Attention Atlanta book artists and book lovers!  SCAD Atlanta is hosting their 3rd annual Artists’ Book Symposium, Variant Hues: Art, Design and Teaching with Artists’ Books, this weekend (March 12-13, 2010).  Much of the symposium content is for SCAD students only, but the public is welcome to attend all lectures and receptions free of charge (and no need to register).  There’s a presentation by Vamp and Tramp Booksellers on Friday afternoon followed by a reception and the announcement of the Student Artists’ Book Competition winners and Awards Ceremony.  On Saturday there is a not to be missed lecture by artist Macy Chadwick of In Cahoots Press.  Be sure to also check out the exhibition No Translation Required - Artists’ Books in Germany/Georgia at SCAD, if you can’t make it this weekend the show will be up at the SCAD Trois Gallery thru April 16th.  The exhibition showcases selections of the best contemporary book art from the collections of the Klingspor Museum and the ACA Library of SCAD, and also highlights student work from SCAD and the University of the Arts, Braunschweig.  Hope to see you there!

resouces | No Comments »

The holidays loom.  You’re on a tight budget, but you’re crafty.  Hope is on the horizon (or perhaps more appropriately, the book shelf)!  Check out this awesome new release from Lark Books, Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin an inventive tome of bookbinding projects using things you’d usually toss in the trash or recycle bin.  Craft journals and the like for friends and family using everything from discarded office supplies to used coffee filers and egg crates (no joke)!  Projects range in difficulty and I’ve found the instructions to be clear and easy to follow.  There’s even a few projects in there from yours truly- including my ever popular game board journals.  The Lark Books site even has a free project pdf for the Java Journal up on their site now- check it out, who can beat free?!

For more in-depth learning (and to prepare for holiday seasons for years to come), why not join me at the Atlanta Printmaker’s Studio this January/ February for my popular Book Arts Class?  I’ll be teaching 5 different book structures, including Japanese stab-bound (great for photo albums) and a variety of hard and exposed spine formats.  Classes meet Sunday afternoons and total up to 24 hours of instruction- more than enough to start you down the addictive path of bookbinding, a skill comes in handy whether you’re an artist/ crafter looking to take your skill to the next level or a a novice hoping to pick up a fun new crafty skill.  All skill levels are welcome, but this class is best geared towards beginners looking to learn the basics and work their way up to making some pretty awesome books!  Register now at the APS website, and I’ll see you in January!

classes, hackbooking, resouces | No Comments »

There’s more to Hotlanta than the club scene and sports teams. For instance, did you know it is also home to the internationally renowned Robert C. Williams Paper Museum at Georgia Tech? The Paper Museum offers an informative permanent exhibition From Hand to Machine: The Evolution of Papermaking and a rotating display from it’s collection of books, watermarks, papers, tools, machines, and manuscripts. There’s also a special exhibition space where you can soon check out Jiha Moon/ Nate Moore: Recent Works (April 2nd thru May 22nd), a workshop space for classes, and a nice little shop to buy book and papermaking supplies. After a visit to the museum you’re sure to be brimming with inspiration and ideas- lucky for you Atlanta also has a wealth of shops to get you stocked up on supplies.

From The Paper Museum head north about 1 mile to Sam Flax. This warehouse of a store offers a good selection of decorative papers and ribbons, and has recently expanded their bookbinding supplies to include waxed German linen thread in a variety of colors. It’s also a fully stocked art supply store and (in my opinion) really shines in the wide selection of boards it carries. You can get Davey board (full sheet, or custom cut), acid free mat boards, gatorboard, and a number of other interesting kinds of acetates, plastics and fiber boards to experiment with. If you leave Sam Flax wanting more, head another 5 miles or so north to Buckhead and check out Binders Art Supplies for more great paper, boards and art supplies. And if you’re a Paper Source devotee, good news! Atlanta now has a Paper Source location in the adorable (and very shoppable) neighborhood of Virginia Highlands.

Even if you can’t make it to the ATL don’t fret! You can still throw some love to the local paper scene by shopping the superb Washi Accents online store. Run by Elaine and Hiromi Jo out of their home since the closing of their wonderful (and much missed) shop in Buckhead, Washi Accents offers a beautiful selection of washi papers, unusual book cloths, kohaze clasps and other Japanese bookbinding goodies. Washi Accents also specializes in Ikebana, sumi-eshodo supplies, and (I can vouch from personal experience) excellent customer service!

I’m sure I’m missing something here (I haven’t even started talking about the wonderful local printmaking and Indie craft scene), if you have an Atlanta favorite leave a comment and let me know!

Buy Handmade, methods and materials, papers, resouces | No Comments »

Open up almost any bookbinding book and flip back to the suggested suppliers page, and you’re sure to find Chicago’s Aiko’s Art Materials. Specializing in hard-to-find Japanese papers and art supplies, Aiko’s was a treasure trove for any artist. For years I lived with this jewel of a store just up the road from my apartment, and years later still I relished trips back to the city to visit it again. Vacationing in Chicago this past month I was sad to find we’ve all lost this amazing resource, Aiko’s Art Materials closed its doors in April after more than 50 years in business. So without Aiko’s, I wondered, where can you go in Chicago to get your paper fix? The good news is that there’s lots of spots, all easy to reach from the el train.

Just down the street from Aikos’ former site, east on Belmont near the Clark and Belmont el stop you’ll find J. Toguri Mercantile. While it does have a small selection Japanese papers the real reason to hit J. Toguri is for the Japanese art supplies, books and home décor. After a visit if you’re still in a Japanese frame of mind, head a block west on Belmont to Ragstock (upstairs from Hollywood Mirror) and check out their huge (and inexpensive) collection of kimonos.

Closer to downtown you have two Paper Source stores to choose from, each one just a block off the el (one at Armitage and one at Chicago). Paper Source is a chain with a strong presence on the web, but a visit to the store is worth it for the helpful staff and a look at a few non-web offerings (I found some great hemp thread for binding). They also have the largest selection of papers I found in Chicago, including some lovely washi and very reasonably priced book-cloth. It’s well worth a visit.

One last stop, make sure to visit Columbia College’s Center for Book Arts (again an easy walk from the el). The second floor space houses classrooms, galleries and the “Un” Store, a window case of goodies that can be purchased from the front office. Goods on offer include papers, papermaking fibers, and even bookbinding t-shirts. Go Chicago!

papers, resouces | No Comments »

April 22nd is Earth Day!  Part of Re:Paper’s mission is reuse and redirect paper that would otherwise be junked, and turn it into beautiful works of art.  All of my books feature at least recycled text papers (acid free, post consumer waste), any may feature recycled paper covers from old games, calendars, maps and other sources.  Here are some quick tips from my studio to help you conserve paper every day of the year…

•  Buy an accordion file and save beautiful bits of paper that you come across (from magazines, calendars, wrapping papers, even your crafting scraps).  Use these treasures to make collages, cards or other crafty projects to gift or keep.
• Like the idea of keeping scraps but think you’ll never get around to using them?  Save them up and gift them to kid you know (along with some glue, glitter, pens and other “crafty” necessities) as an art kit.
•  Save one sided sheets of paper bound for the recycling bin.  At the end of the week, cut them in half and “bind” with a binder clip to make a handy scrap pad (and remember to recycle those scraps!)
• If you have recycling at work but just hate to get up constantly to place every little scrap in the bin, try placing a little “recycle bin” at your desk (I use and empty file box top).  Toss used paper in as you go, empty into the big recycle bin at the end of the week.
• Visit Catalog Choice to opt out of catalogues still showing up for old roommates, boyfriends and other previous inhabitants.  The service is free!

hackbooking, methods and materials, odds and ends, resouces | No Comments »

You may have noticed from my nifty new web-badge, I’ve been “made” as a member of the newly reformed Atlanta Craft Mafia.  If you are a local crafter/ artist running (or looking to run) your own business I HIGHLY recommend you get wise to the Mafia.  Members have access to a variety resources including crafting and business-development events, networking opportunities, local show alerts, collaborative marketing and (best of all) the support of fellow Atlanta crafters.  No worries if your not a full on Craft Warrior, the Mafia accepts “Associates” as well who are looking to get plugged into the scene without necessarily all of the nitty-gritty details a business owner craves.  The blog alone is a substantial resource worth book marking. 

Mafia nicknames have not been assigned, but I’d like to put my claim on Sara “Bone Folder” Hindmarch if I may. Or maybe “stab-bound,” that has a nice ring to it too (and is such a lovely binding).  Come to think of it. Bookbinding is inherently violent sounding, what with all of the tools that sound like (and could probably double as) torture devices: stab-punch, bone folder, brass rule, awl, punching cradle, screw post. . .  the list goes on! 

memberships, resouces | No Comments »