Storytelling script to screen week 13:15/5/18: Production bible book binding.

In week 13 of submissions I set to work on binding together my production bible physical hand in piece. In the start of the module when I heard about ding the production bible I decided to use my

skills in bookbinding to make a physical hand in alongside the PDF version. I had just applied the last few elements to the bible including a section about the author which I remembered most artists books had. Yesterday I had the production bible divided into sections in InDesign which were converted as PDF's and printed as booklets in the library. I did them in Uni because I felt the printer gave a more professional printed quality.


The next stage was putting the book together. I had cut down the pages to size using a craft knife at home and then marked out the binding holes for the thread. Before doing so however the

pages were folded together and grouped into 5 signatures (book pages). The rest of the assembly I did in the makerspace. However I noticed some of the pages still had some white on from the paper, so I cut them down. Sadly I made a mistake on the first few pages of the first signature, which made me agitated as I wanted to have a perfect book piece to hand in. This though was resolved by printing out another copy in the library. Using an Awl from my own tool box, I pierced in the binding holes on each signature.

Case binding tutorial by sea lemon.


Next came the thread. Using a thin needle and black thread which was double threaded for strength in the stitching. The first signature was sewn together going inside and outside the binding holes until there was a line of thread going across the edge. A knot was tied and pulled to the outside of the signature very carefully as I knew it could cause damage. From that hole the other signatures were sewn together. In doing book binding you start with the first signature and place the others on as you go. In this case I had to make sure the signatures were placed in order from the 5th section to the opening page on the early sketches.

The method I was using was cross stitching the traditional method used in bookbinding. The signatures were soon joined together as a text block. I was surprised that it was a good size book as previously I was afraid it would be a repeat of my college art of book which turned into a booklet. To make sure the book stayed together I needed to apply some layers of PVA glue to the spine of the text block. However I didn't have my own supply with me, but since I was in the maker space I had access to materials, the cupboards however were locked.


Thankfully Annabeth was able to open the cabinets and I had access to a supply of strong PVA glue and so I applied it to the spine. This was placed in a book press which myself and my uncle made using a tutorial on YouTube by Sea lemon.

Whilst it dried, I did some work on doing some extra pages. The point of the two folded pieces of paper would be when it came time to attach the text block to the cover.


I used thick paper I found in the maker space and cut it down to A5 size as that was the scale of the book. Using a thin line of  PVA glue applied to the folded edge of the text block the pages were stuck down and placed  back in the book press to firmly stick together. This gave me time to work on the cover. I was enjoying this process as it was a way I could put what I do in my down time to good use and have it submitted as part of the module.

The next step when the pages dried was gluing a strip of paper on the spine of the book to hold the cover pages in place and to strengthen the spine as well. I cut a small strip of paper then glued it down to the spine and cover pages with PVA. The text block was complete and I used it to measure out some rectangles on grey board which was the material used for the book cover. I made sure the cover was slightly bigger than the text block but left some space. I did apply another sheet of grey board the same size as the cover but had a small box cut out of it as the centre would house the cover image of my production bible.


For the cover material I was using brown leatherette which was the material that I used in most of my DIY journals. I placed down the cover blocks and measured them on the back of the material to layout the positions and cut it down slightly. The cover spine was thick card as this would be a curved spine book much like a moleskin notebook. To stick the cover together I was using spray on adhesive which I brought from home. Recent advice given to me about my embossed work suggested the use of adhesive for sticking the book together. I tried this on a recent book piece and it worked very well.

However seeing as how I didn't know about spraying in the Maker space I asked Kevin to show me where to do it for health and safety reasons. He directed my attention to the spray booths in the back of the space and all I need do was turn on the suction which would suck away the fumes and open the airwaves via a switch on the back wall. The spray booth was a small box like object and so I placed down my cover fabric and sprayed on the adhesive from 20 cm away as that was the requirement on the tin.

I remembered the adhesive spray dries quickly and so I placed down my cover blocks and using a ball tool I rubbed down the leather material so the embossed area would show and the cover flat. The cut out flaps were then folded down by lifting up the cover and rocking it back on the flaps on each corner. The cover soon dried and it was time to join the text block together. To do this I applied PVA glue to the centre of the cover page and around the edge inside of the cover. It was then a matter of carefully lining up the page to  the cover, however I felt it was difficult as the book pages seemed to come out of the cover slightly when I tried gluing it down. Soon though I corrected the alignment and the page was stuck down.

When gluing down the back page I had to keep the text block and front cover held up as this would line up the two and easily help when gluing it down. Learning from experience and tutorials on YouTube when placing the completed book into the book press it was a good idea to have a piece of acetate between the cover and cover page. This was because the acetate essentially absorbs the moisture of the glue so that it doesn't affect the text block otherwise it would wrinkle the pages.

Whilst the book was bonding in the press, I set to work on the decoration pieces. I decided to have the illustrated cover in the centre and some gold pieces on the edges of the book. I would be using the greyboard cut from the centre as the centre piece and so I took the measurements and translated them into a Photoshop document to then be printed. The piece was then stuck down, however I had to be careful when gluing it down as I needed to make sure the card and illustration lined up correctly otherwise it wouldn't look professional.


To assist me I used the light from the window

and this did help and I was able to stick down the illustration rub it down with a bone folder and fold the paper tabs to the sides. However, there was some white paper still present on the piece so the only solution was to cut it down. So using the cutting mat and a roller knife blade I cut down the piece to the size and width of the illustration. I had tow work carefully using a metal rule as the blade was really sharp and could lead to serious injuries when cutting back and fourth.

The piece was then stuck down to the cover using the spray on adhesive and placed in the book press.
The edge pieces I decided to add to make it look like an old age book from the 19th century in keeping with the story theme. However I didn't have any gold paper with me nor could I find any at the Lowery outlet. Thankfully I remembered from one of my previous book pieces how to create gold pieces without paper, and that was using acrylic paint to create a patch of yellow/gold to then apply to the cover pieces.


Previously, I had cut out some 'L' shaped pieces

from the scraps of grey board, for this task. When the paint had dried I glued the pieces to the back and cut them down using scissors. Learning from a tutorial on doing Tom Riddles Diary from Harry Potter, I knew to have some tabs coming of the pieces this would be to help glue them to the cover edges.

 This would be traditionally done with a hot glue gun but I wasn't sure if I could use the ones in the maker space so I used PVA glue as I felt the principle was the same. The glued on pieces were placed on the book and then placed into the book press for one last time, and after about 20 minutes the book was finally complete.


Looking back on my task today I felt very pleased with the book result though I was hoping for a thicker book it was nice to have one reasonably sized. I would've done somethings differently for this task. One element would be having the right tools with me the next time I

attempt this exercise as I had a lack of needed elements of my own such as PVA glue and a paint brush. In hindsight I should've looked over my tools the night before to make sure I had everything with me but the fact I was working in the maker space meant I had other alternatives and options for assembling my work.


I was surprised that there wasn't any gold paper and I should've quickly gone into town to get some for my task, but if I did it would cost me time working on other modules to get them ready for submission.


In conclusion I was very pleased with my finished book and the fact that I was able to do a book binding project for submission was an achievement in itself. I look forward to hopefully doing more books for my modules in the future. In future I shall make sure I have the necessary tools for the required task and make sure I ask about certain areas of the maker space for certain tasks.

Production bible book.

Pages.

Book backing.