Valerie Sjodin's Class

I have started an online class with Valerie Sjodin using the hymn Be Thou my Vision to teach Celtic knots and illustration. Besides great art instruction, she provides a wonderful devotional with each lesson. Please check out her website https://valeriesjodin.com.

My first practice attempt shows that I will need to do a great deal of practice in order to master this art form.

Here is my final first spread. It is perfectly imperfect but a joy to make.

 

Tea Book

 

This has to be the ugliest book cover I have ever made. It was my first time to ever make an embossed cover and use Modge Podge, which I will never use again. Then the burgundy color for the cover not only doesn't photograph well, it doesn't look that good in real life. The highlights are copper. The letters are cut from leather and also the metallic copper color. I have never used a ribbon to tie a journal shut before or used cheesecloth as head and tail bands. But other than that it was a win. The inside has turned out fine. The purpose is to house all of my collected tea ephemera.

I did crochet edging on one page.

Inside I included two woodblock reduction carvings I did in 2009. The blue one is on rice paper. The teal one is on printmaking paper.

Also I put in one of my old watercolors of a stack of my teacups.

The first page in the book is a paper weaving I did 20 years ago. Also included in the journal are blank tea-stained papers for notes, maps, antique tea labels, tea bag tags, and tea envelopes or packets, ribbons, and other packaging from tea shops I have collected.

Breaking Line Knots

I found these more challenging than the 3x3 knots.

 

Fish entrails

 

What a horrible name for such a pretty knot design.

Celtic Cross

 

A purple Celtic cross seemed like the perfect challenge since we are in the Lenten season.

Celtic Knots

I have been interested in doing Celtic knots and illuminated illustrations for some time. Finally my interested peaked enough for me to do something about learning this art form. I have started with YouTube videos by David Nicholls. He hasn't put any new ones out recently put these are a great place to start. My lines are a bit wobbly but I am finding my attempts fun.

 

decorated Steampunk Journal

 

I got a tube of glue that will adhere to metal so I was able to add brass gears to the cover.

Steampunk Journal

The Steampunk Journal is a work in progress. I have been collecting items for well over a year and am still on the lookout for any interesting items to add to the collection. It contains 12 signatures which are set up to be used as a one-year bullet journal. Each section begins with a tabbed divider. There are tags, pockets, and numerous tuck spots.  I have added a huge ring to and added steampunk-themed charms. There are lots of blank pages and some really beautiful scrapbook pages. There are maps, dictionary pages, clock images, scientific equipment images, lots of wheels and gears. I really like this fun book. I am planning on using it for my 2022 bullet journal. It is large (9.5" tall by 6.25" wide with a 1.75" spine) but I don't usually take my bullet journals out of the house. My present BuJo is only 5x8 inches, so I will have to see how this works out but it is a pleasure to look through now.

The second signature has a nautical theme inspired by Jule Verne. It contains some of my gel plate prints which have been overprinted with sea creatures.

There is a travel theme running through the entire journal. this includes maps, tickets, and several modes of travel, trains, bicycles, flying ships, submarines, etc.

There are a number of hot air balloons, tickets, and aerial views.

Trees

 Another copy of a Thomas Paquette gouache sketch. It is even smaller than the first one, 2" x 2 1/2" inches. Even though it is so small I am still getting practice mixing colors and applying layers of the gouache paint. Plus learning drying times and how much water, if any to add. But I am not wasting loads of pigment.

Road

 

I am continuing to study other artists. One of the things I wanted to do in 2021 become more skilled with gouache paint. This is a study of one of Thomas Paquette's gouache paintings/sketches. The originals were intended as color sketches for larger oil paintings. They are very small. This one is approximately 2.5" x 3.5 inches which is the same dimensions as Paquette's original. It is in a sketchbook I use for studies.

Vacation Sketching Journal

In November 2020 I made this faux leather traveler's notebook cover. I had a 12x12 inch piece of faux leather in my stash for 15-20 years. I was saving it for something special. Then one day I saw a journal by Sea Lemon on YouTube and went digging through my pile of scrapbook paper until I found this piece. The cover design was drawn with a black gel pen. The four corners have metal tips with an embossed filigree on them. There are 2 rings added to the top held on by the elastic threaded through the spine just in case I find some charms to add. Then there is the extra elastic closure that wraps around the center of the journal. I filled it with watercolor paper thinking I might take it to document a trip.

Inside I had placed 3 signatures, each of 6 sheets of 10x7 inches 140 lb. watercolor paper folded in half. There are only 2 elastic bands on the cover but by using a third band holding 2 signatures together, then slipping the center of the band under one of the existing bands, you can add that 3rd one. Well using the same method you could add a 4th one but the signature would need to be thinner probably.

River Songs Journal

This post was reposted because for some unexplained reason Blogspot took it down as meeting some undefined objectional reason but then the next day said it was OK. Go figure.

This journal based on the Tardis was created in May 2020. The dimensions are 7 5/8 tall by 5 1/2 inches with a 1 1/4 spine. I was inspired by others I saw on the internet, but mainly by the one made by Sea Lemon. There are bookboard pieces glued to the front cover and spines creating a 3d effect before gluing on the hand-painted muslin fabric. I added a loop of red twine ribbon in the spine in case I ever found anything to dangle off the book. There are seven signatures with eight pages and one additional signature with four pages and a file folder containing the pull-out photo strip of the 13 Dr. Whos bringing the total number of signatures to eight. 

I had won an assortment of bookbinding supplies from Roz in an internet giveaway several years ago. One of the items was a large sheet of hand-marbled paper. It was beautiful but until this time I never had a book it would go with. The pattern reminded me of the special effect the traveling Tardis creates. 

This pull-out has photos of the first thirteen Dr. Who's.

This blue envelope holds River Song's invitation.

 

The Bee Keeper's Journal

I started this journal after started the Forest Lore Journal but much of the work I did on both books were done in parallel processes. I used the same handpainted muslin fabric on both. The oval was added just like the Forest Lore tree silhouette with the picture behind the oval opening. The only difference was the bookplate on the cover. The  12 signatures were assembled and sewn in the same manner. For a few years, I had collected a number of bee-related papers and ephemera to use in a bee-themed book. This book was mainly completed on 6 March 2020 but I did come back adding bits and pieces afterward. 

A view of the inside pages and inside back cover.

 

Pack Rat

 

Yet another book I had to repost because this blog host felt it was objectionable and without explanation removed one day then rated as OK the next. Again go figure.

This book was made February 10-12, 2021. The purpose of a Pack Rat journal is to use all those special items, one-of-a-kind papers, things you have been saving. Mine isn't quite that special but I have never made a journal/book using this cover construction technique. The cover front, back, and spine are one continuous piece of upholstery fabric to which I glued the front and back cover of a deconstructed book. The signatures are sewn directly through the spine after gluing a piece of suede cloth over the inside of the spine area to beef it up a bit. The dimensions are: Spine 1.25", covers 7.75 x 5.25 ( the hardback book pieces are 7.25 x 5).

There are six signatures with approximately 14 pages each. The papers vary, tea-dyed copy paper pages from a primary school reader, music composition paper, sheet music, old book pages, maps, accounting paper, colored vellum, envelopes, and scrapbook paper. There are plenty of pockets, tags, and tuck spots. For the most part, it is complete but you never know. I might come across something that finds its home in this book, after all, it is a pack rat journal.

Forest Lore Book

This is another reposting of a book that Blogspot removed one day as objectionable but deemed OK the next. This Big Brother stuff is getting ridiculous. 

I realized when I went to upload the recent work that I hadn't put up any photos of the journal and books I had made in 2020. The Forest Lore was the first of the group I made in the February of 2020. It is 9 inches tall, 6 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep. There are 12 signatures with an average of 10 pages.

After putting the book together I added a photo to the cover. Then I cut out a tree silhouette in the center of a rectangular piece of cardboard a bit smaller than the front cover. I painted to match the fabric cover of the book before gluing it on top.

I added the title on the spine and painted the raised spine gold.

In addition to tea-dyed pages, old book pages, sheet music, brown paper bag, and accounting pages this book included some of my original art; an etching on my handmade paper, a photo I took of tree bark printed on vellum, and a 12 x 18-inch black ink etching folded. I also included tags, a small matchbox-styled notebook, a cut-out window, machine stitching, envelops, and tuck spots.

 

The Kiss

Another imitation of an art nouveau artist, this time Gustav Klimt's 

The Kiss, 1907-08. His original was an oil on canvas. I had read somewhere that you can use acrylic paint as an underpainting for gouache. Somehow I missed the descriptive of "matte". I mixed a matte white and yellow ochre together, then decided to add a pearl acrylic which changed my mixture from matte to glossy. I painted the entire spread in my 5x8" Moleskine. It is a beautiful metallic gold. The next day when I went to add the flesh tones to the sketch I had done on top, the paint just beaded up and sat there. I wasn't ready to give up so I pulled out more acrylic and painted the skin and hair. Next, I laid tracing paper over the page and drew a silhouette of each of the couple's clothing, and cut out two of my gel press prints for clothes. I finished by outlining the figures and adding a bit of detail in black ink. I had a great time doing this one too.