Friday, February 17, 2006

Notes Fom A Warmer Room and Cuttering

I'm making a later start this morning after yesterday's exertions. I finished insulating, boarding and painting the end wall of the studio and one can feel the effects upon ntering this morning. Until yesterday, I only had half an inch of plasterboard to keep out the winter's cold. Now I have several inches of insulation packed between two boards. I still have one more wall to do but, for now, my fingers are warmer.

This morning I am making drawings for forthcoming bookplates. I am still catching up with older projects and looking ahead to new. My order books are closed until July and then I need to ration these projects to one a month so that I can work on other things. I do love the design problems involved in capturing something of the essence of a person in a 2" x 3" space. This morning, I hope to finish four preparatory drawings for a client. These will be scanned and emailed. If one takes his fancy then I will work on that and make a good ink drawing for further comments. Finally, I will arrive at an agreed design with appropriate lettering and then it will take its place in the queue for engraving. I have made one recent change of policy - all bookplates will now be engraved on boxwood. I have had too many problems engraving fine lettering onto lemonwood in the past. The extra expense will be worthwhile if it makes the cutting easier.

I am also sotrting through the founts of type that I have been collecting over the years. I have printed specimens of the larger display type and am moving onto the medium sized ones. J and I are planning a series of small publications. More of that another time.

Still no news of repairs to the Arab treadle press. I don't like to nag my blacksmith - he is always busy with agricultural jobs - but I have waited months. I am keeping my eyes open for other presses; I have set my heart on a larger Albion to print the larger blocks.

There is no shortage of smaller presses. Yesterday, I spent a moment lookinhg over the small Vandercook that awaits restoration. This will be a great size for taking to demonstrations as I can lift it fairly confortably. I am going to bring the Adana 8 x 5 tabletop press back into commission to print labels and, perhaps, pages of miniature books. In a flurry of eBaying, I have just bought another Adana for spares and two tiny Adanas - a job lot. More restoration work to be done, but can one ever have too many presses? What is thge opposite of decluttering? Cluttering, I suppose. Well, I clutter - always have and always will!

1 comment:

Nels said...

Clutter on Andy, clutter on! I really like how you appreciate these items that once were so important to people and their daily lives, but have now been replaced by newer technologies and are cast to the side.