Stick Painting with Andie Thrams

There’s more to the Focus on Book Arts conference than the daily workshops – there’s an opening reception, a keynote speech, an artist marketplace, a vendor fair, a faculty-staff exhibit, and Hospitality Night – a time for conference attendees to share their work.

In addition to all of that goodness, at lunchtime there were informal demonstrations on three of the conference days. On Friday, I attended a stick painting demonstration with Andie Thrams. No, we did not paint sticks. Instead of paintbrushes, we used sticks to apply paint. It sounds strange, but was actually quite an elegant process.

Andie explained that the longer the stick, the “grander the gesture”. Don’t use brittle sticks because they tend to crumble. When you paint, move from the shoulder – treat the stick like an extension of your arm. Sticks absorb ink the longer you work with them, which can help improve the flow. When you use this technique, you are creating somewhat uncontrolled work that will be similar to the chaotic patterns in nature.

You use this technique on watercolor paper. If you work dry on wet, you get more definition and precision. If you work wet on wet, you get freer and blurrier lines. You can either brush the water on your paper or use a spray bottle. For variety, you can also apply layers of methyl cellulose paste mixed with dry pigment or acrylic paint to your paper.

Samples of stick painting

You can use any type of ink for this process, just add ox gall to your ink to help it flow better. Always pour your ink into a separate container so that you don’t contaminate your main source. You don’t want stick bits floating in your bottle, now do you?

Andie stick painting on dry paper

Andie stick painting on wet paper

As soon as Andie asked for volunteers, I jumped at the chance.

Here’s my piece:

Oh yeah, I’m a beginner. Super-blobby-blurriness going on in the middle there. But I’m actually pretty psyched about some of the dry work. Painting with the stick was awkward at first, but then started to feel more natural. If I were to do this again, I would use a spray bottle instead of brushing water on.

I’ll leave you with this great comment from Andie:

If you think about a pencil or a brush – we’re all just working with sticks.

Suminagashi on Paper & Silk with Diane Maurer

Diane Maurer - the marbling marvel

Sadly, Sunday was my last workshop at the Focus on Book Arts conference. I was pretty bummed when I left campus to catch my plane home. Just to give you a taste of my red eye experience: “I’m awake! I’m awake! I’m home!” THUD!

The Suminagashi workshop with Diane Maurer was the perfect workshop for my last day. I was pretty wiped out by then and the process was very mellow – a nice way to wind down from the fast pace of the conference. Diane taught us how to use the Suminagashi method on both paper and silk. I made 15 sheets of paper during the workshop.

I’ve decided that the Suminagashi process is deceptively simple. Using one brush per color, you add inks (we used Boku Undo inks) to the water tray by touching the paintbrush tip to the water. You use something called photo wetting solution to add clear rings to the pattern. You alternate between ink and photo wetting solution until you get the number of rings you desire. You can then gently blow or fan the inks to create more dramatic patterns. The complexity comes from making intentional designs with the sometimes uncontrollable inks. Method is easy, technique is hard.

Once you have achieved your final pattern, you gently lay a piece of paper on top of the floating inks. Oriental papers or those with a high cotton content work well for this process. Lift the paper out of the tray and you’re done! Colors don’t run once they’ve made contact with the paper.

What follows is a pictorial of the process:

What follows are some images of my papers. Please note that I am not Diane. I went through a bit of a progression:

Taking it slowly, sticking to the basics

I'm done with basics, I'm going the crazy route

I found something I like - the "Cat in the Hat" series

We had so much time to experiment that I actually evolved – I rarely have the opportunity to evolve in a day. I could totally spend more time exploring this Cat in the Hat thing more. The shapes in those papers seem to moving and evolving with me.

As I mentioned earlier, not only did we learn how to use the Suminagashi technique on paper, but also on silk. We dyed small silk squares, let them dry, then ironed them. After stretching the silk taut on foam core with stick pins, we used Cello Mount to create what was essentially bookcloth. We then adhered the silk to the mat board to make the frame. It was pretty easy.

For more information on Suminagashi, check out the following links:

Buy Suminagashi supplies from Diane

Yes, Diane really was on Martha Stewart

Ooohhh, look at the Suminagashi pictures on Flickr

Colophon Book Arts Supply – Suminagashi information and supplies

The Doweled Flap Book & the Dowel Spine Non-Adhesive Portfolio with Peter Thomas

Yes, I have achieved my longest blog title to date.

I have made through Day three at the Focus on Book Arts conference. Today’s workshop was just a one-day workshop and by the end of the day I had two books.

I would like to start off by saying that today I had the pleasant experience of, along with my classmates, being serenaded by my instructor. This was new for me. I think I liked it. You should have it happen to you.

Peter Thomas sang to us as he played a ukulele. When the song ended, he opened a up his ukulele and an accordion book came out.

Coolest.thing.ever.

Peter has made more than 20 ukulele books since 1996. You can read more about these books on Peter’s website. Even better, you can watch Peter Thomas play his ukulele books in several YouTube videos he created.

I think I’m going to insist that I’m serenaded in all future book arts classes.

We spent the majority of the day working on a miniature Doweled Flap Book. You can find this project in Peter and Donna Thomas’ book, More Making Books by Hand: Exploring Miniature Books, Alternative Structures, and Found Objects.

Following are images of the book I made. The book measures about 2 3/8″ wide x 2 7/8″ high x 7/8″ deep. When opened, the book is 4 3/4″ wide.

Front view

Back view

In an effort to eliminate overthinking content, I decided to go low brow. When the flaps are down, the text reads as follows:

Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?

When the flaps are in turned up, the text reads as follows:

I
hate
that
damn
banana.

They can’t all be inspirational.

All sides of the interior frame are stamped with the word “knock”. I used watercolors and watercolor crayons on watercolor paper to cover the surfaces. The thickness of the paper made it a bit hard to close the book, but after working it with a bone folder, it seems to be working fine now. I ran out of time and couldn’t finish the cover, so I’ll work more on it at home. I did, however, have a stroke of inspiration. After class I went to the conference vendor fair to see if they had what I needed – score!

The Happy Doorknob

Here’s a shot of all of the books created by my classmates (they make a nice book chorus line):
With about an hour or so to go until the end of the day, Peter announced that we’d be making another book – the Dowel Spine Portfolio (you can also find this structure in Peter & Donna’s book). This book took a lot less time to make, which was satisfying.

The book involved little more than scoring, folding, and cutting. The whole thing is held together with a small piece of bamboo skewer. The book measures about 3 3/4″ wide x 2 1/4″ high x 1/2″ deep. When opened, the book is 7 7/8″ wide.

Front

Back

As you can see in the pics, the covers have pockets in them that are large enough to hold a standard size business card. This structure is such a peanut.

I highly recommend Peter Thomas as a teacher, so if you ever have an opportunity to take one of his classes, go for it. He is probably the most enthusiastic instructor I’ve had to date. He seems to breathe books.

I was also lucky enough to be able to see some of Peter and Donna’s miniature books in person at the vendor fair . It’s hard to describe just how very precious they are. I found myself immediately drawn to a book with a cheese theme (who, me?). It had a rat pelt in it. Sorry to all of you animal defenders out there but I loved it. Don’t worry, no rats were killed to make the book – they have a friend who’s an exterminator.

When Jim Croft talks…

So I have a partially written post about the worskhop I attended yesterday at the Focus on Book Arts conference. I was sitting in the lobby of the dorm, getting ready to write when Jim Croft came over.

Now when Jim Croft wants to talk to you, you listen (just like the E.F. Hutton commercials from the 80’s). He is so cool.

Anyway, I’ll be (hopefully) finishing up my post later this evening while I wait for my flight home to Vermont.

Red eye! Yay!

The Amazing Dremel with Jill Timm – Day 2

Day two at the Focus on Book Arts conference is now over. Well, not quite – right now I’m listening to Peter Thomas and Jim Croft doing a duet on a harmonica/ukulele and trombone, respectively.

Today was day 2 of The Amazing Dremel with Jill Timm. The day progressed much like it had yesterday. Jill would do a demonstration, then we would have the opportunity to practice what we had learned.

Thankfully, I was much more relaxed with Stan today.

More from the “E Series”:

Dremel + plexiglass

Dremel + ceramic tile

Dremel + aluminum

Dremel + polymer clay

Dremel + steel

I think my favorite material from today is the ceramic tile. You can remove the gloss from the tile to reveal the matte color underneath, then you can drill further to access the clay base.

My least favorite – plexiglass. Blech, blech, superblech. Jill told us that plexi gets more interesting when you use a thicker piece. That may be true, but my piece from today looked like I dragged it out in the road.

Working with steel was a wacky experience. It was hea-vy - about 3/8″ thick, which doesn’t sound like much but it was substantial. We put some rust goo on it yesterday and set the pieces outside overnight. Today our steel was covered in rusty goodness. When you use the Dremel on steel, sparks fly.

Seriously, sparks fly. Be careful.

Here’s the “E Series” in it’s entirety:

Smorgasdremel

We made simple books using a Zutter Bind-it-All. We used 2 pieces of bookboard for the covers and CD sleeves for the pages. We could store each of our samples in one of the CD sleeves – pretty cool idea. The last CD sleeve houses a small book we used for recording tips learned while working with each material. The book should prove useful for reference in future projects. I’ll post images of my book when it’s all finished. Unfortunately, the book isn’t big enough for all of my samples and I need to do some more work on it.

I’m sad that my workshop is over. Jill Timm is a fabulous teacher – very patient and kind. I would take another class with her in a heartbeat. As a nerdly side note, I had Jill sign my Dremel manual. If it weren’t for her, then Stan would never have come into my life.

Dear Stan,

I love you. I’m sorry you have to go home in a UPS box and not on a plane with me.

Don’t hate me.

Love, Elissa

The Amazing Dremel with Jill Timm – Day 1

I just finished my first day at the Focus on Book Arts conference. After having spent over 12 hours traveling yesterday, it was so nice to get to play all day long.

Today was day 1 of a 2-day workshop with Jill Timm – The Amazing Dremel. The amazing thing is that I finally own a Dremel after having wanted one for several years. I’m so happy.

My Dremel’s name is Stan. I don’t know why I picked that name other than the fact that he just looks like a Stan. See for yourself:

Hello, my name is Stan

I arrived at my workstation to find a wooden box. I open it up and meet my new friends:

Dremel attachment box o' goodies

Best.materials.fee.ever.

Jill spent some time giving us a basic overview of how to use the Dremel. I’ll be honest – the thing Stan scared me a little. At first I held it too tight, which gave me some unpleasant hand cramps. I was able to relax my grip more as the day went on.

The class moved from brief demonstrations to Dremel play. We got to practice techniques on a small piece of material and then would work on a larger piece for us to refer to in the future. We were able to choose the design we used for each material and I decided to stick with something basic for the whole series. I didn’t want to waste time trying to figure out what to do – I just wanted to dive in and play with the Dremel. Sometimes I just get too hung up on the details.

Welcome to the “E Series”:

Dremel + wood

Dremel + glass

Dremel + mirror

Dremel + linoleum

So far, I think I like working with glass the best. Since the surface is hard, you can get nice smooth lines. I also found that the Dremel was easiest to control on glass. Plus you can work on both sides to get some depth. The thicker the glass, the more interesting effects you can achieve.

Jill explained that one drawback to using a Dremel on glass is that drilling holes in it usually causes the glass to shatter – the glass heats up quickly in one area while another stays cool – then kablooey. I’m guessing that a drill that uses water to keep the drilled surface cool would work better.

The mirror was also fun to work with – you could remove the back surface layer to reveal the glass beneath. You could then lay something over the exposed glass to add color to your front view.

After having worked on the glass, I felt that the linoleum was a bit submissive. I discovered that if you use a grinding bit for a length of time, you risk melting the linoleum onto your bit. Luckily, I had a brush attachment that I used to remove the offending linoleum.

I’m sure that I’m not the first person to find linoleum offensive.

You can use the Dremel to work the linoleum and then use the finished piece for printmaking. I’m guessing the same is true for wood, although the detail isn’t as crisp. You’d have a much rougher image or one without much detail.

Overall, a really fun day. I’m covered in a delightful dust blend, but totally worth it.

Packing for Focus on Book Arts…

I had hoped to write a blog post today about my trip to the American Bookbinding Museum, which I visited during my trip to San Francisco. Unfortunately, my to-do list has gotten the better of me.

Sigh.

Tomorrow morning, in the wee hours, I’ll be leaving for the Focus on Book Arts conference in Forest Grove, Oregon.

[gasp!]

I’m not done packing yet!

[shocker]

Provided that there’s wireless internet available during the conference, I”ll be blogging after each day’s workshop.

Here’s to anticipated technology!

The San Francisco Center for the Book

Another stop on my bookbinding-focused trip to San Francisco was The San Francisco Center for the Book. I loved the exterior of the building. It just didn’t want to blend in.

When I got inside the building, I realized that I had imagined that the space would be much larger. I think that I’ve been impressed by their programs for so long that I literally built up the place.

Here are some images from the inside of the building:

I organize my bookcloth this way too!

During my visit, I was lucky enough to be able to view Once Upon a Book, SFCB’s current exhibit.

Once Upon a Book showcases six acclaimed children’s book illustrators in a new light – through doodles, sketches, mock-ups, all the way through finished art. This exhibition looks into the creative process of six masters of children’s books: Remy Charlip, Maira Kalman, Elisa Kleven, David Macaulay, Chris Raschka, and Brian Selznick.

I really enjoyed seeing the rough sketches and mock-ups of each artist’s work. It brought the work down to a more accessible level – I think that it’s easier for me to relate to artwork when it’s less polished.

Here are some images from the exhibit:

Remy Charlip

Brian Selznick

Maira Kalman

Elisa Kleven

Chris Raschka

David Macaulay

I’d like to give a special shout out to David Macaulay – as it turns out, he lives in Vermont (woohoo!). His sketchbooks were just breathtaking – such attention to detail, even in a mode of exploration. Very inspirational.

The exhibit runs until August 7, 2009. You can download the Once Upon a Book catalog for $6.00 or purchase a print copy for $12.90 from lulu.com. And if that isn’t enough for you, exhibit curator Thacher Hurd produced a series of videos in which five of the artists talk about their creative process. You can watch the videos below.

Trip to Kozo Arts

Another stop on my bookbinding-focused trip to San Francisco was Kozo Arts. I have been aware of Kozo Arts for a while now, but never thought I’d actually get to visit their shop. While creating my vacation itinerary, I planned to make a rather serious paper purchase while at the store.

Ah, the best laid plans…I get in the store and while my initial gaze is drawn to the beautiful Chiyogami papers (especially a rocking monkey print), I immediately lose my breath upon seeing the most gorgeous bookcloths I have ever seen. Ever. EVER.

I wanted to open up the bolts on the floor and roll around on them.

Notara, the manager of Kozo Arts, gave me the scoop on the bookcloth. She explained that the 100% silk bookcloths had been an acquisition of the previous store owner. He had taken regular buying trips to Japan to find new items for the store and found these beautiful bookcloths in some guy’s basement. His basement.

How does that happen?

She added that Japanese bookcloth as we know it was not traditionally used for bookbinding – it was used for mounting paper scrolls. I wonder who that first person was who used the stuff for bookbinding?

Thank you.

Notara has been working at Kozo Arts for 10 years. How she tolerated my total spazziness in the store is beyond me.

Notara, you're a saint!

So even though the bookcloth was pricey ($38 per yard, less a 10% discount if you’re a bookbinder), I had to get some – they just don’t have these beauties anywhere else. I bought 4 yards of the delicious stuff. I apologize for not being a better photographer – these photos do not do the bookcloths justice.

Every day since I returned from my trip, I’ve gone into my studio and gazed longingly at my new friends. These are going to be hard to cut up. Boy, when I run out – that’s also going to suck.

Time to plan another trip to San Francisco.

Sorry paper, maybe next time.

Trip to Arch Art Supply

The very first stop on my bookbinding-focused trip to San Francisco was Arch Art Supply. The San Francisco Center for the Book (another stop on my trip – details in a future post) recommended Arch as a good source for papers. We arrived shortly after 9:00 a.m. and were the first ones in the store. The folks there were really nice – they knew how to be helpful without hovering around while you fondle papers…just my type of staff.

There’s something cool about being the only person in an art supply store – it’s like it’s all yours…

One of each please.

I so wanted to stick that wood cabinet under my jacket...

It just went on for miles...

So I didn’t buy as much paper as I had anticipated, but I’m pretty happy with my haul.

These tissues are really lightweight and the colors are so vibrant. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask what country they’re from…does anyone know? It’s important to me to know where my papers are made. I might just have to give those Arch folks a call and see if I can describe the papers…

I also got these really nifty metallic papers – and I’m not really a metallic girl. I just loved the textures on them.

I did ask about the origin of these papers – they are machine made in Taiwan, made of wood pulp and recycled paper. You can see the specifics on the Graphic Products Corporation website (from left to right):

• Oodles of O’s – Silver
• Waves – Silver Snow
• Oodles of O’s – Bronze
• Fossil – Silver Snow

The coolest part of the trip was discovering that they still had Gocco supplies in stock at reasonable prices. 5-packs of B6 screens and 10-packs of bulbs were under $16.00 a piece – much cheaper than the going rate at most retailers. They also had a variety of inks for under $4.00 a tube, along with some other supplies. I bought 4 tubes of pearly inks and 3 packs of ink block (sorry – I bought all they had out). They did not have a lot of supplies left so if you are in the SF and are looking for supplies, go soon! They may not last for long.