doors: brugges, belgium
polaroid transfer created 2003
photo taken 1998

with the news that polaroid will stop making film after they’ve got enough in stock for 2009, i wonder if i should start stockpiling film? i still like taking photos with my polaroid camera, and even though i haven’t made polaroid transfers in a few years, it’s something i’d still like to be able to do. i recently found some great slides from the 70’s.

i won’t detail instructions on creating polaroid transfers here, because it’s been so long since i’ve done it. essentially, you take a slide and project it onto the polaroid film using a vivitar or daylab daylight instant slide printer. then, rather than allowing the polaroid to develop, you peel it apart and transfer the emulsion onto the paper of your choice. the result is watercolor-like, but with amazing detail. and you can use almost any photo: i rarely shoot with slide film, so i chose my favorite photos and have slides made.

it’s definitely not a cheap hobby. slide printers can be hard to find, and can cost a couple hundred dollars. the film is expensive as well: a pack of 20 is around $24, and i’d imagine the film cost will go up as the supply dwindles. your best bet is to find a class and utilize the instructor’s equipment, expertise, and film.

for those of you in the twin cities, the minnesota center for book arts has a polaroid transfer workshop in april. i’d love to go and brush up on my skills, but will be out of town. for now, i’ll continue to contemplate whether or not i should go on a film buying spree.

is anyone else stocking up on polaroid film?

last night i went to mcba’s coptic binding workshop. i have taken it before, but it was over 3 or 4 years ago, and the binding technique never really stuck. i remember trying to teach jenn after a few glasses of wine and it was a mess! but i have book ideas for my etsy shop that involve coptic binding, and i’m itching to make them. i have the paper and ideas ready to go!

sue, the instructor, was great. she shared her knowledge, was very friendly & funny, and patient. i’m pretty sure she taught the first coptic binding workshop that i attended. buuuttt…

while the plan was to bind 2 books: one with 2 needles, the second with 4, we barely made it through the 2 needle binding. i think the process of covering book boards for 2 books and then sew them together was a bit too ambitious for a full class, which consisted of a lot of course-mates that were new to book binding. it took us a little longer than i think was expected to get past covering boards/folding signatures, leaving us with less than an hour’s time to devote to sewing/binding. we didn’t have time to explore the 4 needle technique. however, we did take some awesome curved needles home to experiment with!

despite my disappointment with not being able to spend more time on binding/sewing, i will still take mcba’s workshops, as i always learn something new from the instructors. last night’s valuable tip: teflon “bone” folders do not burnish your paper as much as traditional bone folders do. that’s big for me — i was wondering how to avoid shiny areas on my paper when utilizing the bone folder. (and frankly, as a vegetarian, my bone folders freak me out a bit - where have they come from?! please don’t tell me. but then, what does the production of teflon do to our environment? arg!)

and despite the little sad book i produced (pictured above, on the guillotine, awaiting its execution), i do feel a little more confident about coptic binding. i just will need to do a few more practice runs before i jump into the etsy projects!

on saturday i went to the small printed projects workshop at mcba - what fun! the class size was small, and we each got to design and print a project. the workshop instructor was allison chapman, and i really enjoy taking classes with her. she’s taught me (and others) a lot of great stuff over the years.

allison called everyone a few days before the class and asked what we’d like to make. i decided to make a very simple business card for my studio/shop with only the studio name. once i started printing, i decided to turn my printed paper into tags for the books i sell in my etsy shop. i picked up some handpainted linen thread in the shop (the thread is painted locally by kinglet cottage designs). the picture above is a new book created this weekend, with my new little tag!

my printing is by no means perfect, but it is made by me! it’s not too bad for a first-timer with only a few hours to learn/set/print. i took pictures during the class, which can be viewed after the jump…

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my wine journal is done! last night was session 2 of 2 of the printed journal workshop at mcba. we covered book boards with the paper we pressure printed and bound the printed signatures that were created at last week’s session.

the binding process was a tad frustrating, as it was a beginner course and i don’t want to be a know-it-all, but it doesn’t take me 3 hours to bind a book. i stayed and tried not to work ahead.

i liked the first session (printing) the best. i knew this was a beginner course going into it, but i was curious about the printing part. the only printing i know how to do is block print… i talked to allison, the instructor, and she mentioned a workshop she’s teaching in january, called small printed projects. i’m going to sign up! while i love letterpress and typography, there are so many artists out there that do it so beautifully… it’s not something i have the time to focus on. so i’ll just dabble.

last night was session 1 of 2 of the printed journal workshop at mcba. it’s been a while since i’ve taken a class there - mostly because my life was focused on less important things (like work), but also because the classes didn’t excite me (a change in management has resulted in new classes that look fab). this class is a good intro to printing for me, and a refresher on bookbinding.

we started by creating the art work for the book covers: we cut out label paper and attached it to a template for pressure printing. i hate being put on the spot to create! i had a glass of wine after work, so wine was on the brain and i created wine glasses. when creating monochromatic pressure prints, layers help create different tones, as the top most layer is closest to the paper. (jenn, if you’re reading this, and can further expound on the details of this type of printing in the comments area, please do so… we didn’t get a good explanation of how it all works - we just jumped in!) in addition to the wine glass, i added another layer to represent a half-full glass of wine, and a third layer as a highlight. the image above is the cover coming out of the press. more after the jump…

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i went to the mcba book arts festival today. i saw some familiar faces, and wonderful letterpress and book arts. a new addition this year was aesthetic apparatus, and i was really tempted to buy a poster they created for an october spoon show, but i wasn’t sure where i’d put it. i feel terrible when i don’t buy things at fairs/festivals, but i still love going and seeing what other artists are doing.

on friday, mcba released their spring workshop schedule. wow! really cool classes. typically the line-up has been very traditional: leather working, coptic stitching with wood covers, beginner book arts. the schedule rarely changed (with the exception of visiting artist workshops), and i haven’t taken a class there in over a year as nothing was exciting. but there have been changes at mcba!

today i was talking to a friend that works there as a class instructor and i mentioned that the spring schedule really looked fun. she then introduced me to their new workshop coordinator/manager. we chatted a bit, and it’s obvious that she’s bringing a breath of fresh air to mcba. the courses are filling up right away, and the response from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. i’m really excited about some of the new spring classes: polaroid transfers, extreme boxmaking, assemblage, and more… check out mcba’s complete schedule for more offerings.

ps: i also learned that a december workshop i signed up for only has one registered participant: me. it’s called printed journal and the workshop offers a taste of letterpress printing and book binding in a lined, hardbound journal project. it’s a beginner-type course, but i want to try letterpress in a beginner setting. and i really like the instructor, so it’ll be a fun class. but only if more people sign up!

my current food obsession is japanese noodles. veggie tempura udon from tanpopo noodle shop in lower town st. paul is the ultimate comfort food - it reminds me of chicken noodle soup stuffed with saltines (which isn’t haute cuisine, but it does remind me of winter days as a kid).

anyway, the last time we were there, shane noticed the table card had details about their sushi workshop. they offer small, intimate classes on sunday afternoons in their kitchen. i’ve made sushi with my sis a few times, but to make it with a sushi chef would be an amazing experience. the cost is high ($80) but you are learning from an expert and making lots of sushi. it’s on my list of things to do soon…