When I bought this desk for $5 at the Deseret Industries, it looked like this:
It's been sitting [in use] in my room since the end of August, but finally I sanded and spray-painted it. The white semi-gloss is a great improvement. This project also did so much to relieve some of the creative ennui I've been feeling for a while.
botanical watercolors, more specifically :]
for an upcoming project...
I was all ready for spring and then today it definitely SNOWED again! This weather is all over the place.. it really can't decide which season to stick with!
But here is some spring-time loving !
Watercolor experimenting.. since I took this picture I added some iridescent sapphire watercolor for a touch of shimmer!
I am absolutely loving my bookbinding class and I have made two books thus far. It is so hard but so worthwhile once you are holding the finished product in your hands!
Yesterday one of the girls in my class said "I think 'Ooops I think I did that wrong!' is the motto of bookbinding!"
And that is so true.
My teacher, Judy Sommerfeldt [she is absolutely amazing--her books are incredible and so beautiful! And she makes the process look effortless.], gives a demonstration of the part of the process we will be doing in class that day. I have class every Wednesday for 4 hours. That may seem like a long time, but the demonstration sometimes takes an hour and a half or ever two hours. During the demos, we all take really detailed notes- I write down the directions and draw little pictures to accompany the written part. And then when we are turned loose to make our books, I have no idea what I'm doing. And I second-guess myself. I am so grateful for Judy's patience because we all ask so many questions! Bookbinding takes a lot of patience and precision, and I am learning so much. Even though the class gets a little expensive, I am finding some ways to improvise and save some money. And I am truly loving the experience!
This is the first book I made, using a coptic binding.
the front cover:
the back cover:[I made the paper for the covers using Arches Textwove paper and watercolors and a little walnut ink. The technique is called cooked paper!] The textblock is also Arches Textwove.
This is my second book, a flatback. I am obsessed with batik fabrics so I used that for the cover, but had to adhere it to paper with heat n' bond and then apply glue to the paper to attach it to the cover boards. [otherwise the glue would soak through the fabric].
In this picture you can see the endbands, and the gutter [the indentation that you see on many books!]
this is the pastedown on the inside cover, made with black ink and watercolors, using the technique of Sink Art. [WHICH I LOOOOVE!]
the back inside pastedown, also sink art.
and this is the front cover. <3
Watercolor experimenting.. since I took this picture I added some iridescent sapphire watercolor for a touch of shimmer!
