Over the years Editions has developed and organized many different book arts programs. Almost every class has been adapted or tailored in some way to meet the needs of the sponsoring organization. To give you some ideas, here is a sampling of programs that have been prepared for a variety of age groups, levels of expertise and for many different kinds of institutions:  

Click on the Workshop Title for a complete description.

An Action Pop-up Book Moving Into a House Book
Challenge Bookmaking Non-Adhesive Binding
Cheap Thrills: Pictures in Motion Our Book: Start to Finish
Coffee Can Papermaking Pop-Up Structures
Creative Printmaking The Power of Pattern: Decorating Paper
Bookmaking in the Classroom Ready, Set, Gocco!
A Counting Box Book Single-Sheet Structures
Exploring Tunnel Books A Super Duper Burger Book
A Family Heritage Tunnel Book Thinking Editions: How to Multiply
Your Art & Ideas
A Folding Puppet Book Toying With Books
Guerrilla Bookmaking The Unfolding Nature of Books
How We Got Our Alphabet Unfolding the Magic of Flexagons
Innovative Book Structures Watch Closely: Pictures That Move!
Journals and Diaries What is a Book?
Let's Make a Book  

 

Workshop Descriptions

AN ACTION POP-UP BOOK Let's create an action story book with pictures that move and pop-up in unexpected ways. We'll start simple and work our way up to more dramatic folds and constructions. It's easy and when you are finished you will have a great book to show your friends. The best part is that you made it and it really works! Don't miss this fun and exciting workshop.

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CHALLENGE BOOKMAKING Enough of the basics, let's challenge ourselves. For students with some experience and a strong interest in making more complicated books, this workshop will provide detailed instruction in making several multi-part books with advanced sewing patterns. It's not for the faint of heart, but the results are well-worth the effort. We'll take the instruction step-by-step and watch in amazement as the beautiful books unfold.

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CHEAP THRILLS: PICTURES IN MOTION Our first project is a magic wheel (Phenakistoscope) from the 1800's that set a figure in action when it is spun. Then we'll design and assemble a flip book (Filoscope) that animates characters as the pages flick past the thumb. Finally, we'll create a device developed in the 1400's to illustrate perspective. They called it a "peep show", but now it is known as a tunnel book. To make it we will construct several scenic flats and then join them to expand into a dramatic three-dimensional scene.

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COFFEE CAN PAPERMAKING We'll start by tearing up waste paper and organic materials (leaves and flowers) into a blender, adding water, and blending to create a paper pulp. We'll pour this mixture through a "deckle" (cookie cutter mold) onto a screen over a coffee can. The water drains into the can and the paper fibers collect on the screen in the shape of the mold (butterfly, star, shell, fish, etc.). We can decorate the pulp with confetti, thread, or more pulp. We'll press as much water out as possible and "couch" the sheet off the screen to dry. Time permitting, each student will make several pages that can be strung on a key chain to make a book.

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CREATIVE PRINTMAKING We will start by folding a long piece of paper into accordion pleats. Then we will look at a variety of textured surfaces and create some of our own. After inking up and printing the first surface, students are on their own to print other surfaces, create new ones, share with their neighbors, try different colors, and finish their folded books. Fifteen minutes before the end of the class, we will clean up and put our materials away. Since the books are pleat-folded, they will stand on edge to dry.

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BOOKMAKING
IN THE CLASSROOM
Books come in many shapes and sizes. They can be made out of one piece of paper or a combined assortment of materials. They can pop-up, unfold, and expand in unexpected ways. They can be simple or complex. Come and learn how to showcase your students' creative talents in a variety of innovative book structures. You will take back to your classroom at least a dozen models and we will discuss how they can be incorporated into every curriculum, including art, English, math, science and social studies.

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A COUNTING BOX BOOK We are going to look at some unusual books and then we're going to make one of our own! Our "box" book has corrugated cardboard covers and pages that swing out to reveal an increasing number of objects inside. It may sound complicated, but it isn't. By drawing some simple shapes we will create a very different book that you will enjoy sharing with your family and friends. Please come and have a good time with us.

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EXPLORING
TUNNEL BOOKS
Tunnel books have cutout panels which expand to create three-dimensional scenes. This stimulating weekend workshop, open to anyone, will explore the book art form and how it can be used to create magical dioramas. Students are encouraged to bring their own decorative papers, pens and markers, family photos, rubber stamps, old magazines and clip art to mine for ideas. All other materials will be provided. Starting simple and working up to advanced projects students will uncover the full creative potential of tunnel books.

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A FAMILY HERITAGE TUNNEL BOOK A tunnel book is a set of panels that is hinged so that it opens to create a three- dimensional scene. You can create a special book that is unique to your family. Bring EXTRA copies of family photos that you can cut apart to make your book. Or, you can bring pictures from old magazines to use. You supply the pictures and we will supply everything else. The results are magical and you will take home a unique book that will become a family treasure.

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A FOLDING
PUPPET BOOK
We will start by making a simple book with pockets for pages. Then we'll make a talking puppet to go in one of the pockets. As time permits, we'll also make a story folder, post card and pop-up to put in the other pockets. You'll be surprised how easy it is to make this unusual book that you can take home and share with your friends and other family members.

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GUERRILLA BOOKMAKING You don't need a printing press or lots of technical training to make books. Text and images can be reproduced and the pages assembled into books with materials close at hand using easily learned skills. Come and explore unconventional printing methods and unusual book structures. This is a great workshop for people with no experience, but LOTS of energy and enthusiasm.

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HOW WE GOT OUR ALPHABET We'll start deep in prehistoric caves and explore how simple pictures and symbols came to represent things--then action, sound and ideas. We will visit ancient Egypt, the Aztec kingdom, the American Indians, the trading Phoenicians, the Greek and Roman empires and even Celtic Ireland to find out how what was written on, and what it was written with, affected our alphabet. We will receive unexpected mail, solve mysteries, work riddles and explore new directions in our quest to discover how we got our alphabet.

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INNOVATIVE BOOK STRUCTURES By using simple folding, cutting and gluing skills, we will create a variety of innovative book structures. Some are made from one piece of paper, others have pages that unfold like petals of a flower, pockets for storing stuff, pop-ups and even interlocking pages. No experience is necessary, we'll learn as we go. Please bring a sharpened pencil, scissors and a solid glue stick to class. We'll provide everything else. This is a great workshop for teachers, parents, artists and anyone with a story to tell.

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JOURNALS AND DIARIES First, we're going to talk about a single sheet of paper and how it can be cut and folded into different book forms. We are going to fold paper and sew it into a cover to create a 24-page booklet. We are going to create an interlocking book with pages that slot together. Finally, we are going to discuss how these books can be used to record daily activities, personal thoughts, creative writing, new word lists, illustrations and poetry.

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LET'S MAKE A BOOK Using simple folding, cutting and sewing skills we will construct an innovative blank book that can be used as a diary, journal, scrapbook or photo album. If we have time we will make two different ones. No previous experience is necessary. Bring a lot of enthusiasm and you'll be surprised at the result.

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MOVING INTO A HOUSE BOOK Let's make an unusual book that's also a house! It may look like a book and open like a book, but it also has doors, windows and a secret room that you can look inside. It's not hard to make and it's lots of fun. Put your thinking cap on and let's figure out how to make your book the most unusual house on the block.

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NON-ADHESIVE BINDING Bring your copy of Keith Smith's "Non-Adhesive Binding" and we'll work through his instructions to assemble a half dozen models. You can use these to create interesting and unusual books. We'll start simple and work our way up to some dramatic structures. If you don't have a copy of the textbook, we can help you get one. Please feel free to bring samples of your work to share with the class. Leave your glue pot at home and bring lots of enthusiasm. Some bookmaking experience is helpful.

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OUR BOOK:
START TO
FINISH
First, we'll pick a topic (any suggestions??) and we'll look at several different book structures to determine which is best for our book. Then we'll divide up the work and everyone will participate in some way in the production process. In the process we'll discover a lot about books, talents we didn't know we had, the value of individual expression and the joy of sharing ideas with others. We'll end up with enough copies of our book for everyone to take one home.

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POP-UP STRUCTURES Come and learn how to create many different pop-up designs and some basic paper mechanics that can be used to create unusual cards, stationary and books. We'll start simple and before you know it we'll be constructing some magical designs. No experience is necessary, we'll learn as we go. Please bring a sharpened pencil, scissors and a solid glue stick to class. We'll provide everything else. This is a great workshop for teachers, parents, artists and anyone with a story to tell.

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THE POWER OF PATTERN: DECORATING PAPER This is an opportunity to explore how repeated patterns printed on paper create exciting designs. We will use printing blocks created in class, folding techniques, stencils, scissors and punches to create a variety of decorative papers that can be used for wrapping paper, greeting cards, stationary, portfolios, end papers, book covers and even lamp shades.

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READY, SET, GOCCO! Let's Gocco. Gocco printing is a modern Japanese system that uses flash bulbs to make stencils. These can be used to print several colors at the same time. It's a perfect process for calligraphers who want to share their art and for book artists who want a jump-start on producing editioned books. We will be printing postcard-sized prints that we will exchange at the end of class. If you already have some experience, bring samples of your work for show-and-tell.

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SINGLE-SHEET STRUCTURES A single sheet of paper can be cut and folded into many different book structures. We'll start with the obvious ones (scrolls and concertinas), then look at folded and origami structures, a few box-books, several flexagons, three tunnel books, and other designs by Paul Johnson, Hedi Kyle, Keith Smith, Scott McCarney and Ed Hutchins. Time will run out before we exhaust all the possibilities of one single sheet of paper.

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A SUPER DUPER BURGER BOOK We'll start by reading "Sam's Sandwich" by David Pelham. Then we'll make our own "sandwich" book with patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, and sliced egg pages with sesame seed bun covers. Mustard and ketchup blobs are optional. Depending on the class, we can add some vocabulary to the project. It's deliciously fun, the instructions are easy to swallow and the results will win rave reviews.

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THINKING EDITIONS: HOW TO MULTIPLY YOUR ART & IDEAS Discover the pleasure of sharing your art work and ideas with others (and still have a copy for yourself). Participants will construct models of several different book structures, experiment with techniques for reproducing text and images, and look at various ways to decorate and embellish the page. Every student will design a simple book and produce enough copies to share with everyone else. Come and learn how to turn a one- of-a-kind book into an edition.

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TOYING WITH BOOKS Come and explore the effects of force and motion on the process of delivering the message in a book form. This is an exercise in developing a mechanical approach to bookmaking. We'll make several models and by the time we are finished you'll learn how to tame those pages and make them behave as you wish.

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THE UNFOLDING NATURE OF BOOKS Learn how interesting and unexpected folds can help you unfold your message in new and powerful ways. We'll investigate the nature of paper, what makes it act and react the way it does, and how it can be manipulated to come alive and deliver a forceful message. Leave your scissors at home, but don't forget your bone folder.

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UNFOLDING THE MAGIC OF FLEXAGONS A flexagon is a folded paper structure that flexes and unfolds to reveal hidden faces. We will investigate how flexagons work and how they can be used as books to present sequential messages. We'll construct several models of four and six-sided flexagons that open to reveal from one to five different hidden pages. This is a fascinating structure that never ceases to amaze. But, be careful! Once you get hooked on flexigation you may never be able to stop manipulating these intriguing books.

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WATCH CLOSELY: PICTURES THAT MOVE! This is a class to explore paper animation. We'll start immediately by making simple pictures (that use our own mouths!). Then we'll create action pictures where heads talk, expressions change, eyes roll, people flip-flop, ghosts appear and things aren't what they first seem. Finally, we'll construct an expanding portfolio to hold all of the class projects.

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WHAT IS A BOOK? We'll discuss what we would tell a space visitor who stopped us coming out of a library and asked us what we had in our hands. We'll talk about what books are, what they are made of, and what they can do. We'll explore what else books are, what else they can be made of, and what else they can do. In the course of our discussion, we'll look at the work of several book artists. Finally, we'll make our own books--one from a single sheet of paper, one using a rubber band, and one with pages that unfold like petals of a flower.

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The instructor's fee is $600 per day plus expenses, payable at the workshop(s). Depending on the program, it is often possible to have multiple classes in one day. In the past we have worked with smaller institutions to find creative solutions to budget constraints.
As a rule, each student needs to have a sharpened pencil, scissors and a solid glue stick. All other materials are provided.
Not every student will hit a home run or choreograph a ballet. But every student has a story to tell and that makes them a potential book maker. Please contact Editions if you would like to receive an information packet, discuss possible dates or to ask any questions.

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