Read more about the article Salt Prints: Final Trial
print detail

Salt Prints: Final Trial

Another day of testing and I have finally settled on the ratio of ingredients as well as a color for the final prints.  Going back and forth between the first and second results, I tried some dilute paint on the paper.  This was not exactly the solution, because the problem that arose with that mixture was the lack of visible pigment.  So when the reaction of the salt with the water happened, the design wasn't visible. However, I looked again at the first trial...beginner's luck seemed to be the only conclusion then.  Thinking more about it though, I tried to…

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Read more about the article Reporter Notebook
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Reporter Notebook

During the times when I feel unproductive or that I am not working on the "fun stuff" enough, I try to find a small and somewhat quick project I can do in order to get back on track. Here is a reporter style notebook that is small enough to use up scraps I hold onto in my studio.  (It is important to use these every once in a while so you can defend yourself when being accused of keeping unnecessary remainders.) The paper was cut to letter size, printed with lines, then cut down to its final size.  The stack…

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Read more about the article Salt Print Experiments II
each color

Salt Print Experiments II

After the first salt print test, my hopes were high.  They looked like others I have seen before and with the water color paint, I could mix the colors exactly how I want. So after I mixed paints and brushed out my papers to be used for a set of 6 journals, I was disappointed to find out that the reaction of the salt with the mixed paint did not even come close to the first set. They do not look horrible.  In fact, they have really nice characteristics in their own way, but they could look wonderful if they…

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Read more about the article Salt Print Experiments
both papers dried

Salt Print Experiments

I am experimenting with salt printing for the first time as I try to figure out a cover decoration solution. Ultimately, I would like to use salt prints as a more central part of my content in the future, but for now, I am trying to use them as an alternate way to incorporate color. I first learned about the salt printing process at the Guild of Book Workers Standards of Excellence last year in San Francisco. Carolee Campbell demonstrated her use of salt prints in a recent book called The Persephones. Her use of ink and salt creates unique,…

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Read more about the article Matchbook Exercise
matchbook front

Matchbook Exercise

In order to get through slow periods of the day or when I am faced with a creative block, I create a small project that can be completed in an afternoon.  This particular book is a practice in design as well as a creative structure. The matchbook contains a group of cards with relaxation activities on each one.  The cards are tied together with a braided cord fixed with a button.  The book was designed in Illustrator using a single piece of 8.5 x 11 paper (plus half a sheet for test folding). This project was inspired by Paperiaarre who…

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