Book Arts and Paper in Japan

I recently took a trip to Japan, a paper lover's paradise. My husband and I spent a week in Kyoto visiting gardens, temples, shrines and other local sites. We also took a shinkansen or bullet train to Hiroshima to visit the Atomic Dome and Peace Park. I left one of my crane books, shown below at the Sadako memorial. Visiting Hiroshima was an incredibly moving experience.

Of course, the trip included visiting lots of paper shops. I went to Morita as well as Kira Karacho. Both are institutions in the Kyoto area where paper making has a very long history. Kira Karacho is a store founded by the a family of karakami makers that began in 1624. They produce traditional fusuma sliding doors and wallpaper, but Kira began this stationary store in 2004 as a way to reach new audiences. Antique wood blocks are used to print on washi paper.

It was while we were visiting the store for the second time that we noticed the small shopping arcade has a gallery on the third floor. It  showcases artwork by students at Kyoto Seika University. We stopped in and noticed some handmade books in a side area. At first, I thought they were for sale, but as I looked around I realized it was a book arts exhibit. My husband quipped that only I could stumble upon a book arts exhibit 6000 miles from home. It was small, but lovely with a good
variety of books. Please enjoy the images and this brief description of an indescribably wonderful trip to Japan.

-Gina

Crane book I made and left at the Peace Park memorial.

Sadako statue at the Hiroshima Peace Park.

The eternal flame with the Atomic Dome in the background, Hiroshima Peace Park.

Fusuma sliding doors in our Ryokan.




Examples of books at the b. only book 10 exhibit.

Information about the book artists (I assume).

Cube Book Workshop

I got to spend last Sunday afternoon with five talented women in my Cube Book Workshop. It was offered through San Diego Book Arts. We played a word game called The Exquisite Corpse to generate content for our books, colored our paper using Distress Inks and folded our way to finished cube shaped books. The books have 4 pages that are folded inserts and everyone used different colors and techniques to make their books unique. I hope seeing these pictures will inspire you to try this structure.

The red triangular book was made by my mom, Faye after I taught her the cube book structure. I am including the pictures so you get an idea of one of the many variations you can do with this folded work.

Enjoy!

-Gina



Faye's 3 tiered triangle book.

Nancy K's colored pages.

Linnea, Janis, and Jade use dye inks to color their paper.

Nancy K. and Nancy W.  are hard at work coloring their paper.

Linnea folds up her book.

Nancy W. inserts pages into her colorful book.

Janis works on folding her last page.

Nancy W.'s finished book.

Janis' finished book open.

Jade's finished book with the pages removed.

Cover to Cover Workshop

Seth Apter came to town this week to teach two workshops for San Diego Book Arts. I had the pleasure of taking "Cover to Cover" in which we used old book covers as pages for a mixed media book. I haven't done much mixed media in my art life, although I adore it. Seth made it both accessible and fun by breaking down the process into its component parts. We made many layers of color and texture that managed to form a cohesive whole when we were finished. Seth kept reminding us that an ugly page was just one layer away from beauty and if we didn't like something keep adding to it until we did. Good advice and a good mantra for life as well. Thanks Seth for a wonderful experience!

Enjoy the pictures.

-Gina








Variations on a Theme

My recent post The Road to Spring was pretty popular and I have been working on some variations on this book and structure ever since. The newest one is a story about my dad and his love of the night sky. I have also played with the bottom of the structure adding a sink fold so that the book can stand upright. Other variations include making smaller books and making it with 4 or 6 pages. I hope you like the pictures below and enjoy Companion Star. The first line of the story is: "Dad, like Plato, thought that every soul had a companion star to which it returned after death..."

 I hope you enjoy these variations on a theme and create your own version as well.

 -Gina
Companion Star , by Gina Pisello.


Companion Star has 4 pages instead of the 5 in The Road to Spring.


Bottom of the book.


Companion Star with the star pages removed to reveal the story.


Closeup of the text pages.


Top of 4 page variation.


Side view of 4 page variation showing flat base.


Bottom of 4 page variation showing sink folds. The inner blue pages have corresponding sink folds too.

New Accordion Book

I was playing around with a straw paper one day while waiting for my burger to arrive and I folded this structure. When I got home I cut some paper (2.25 x 23 inches) and recreated the same pattern with a couple of twists. It made the 2 page square "book" you see in the pictures below. There was a nice interaction between the front and back side of the paper so I colored or decorated each differently to accentuate the contrast. In the first example, I wrote two versions of a Haiku one on each page and then wrote the story of the origin of the poems in white pen around the folded structure as shown. When the book is folded up into the 2 page version there is a nice interplay between the black poem text and the white story text. When the book is unfolded parts of each side appear and the text is randomized.

The second example was made using a stencil and stamps from Seth Apter's new line. I used the stamps in red on one side and the stencil in blue on the other to give contrast when it is folded. I like the randomness of where the graphic elements appear in the folded version. You could plan out placement, but I like the surprises that arise this way.

If you can think of a name for this structure please tell me in the comments section. I am stumped.

Enjoy,

Gina


Finished book folded to show two pages and Haiku.



Back of folded book.



Book unfolded showing triangle accordion folds.



How the book wasvfolded when I wrote white text (front and back).





Second example showing book closed.





Book open, but folded.





Front and back of unfolded book.


University of South Dakota Altered Book Show: Bound & Unbound III

Today's post is all about altered books. I love making and seeing altered books. It's a way to recycle old books that no one reads anymore and it is amazing to see how many ways people can alter a book. I hope you check out the Bound & Unbound digital exhibit. Be prepared to be inspired.

Here are my two entries in the show.

-Gina


Alternative : Topographic carving in an old German book. The beach rock matches the marbled endpapers perfectly and adds some weight to the piece.


Stone Mountain, GA : Topographic carving of Stone Mountain, GA showing both positive and negative elevations. The sedimentary rock happened to be almost the same shape as the base of the mountian.

The Road to Spring

I made a new book this week using techniques learned in Jill Berry's class (Intimate Atlas) and from fellow origami enthusiast Kathy Linsley's variations on the Turkish Map Fold. I call it The Road to Spring. It is a story about my childhood family's trip every spring from New York to Birmingham, AL where we visited our maternal grandparents. We often drove from lingering winter into spring weather and I was always fascinated to watch the snow melt away and the flowers appear on the two day drive. I hope you like the structure I created and the pictures of my process.

-Gina

List of supplies:
Higgins Indigo ink- watered down
Tim Holtz Ranger dye inks: mown lawn, peacock feathers, broken glass, brushed corduroy, antique linen, and mustard seed
Tim Holtz Distress Markers in the same colors as above
Arches Text Wove paper- 5 x 25 1/4 inches


The Road to Spring by Gina Pisello

Dripping ink to make a quick road map.

Coloring the background with Distress Inks.

Cutting and folding the paper into 5 pages.

The next step in the Turkish Map Fold (the water bomb base).

Finally all 5 pages are folded into the standard Turkish Map Fold.

These 5 pages, also 5 x 5 inches, contain our route south as well as the story of our trip.

I folded these pages into a complimentary form that Kathy Linsley invented so that they nest inside of the Turkish Map fold. She modified the Turkish fold as well with an extra fold on the center seam.

The finished book from the top. It made this nice circular form when it was done.



Teaching the Pocket Book Structure

I recently taught my version of Hedi Kyle's Pocket Book structure to members of Puget Sound Book Arts and San Diego Book Arts. I designed this method of folding a pocket book after seeing a picture of Hedi Kyle's structure on Pinterest. Participants learned how to fold the structure from a long sheet of paper and then create a cover using cardstock weight paper. We had a great time in each class and I really enjoyed teaching this versatile book form.

Here are some pictures from the classes and a link here for my blog post showing step by step photographs of how to fold this structure so you can try it too. Enjoy!
-Gina


Pocket Book Sample


Students in my Puget Sound Book Arts class in April


Finished pocket book.






Pocket Book class with San Diego Book Arts students.

Tiny Book Necklaces

Tiny origami crane book measuring 1 x 3/4 inches. Folded from tracing paper colored with alcohol inks.



I started making book necklaces back in 2004 when I was working at a craft fair and wanted something to do during down time. I made hardcover, maze fold books like the one below and sold them at the fair. Later I made coordinating books and boxes to sell as well. 








I decided to make some new mini book necklaces to wear each day of FOBA.  I got to work last month and made the books shown below. They are each approximately 1 inch tall and 3/4 inch wide. The crane book at the top of this post is my favorite and the hardest one to make.  I got lots of positive comments on the necklaces at Focus on Book Arts and I hope you like them too.


Envelope fold pocket book with glassine covers.


Inside of this book showing pockets with handmade marble paper inside.



Hedi Kyle Blizzard fold book made from vintage map.



Map book open.









FOBA and Other Trips

I have not posted in a while and now I have a back log of posts to write. So... I will try to work backwards from the present and catch you up on what has been happening in my corner of the paper and book arts worlds.

First up is my trip to FOBA (Focus on Book Arts). I attended this wonderful event for the first time in late June and had a great experience. The conference was well organized, full of enthusiastic participants and overflowing with great teachers. I met so many book artists that I hope I will be able to stay in touch with. My class was taught by Jill Berry and you can see pictures below of the book we made. The class was called An Intimate Atlas and it was all that and more! Thanks Jill for a wonderful class.

While I was in Portland for FOBA there was also a talk by Hedi Kyle, a person I greatly admire and have never met before.  I did get to introduce myself to her briefly and thank her for all the inspiration she has provided over the years. I also attended the artists' reception at 23 Sandy Gallery and got to see all the lovely books up close. I met several of the other artists in the show and we bonded over our love of Hedi's structures. There was even a table of her (Hedi's) sample books at the show that we could touch and try to figure out. All in all it was a wonderful trip and an experience I will remember for many years.

Enjoy the pictures of my FOBA experience.

-Gina

An Intimate Atlas - book designed by Jill Berry and executed by me.

Page 1 "My Head"

Pages 3 and 4 shown folded into their turkish map fold shapes.

Pages 3-4 closed up and encased in their black paper gate fold binding.

The back of one map page showing the random lines we made using dripped walnut ink. Color was added with Twinkling H2O's and watercolor.


Hedi Kyle sample of a map accordion folded and fishbone folded at the same time! Amazing structure.


Hedi Kyle Map book closed showing her belt fold closure. You can find directions for this closure in Preservation Enclosures by Hedi Kyle


Me with my book Lost River at 23 Sandy Gallery.

News

I want to share some good news along with some links today. As you know if you follow this blog, I was juried into the Hello Hedi show at 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland, OR. The show opened yesterday and I am excited to share the online catalog with you here. I will be attending the artists' reception on Friday June 26 and hope to meet Hedi Kyle, who will be attending. I am also in Portland that week attending the Focus on Book Arts Conference and taking Jill Berry's class An Intimate Atlas. I can't wait for both of these events and when I am back home I will be sure to blog about the experiences. If any of you are attending either event I hope to see you there.

The other thing I want to mention is that I will be teaching a two hour workshop next weekend. I will show students how to fold Hedi Kyle's Pocket Book. It is similar to her Blizzard Fold book, but creates an expandable structure that can hold bulky items. Here is a link to my blog showing how to fold the structure. I also taught this class at Puget Sound Book Arts in April and it went very well. I hope my students will be inspired to use the structure to create their own artist books.

Pocket Book for mini workshop


Here are the books I have in the Hello Hedi show. One has already sold which I am very happy about. Enjoy.

-Gina


Three Fold Night (sold)


Lost River


All About ATC's

Today's topic is ATC's or Artist's Trading Cards. ATC's are 3.5 x 2.5 inch cards that artists create with any type of media they like. ATC's can be painted, rubber stamped, covered in collage, mixed media, etc. If it will fit on a 3.5 by 2.5 inch piece of paper then it works. There are groups that meet and trade, there are online trading sites or you can simply trade with your friends. The only catch is that these cards have to be traded, not sold. I have been making them for a few years off and on, but recently I have been making lots of them. I try to make sets of 9 as my album has page protectors with 9 slots. Here are some examples of the ATC's I have created recently. Enjoy and if you want to trade, let me know.

-Gina


"Cameo" set of 4


"Back of Fashion" set of 5


"Advice" set of 4


"Water Nymphs" set of 9


"Beaded Fragments" set of 9


"Beaded Fragments" detail. I made the Greek statue fragment with collaged papers that I tore into the body shape. I then applied glue and clear micro beads to give it some sparkle. I stamped the background with "Greeking" text and Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy and Antique Linen and used the inks on the edges too.


Detail of "Water Nymphs" using Tim Holtz Brushed Corduroy and Antique Linen again with his marble paper stamp. The image was stamped on a glossy photograph of my family in blue rain ponchos that we wore on the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls.

Book Recommendations Take 2

Today I would like to add some books to my recommended list. I keep a well stocked bookcase in my studio. Some are old dictionaries and vintage books that I use in art. Some are how-to books and some are yummy books full of pictures of artist's books. There is quite a variety and when I am stuck for a new project I love to peruse these them for inspiration. My suggested readings for this post are:

1. The Book as Art: Artists' Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts by Krystyna Wasserman is a feast for the eyes and mind. It is full of wonderful books created by women. It is organized by broad categories like Food and the Body or Travelers and showcases beautiful photographs of each work as well as a description by the artist.

2. 1000 Artists' Books: Exploring the Book as Art by Sandra Salamony with Peter & Donna Thomas is also broadly categorized into sections based on structure and is mainly visual in its presentation of artists' books. There are some very cleaver creations in this book and some that challenge the concept of what it means to be an artist's book.

3. The Penland Book of Handmade Books by Lark Books is both a showcase of amazing artists' books as well as a tutorial on making books. Each section includes an artist, a hands-on tutorial of their work and examples of what other people have made using their techniques as a jumping off point. It is a book I return to again and again for inspiration and instruction.

I hope that you will check out these books (perhaps from your local Library or bookstore) and spend some time immersed in the world of book arts. It is a rewarding journey, even if you aren't a book artist.

-Gina


This wing book I made was inspired by Brenda Watson's Comment attirer les oiseaux? (How to attract birds) on page 54 of The Book as Art.


These simple painted landscapes were inspired by Julie Baugnet books on page 76 of 1000 Artists' Books.


This Hedi Kyle Blizzard book and folded cover are detailed in The Penland Book of Handmade Books. My version has the blizzard pages folded slightly differently so that they pop up to make boxes.


Mixed Media Book Covers

Today's post is a blast from my past. I was recently visiting my mom and she showed me a set of collaged vintage book covers I made her several years ago. I had forgotten about them, but was inspired to make myself a set. Mine are wrapped in a packet and contain poems about birds. Please see pictures below for materials and the finished project that was inspired by an article from Somerset Studio called Poetic Packet Collages.

This post is also inspired by Mixed Media World challenge #3. I used vintage book covers, stamps, maps, and images from old dress patterns to make the covers. Enjoy, I'm off to the studio to make more!

-Gina


Finished Packet


Contents of the packet; front and back covers with collage elements and poems on tracing paper.


Component 1: Vintage dress pattern images.


Component 2: Vintage book covers.


Component 3: Maps, marbled paper, etc.


Component 4: Vintage stamps and samples of marbled paper.


Component 5:Tracing paper with topographic lines in pencil to add depth to the packet wrapper.

Bound and Kyled...

I am very happy to report that I have two books juried into each of the shows I submitted to last month. Bound and Unbound III at the University of South Dakota accepted Stone Mountain, GA and Alternatives for their altered book arts show beginning in August. Hello Hedi at 23 Sandy Gallery accepted Lost River and Three Fold Night my Hedi Kyle inspired creations. Puget Sound Book Arts accepted Tine Language and Small Migrations. I feel like I am floating on a cloud right now and I want to share my good fortune with you all.

Here are pictures of each book. Enjoy and please leave comments if you wish.

-Gina


Stone Mountain, GA


Alternative


Lost River


Three Fold Night


Tine Language


Small Migrations

Mixed Media Mini Book

Welcome to Wednesday post #16. Today's post serves two functions: first is for a mixed media contest at Mixed Media World;  second, is to share how I made this mixed media book as a sample for an upcoming workshop at Puget Sound Book Arts. We will be making Hedi Kyle's Pocket Book (step by step instructions are here), but I want to show some examples of other kinds of books that are bound using accordion folds. When I started this book I had a spine (another Hedi Kyle invention, the Crown Binding), but no content. I found a strip of paper that I painted a while ago and decided to stencil over the background with a Paris map by Artistcellar. I also made stencils of brown pelicans I photographed at the beach. I printed them out in black and white, cut out the silhouettes and used black ink to stencil them. On two pages I used writing in vertical and horizontal directions repeating a series of paired words.  I like the way the text becomes image when done this way. I folded the long strip of decorated paper into an accordion and inserted it into the Crown Binding spine. Finally, I dug through my folder of marble papers and found a pattern and colors that compliment the interior of the book and used it for the covers. I hope you enjoy the results.



Painted and stenciled page.


Paint and stencil background with writing in two directions. Note the white triangles at the top and bottom of the page. These are tabs that hold the pages together and bind the book.


My handmade marble paper in the Peacock design.



Books are hard to photograph, but here you can see the folded spine as well as glimpses of each page.


Pelican stencils I made from photographs.

How to Make a Tunnel Book

I have tried several times over the years to make tunnel books. They are wonderful, interactive structures that are visually appealing as well. I have not been very successful in my endeavors as my "pages" tend to warp and bend. Last month at a 

San Diego Book Arts Salon

 I met a woman who makes beautiful tunnel books and she was working on one invented by 

Ed Hutchins

. She downloaded the directions 

here

 and I came home and did the same. Fast forward to yesterday when I finally had the time to make a tunnel book myself. Below are pictures of the results. This version of the structure has lightweight side hinges and doubled pages. In other words, no more warping!

I used a roll of craft paper for the base structure and it worked beautifully. I used three pages from an old calendar to get the images, but you can use anything, or just draw your own images. I hope you will be inspired to try this project.

-Gina

1. Choose images.

2. Cut and fold craft paper (8" x 30") and lay out images.

3. Cut holes in pages so you can see through the tunnel.

4. Pasted first image and cut in an oval around elements you want to keep.

5. Paste down the other images and glue side tabs together.

Finished tunnel book with 4 layers of images.

Top view of tunnel book.

Side view of book with hinges showing.

How To Make Artist's Books: Book Recommendations

My friend Nancy suggested that I do an occasional book recommendation for book artists, origami enthusiasts and paper crafters. Since I was a blogger in need of a post it seemed like a good fit. So here is my first list of books on book arts. These are ones that I return to time and again for structure and content ideas. You can get them at your favorite online bookstore. I hope you find some inspiration or a new treasure here.

My top three recommendations are:

1. Creating Handmade Books by Alisa Golden has clear, concise text and illustrations for making everything from simple one-page structures all the way up to multi-signature sewn structures.

2. Making and Keeping Creative Journals by Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott is a feast for journal lovers. She offers innovative structures to match topics such as gardening, birding and art journaling.

3. Sleight of Binding by Cherryl Moote offers playful structures to lift your books into the third dimension. You will find kinetic and interactive designs in shapes and colors that wake up your creative mind.

Here are some pictures of my work using these books for instruction and inspiration.


 Book/card with tunnel from Creating Handmade Books. (2014)





Jacob's Ladder book (front and back) and content from Creating Handmade Books. (2004)



Jacob's Ladder "Flight" book from Creating Handmade Books. (2009)




Journal with different color and size pages from Making and Keeping Creative Journals.


Inside of journal showing content. (2003)



Dos-a-Dos book from Making and Keeping Creative Journals.



Inside the Dos-a-Dos book. (2003)



 Glove book inspired by one in Making and Keeping Creative Journals. (2007)




Gallery Book from Sleight of Binding. I modified Cherryl's structure by leaving the paper on the front of the "windows" and using it to fold the cranes. (2012)



Cherrly's book Sleight of Binding has many kinds of flexigon structures. Here are three that I made using Graphic 45 papers. (2014)


Origami and Kumi Korf workshops

I have been very busy the last two weekends making paper art. First, the

San Diego Origami Club

met and we learned to make this wonderful box structure. Last weekend I participated in two

Kumi Korf

workshops. The first workshop was a whirlwind of 5 book/box structures. The second was a kinetic book structure that is housed in a lovely box. I am still finishing up the second workshop projects, but it was a wonderful weekend and my head is now swimming with ideas. Below are some pictures of what I made as well as the diagram I created for the origami box structure. I hope you enjoy.

-Gina

Origami Box

Instructions for the folded box

Kumi Korf Workshop book

Another Kumi Korf workshop structure.

The outside of this structure.

"Hole in My Heart" structure. I still need to cover the top and bottom sections with decorative paper.

Configuration 1 of the above structure. Slots will house small books.

Configuration 2 of the above structure. I can't wait to finish.

I would like to thank Kumi for sharing her talents, humor and amazing structures with the participants of this

San Diego Book Arts

workshop.