I spent the last months of 2022 making slow but steady progress. First, I'm collaborating with a talented wood engraver, Keith Cranmer, for the publication of a fine press, limited edition book. I've had the manuscript of the book for almost a year now. Keith will be creating around 25 illustrations for the story, some will be line drawings and others will be wood engravings.
The Springback Binding is from the 19th Century, used for guest books or accounting books.
My current book project is a short story I wrote in 14 vignettes. I'm printing this project on the Vandercook Universal III.
I printed my first small book project on the Chandler and Price. This project was my first attempt at producing an editioned book.
One of the many online bookbinding and printing courses I took during the pandemic included a month-long course taught by the amazingly talented bookbinder Samuel Feinstein. He offered a workshop entitled Intro to Blind and Gold Tooling that was hosted by the SF Center for the Book.
I added a photopolymer platemaker for letterpress printing to the studio.
In February, I completed the Cylinder Core Curriculum at the SF Center for the Book. We practicing setting type, working with a pica ruler, pulling proofs, locking up the type in the Vandercook press beds, inking, adjusting the rollers...
This is the second time that I have attended the CODEX Biennial Book Fair and Symposium, and again, I came away having learned more valuable information about book arts and collecting.
For this project, I wanted to see if I could make a solid color book cover, then cut out portions of it, and inlay a different color book cloth. Then I wanted to see if I could create a drawing or design on the lighter colored cloth.
From this first experiment in using a tabletop platen press, I learned that the use of the ink itself is going to be a critical skill to learn just like making and using paste is in bookbinding.
Of Paper and Ink 