Create MODELS, not regrets...

I wanted to make a note here about the importance of taking the time to make a model when thinking about a new handmade book structure. Now I know that my students over the years have SCREAMED about this tedious process (just like I did many moons ago when my mentors held me down and branded this on my brain), but it is SO IMPORTANT!!

I have been playing with an old favorite form this past week: my alternate star book that fits neatly inside my book-in-a-box project. I want to create a handy little book that will contain both my local landscape and the Station Fire that burned this landscape. For a fire to leap from 1,200 acres to 100,000+ acres within a 24 hour period was quite intense. It was an interesting event for this native Vermonter, and affected me on many levels. Terrifying for the most part, but it also awakened me to how wonderful and kind people are during this type of crisis. I have been reading about the "necessity" of fires for the environment (which I understand intellectually), but am not sure if officials are suppose to pre-think these events into "controlled" fires, or if they plan on waiting around for some looney arsonist to do it. It's beyond me.

BUT, what is not beyond me is finagling a new component into a book structure! I want to make a slider that reveals two different images on six units within the book. If you know the alternate star model, you will understand why this can pose several problems. The two units on each end have two accessible sides each, whereas the four units between them have no accessible sides (they are enclosed). So a model was absolutely necessary!! (Especially if I am using top quality images from that fancy art printer!) I like things to be ....gee, I don't want to overuse this word....accessible to the viewer. I want the viewer to feel comfortable handling it without tearing it. I want the viewer to be able to appreciate the content and the structure without worrying about how to open it, examine it, enjoy it! Thus, the making of a model is imperative to the process.

So I am going to attempt to post a few photos of this model (former students will see that this model is not painted)!! I have a new way to apply color without paint and a blow dryer (I must tell you, though, that the final structure for this project defaults back to paint, colored pencils, and sand paper). I used this one for a model because when you teach these things, you tend to accumulate them, and so they are .... yes, accessible.