Thursday 7 March 2024

Drypoint plates








Our workshop on drypoint printing on foam with acrylic inks was led by Julie, and we fortunately had the space to spread out and had less mess to clear up! We tried printing on foam pieces, which worked well although the line was not crisp.

 

 

Some of us tried using Foamex board which has a smooth finish and lends itself to printing like linocutting with a harder edge, and this board can be cut using lino tools. Different effects, and a very useful time to experiment.


Books for the Atkinson Sefton Open exhibition were collected, so thanks to Frances, Jac and Marilyn for their entries. We also discussed hosting a workshop to be led by Guy Begbie, probably in September although dates to be confirmed once a co-ordinator has been identified.

Lots of work in progress was shared and enjoyed and we agreed to ask Mary if she will lead our April meeting making her ‘crown’ book.

Our themes for the next 4 months will be 
'Telling Tales'  and 'Natural Forms'.

Thursday 8 February 2024

Map books

February’s meeting was a collaborative event working with maps and map folds.



We learned, or relearned both the Turkish map fold and the Hungarian map fold, and experimented with making books from both folds. Different ideas for using the maps emerged, in particularly for tracing journeys, and acting as notebooks for trips undertaken.

 https://pin.it/47AC5qXBv for full options on various map folds.





 

 


We discussed other folded books, including circle and triangle books which we hope to explore in greater detail at a later date. 

Lots of work seemed to have been undertaken since last month on the Fragments theme, and other topics, several of which will lead to workshops in the coming months. 

We have decided to enter some books for the Sefton Open Exhibition once more, and also discussed an externally led workshop by another book artist or cyanotype artist. 

Frances and Marilyn will investigate further.

Monday 15 January 2024

Volvelle

2024

 

A great start to the New Year with great attendance to make a round book, led by Jac.   Based on the medieval Volvelle structure, the book relies on paper hinges and uses minimal glueing. Once the hinges are mastered, the structure comes together very satisfactorily, and we all achieved a completed book. Check out the video to see how well they move.
 




 


Before closing Marilyn returned the “Crafted” books from Knowsley, and several members had sold books. This is very good considering the books were all in cases, from which it is hard to make a sale as our books are such tactile items. The exhibition was great PR for us, and we hope to welcome new members this year as a result. 

We enjoyed books from Julie (map structure and hinges), Jac (3 books on fragments) and look forward to seeing more 'fragments'  in February. 

We will be concentrating on maps at our next meeting, and drypoint on foamboard in March, followed by book covers in April.

If any if this sounds interesting, we offer two free monthly meetings before a commitment of £5/month. No experience necessary, just curiosity and and an interest in paper and books.

Friday 8 December 2023

Christmas Star 2023

 

 

A cheerful Christmas meeting saw us learning how to make 3d Christmas stars and origami  Christmas trees -  thanks to Julie for those - and some book corners, the latter great for popping in with Christmas cards. We rarely make a book at this meeting, but enjoy sharing other makes with each other. And eating Christmassy bits and pieces too of course!

 




Despite the busyness of the season, several members brought along completed books on the theme of Autumn. For 2024 , we have decided to give each member in turn the choice of theme. Marilyn is starting us off for January and February with “fragments”.






All that remains is to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas, and to look forward to the New Year when we shall meet again on January 6th, or Twelfth Night. 

If you are a regular reader of this blog, do come and join us. Membership is free for the first two months, and currently £5/month after that.

 

Those who were there will know !

 

Tuesday 14 November 2023

Shadow Box finishing



This month we did the fun part of our shadow box construction, choosing from some lovely die cuts ( thanks Chris) and assembling the boxes. Frances’ patience meant that we all completed our boxes and now have a template to complete more at our leisure.




We reflected on the successes and disappointments of the Liverpool Book Fair and exhibition at Knowsley, but it had been good to see old friends and meet new ones. The exhibition is on until December 23rd at the Kirkby gallery and many NWBA members are represented.



Various books completed and under construction were shared and enjoyed, and we planned for our Christmas meeting when Julie will lead us in a Christmas-themed workshop.