This photo was taken this past Saturday at the Sedona Community Library. I am part of this exhibit of hand made books made by members of the Sequence book group, of which I am a member. This marks our 2nd year of exhibiting and teaching the art of handmade books to the public at the Sedona library, which we did this past Saturday. As a calligrapher, I myself started making books many years ago. Remember, all books used to be hand made, individually written and bound by hand. Mr. Gutenberg changed this with the invention of the printing press in fifteenth century. Still , how exquisite it is to see the different style of books, some plain, some including words and illustrations. I invite you all to stop by and check out this exhibit , which runs until April 25th, 2026, at our very own Sedona Community library. Books are for sale through each individual artist.
I spent the weekend in the wonderful world of decorating my own paper. Paste paper to be specific. My transformed pages became the basis of a book, filled with my own poetry. I was inspired by both where I was, and what I was doing. My verse was all done in calligraphy.
I started out with lovely blank sheets of good quality paper, Arches text wove was the choice. Next comes the fun of choosing colors. Liquid acrylic paint works the best. Three or four colors are enough to make a finished book. I chose a blue, green, and magenta red. Plus a purple evolves when the red and blue overlap. I found a glitter white I added to the mix. Always good to soften the colors,and what joy to have a hint of sparkle.
Using good quality paint is worth it for blending and consistency. You do get what you pay for. The liquid form is easiest to mix. Next comes the mixing of the paint and the paste. Formerly I have used a home made paste of flour blended with the paint in a certain ratio. Nowadays, there is a prepared mixture to blend. It saves on the fuss and mess, but I kind of miss the purity of starting from scratch.
Then the fun begins. The paper gets moistened, and the paint applied. Paint brushes are good tools, so are cut up sponges. There are those that liken it to finger painting.It is good to loosen up. I found it fun to use like watercolor. As I manipulated the paper, paint would run and give a dripped quality that appealed to me at that moment. It is also intriguing to use stencils, or draw designs in the wet paint.
I did four sheets. Keeping them all in the same hues created an automatic harmony and cohesiveness from page to page.Very important for the next step. Stay tuned....
I am still very intrigued by this book in the photograph I just created. I want to share with you a bit of what I have learned about the history of kinetic pop up books.
By their nature, we think of books as being two dimensional. But way back in the thirteenth century, Catalan poet Ramon Illul used a revolving disc, also known as a volvelle, to illustrate his theories. I have one inside of this creation of mine. Most early books were dedicated to the scholarly pursuits.It was not until the 1860's that publisher Dean & Sons of London, claimed to be the originator of mechanical books for children. I know I have bought pop up books to give to a child, but somehow they are still in my personal library. Such fun to turn the pages and see what unfolds!
McLaughlin Brothers of New York brought the " Little Showman's Series " to America in the 1880's with three dimensional scenes. In 1929, Louis Giraud of London was influential with some of his books described as " living models". In the 1930's, Blue Ribbon Publishers of New York first used the term "pop up" when they published animated Walt Disney characters. Now, there are pop ups with music or lights. Whatever your fancy, it seems to be out there.
I got into book arts because I am a calligrapher.I like making everything by hand. One of a kind, that is the challenge. To create an original.
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