A Book a Day? What's Up With That?


Hi, and welcome to this year-long project. So what's this all about and how did it happen, you might ask. In mid 2007, artist Noah Scalin decided to make a skull out of anything he could find, every day for a year. It stretched him in ways he never imagined, as an artist, a writer and a person. His experience turned into a blog that went viral, and then a book.

Others have picked up on the idea: 365 Hearts, 365 Masks, 365 Bears drawn on a cellphone, 365 paper napkin mustaches.
I wanted to play, too, and I chose books. I love books, I know a bit about making books (thanks to my talented book-maker sister, Marilyn Worrix), and they're broad enough in definition to give me a lot of creative leeway.

The whole point is not really the books. The idea is to stretch myself in many ways as an artist and a person, to set up a discipline, stick with it and see what that teaches me.

I hope you'll join with me and follow along on the journey chronicled here, and let me know what you think.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Book 344-346 - Six Pack Journals Series, - Third Inning - Cross Structure Bindings

Two more six-pack beer books (and a 12-pack).

The graphics on the Great White beer is so cool it really had to be included, snapping jaws and all. And the Mike's hard cranberry lemonade is a nice color. The Bud is just Bud (sort of like the beer itself). But that 12-pack gave me a couple of pieces large enough to make a notebook with a ribbon double spiral binding, so I went for it.

For the other two six-pack beer journals, I cut the sides from the six-packs and included part of the bottom of the box for the spine. That way, I could incorporate the fold line into the design of the book.

These are cross structure binding. I got the directions for this binding from Alisa Golden's book "Making Handmade Books." I've made a few of these now, and I still don't feel like I know how to do it RIGHT. They are just never as neat as I want. But these two are usable.

With a cross structure binding, you basically have two sets of interlocking "straps" coming from the two covers at the spine. You stitch the signatures over the straps of one side, then slide the straps of the other side into place. Then you fold them over and glue the straps to the insides of the covers. That's where I tend to fall down. I find it really hard to get everything perfectly aligned for gluing and then the final book is off. You can just see the straps glued into place in the last photo.

Anyway, here they are, three more books done.









3 comments:

  1. Wow, this series is turning out so nice. The graphics is so cool. Your customers would love seeing these and buy them right there at the store! If the owner quibbles, offer him a percentage, it would still be cheaper than Etsy and no shipping costs or trouble for you.

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  2. Another nice set! Recycling queen! :):)

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  3. Frances - If the owner quibbles, I'll just kick hom out of our bed. ;-)

    I plan to sell these in the store. I think you're right and they will sell.

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