Kim Izenman Art

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News from the Home Front

January 15, 2011

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Secret Belgian Binding

Two books I made recently using the Secret Belgian Binding method. The cover paper is paste paper I made. I think paste paper and I are a match made in heaven. All my wood graining tools from theatre come into play here, but nothing has to look real! In fact, it can look as unreal as I want! How cool is that? The binding thread for the faux wood book is dark brown hemp (found in the jewelry-making section of a craft store). The binding thread for the blue book is rayon knitting tape. You can see a bit of pattern underneath the paint on the blue book. This is because I painted my paste paint over some printed paper leftover from a wedding shower project. The print was perfect for the party, but way too pink and sweet for any book project of mine. I love how the pattern shines through from below.

A Star Tunnel Book

As a child, I was a paper doll fiend. I carefully cut them from magazines, bought them with allowance, drew my own, and played with them endlessly. In my twenties, that love for small things had evolved into building dollhouse miniatures. In my 40's, I had drifted into painting theatre sets, which, like paper dolls, are a bit ephemeral, and like dollhouses, are pretend rooms for make-believe stories. The moment I first laid eyes on a tunnel book, I knew that it was paper dolls, miniatures, and theatre sets all rolled into one. I have yet to produce one of my own yet, but believe me, the sketchbooks are full of plans. Big Plans. Most Star Tunnel Books are based on a multi-layered accordion fold. Each fold is a slightly different width, with the smallest in the front and the biggest at the back, so the images have a three-dimensional look. The layers are held together at the front fold, often with a pamphlet stitch, and the books can be r...

A Bookbinding Workshop

Today I had the good fortune to be able to take a book binding workshop at King's Books in Tacoma from my friend Mitzi Lindgren . We made soft cover books using a binding method known as sewing over tapes. The binding method works well for journals because the pages open flat. The book we made consists of 8 signatures of 4 folios each. The binding features decorative sewing that can be left exposed, and the cover is attached to the text block by making slits in the cover and pulling the tapes through, so no glue is used. Needless to say, since I am a rank beginner at this, my first attempt is far from perfect, but I had the best time, and I will be making several more of these books at home. Already my little brain is working out variations. I can't help it. It's what I do! Mitzi discussed the possibility of including beads somehow in the binding. As I was sewing, I got so caught up in that train of thought, I sewed two signatures together and was starting on the thi...

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