Materials...

Decided that today I need to really get my hands on my materials so spend most of the day rushing over London for inks and papers. Decided on Paintworks near Old Street for paper...(330gsm pastel paper, 100% rag - good for taking impressions) but on the ink front have been to Falkiners (Holborn), the London Graphic Center (Covent Garden), Intaglio (London Bridge) and looked in Paintworks (Hoxton) but no Letterpress ink. Will have to email the 'Letpress' emailing list for ideas. Did manage to obtain some great turquoise/blue leather for the book cover though in Highbury (T J Bachelors) which is the library's representative colour. Just hope it's the right kind for bookbinding. Must have travelled miles today!



In the evening went to a lecture at St Bride's, '6,000,000 Impressions' about the Tara Publishing company - who specialise in contemporary handmade books. There were really beautiful things to see, alot of them screen printed in striking colours. The designer, Rathna Ramanathan, was particularly interesting to me since her path into book design was quite unplanned, something she just fell into. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do after my degree other than print of some kind but it's reassuring to think that I needn't worry too much and just go with the flow and grab opportunities as they arise. Sometimes I find myself worrying too much about achieving enough and having a 'grand plan' about my future.

The books on display though provided the inspiration to create a book that is just as interesting and tactile for this project.