Aching for Bookmaking!

In the past week, I have become enraptured in bookmaking! It all began when my sister, who also graduated with her BFA in Art Education from Temple's Tyler School of Art, taught me a few years ago how to make books. Since I made my first book with her, years ago, I have wanted to do it again, but haven't had or made the time! Now that I have ample time to experiment and create, I am seizing the opportunity! About a week ago, I ventured to the library for some books and came across this FABULOUS publication called, How to Make Books; it is so remarkable, intelligent, and easy to follow {with fabulous projects and ideas} that I am going to purchase it to have and hold as a resource!!

Esther K. Smith, the author of the book, encourages new bookmakers to start their bookmaking adventures by creating instant books, like zines, cloth baby books, etc., which help a new book artist work out kinks and get accustomed to the process of creating books! I have made 3 self-hinged accordion dummy books thus far, and it's led me into wanting to experiment with the hard stuff! I'm ready to take a crack at some bindings such as Coptic and Long Stitch books.

This revived interest of mine, in an under-appreciated art form, is something I've always thought about exploring in the art classroom with students! How wonderful would it be for students to create their own, well-bound sketchbooks?! Ironically enough, Allie, a blogger and teacher who authors one of my frequented blogs called, Bakers and Astronauts, has embarked on a new unit of inquiry in her preschool classroom: storytelling, paper-making, and bookmaking; this unit is exactly what I am interested in! I hope you take a moment to admire and consider bookmaking as it applies to you and your needs or desires and look at Allie's post about paper-making, as a part of her and her students' book-making adventures! I hope you'll be inspired to make a book of your own, whether you sketch, journal, make lists, take notes... everyone can use a beautiful, personalized, handmade book!!












Additionally, as a profuse lover of textiles, making books creates an outlet for utilizing textiles which really excites me!! One can create covers, belly bands, pocket covers and even utilize textiles within books to illustrate with fabric {a lesson I explored as a student teacher with my 6th graders in which we created fabric landscape images with scrap/recycled/reused fabric, studying foreground, middle ground, and background components to composition}.


Allie, on Bakers and Astronauts, also recommends a book called, My Friends, by Beatrice Alemagna in which Alemagna illustrates an animal that is an odd amalgamation of appliqué, fabrics, and stitching which vaguely resembles a most unusual animal, perhaps a dog or sheep. How wonderful would it be to utilize Alemagna as an artist to explore sewing work, stitching, creating fabric illustrations, which in my mind all culminate under the umbrella of bookmaking!! Another potential unit of inquiry that I will tuck away for when I have a real classroom full of students :)

For those of you who are interested, please read this interview of Beatrice Alemagna on the blog, Fine Little Day!

One last declaration: through my bookmaking expeditions, I've discovered that the bone folder is the greatest tool ever; everyone should own one!! So, go out, get yourself a bone folder, and happy bookmaking to you all!!

Cin cin!