final design for rear cover transferred by hand to back plate as a mirror image — took a lot longer than one might expect; it‘s very dizzying looking at these sorts of close wavy lines for extended periods

pro-bookbinding tip: following the careful application of beeswax it is vital to keep any newly waxed thread both near at hand and tangle-free

rocks, contours, oysters? who can say; a couple of test cuts/prints for a new cover design; the close lines in each pattern create a motion illusion if viewed at the right distance

these pictures are much clearer than those I took; glad it arrived okay

book-making interlude: the guardian of curious things

several steps later: the finished books; half-bound in black cloth

test printing on very thick (320 gram) cotton rag paper; the texture is too deep to get full coverage in a print, but the building up of ink layers creates a good effect by the end

some relief cuts (book title and name-beetle) with test inkings…

the glued and trimmed book blocks have their spines rounded

trimming the book blocks leaves all these tops & tails…

Some of the early stages in handbinding copies of Pupa, recently.