Read an Excerpt
The Art & Craft of Handmade Books
By Shereen LaPlantz, Tracy Aplin Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2001 Shereen LaPlantz
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-80037-0
CHAPTER 1
Concertina
Concertina, or accordion fold books, are extremely versatile structures. This chapter provides instructions on creating a basic concertina and variations of the style. You'll also learn how to add features to the basic concertina to make more complex structures.
There must be as many different methods of folding concertinas as there are artists making them. If you find another method that works for you, use it.
Basic Concertina
Almost any paper can be used to make a concertina. Printmaking, watercolor, and specialty papers usually work well for these structures. Text weight and rice papers tend to be flimsy, so if you use them, your hook will need a protective cover.
Book artist Hedi Kyle taught me the folding method shown here. She says it's the only way to get perfect, even folds. I agree.
Mountain Folds, Valley Folds, and Lap Joints
Mountain Folds and Valley Folds
Throughout this chapter, the terms mountain fold and valley fold are frequently used. The following illustrations serve as a reference (see figures 2-0 and 2-0a)
Lap Joints
Concertinas often require long strips of paper, sometimes longer than the paper available at art supply stores. Rather than being limited to miniatures, join two or more pieces of paper together with a lap joint (see figure 2-0b).
Simply create a tab at the end of one piece of paper, fold it over the edge of the second piece, and adhere it in place. Trim a tab of equal size to the lap joint from the second piece of paper (the panels will then be the same size). Be sure to allow the adhesive to dry before folding.
Materials
1 piece of pastel paper, 6 x 28 inches (15.2 x 71.1 cm)
Instructions
1 Fold your piece of paper in half (see figure 2-1). Open it out, making sure the fold points up, forming a mountain fold.
2 Fold the mountain to the edge (see figure 2-2).
3 Take the long edge and fold it to meet the mountain (see figure 2-3).
4 Open the paper and make all the folds into mountains (see figure 2-4).
5 Repeat the process, folding each mountain to the edge until you have created eight panels of equal size (see figures 2-5 and 2-6).
This model is an eight-panel concertina. If more panels are desired, simply continue the process, making all the folds into mountain folds, and folding each mountain fold to the edge of the paper. A concertina can be a book all by itself, combined with another technique, or enhanced with a presentation folder or box.
Variation
Concertina with a Textbook Wrapper
To add a textbook wrapper (remember high school?) to your concertina, open it so two panels are exposed, and place it in the middle of a piece of cover paper. Cut a rectangle ½ inch (1.3 cm) larger than the concertina on all four sides (if you've adjusted your sizes to make a bigger book, measure 1 inch [2.5 cm] around the concertina on all four sides). Measure the height of the concertina. Fold the head and tail of the cover paper to fit (see figure 2-7).
Measure the concertina's spine and score two parallel lines at the center of your cover paper. The space between the lines should be equal to the spine's thickness (see figure 2-8). Fold the cover paper to fit the concertina. Finally, slip the front concertina panel into the front sleeve of the cover and the back into the back sleeve (see detail photo, above).
Note: If you want more space for text, cut off the back cover's sleeve. This allows for text on both the front and the back pages of your concertina (see photo below).
Concertina in a Matchbox
A matchbox makes a great presentation case for a miniature book, and it's easy to make. Keep this idea in mind for use with any binding structure. You can personalize your book and matchbox with decorative papers, collage, rubber stamps, dangling beads, or gift tags.
Instructions
1 Using a text weight paper, create an eight-panel concertina (see instructions on page 23).
2 Measure your concertina to determine the base size of your matchbox. Draw a diagram, as shown, using your base size measurement (see figure 2-9). Make sure the sides of the box are equal in size to the concertina's thickness. Notice that the top and bottom of the matchbox are twice the height of the sides. They need to fold over in order to lock everything in place.
3 Using cover weight business paper, cut out the shape of your matchbox according to the diagram and measurements.
4 Score and fold along the lines indicated in the diagram.
5 Fold the long sides up (notice that the ends of those sides are cut into tabs).
6 Fold the tabs under, then across the ends of the box.
7 Fold the ends up and over the tabs. Adhere each piece in place (see figure 2-10).
8 The cover of the matchbox is made from a single piece of cover weight business paper, and its width is equal to length of the box. Measure, score, and fold the height of the box's sides on the cover paper (see figure 2-11).
9 No matter how accurate your measurements are, changes can occur when you're making an object, such as a box. To ensure correct sizes, place the box up against the first fold of the cover paper, and score along each side. Next, place the matchbox against the last fold, score, and fold. Repeat until all the sides are folded.
10 Complete the cover with a flap. Its measurement should be equal to the height of the side of the box. Adhere the flap in place (see figure 2-12).
11 Adhere the back cover of the concertina inside the bottom of your matchbox.
Inverted Concertina and Double-Inversion Concertina
To add more depth and dimension to your concertina, you can easily invert a section of its panels, and create new panels. The inverted panels are an ideal place to focus attention on stamps, collage, or decorative papers.
Inverted Concertina
Instructions
1 Create an eight-panel concertina (see instructions on page 23).
2 Pull back your first and last panels and reserve them as covers.
3 Create mountain folds in the center of each remaining panel. It's safe to start your mountain fold at half the width of the panel and 1 inch (2.5 cm) in from the head and tail (see figure 2-13).
4 After you've created the mountain folds, cut the head and tail lines of each, and pressure score along the vertical lines.
5 Invert the center fold, and fold both pressure scores backward (see detail photo, top left). Repeat the process for each pair panels.
Variation
Double-Inversion Concertina
Follow the steps for the Inverted Concertina, but create valley folds instead (your outer folds will pop out, and your inner folds with recede).
Measure, score, and cut just like you would for the Inverted Concertina, and repeat for a second set of lines inside your fold (see figure 2-14). The outer lines get folded outward, and the inner lines get folded inward (see detail photo, right).
Concertina with Pop-Up Panels
This book, one of my editions, features pairs of pop-up panels adhered to concertina panels. In the model, the pop-up section of the panels is flush with the head of the concertina panels, but the placement of the panels is your choice — there are a lot of options.
Instructions
1 Fold an eight-panel concertina (see instructions on page 23) from pastel or heavy weight paper.
2 Create pairs of panels from heavy weight paper. The model features three sets of panels. The size of the panels is your choice. In the model, the panels are the same height as the concertina, and their length is slightly shorter than a pair of the concertina's panels.
3 Decide on the placement of pop-up section of your panels. In the model, the horizonal lines of the pop-up are at the head of the panels and 1 inch (2.5 cm) in from the tail. The vertical pop-up lines start 1 inch (2.5 cm) in from the fore edges, with another line ¼ inch (6 mm) further in to create the pop-up. Measure and mark the position of the pop-ups on your panels.
4 Cut the horizonal lines of your pop-up section.
5 According to your marks, score two vertical lines for your pop-ups on each side of the panel (see figure 2-15). Fold the score lines, first up as mountain folds, and then down as valley folds (see detail photo, right).
6 Adhere the outer edges (not the pop-up section) of pop-up panels to the concertina panels. In this model, a single signature was bound into the fold of the last two concertina panels using a pamphlet stitch (see Pamphlet and Running Stitch chapter).
There are a lot of different ways to position pop-up panels. The following illustrations (see figures 2-16 and 2-17) demonstrate the different options I tried before settling on the positioning you see in the model. You can also create a pop-up within a pop-up, or place your panels asymmetrically (see figure 2-19).
Experiment and chose the style that works best for your book.
Calligraphy Model
This model features a wrap-around cover with a flap closure. You can display this structure open or closed, and it's a perfect showcase for decorative papers or calligraphy.
Instructions
1 Start with a long piece of pastel paper. Determine the size of your front cover, and measure and score the paper accordingly. The back cover is the same measurement, plus the depth of the fore edge, plus the length of the flap (see figure 2-20).
2 Fold an eight-panel concertina in the center of the paper. The folds of the concertina will become the spine of your book (see figure 2-21).
3 Cut small pieces of decorative paper to fit into the center of each panel, and adhere them to the panels.
4 Create a 12-panel inverted concertina from pastel paper (see Inverted Concertina, pages 27-28). Tip: The easiest way to get 12 panels is to fold 16 and cut off four (the four extras can be used for another book). Position the inverted concertina before cutting off the excess panels to make sure your panels are long enough to fit into the model, and that you can attach one panel to the spine without positioning problems (see detail photo, top right).
5 Adhere your 12-panel concertina to the concertina you created in step 2. Its last panel will overlap the last panel of the first concertina's spine, positioning it next to the book's back cover (see detail photo, bottom right).
The closure on this model features a Chinese ideogram, l/8 x 1 inches (4.8 x 2.5 cm). It was cut out of another decorative paper and positioned, then adhered to the front cover. Three sides were cut around the character, allowing the back cover flap to slip under it. The back cover is held in place with gentle pressure (see figure 222 and detail photo below).
Bestiaries
One of the most frequent comments I get in my workshops is "How do people find content for their books?" Historical approaches to content are an easy springboard. Let's start with bestiaries (pronounced beast-tee-aries).
A bestiary is a book about animals that may include quotes, myths, folklore, legends, or allegorical stories. Bestiaries are based on a second century A.D. Greek book entitled Physiologus, which was found in Alexandria, Egypt. By the 12th century A.D., bestiaries were used in Europe as a method of teaching Christian moral principles. to children.
Challenge yourself to create a beautiful, meaningful bestiary. What character trait or moral principle could you illustrate with an animal: the industry of the ant, or the group work ethic of the bee? Consider you illustrating skills. Try using a children's book on animals as source material and make your own drawings. If you don't draw well, you can use rubber stamps or clip art for your illustrations. If you like writing, a bestiary can become a book of stories. If you don't, you can limit your writing to a simple phrase such as "The industry if the ant."
One very simple solution to creating a bestiary is to use quotes. In A Bestiary (Pantheon, 1993), compiled by Richard Wilbur and illustrated by Alexander Calder, each chapter has a title, such as "Grasshopper," one or two wire drawings, and a few quotations about the animal. Check your local library for quotation books that you can use as references.
Formats
Most books are created in a codex format, meaning they meet our standard idea of what a book looks like. There are other standard formats, such as those described below. Fortunately, almost all binding techniques work in any format. Trying a new format is just one more way to vary or individualize your work.
GATEFOLD (ALSO CALLED FRENCH DOORS)
Gatefold books have a spine on each side and an opening in the middle. Since this format shows two pages at once, its excellent for compare-and-contrast books. It's also good for two intermeshing stories, or in a situation where two illustrations need to be shown at once (see figure SB 2-1).
DOS À DOS
Dos à dos is basically a Z fold (see figure SB 2-2) with a spine in each fold. This format is particularly good for two compatible stories, such as his and hers versions, or flora and fauna books. Historically, it's been used for two-part books such as the Bible (Old and New Testaments). It has also frequently been used for bilingual books, with English on one side, and French or another language on the other.
TETÉ Â TETÉ
Teté â teté is a frustrating format for me. In his book on the history of libraries, A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books (Henry Holt and Company, 1999), Nicholas Basbanes lists the three basic book formats and includes teté â teté as one of the three. Before reading Basbane's book, I had never heard of this format before. Based on his description, I imagined it would look like the format shown here, but I haven't been able to find anyone who knows what the format really looks like. My version of teté â teté is good for love poetry and is especially good for weddings. The bride and groom can each have a side for vows they read to each other (see figures SB 2-3 and 2-4).
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Art & Craft of Handmade Books by Shereen LaPlantz, Tracy Aplin. Copyright © 2001 Shereen LaPlantz. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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