Sunday, August 11, 2019

Slow progress for a wee book

I have an edition due in November and I have been working towards it all year, knowing that my time  this year was going to be bit hither and thither as they say.

From the beginning, I wanted to use a variety of techniques and imagery to pull together a small but hopefully sweet book. That meant I needed lots of time to do all of the processes.

Back here in February, I was looking for imagery and preparing solar plates. A week later I had cut pages and was printing.

Then there was the setting of type and deciding of internal pages and the layout of words...

The typefaces is tiny - 8pt - which means the individual pieces are tiny and the eyes do boggle a wee bit.

Here is the colophon before proofing.  I found a mistake or two.


Loads of notes in my notebook thank goodness as there was often a rather lengthy time in between steps.

 Printing the four lines of verse.


The paper was fairly lightweight - around 130gsm, so the impression of the type pushed through a bit more than I would have liked, distracting one from the words on the page, Not to worry, I just sat quietly for a bit and gently rubbed it all back down with a teflon bone folder.



And then I de-bossed, by hammering, a few initials here and there.



I folded the covers, which had been de-bossed using a collagraph plate way back when in January!


And then prepared the book section and once again, trimmed the foredges, this time by hand as the books are small (10cm x 10cm) and there weren't too many pages.


Isn't that just the loveliest image to sit with before I stitch?

8 comments:

  1. the last image, yes ... like gentle swells in the sea ...

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    1. I went back and had a look Liz - and yes, like ripples and pebbles in the ocean almost. What a delightful eye you have! Go well.

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  2. (((Fiona))) that 8 point type is lovely but gosh, I would have to work under a jeweler's lens to see it!

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    1. It was most definitely a challenge Mo - I think it reads OK in the book tho. I wanted it to be quiet and to draw you in...My eyes have now recovered! Go well.

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  3. F - a lot of thought and skill in this wee book. B

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    1. Thanks B - for a wee book there is lots involved!

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  4. lovely..so subtle and elegant !

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    1. Thanks Annick - simple and elegant I hope, and I like that it doesn't really show how many steps and processes have been involved...go well.

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.