Week 9 Going Away For Two Weeks!!!

Well, I am going to be away for two week because my Uncle has had his leg amputated and I am needed in Newcastle in order to help out with some private family business. I will however be taking the work with me so that I can keep up to date. Will not be surprised if I fall behind though because I am going to be flat out, so I have tried to do a lot this week to make up for it. I have had a look at Topic 6 Artists’ books in depth however I find myself being quite a bit distracted at the moment because of how much stuff is going on at the moment. I had a look at the first few study activities and answered all of the questions. I looked in depth at the difference between livres d’artiste, fine printing and independent publishing. But first I want to talk about the artists’ book.
What is considered an artist’s book? I had a look at several of the definitions on the Art and Books website and I came to the conclusion that an artist’s book, in it’s most basic definition is a book that has been illustrated in some way by an artist to convey a certain aspect, idea, mood or concept. An artist’s book can be, but most often is not mass produced.
Traditionally, illustrators working for the printing trade developed black and white illustrations on paper and the design was translated by a master craftsman into a wood or metal engraving for reproduction. In contrast the illustrations on livres d’artiste are produced using original graphic processes, such as lithography, woodcut, linocut or etching, with the artist either working directly on the printing matrix or working in close collaboration with a master printer. The end result being a limited edition book that contained original illustrations and was intended for sale as a collectable object on the art market. \
I wanted to include these in my learning journal because I feel that I got a lot more of an understanding about what an Artists’ Book was through look at different ideas of what an Artists’ Book could and could not be.

An exhibit in an exhibition comprising a book that is bound up so it can not be opened?
I believe that this example can be considered to be an artist’s book because it represents all of the aspects of an artist’s book. It convey a certain concept, and fundamentally it is a book, and has book-like qualities. I’ll take this opportunity to refer back to topic 1 when we discussed what a book actually was and the idea of bookness was brought up. The exhibit represents the form of a book, and the function fundamentally however it just can not be opened.

Australian artist Imants Tillers creates composite works made up of individual panels. Many of these works contain images and text. When not exhibited on the wall these works are stacked on top of one another in sequential order.
I think that even though it is a sequential artwork, it is not to be classified as an artist’s book. One the panels are completely individual and two, just because the works, when not being exhibited, are stacked in sequential order does not mean that they can be considered a book. A stack of pages is not considered a book until it is bound. Again the form and function of a book need to be considered here. It does have the function of a book, with it’s imagery and text, however it does not employ the form of a book, with binding.

A portfolio of prints on the same topic presented in a box.
It could be argued that this can be an artist’s book because it has both the function and the form of a book. It has pages, which house the prints for a portfolio. Also it is represented in a box which can be considered a form of binding.

Well I better finish off for now. Need to start packing and get out of Wagga Wagga on the next train. Should be a wonderful train ride. I am enjoying this topic so far. It is something I have never really looked into before so I am getting quite a bit out of it. I was having a little trouble grasping what an Artists’ book was so I think that I am going to have more of a look into Artists’ Books before I post next.

Week 8 Key Examples

I had a look at the key examples for the Comics and Graphic Novels topic this week. The key examples for this topic were Art Speigelman’s Maus and Winsor mcCays ‘Little Nemo in Slumberland’ strips. Looking at these two very different but very similar comic styles many things were drawn to my attention that I really didn’t consider until now. One of the things we were asked to consider was that both of these examples were drawing by a single person. What sort of impact does this have on the finished form?

I believe that the fact that only a single person worked on both of the key examples means that there would have been a hint of personal emotions and ideals written into both the strip and the novel. Although this statement is quite apparent in Art speigelman’s Maus due to the fact that it is a biography about his father, there has to be some personal attachment in order to convey the right message across to the audience.

I didn’t enjoy this topic as much as I thought I would because I have done similar topics before in other classes and covered quite a lot of this stuff before. However I have to admit that Maus was definitely my favorite part of this topic. I feel like I have grasped on some new aspects of the comic and graphic novels. I would like to learn a little more about Winsor McCay and I would like to read the other two leading graphic novels.

Week 7 The Production of Comic Books

I had a look at the production of comic books during this week as well as had a look at Reading 8 and did a little bit of research on the Graphic Novel.

The method of production and reproduction was my main focus for this week. I had a look at the study activity questions and answered them to the best of my ability. I have a very strong opinion about the comic book and I believe that a more, how should I word this, a more desirable product is produced when there is a team of artists working on it. Although working individually is quite good for smaller comic projects, and more personal projects, the higher end comics need a large group to work fluidly in order to produce the desired product by the deadline. However there are some distinct disadvantages to working in a team environment. More often than not there is a ‘clash of the titans’ of sorts. There will always be a person, or minority of the team that disagrees with the proposal. This doesn’t occur when working individually. However, this can also be considered a disadvantage of working individually. There is nobody else to bounce ideas/concepts off in order to produce the most desirable effect.

I also had a look at a variety of different comics, ranging from personal and low key comics, such as Cyanide and Happiness, to older style comics such as X-Men and Wonder Woman. I also had a look at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics so I could compare and contrast the techniques of production and how these can effect the visual appearance of the comic. Looking at the comic page below from Wonder Woman it is clear that is it a far later comic than that of the X-Men, because of the ‘poor’ quality of the imagery and the lack of clean cut lines. This, I believe, is largely related to printing and drawing styles.

Moving on the Graphic Novel now. A graphic novel is a type of comic book, usually with a lengthy and complex storyline similar to those of novels. The three graphic novel titles that are considered to be important in the development of the graphic novel were Batman- The Dark Knight Returns, written by Frank Miller, Watchmen(1987) by Alan Moore and David Gibbons, and Maus by Art Spiegelman. The most memorable out of these three for me was Maus, which is used as a reference in my essay for this subject. It is a very touching and disturbing tale, the biography of the author’s father.

Although I enjoyed having a look at all of the different comic books and graphic novels I didn’t really feel like I could much out of this study activity. However, I did enjoy studying Maus and I enjoyed the brief study so much that I actually went out and hired the novel out to have a read of it. I was captured by it immediately and couldn’t put it down until I had finished it.

Week 6 Comics and Graphic Novels Topic

This week I started having a look at the optional topic, the Comic Book, which I am thrilled was an option because I adore comic books so I feel like this topic is just going to be an utter enjoyment for me. First of all I need to define what a comic actually is.

By definition, a comic is a sequential novel that employs the use of extravagant imagery and speech bubbles to convey a story. At least, this is what I believed until I had a look at Reading 7 and Sabin’s definition of what a comic was. I realized that I had not put enough thought into my definition of a comic, so I decided to change it a bit and I came up with this instead.
A comic is a sequential novel that tells a story through the use of imagery and, but not in all cases, text. It can be a single image or multiple images. It is a publication in its own book form or it can be displayed in newspapers, magazines, etc.

Which I am happier with by far, after this I had a look at the history of the comic and was quite intrigued by the “Golden Age of Comics”. The Golden Age of Comics refers to a period in comic book history, from the late 1930s until the late 1940s, where the modern comic book was first published. During this time there was a surge of popularity of the comic. Also the archetype of the superhero was created and defined. Many of the most famous super heroes were created during this period, including Superman and Wonder Woman.

I also had a look at the founding father of the comic, Winsor McCay. Winsor McCay’s “Little Nemo” comic strip, with its world of magic, fantasy and dreams, as well as the inventive use of frames and page layout played a major role in the development of the comic.

I think that this is enough for this week. I may have a look at the bookmaking interlude, the Stick and Elastic Band Book later on this week and I will post up some photos of what I come up with, hooray!! Time for coffee and a snooze I think. Not really, I still have far too much work to do. However I have found this topic to be both fun and very informative so far. I am grasping the topic well.

Week 5 Tutorial

I had a little bit to catch up in during this class so I spent my time, while everyone else was playing around with Sewing on tape, looking at the Gutenberg bible and comparing and noting the contrasts between the two separate copies. I noted that in the paper copy it seemed to be targeted more towards a noble and wealthy group of people due to the greater and more colorful use of imagery throughout the book. The velum copy seems to be suited more to public use, or for more dedicated religious followers because of its lack on intricate designs and color.

I also noted that the two books were almost identical, however there were different color ranges and some of the imagery was more elaborate in the paper version. I noted as well that the paper version had much clearer lettering. However this can be attributed to the fact that paper absorbed ink much more efficiently than the velum could.

It was brought to my attention that the use of imagery in relation to the text was in order to help lead the reader’s eye onto another chapter or paragraph. Sometimes the text was set out in a way that the next paragraphed needed to be marked so there was no confusion. I also believe that the images help create the mood for what the manuscript entails.

While in class I had a look at the Kelmscott Chaucer as well and noted some differences in this illuminated manuscript in comparison to those from the illuminated manuscript era. The Kelmscott Chaucer can be considered as William Morris’ tribute to the 15^th century illuminated manuscript. However when compared to the Book of Kells, as seen below, the Kelmscott Chaucer is vastly differently.

For instance, the lack of color is a major difference, as well as how elaborate the designs are in the Kelmscott Chaucer, it almost seems overdone, or overbeautified if you prefer. Also, the imagery itself in the Kelmscott Chaucer is rather extravagant and in great detail, where in the Book of Kells the imagery is far more beast-like and primitive.

I did find it interesting looking at the Kelmscott Press, and the Chaucer. It’s inspiring to know that someone could have such a love for the illuminated manuscript as to want to recreate one of their own.

Week 4 Study Questions

I was not present in the class this week due to illness. Seems like I am always getting ill these days, but that is not relevant. I have been looking over some of the study activities for this week and the thing that looks most interesting to me this week is the bookmaking interlude. Very intrigued by the prospect of the pamphlet stitch. However I think this was looked at in class this week. Damn being sick!!But anyways moving on. I had a look at what a block book is, and the advantages and disadvantages of the block book.

A block book is a book where each double page opening was printed from a single block of wood. The advantages to this process were the fact that it was possible to integrate text in a way that was not available in other forms of printing. Also once a series of blocks were created books could be printed to order until such times as the blocks deteriorated. However there were some disadvantages to Block printing. The process of cutting the blocks was time consuming and therefore expensive, with a separate block being required for every page. It was also difficult to cut even and well aligned text.

I was quite interested by the prospect of the Block Book having some impact on the introduction of the comic book. However when I actually compared the two I came to the conclusion that even though there may be people that think that the Block Book was the precedent for the comic book, only the layout is similar between the two mediums. Maybe the idea of the layout did come from the Block Book, however the idea of the sequential narrative can be related to other artistic objects from later in history.

Skimmed over some of the other study guides as well, and I had a look at Printing with Movable type. Some of the elements that were needed for print technology to be adopted were that there needed to be type, a press and a large assortment of other elements. I found it interesting looking over the steps that are undertaken to create a printed book. I didn’t realize until now how much effort really had to be put into creating a printed book. There was the composition, imposition, and the binding just to name a few. Amazing to think how little effort there is in bookmaking now, save for the artists books and whatnot. Truly interesting.

Week 3 Study Guide Questions

Today I finished up on the rest of the study guide questions. I had a look at the study activity that talked about the Types and Styles of illuminated manuscripts. I discovered that more often that not, the church was responsible for the production of a great deal of manuscripts. In other words, the main production of manuscripts was for Bibles. Many famous manuscripts were made for the use of public church services.

Also I discovered while I was looking at some of the examples on the Art and Books website, that the purpose of the book had a large impact on the production and final form of the manuscript. Books that were intended for public church services were elaborately designed, however the message and images were quite dark. In comparison to a book that was made for decorative purposes only, the pages were far more delicate and the decorative aspects of the book were in more detail. Also there was a lot more elaborate imagery in the decorative books.