more binding....

Just before heading off to the symposium I started preparing pages for another long and large coptic bound booklet - this time created from the entire set of childcraft annuals..... which will be arranged according to spine colour, of course.....

more circular forms...

I have continued with my creation of coptic bound circular book forms from childcraft annuals - with what I consider mixed success.... I trialled ideas about double folded page sections: where each contains a main fold (to become the sewn spine) with an outer fold to display the colour sorting of the pages to best advantage....


In the first piece I merely folded over the covering page and did not secure it by any means - it's held in place by the close interaction of the sections.... the piece has a nice enough feel to it (and I really like the way the colours work) - but I wondered if there might be a better way to capture this idea.....

circular bookform created from 'the green kingdom' volume of childcraft
outer dia approx 140mm

so I tried a larger version with the folded pages secured by a drawn thread line (not really visible in this shot)..... I wasn't really happy with the results...

circular bookform created from 'look again' volume of childcraft
outer dia approx 170mm

I refined my idea and process (and selection of pages) and came up with what I believe is a more elegant expression of the idea....

circular bookform created from small section of 'the green kingdom' volume of childcraft
outer dia approx 220mm

the loose form, tight inner circle (which made it a very challenging to bind!) and the rolled outer edges all help make this, rather than the other 2 versions, a more successful outcome.


I still see these however, as being more akin to meditations, doodles or 'sketches' (certainly not as maquettes though!) rather than things that I will make it to my MFA examination exhibition.... The process of creating these is helpful though - I (maybe strangely) find the laborious process quite calming - as the process helps me to clarify my ideas regarding making/remaking books whilst my fingers are kept busy.

circle booklets

As a continuation of my play with coptic binding and form I've taken to my collection of childcraft volumes and have created coptic bound circular forms....

volume 15 - the guide for parents - bound in a simple circle (dia approx 35cm)

volume 14 - about me - (part one) - again bound as a simple circle (approx 12cm dia)

(sections prepared and sorted ready for binding part two of the about me volume)

volume 14 - about me - 2 coptic bound forms

(detail of yellow bound spine )

I have informally posted and chatted about these on my home blog site....