bookbinding | It's Crow Time

Posts Tagged ‘bookbinding’

the chicken and the egg

Posted: May 4, 2017 by Mo Crow in Braille for the Soul, It's Crow Time
Tags: bookbinding, magic

The chicken and the egg Mo17
H 11cm x W 10.5cm
egg shell & chicken leg leather over bookbinder’s board, wishbone, waxed linen thread, vintage glass beads
inside the covers
back cover
outside & inside
this was a lot of fun to make, inspired by the English bookbinder Mark Cockram’s videos about making an eggshell cover back in January and the chicken leg leather was just waiting for the right book for a few years!

Book of Honesty Mo17

Posted: April 8, 2017 by Mo Crow in It's Crow Time
Tags: bookbinding, Honesty, illustration, thread, works on paper

Book of Honesty Mo17
27cm H x 22cm W x 2cm D
bradel binding, relief sculpted spine, Moulin de Larroque handmade watercolour paper over boards
illustrations graphite and ink on Moulin de Larroque handmade watercolour paper, stitched Lunaria pods
this book has given me so much…

binding the Book of Honesty

Posted: April 2, 2017 by Mo Crow in It's Crow Time
Tags: bookbinding, Honesty, illustration, works on paper

The Book of Honesty Mo17
27cm H x 22cm W x 2cm D
bradel binding, relief sculpted spine, Moulin de Laroqque handmade watercolour paper over boards
it’s almost finished!
here’s a link to see all the double page spreads of Honesty
I love making books, this is the most elegant one yet!
here’s how it went together
each double page spread was first sewn onto 5 linen tapes
a paper stitching pattern with an arrow indicating the top of the page
the spine is strengthened with acid free PVA & muslin between the tapes, then gently rounded with a hammer
the tapes are frayed and glued down to make a smooth interface then cut the text for the spine casing
preparing the covers
the front cover attached, inside edges need trimming and sanding before lining
(those red marks on the white lining are the bit of blood that all my work seems to require)
back cover attached ready for trimming and sanding
front & back covers are lined
there’s still some finishing to do, will post the finale when it’s ready!

Manly Artists’ Book Award 2017

Posted: March 31, 2017 by Mo Crow in art exhibitions, It's Crow Time
Tags: bookbinding, cats, inspiration

“A Tentative Conversation” Mo16
accordion book
260cm W x 17cm H
grape vine tendrils, graphite, ink, gouache, thread, watercolour paper, Japanese Abaca paper
Artist’s Statement: making an opening for listening
was selected for the Manly Artists’ Book Award 2017, this was my third try at this show, “An illuminated Book of Cats” didn’t make the grade in 2011 & in 2015 “The Spirit Book of the Spirit Books” and “Out of the Blue” didn’t get in either but this one did!
It was a dark and stormy night for the opening… the traffic was appalling, took us two hours to get there (a 45 minute drive when it’s not raining in peak hour) so we arrived just as the awards were being announced. There was some very good work in the show but sadly mine was displayed inside out with the “gates” closed on a low plinth that was too small for the work… I rearranged the piece as best I could considering the position and then Roderick could see it was time to get me out of there before I imploded. He’s such a champion, kept his cool driving there and back again in pouring rain and had me laughing by the time we got home, some gigs are certainly better than others!
On a lighter note Liz Ackert is stitching “imagine peace” onto safety pins and sending them out into the world
her stitching is so exquisitely fine on beautiful old indigo dyed linen, here it is on Grace of Windthread’s “x-roads cloth” with The Pale Rook’s “Fish Bones”Ariel is looking fabulous this morning, his eyes are bright, his coat is shining, he’s eating with gusto, purring madly & running up and down the stairs. He’s still on the non steroidal anti inflammatory pain medication and the blood in his pee is still happening intermittently but he will be with us for a good while yet, he’s such a magic cat!

A Tentative Conversation to begin the New Year

Posted: January 1, 2017 by Mo Crow in It's Crow Time
Tags: artist book, bookbinding, thread, works on paper

“A Tentative Conversation” Mo 16
accordion book
260cm W x 17cm H
grape vine tendrils, graphite, ink, gouache, thread, watercolour paper, Japanese Abaca paper

detail of Grape Vine tendril front gate

trying to read the signs

considering some curly questions

different ways of looking

the back gate

making an opening for listening
2am January 1, 2017