India Journal Bookbinding

So, I bought a pad of acrylic painting paper, 9 x 12", and cut the pages in half the long way to make 40 pages, each of them 4.5" x 12". Then I folded them in half, divvied them into 5 signatures of 8 papers each - 16 pages. Next I took the sturdy back board to the pad and cut it not quite in half so that the cover boards would shelter the papers by being bigger. I made the back a bit longer too, which then made the front cover a bit shorter - but that is OK with me as there will be a front flap to cover any discrepancy - and even may make the flap easier to close.

Here are the covers laid out:

And here are the covers balanced in their eventual closed position:

The pages are so thick and sturdy (the better to paint them by) that the signatures pushed the center papers out. I decided to cut them even.

Next will come the part where I get the covers bound to each other and after that I will sew the signatures onto the back spine piece in the pretty pattern of the book that I am copying.

Now I have no fabric here at the Studio, and there is nothing quite as strong as fabric for a binding that will open and shut often. Hmm. Be patient and bring some in tomorrow? Or scrounge around here and see what I can find?

The mystery awaits a solution...

Stay tuned again.

Glue Drawings and Bookbinding

Good Morning. Some more painted glue drawings have dried, and I thought that I would show them to you. These will make wonderful medallions in my art journals. (We are not getting it in these photos, but the silver paint on top makes them shimmer.)

Add-a-Project: (as if I didn't have enough journals going...)

A friend gave me this journal back in 2004 and I started writing and gluing.

It is pretty stuffed full now. I love the structure a lot, and have always wanted to copy the binding.

So here goes.... I have my papers cut, I am off to cut the cover boards. I will photograph as I go along and let you see.

Stay tuned.