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!