Meandering Books

I wanted to make a note regarding "simple" books that do not always require a "model" or days of envisioning the final outcome. My son was visiting in the early fall and while cleaning my shed, he came upon a mother mouse and her four babies. Because we are such ridiculous people, it turned into a story....one that I knew Jack would enjoy when he got a bit older. (After all, I would say that Granma and Uncle Alex are two of his favorite people).

I finished a volunteer project this past week making 60 books with the classroom teacher at a local charter school, and as an afterthought, I sent him an email and said, "If there is one book you must have to learn basic structures, ask Santa for Shereen Laplantz' Cover to Cover." It is a must for everyone interested in making books. In that book, you will find a variety of quick and easy "booklets" that she refers to as "flutter books." As much as I love her work, I have never been able to call these wonderful little structures flutter books! Somewhere in my travels, I picked up the term, "meandering" books....and they do indeed. They meander as you fold, as you cut, and as you refold, and as you view them again and again.

Needless to say, there is a connection between my son, mice, and meandering books! (You were worried, weren't you?) I intended to get the mouse story down much sooner than now, and with the holiday approaching, it seemed like the perfect gift for my son....who can then become The Keeper of Family Stories for little Jack (a very important job indeed).

First, I drew the mice in a loose and quick contour; I splashed some watercolors on it, and let it dry. Second, I folded it, unfolded it, and cut the "T." And third, I refolded into its final form and wrote out the story (I didn't even pre-plan the text layout...I simply wrote it out with a song and a prayer). Lastly, I glued on two cover boards (cereal boxes covered with handmade paper that looks like chewed up wood.....yes, staying in touch with the mouse content), and added a ribbon for a closure.

That was all it took. Fast and easy. AND....because I made sure the covers were the same exact size as the booklet, it can be unfolded completely (see photo) to reveal the original drawing. Meandering Books. Flutter Books. You choose.

Play and have FUN.

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.

Rain and Fire and Digital Photos

It is finally raining. For some reason, us [relocated] Californians know instinctively that we must have rain...not only for obvious life-sustenance, but to wash this ash into the earth...and still, we wake up to the sound of rain and feel we are robbed of another gorgeous day. Is that ridiculous? I would say, "Yes, it is. We southern Californians are a spoiled lot."

SO I am beginning to think it is time to share some of my ideas with the Outer World. My students have been the only recipients of 20+ years of book structure experimenting, and I think I should expand my horizons. As a result, I am combining my local landscape (yes, here in the foothills) with images of the Station Fire (August-September 2009) into a small book that shows the beauty and necessity of both (I hope).

My daughter asked why I would use my quality art printer for such small images (Epson 2200), when I could easily print them at the local Walgreens. Here is my answer: when you have to specify size and several different images [of that size] on one sheet, there is simply no way to do that on the photo computers at the drug store. It is my experience that you can get down to a wallet size, but then you'd have to settle for only 1 image for an entire sheet of wallet size photos. They aren't going to allow you to pick 6 different images to place on one sheet. Does anyone have a different experience of these "do it yourself drugstores?" The only other option would be to organize your images on one 8.5 x 11 sheet, save it on a CD or a flash drive, and bring it to Kinkos to print it on the paper of your choice. Yes? I have never been truly happy with the color quality at Kinkos, but I am a picky woman about those things.

So with that being said, I shall return to my task of entertaining Mr. Jack Fynn, and then return to this process of bookmaking. Stay dry, and stay tuned for a warmer and drier day. It's inevitable.

Jack Fynn

The weather has been beautiful the past few days, with only a very thin dusting of ash. HOWEVER, the nights are too chilly for sitting outside under the Live Oaks and throwing clay pots on the wheel. Grandson Jack has been watching me with great enthusiasm during the day. He sits in his walker and observes carefully with eyes of envy. His mom tries to keep him "clean," but that's hard to do with a Granma who plays in the mud, and plays with her pup and horse each day. SO FINALLY, while I am amidst this long, arduous process of working on the plate commission, I decided it was time for Jack to assist me. He sat on my lap for a few minutes watching my hands move over the clay, and then I let him take over (he turned 8 months old last Friday). Jack's technique is very different than mine. He prefers to play double-handed pattycake for plate compression. He is very serious about his work. I just have to keep an eye on his little feet: the more enthusiastic he gets, the more likely he is to stick his feet beneath the spinning wheel!! So after a full session of clay, he reluctantly let his mother scrub his hands (reluctantly is a very kind word....he screamed bloody murder), and then they went in the cabin.

It is very interesting to watch one's grandchild bloom and grow. He is like a happy little scientist who loves to observe, and then get actively involved. I can see him making a mental list as his eyes scan my work room looking for things to get into in the near future. He has started crawling this past week. It took a while. He never was a creeper pulling himself along on his belly. He wanted to be up on his knees, but by golly that little Santa belly weighs a lot and takes brute strength to lift off of the floor!! So now he gets up on all fours, moves his arms forward a bit, digs in with his toes and takes a little froggy hop forward and keeps moving. He loves to practice the act of moving from all fours to a sitting position. He is very self-disciplined about practicing the things he wants to do most! (Very good character building...) He loves "Itsy Bitsy Spider," especially the part when I say "Out comes the sun.." He watches my outstretched arms and gives me the smile of the year every single time. He also likes my version of "There was a little cabin in the woods." He's very interested in hand movements. He likes to watch his own hands carefully while he moves a toy back and forth like a ratchet. He extends a finger and we play "God giving life to Adam" or ET reaching out to the boy's hand!! We enjoy sharing secret hand movements!! Having Jack so close to me has filled a big, empty spot in my life and every day I give thanks for his love and smiles and big heart. He is a special little guy (spoken, I believe, like a true Grammy..).