Book Studies Capstone Project for Fall 2020 - Smith College Ada Comstock Scholar

-

 

I am proud to say that I have completed my Book Studies Concentration Capstone project. I was the happy recipient of the Rosenthall Fellowship for Book Studies Capstone projects and am so grateful for all the support I received from my advisor, Barry Moser. 

This past semester, Fall 2020, I designed, carved, and printed a dos-à-dos book from a 9.5"x25" woodblock. 

My design, true to size (although the photo won't be): 

Using Dockyard Micro Carving gouges, I carved my woodblock. As boards that size are astronomically expensive, I combined two pieces. 

The woodcut prior to ink:

Printed proof on newsprint:

So you can get a sense of how the book works, here is a timelapse of cutting and folding - I couldn't figure out how to slow it down on the back end but you can change the playback speed if you click on the gear symbol at the bottom of the player:

Here is a video (normal speed) of me flipping through the book for you to see:

Final prints using Caligo Safe Wash printing ink on Zerkall Ingres 90gsm paper. 

As oil-based printmaking ink takes a while to dry (days, not minutes or hours) I've taken over quite a bit of the house. 

It was a great pleasure to work on and complete this project and I'm thrilled with how it came out.

Once again, I'm so thankful to my advisor, Barry Moser, and the Book Studies Concentration folks, and for funding from the Rosenthal Fellowship at Smith College. Thanks for making this project possible.

-