A few notes on my process

Until this point I haven't truly taken a look at the way that I decide on a structure and materials, because, quite plainly, it isn't all that complex. I travel where my mind takes me. Influenced by the books I'm learning from, I browse the pages of the texts, looking at pictures and imagining how my materials might work in the form.

I keep a running inventory of the materials I have to work with, like I keep a mental inventory of the food in our fridge and cupboard. And, as I cook, check the mail, and rummage through boxes of 'stuff' stored away, I consider if any of the items I run across could be used for bookmaking. In fact, we made some sushi the other night and used the last of our little tin of wasabi powder. The tin is small and cute, with interesting Japanese/English packaging. I saved it, and I know it will be part of one of the books I make. I haven't decided on a form yet, so stay tuned. I'll come up with something. (The photo is of shrimp steaming for the sushi; great radial shape to the skewers!)

I addition to considering materials, I also think about the types of structures (accordion, edge-sewn, case bound, non-traditional) that I have made thus far. I'd like to avoid repeating more structures, because there are so many extant binding styles to explore, and many more that are yet to be created! To avoid forgetting, here is a list of books I'd like to try: a larger multiple-signature case-bound book; an altered book; a book with pop-ups; a book with non-adhesive bindings (e.g. fancy interlocking pages!); and... The materials, books, and discussions with friends and colleagues are all mixing together in my intellectual slow cooker. It's set to low, and simmering away! If you'd like to suggest a book structure, please do so! :)

Finally, a note on the abysmal photography on this blog. I have to admit that I never did read the directions for our little point-and-shoot digital camera. As a result, the images that I take of my own work (and my students) is generally piss-poor. I haven't quite figured out how to get the camera to color balance. As a result, some of the pics I shoot don't need any color correcting, and others need lots. To automate the image sizing and color balancing I've started using Adobe Photoshop's 'actions.' I've now got a '50 Books Resize' script recorded to automate the resizing, and have a couple color balancing scripts ready to help fix the images. However, the color outcomes are not nearly perfect (which bothers me!), and the color is pretty awful. I'm hoping that at the end of this project I can devote some time to shooting the books with a black background to help color balance the images.