"Tormented by visions of flight and falling..."

          I've been working on the first of the illustrations for 'Leonardo', and show below my initial sketch and the image I developed from it. The words that go with this are as the title above, 'Tormented by visions of flight and falling..'

          I haven't made a definite decision as to how these illustrations will be printed, and may in fact use a variety of methods, whichever is most suitable for each image. One thought is to make a 'key block' using a polymer plate for the black areas, which I can print on the press, and then cut some blocks in lino or shina plywood for the colours. As has happened on previous occasions, this illustration may not actually be used, everything stays loose until the final cut. That is also the reason I have delayed laying out the text, until I have all the elements and can decide how I want to place them. My handmade text paper is now matured so I can use it whenever I'm ready.

           One thing I have decided is that the full-page illustrations will go right to the edge of the paper, with no white margin surrounding them. This will give me a little more 'real estate' to work with. I did this with Qualicum Blue and was able to make the images more meaningful, but I've been giving it careful consideration, thinking about the way people handle miniature books as opposed to larger ones. These images will be interspersed with the text, rather than being in a separate gallery, as in QB. I'm also working on the idea of smaller page elements to go in with the text. Paper for these illustrations is still a big question mark, which will not be answered until I finally decide how they will be printed.

Alcuin Wayzgoose

          On a much firmer footing, the Alcuin Wayzgoose in Vancouver Public Library came and went, and a good time was had by all. There were some very nice new publications and it was great to see new talent and young people lovingly embracing old technology. The Friday evening presentation by Will Rueter of the Aliquando Press was one of the best ever, and our thanks go to all the hard-working Alcuin Society volunteers who made everything possible. Photos are up on Flickr here.

Paper Trail 1

So many types of paper, where to start? Usually with the sample books. Of course, the nature of the proposed book and the method of printing immediately narrow the field. This will be a handmade book, printed on an old hand-operated Craftsman iron press, and will be illustrated with hand-pulled prints, hand sewn and hand bound. During the years I worked on repairing and conserving books I learned a lot about which materials and book structures last. My aim is to make books that will endure the test of time. (I'm not saying I always achieve this, just that I aim to.)

Back to the paper, which has an important part to play here. These are the qualities I consider when choosing a text paper, in no special order:

• Weight: for a miniature book, no more than 100 gsm. Ideally, for a codex style book I like the page to turn over and lie flat. This is almost impossible to achieve with a miniature, because of the page size. Compromises have to be made. With a larger heavier book, people often read them open on a table. With a miniature, they tend to be read with a hand each side of the book, the thumbs holding the pages each side, a more intimate reading experience.
• Opacity: if you're printing on both sides of the paper, this is very important. Show-through, unless intentional, is usually ugly.
• Colour: there is an infinite number of shades of white. The very bright white type of paper belongs with the computer printer. I tend to go for a soft white, sometimes called book white, unless I want to convey a particular character. For Qualicum Blue I used a pale blue paper.
• Sizing: Size in this context means the dressing put into paper or onto the surface of paper to give it specific properties, e.g. strength, a smoother surface, less absorbency. A lightly sized paper suits my purpose.
• Pressing treatment. A hard-rolled hot pressed paper is not suitable for letterpress, as it will not compress, and the ink lies on the surface of the paper. Paper that contains more air will compress during printing and give a more attractive appearance. Part of the charm of letterpress printing is that the letters are very slightly sunken into the paper, giving the page a 'sparkle' that you don't find with other printing methods.
• Surface quality: it is important that the surface of the paper isn't too soft and woolly or it will pick up oil and sweat from readers' hands and become dirty quicker. Textured surfaces and inclusions (bits) interfere with small print and are best reserved for those books where the paper is the message, rather than the carrier of it.
• Composition of the paper: some papers are made to archival quality standards, neutral pH, buffered, made to last and this is something I look for.
• Papermaking method: handmade, mouldmade, machine made? Each has its strengths and weaknesses, to be explored in my next post.

Papers I've used for past books include Magnani book wove mould made (they make it in three different weights), Zerkall Ingres, Zerkall printmaking paper, Griffen Mill handmade papers, and for earlier books paper made from esparto grass (too soft), a Canson Ingres and a recycled paper called Retreeve, which was a mistake as it was too hard-rolled. I also used some real sheepskin parchment for one book - not strictly speaking paper, but its predecessor.

The photo shows some of my paper sample books. I test-print before I buy these days. In my next post I'll talk about what I eventually chose and why, and hope to have a guest on the blog.