19 September 2009

Adventures In Bookbinding!


I just finished my first ever bookbinding session. I made the book block several days ago, but just got around to binding it today. For one thing, it took some time to paint the cover and let it thoroughly dry. And for another thing, I was nervous about the whole project! I wanted to do it perfectly; I wanted my book to be the best in the class. Silly me! I'm sure mine is actually the worst book in the class because I made several mistakes.

The first mistake that I made is that I covered too much of the book tape with the painted paper. But now, I know to watch for that and I can try to do better next time.


The second mistake that I made is evident in this photo -- I either cut my book board too big (WAY TOO BIG!), or I cut my painted paper too small. Whichever it is, there is a gap between the end paper and the painted cover. I can fix this so that the book is still usable and pretty, so I'm not too concerned about it, either. I'm going to use this book for Julie Prichard's Art Journaling Super Nova (Part II) class. It will just be a technique book, so again, I can live with the mistakes.


For the mistakes I made -- my corners ROCK!!! I was so nervous about folding the corners, but Julie explained and illustrated the process well. She's an excellent teacher.

This whole process was illustrative of what's going on with me artistically these days. I'm too invested in the product and that freezes me. Once I got over my fear of imperfection and sat down and did the work, the process was fun. And the process is what art is all about. This is supposed to be an activity that brings me joy, not one that brings me angst!

I have seven more book blocks this size to cover and one long, tall skinny one to cover. I think I'll get this figured out! Now, to go cut more book board and paint more covers!

4 comments:

Sherry said...

Ah, key words..."once I got over my fear of imperfection"...yes!!! But if you think about it, learning something new will mean "mistakes" and imperfections. And in making those errors we actually learn better how to do something properly. And for all the things you didn't get "right" the first time, you nailed the corners. So pat yourself on the back for the great things and back to the drawing board to finesse the others! Looks good to me! :)

Snap said...

Goodness, I think we are all taking the same classes! I'm still waiting for my book order to arrive and I'm reading the Joy Diet also. I think your book looks great. You finished a book well before I did!

Jenni said...

one of my fave quotes:

"Perfectionism has nothing to do with getting it right. It has nothing to do with fixing things. It has nothing to do with standards. Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead."

"[A]t a certain point you let go and call it done. That is a normal part of creativity--letting go. We always do the best we can by the light we have to see by."

Julia Cameron - The Artist's Way

Jenni said...

& ooooh, I love bookbinding. I've been away from it for a while & I'm so excited to see you get into it. Thanks for posting the pic! Looks like you learned tons & there's more creativity yet to be revealed.

bright blessings!