Dear Everyone ~
At the beginning of December, Melanie O’Steen sent me a delightful email describing an idea she’d been percolating on for a couple of months. Our friendship has blossomed from her very first foray into bookbinding, when she took my Buttonhole-stitch workshop through Sonheim Creative. (Anyone taking this workshop could e me or call with any questions, and Melanie did.) Her intense curiosity & creativity regarding paper set us up to become great pals. Two years later, she is a Bookful five-timer who has also taken several private bookbinding workshops with me. Now, Melanie has invited me to help her with the technicalities of the two sketchbook exchanges she has conceived.
I have been over the moon delighted to help Melanie get her project underway, and naturally I’ve asked if I may share her creative process. She has provided lovely shots documenting her bookmaking process, and below are her inspiring descriptions of bookish details. Bear in mind that neither one of Melanie’s “paper penpals” lives near her. Melanie has made, as you can see, four sketchbooks, two that she will exchange with Debra in California, and two that she will exchange with Dorothy in North Carolina. So, Melanie and Debra will each start a sketchbook, and then “exchange” them, building off of the other’s previous panels. Ditto, Melanie and Dorothy.
“ Earlier this year, I came across an artist’s blog where she described her sketchbook exchange with a friend. I had never heard of such a project. Their exchange centered on responding artistically to each other’s page. Sometimes, it was responding to just a single stroke of color. I found this inviting and intriguing. (Unfortunately, I can’t recall the artist’s name or the name of her blog, but I am all the more grateful.) My friends, Dorothy and Debra, have played very important roles in my creative journey. Proposing this exchange is my way of honoring them and their creativity. Making books (Thank you, Bari!) has become one of the most life-giving things for me. ”
“ I truly love accordion books! There’s something about the unfolding of the pages, just like the unfolding of our stories and our art journeys. After learning several delightful accordion methods this past year in the Bookful workshops, I never considered another style of book for the exchange project. I can barely wait to see the accordions all stretched out, with my friends’ art intermingled with mine. ”
“ I knew I wanted the sketchbooks to be square, with bookcloth spines, and small enough for us not to feel intimidated by the blank page. I first encountered the Cambridge Imprint Special Starry Papers during the Bountiful Bookful workshop. They are so whimsical and cheerful, and I love how they can be mixed and matched. For the covers, I coordinated papers for Debra and me, and I chose a different coordinated pattern for Dorothy and me. One last-minute decision I made during construction was to line my friends’ sketchbooks with my coordinating paper and my sketchbooks with their coordinating paper. This aesthetic connection—in one accord, which is perfect for an accordion book— is so representative of my friendships with Debra and Dorothy. ”
“ For this exchange, I knew that if I applied too many constraints, such as a theme, it would feel like pressure. So, we don’t know what each other’s theme is, and we may not even know what our own themes are, until we begin drawing on that very first page. I do love surprises! It will be a conversation in a way, and I plan to include a note to each friend when I mail them their sketchbooks, suggesting some guidelines for the exchange, including: work at your own pace, date your work, feel no pressure to perform, don’t treat the art as precious, and enjoy! ”
“ Our original idea—and we discussed this a lot!— was to mail the sketchbooks back and forth to each other throughout the year. But when we realized how costly that would be, we went back to the drawing table :). Although we lose the aspect of working directly in each other’s sketchbooks, the following method simplified the logistics. We each make a first entry in our sketchbook, take a photo of it, and send it in a text to the appropriate friend. The recipient then responds artistically on a separate piece of paper and sends her response via text photo back to that friend. And thus the creative process continues. At the end of the project we will mail all our artistic responses to the rightful owner who will then glue (or otherwise affix) them into her sketchbook. ”
I love how Melanie, Dorothy & Debra have adapted a sketchbook exchange to work long distance. I particularly love this confluence of technology and tactility! And probably texture and tea! Not incidentally, I’m delighted that Melanie’s Cambridge Imprint fandom runs deep, from her large-label “bookplates” (under glassine!) to her bookbinding scraps.
Special Starry Papers
Sketchbooks
Multi-marvy Labels
Excitement will ensue, Bari
P.S.
Pencil Shaving cards from Britain have finally landed at the shop after a mysterious whirlwind tour around the Continent. The online shop is hereby fully stocked.