works in Scotland, and has a great eye for capturing the ‘sharp’ essence of the urban life he sees, and appears to draw every day, judging by the frequency of the posts on his website. I particularly enjoy the candid  images of people when they are not posed and undertaking unimportant daily tasks – the cyclist eating his lunch, above, and the sleeper on the train, below, are especially strong for me. (Click on the images for a better view)

The appeal is in their immediacy – a snapshot of ordinary, swiftly (but deftly) rendered, echoing the carefully composed and prepared painting of ordinary life, much like like those of Degas and Pissarro.

There is also a level of consistency in his work – this type of drawing can appear repetitive and without conclusion to some, but the continuation of observing and recording everyday life within the format of a sketchbook, affords these images a greater visual resonance.  There is also a lot of personality in these images; the illustrator as voyeur, outsider, choosing to see the ordinary but interesting things and situations that remain largely unobserved by most. There is also an element of social importance that can (should) be attached to this type of work. Their documentary of social and cultural events could be considered as important as the engravings of Hogarth’s (below) London and the diaries of Samuel Pepys from the 17th century, in providing a record of daily life for our times.

As well as sharing his sketches online on his website, Wil also uploads to Flickr and has also published his sketchbooks in book form which can be purchased here and will certainly be amongst my own books very soon…

Here are a few more of may favourites, although I found something worth showing on every page, these grabbed my attention. These three show Wil’s sensitive observations of; the beauty of nature once it’s ‘beauty’ has gone; an event, where individuals are grouped together and standardised by uniforms, but still retaining their individual postures and personalities; and the single element in what is usually a constant parade of shoppers… mmm!

If you like this type of work, you may also want to check out Ingo Giezendanner who draws fascinating pen/line sketches of the most amazingly mundane, but beautiful urban landcapes. There is also a network of urban sketchers, whose collective work can be found here.

If you are inspired to draw by these wonderful people, do so – there is subject material all around you. Go check out Wil’s site in any case; there are some wonderful viewpoints to be had in life, even if they are not our own…

2nd Artist’s Book Prize

The 2nd Artist’s Book Prize is an open submission exhibition, held to coincide with the Off the Shelf Festival which takes place annually in Sheffield.  ‘Margaret’s Choice’  pictured below, will be exhibited amongst 80 international entries with the main prize decided by visitors to the exhibition who will be given a voting form and asked to choose their favourites.

It is on at The Bank Street Gallery in Sheffield from October 8th – October 31st, 2009 10am-5pm. If you are in the area, pop in and vote for a good book…

I will be visiting to check out the competition and hope to show more images of my favourites.