Tuesday, August 21, 2012

FINI!

It took most of the summer, but I have finally finished my "Book of Dreams".  At several points in the process, things did not go smoothly or according to plan.  You can read about the whole adventure here, here, here, here, here, and here, if you wish.  (Wow- that's a lot of "here"s! This really was more of an ongoing series than I realized.)  One of my purposes in posting each stage of the book's creation was to share my thoughts and technical processes with others who might be able to learn from my techniques- and from my mistakes.  So, if any of these posts has helped you in any way, I feel I have accomplished that goal. (Or even if my cluelessness brought  you some laughter, I'm happy to entertain!)



Front Cover



detail


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1st spread



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2nd page spread



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3rd page spread



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open


If you recall, I had a problem with the spine, and ended up slicing it apart down the middle because it wasn't quite wide enough for the pages.  I thought long and hard about how best to fix it.  My first idea was to sew something, such as the spine of another book, over the cut, using the same stitching I used on other the pages.  I quickly realized, however, that I couldn't do that because the pages were already glued in; there was no place to put the needle through. My second thought was yikes- I've totally ruined the whole thing.  I was afraid that if I just glued some kind of paper onto it, it might not be strong enough to take the repeated opening and closing that the book was likely to have to endure, and wouldn't look right, besides.  Luckily, while looking at book binding supplies for the guest book I'm making for my daughter's wedding, I happened to see this Lineco Satin Cloth Tape.  I thought it was worth a try, so I ordered it, and it worked- in fact, the width was perfect.  But the tape was so pretty and shiny and new-looking that it seemed out of place in contrast with the old, well-used appearance of the rest of the book.  I attempted to resolve this by gluing on a 'skin' of dried acrylic gel I had peeled off from the earlier front cover fiasco.  You can see this on the photo of the back cover, below.  I'm still not sure about it, but have decided to leave it be for now.



back cover





FINI!  (The End)


25 comments:

  1. it turned out so well, the cloth tape worked perfectly. I think the images are so strong and powerful, it's a wonderful book...

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    1. Thank you, Cat. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, in spite of all my mistakes. I certainly learned a lot!

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  2. I think you have created the best solutions and the final book is very beautiful. Well done! Peace, and thank you for sharing! Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

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    1. Mary Helen, I don't know if my solutions were the best, but at least they worked! That's what counts, right? Thanks for commenting; I'm so glad you enjoyed the posts!

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    1. Thanks, Elfi! I'm very happy to finally be finished!

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  4. wonderful work, so much in this book to discover, great details, bravo!!

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    1. Thanks, Renilde, for the kind words. I'm so glad you stopped by!

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  5. I loved watching the journey and I adore the finished work. really dreamy! bravo!!

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    1. Hi Deb! It was a challenging journey, without the benefit of a map, but I got there eventually. Thanks for riding along!

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  6. Lovely to see the completed Book of Dreams in detail. Maybe not quite as amazing as touching it and seeing it face to face but the very next best thing. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Robyn, I so appreciate the kind words. I know what you mean about touching it; whenever I see a photo of an artist book, I think of how getting to touch it and turn the pages would be so much better. It's much easier to translate a flat piece of art into a photo. I made it to be handled- carefully, of course!

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  7. Bravo!!! This is a wonderful book, all on it's own, all in it's own way and made in all it's own time. I've so enjoyed your process, humor and beautiful efforts!

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    1. Mary Ann, I appreciate your company throughout this process; your positive comments always encourage me.

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  8. Pure bliss! Love your book. I totally understand what you mean about something taking longer than you think it is going to, I am rowing in that boat at the moment. Such is the creative life!

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    1. Sandy, it's funny how I think everything's going to be so easy, compared to the eventual reality. I guess, if I knew how long it would really take, I might not start! Good luck with docking your boat, and thanks for visiting!

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  9. Oh Hooray! it worked, love all the details especially the starry crows !

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    1. Mo, I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you for your kind advice and patience; so glad you like the result!

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  10. What a sense of accomplishment you must feel in completing your book... it looks wonderful.. congrats!

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  11. Thanks, Donna; I do feel a sense of accomplishment- and relief!

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  12. Oh Sharmon, your book of dreams is a work of wonder and magic. Now what book is next, I wonder??
    roxanne

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    1. Roxanne, I so appreciate your lovely comment. I have already started another- I guess you could call it a book, depending on your definition. (My definition is pretty inclusive, though.) At the moment I'm also working on the guestbook for my daughter's wedding. I'll be posting pics soon!

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  13. OMGoodness this is spectacular. Beautiful book - thanks for the lovely images and close ups. I love it! I keep looking and looking and see more each time. What a treasure!

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    1. Thanks so much, Kim, for the lovely and enthusiastic compliment. It does me good to hear that someone enjoys what I do. I hope you'll visit again soon!

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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. I'm happy to reply here, but may not always have time for individual emails.