A Outrance by Philip Pullman, the finished book.

Gold and mark making.

Once the gold leaf had been burnished I attacked the doublers with wire wool and fine finishing paper. I wanted the underlying colour to come through, but I got more than I bargained for.



Detail of the front doubler. The colour came through but with a little more work the original texture began to come through as well.


Where the gold leaf had over-lapped a pattern formed, the texture , I feel lends a scratched and worn feel ( perhaps by being held in the paws and claws of a bear )



The back end paper and doubler. The relationship between the colour, visual character and manipulation of the gold heightens the connection between the end papers and doublers. I love the fact that the image on the end papers is partially reflected and distorted.

The Doublers for A Outrance.

The doublers have been covered in the same hand coloured tissue, pressed allowed to dry and sanded sort of smooth. I like the way that the hidden colours appear as one surface is removed.



Detail of the sanded doubler.



The next step is to cover the whole lot in gold leaf. This will be burnished and then gently attacked with a fine wire wool to reveal some of the hidden texture and colour.

More layers, more sanding. The colour is created from hand coloured archival tissue paper, scrunched up and applied with PVA. Simple but who says all decorative techniques have to be complicated?
I am wanting to keep on the lines of a worn feel, once grand - now old.



Detail of the back board.



Detail of the front board.



Detail of the tail of the spine. Now I hope it all begins to make a complete picture. Next is the doublers and the edges of the boards. I feel that gold leaf is the order of the day.... oh yes and more sanding.

Board decoration.

With up to 7 different layers of various papers and much sanding the main decoration of the boards is nearly complete. Now all I have to do is control the warping in the boards by countering with pulling papers to the inside of the board. The spine has also been sanded to complete the faded or worn elegance look that I am after.



Detail of the spine are. The leather was a deep red before I dyed it black, when sanded the original colour comes through, just as I had hoped for. When working in a free hand sort of way sometimes the unexpected happens and happens well. I may sand some areas of the spine a little more to emphasise the contours in the leather.



Detail of the various colours coming through from the sanding..... which has taken more time than I expected.

The spine takes shape.

The binding for A OUTRANCE is a disappearing spine, Bradel binding.



Detail of the ruched leather to the spine. The leather was pared down to 0.4 mm and some 8 - 10 cm longer than the spine height and was squeezed and pushed to form the contures.

End papers on.

The end papers have been made, hook guarded and sewn with the text block. My preferred sewing technique is an unsupported link stitch. The white sheet to the left is a waste sheet and will be removed prior to the leather joint being put in place.



The gold leaf has been worked with wire wool to lend an air of decay, I am rather happy with the result.



The text block is rounded and backed with an initial spine lining of Fray Not with secondary sewing to the first 2 and last 2 sections. The head was sanded but left in an unfinished state before edge colouring. Again this look is in keeping with my general design .

End papers for A OUTRANCE.

Once the ink has dried an adhesive ink is applied to the claws of the bear.



While the coloured ink is still wet I layed on gold leaf. The bears have their claws gilded in gold leaf, this is removed before the fight. The gold leaf that has not stuck down is brushed off, the remaining is then burnished. I do not want the gilding to be perfect, more of a jaded, a worn look of faded elegance. To achieve this I will be rubbing the gold leaf with a very fine wire wool.

Next is to make up the end papers and start sewing..........

A Outrance by Philip Pullman

The new book on the bench is A OUTRANCE by Philip Pullman. The text has been taken from Pullman's novel NORTHERN LIGHTS. Printed by the Oak Tree Fine Press with handsome original woodcuts by Chris Daunt, and others and is a limited edition of 15. The book has been printed to raise money for children made vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.




As always I begin with the end papers. The image is derived from one in text block, they have been printed using the soft plate off set process... gold may be added at a later date.