Variations on a Theme

My recent post The Road to Spring was pretty popular and I have been working on some variations on this book and structure ever since. The newest one is a story about my dad and his love of the night sky. I have also played with the bottom of the structure adding a sink fold so that the book can stand upright. Other variations include making smaller books and making it with 4 or 6 pages. I hope you like the pictures below and enjoy Companion Star. The first line of the story is: "Dad, like Plato, thought that every soul had a companion star to which it returned after death..."

I hope you enjoy these variations on a theme and create your own version as well.

-Gina

Companion Star , by Gina Pisello.

Companion Star has 4 pages instead of the 5 in The Road to Spring.

Bottom of the book.

Companion Star with the star pages removed to reveal the story.

Closeup of the text pages.

Top of 4 page variation.

Side view of 4 page variation showing flat base.

Bottom of 4 page variation showing sink folds. The inner blue pages have corresponding sink folds too.

New Accordion Book

I was playing around with a straw paper one day while waiting for my burger to arrive and I folded this structure. When I got home I cut some paper (2.25 x 23 inches) and recreated the same pattern with a couple of twists. It made the 2 page square "book" you see in the pictures below. There was a nice interaction between the front and back side of the paper so I colored or decorated each differently to accentuate the contrast. In the first example, I wrote two versions of a Haiku one on each page and then wrote the story of the origin of the poems in white pen around the folded structure as shown. When the book is folded up into the 2 page version there is a nice interplay between the black poem text and the white story text. When the book is unfolded parts of each side appear and the text is randomized.

The second example was made using a stencil and stamps from Seth Apter's new line. I used the stamps in red on one side and the stencil in blue on the other to give contrast when it is folded. I like the randomness of where the graphic elements appear in the folded version. You could plan out placement, but I like the surprises that arise this way.

If you can think of a name for this structure please tell me in the comments section. I am stumped.

Enjoy,

Gina

Finished book folded to show two pages and Haiku.

Back of folded book.

Book unfolded showing triangle accordion folds.

How the book wasvfolded when I wrote white text (front and back).

Second example showing book closed.

Book open, but folded.

Front and back of unfolded book.

University of South Dakota Altered Book Show: Bound & Unbound III

Today's post is all about altered books. I love making and seeing altered books. It's a way to recycle old books that no one reads anymore and it is amazing to see how many ways people can alter a book. I hope you check out the Bound & Unbound digital exhibit. Be prepared to be inspired.

Here are my two entries in the show.

-Gina

Alternative : Topographic carving in an old German book. The beach rock matches the marbled endpapers perfectly and adds some weight to the piece.

Stone Mountain, GA : Topographic carving of Stone Mountain, GA showing both positive and negative elevations. The sedimentary rock happened to be almost the same shape as the base of the mountian.

The Road to Spring Crease Patterns

I realized after my last post that some of you might want to make the book structure I invented for The Road to Spring. Here are the crease patterns for the modified Turkish Map Fold as well as Kathy's invented insert. Enjoy.

-Gina

Crease pattern for Turkish Map Fold with modification.

Crease pattern for text inserts. (aka Hungarian Map Fold)

The Road to Spring

I made a new book this week using techniques learned in Jill Berry's class (Intimate Atlas) and from fellow origami enthusiast Kathy Linsley's variations on the Turkish Map Fold. I call it The Road to Spring. It is a story about my childhood family's trip every spring from New York to Birmingham, AL where we visited our maternal grandparents. We often drove from lingering winter into spring weather and I was always fascinated to watch the snow melt away and the flowers appear on the two day drive. I hope you like the structure I created and the pictures of my process.

-Gina

List of supplies:
Higgins Indigo ink- watered down
Tim Holtz Ranger dye inks: mown lawn, peacock feathers, broken glass, brushed corduroy, antique linen, and mustard seed
Tim Holtz Distress Markers in the same colors as above
Arches Text Wove paper- 5 x 25 1/4 inches

The Road to Spring by Gina Pisello

Dripping ink to make a quick road map.

Coloring the background with Distress Inks.

Cutting and folding the paper into 5 pages.

The next step in the Turkish Map Fold (the water bomb base).

Finally all 5 pages are folded into the standard Turkish Map Fold.

These 5 pages, also 5 x 5 inches, contain our route south as well as the story of our trip.

I folded these pages into a complimentary form that Kathy Linsley invented so that they nest inside of the Turkish Map fold. She modified the Turkish fold as well with an extra fold on the center seam.

The finished book from the top. It made this nice circular form when it was done.

Teaching the Pocket Book Structure

I recently taught my version of Hedi Kyle's Pocket Book structure to members of Puget Sound Book Arts and San Diego Book Arts. I designed this method of folding a pocket book after seeing a picture of Hedi Kyle's structure on Pinterest. Participants learned how to fold the structure from a long sheet of paper and then create a cover using cardstock weight paper. We had a great time in each class and I really enjoyed teaching this versatile book form.

Here are some pictures from the classes and a link here for my blog post showing step by step photographs of how to fold this structure so you can try it too. Enjoy!
-Gina

Pocket Book Sample

Students in my Puget Sound Book Arts class in April

Finished pocket book.

Pocket Book class with San Diego Book Arts students.

Tiny Book Necklaces

Tiny origami crane book measuring 1 x 3/4 inches. Folded from tracing paper colored with alcohol inks.

I started making book necklaces back in 2004 when I was working at a craft fair and wanted something to do during down time. I made hardcover, maze fold books like the one below and sold them at the fair. Later I made coordinating books and boxes to sell as well. 

I decided to make some new mini book necklaces to wear each day of FOBA.  I got to work last month and made the books shown below. They are each approximately 1 inch tall and 3/4 inch wide. The crane book at the top of this post is my favorite and the hardest one to make.  I got lots of positive comments on the necklaces at Focus on Book Arts and I hope you like them too.

Envelope fold pocket book with glassine covers.

Inside of this book showing pockets with handmade marble paper inside.

Hedi Kyle Blizzard fold book made from vintage map.

Map book open.