... homemade journal ...

[TMLee]

Did a sketch a long time ago ....

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15494&view=findpost&p=1637019

 

The Olympus OM-4Ti

 

a camera i still love very much.

I think its just a superb SLR on so many counts.

Maitani did a really good job.

Remarkable Auto Exposure up to 240secs - Yes 4 mins !!!

Spot metering is available up to eight spot readings.

And its small.

And so handsome.

 

well ...

I have been meaning to use that sketch on my white series of journals ...

 

I drew the rear of the camera recently ...

photocopied onto the tested EFALIN paper which is commonly used to cover the hardboards of desktop flip calendars.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/872c4361.jpg

 

Wrapped the covers in them ...

Looks promising ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/dcd38208.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/c5ee82c8.jpg

 

I decided to let loose a bit on the flyleaves ...

copying a flyer highlighting its features ..

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/861bfaf2.jpg

 

On the rear pocket flyleaves,

I found this contact print as I rummaged thru my cold-storage of Olympus literature ...

I decided to use it for the rear flyleaves and pockets ..

Here you see the anti drop-out flap in position

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/7834b289.jpg

 

another view...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/20f80fb1.jpg

 

The anti drop-out flap removed ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/0fff8520.jpg

 

This is the anti drop-out flap ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/9000071d.jpg

 

It is meant to fit the other half which was laid onto the front flyleaf like this ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/e552ac28.jpg

 

I am imagining a lot more variants of this journal.

More sketches , when I can find the time ...

then those sketches can decorate the flyleaves etc , even the signatures inside. ...

 

Hands up all you who love this camera ... !!!

 

 

Journal #158 "OM-4Ti" completed ...

 

Front

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/001.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/002.jpg

 

 

rear

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/005.jpg

 

Band deployed

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/010.jpg

 

The sketches are done life sized...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/006.jpg

 

Yes , the camera fits into A6 size

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/008.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/007.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/009.jpg

 

In keeping with my white series of journals I used white stitches ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/022.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/023.jpg

 

 

Full spread

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/011.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/012.jpg

 

Front flyleaf

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/014.jpg

 

rear flyleaf

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/015.jpg

 

the anti drop-out flap removed

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/016.jpg

 

A photocopy of a sheet of contact prints i found stored away ..

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/017.jpg

 

 

The anti drop-out flap is meant to complete the picture on the front flyleaf

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/018.jpg

 

 

The inktestpage done with a STIPULA Etruria Alter Ego <0.9> Stub

filled with Pelikan Brilliant Brown.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/019.jpg

 

The Colophon page

written with a Faber Castell E-Motion <F> Stubbed DIY

dipped in Diamine Monaco Red.

LAMY safari <F> Stubbed DIY filled in Noodler's Black.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/021.jpg

 

Writing paper is

NATURALIS Recycled, 120gsm,white thinner than usual. some shadow but due to whiteness of paper.

7 Signatures, 4 Folios each. 112 writing pages.

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/004.jpg

Edited August 5, 2012 by TMLee

[TMLee]

Gee whiz ...

If you are viewing this on an iPad, triple-click the home button and the entire screen becomes black and white like film negative.

And Looking at the OM-4Ti journal above, the sketch becomes rendered as white sketches on black paper.

I find that very nice.

How can I convert a sketch into white on black? I only have a home copier, printer.

Edited August 6, 2012 by TMLee

[Gcouch]

And now I try to build my own… thanks for the pics!

[Earthdawn]

WOW !!!

 

That is stunning!

 

You just keep getting better and better and more creative

 

Hmmmm... would you be able to do that with a fountain pen theme ???

Edited August 6, 2012 by Earthdawn

[TMLee]

Thanks 'Gcouch"

 

Thanks 'Earthdawn'

Good to hear from you.

I hope your journal is serving you well.

A fountain pen theme ... :hmm1:

Perhaps .. all I need is the inspiration...

And which FP gets sketched will become a difficult decision.

I did some doodles on a FP theme many years ago.

This one above is slightly different - the sketch. A different kind.

Its a beautiful camera.

Still in great working condition.

I still remember - buying it with my first paycheck ...

 

Eeek .. I just realized the sketch is of an OM-4T Black and not the OM-4Ti !!!!!

[rodrigaj]

I hope that I do not offend anyone.....especially TMLee...but...sometimes minimalism is the preferred expressive art form.

 

In journals the pages contain the expressive emotional content. Anything that clashes with that will interfere with and subtract from that content.

 

I would hate to think that TMLee's efforts will be diverted into splashy book covers with pens, sneakers, cameras, etc...

 

TMLee... My wife uses her (basic black) journal every day. It sits beautifully on her cherry wood table. It's simplicity is elegant in such an understated way, that it is hard to express.

[TMLee]

I hope that I do not offend anyone.....especially TMLee...but...sometimes minimalism is the preferred expressive art form.

 

In journals the pages contain the expressive emotional content. Anything that clashes with that will interfere with and subtract from that content.

 

I would hate to think that TMLee's efforts will be diverted into splashy book covers with pens, sneakers, cameras, etc...

 

TMLee... My wife uses her (basic black) journal every day. It sits beautifully on her cherry wood table. It's simplicity is elegant in such an understated way, that it is hard to express.

 

 

Aah ... yes .. yes ...

No offence taken

 

Then again , there are many kinds of journals for different kinds of uses ..

Different strokes for different folks I guess...

 

The plain bookcloth ones are always elegant. They never go out of style.

The stitches just add that little bit of accent.

I am delighted to hear that one is used everyday.

Made my day

[USMCMom]

I have heard, as I grew up, that "One man's meat is another man's potatoes". I've also heard, "One man's meat is another man's poison". Which ever ... thing is ... different journals appeal to different people. Some like plain black covers, others like red or another solid color. Others yet, like prints and themes and this is why there are so many different books made. I have a person who wanted a motorcycle theme, another who wanted a military theme. We're all different and that's a good thing. What I prefer someone else won't, but that doesn't mean that my choice or their choice is "right". It's just right for them. I hope those of us who make journals, pen boxes, wraps or any other pen related item, keep making them in many different styles and with many different themes, so that we all have choices.

[rodrigaj]

I understand all about choices.

 

But consider this: TMLee is not moleskin, or clairefontaine or any number of other companies that can churn out journal themes at the drop of a dime.

 

He is one person, meticulously making handcrafted journals. There are opportunity cost involved. There are artistic choices. There is form and function. There is sense and sensibility.

 

Artisans deal with these issues by accepting commissions, by sniffing out the "market" and pandering to trends, by saying "to hell with the world, I'm doing my thing", and a million combinations of these.

[TMLee]

The sketch of the rear looked like it needed some work , so I decided to improve it a bit...

 

As I shaded in the shadows, I decided to draw in a film carton in the film carrier ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/0012.jpg

 

I am just imagining the next journal variant to have only this film carrier part coloured ...

here testing it out...

wonder how to put colour on the cover material, colour photocopy isn't nice. There's that usual colour calibration problem.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/0022.jpg

 

I chose KODAKchrome 64 - one of the icons in its heyday.

Remarkable slide film.

Edited August 10, 2012 by TMLee

[mattyts]

That looks really lovely i dont see what there is to improve,i may attempt to do something like this in the future,thanks for the inspiration

[dcpritch]

That looks great TM! What a great idea - I can't wait to see it finished.

 

Here's a little Paul Simon to remind you of days gone by.

[TMLee]

That looks really lovely i dont see what there is to improve,i may attempt to do something like this in the future,thanks for the inspiration

 

Thanks mattyts, good luck

[TMLee]

That looks great TM! What a great idea - I can't wait to see it finished.

 

Here's a little Paul Simon to remind you of days gone by.

 

 

Chorus :....

 

Kodachrome

You give us those nice bright colors

You give us the greens of summers

Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah!

......

.....

 

Thanks dcpritch ....

how true when Paul Simon put that into words ...

 

You guys who still have your precious slides,

the next time you have a gathering or party,

just screen your slides and reminisce ....

 

sweet memories indeed ...

 

those days, just getting a perfect shot , required much effort, know-how, equipment etc .. Today in this digital age , its really , really a breeze !!!

[LioTheGr8]

I would love to see how to actually sew a book together! Could you please post some step by steps pictures/descriptions or maybe post a link or two. I agree, doing something all by yourself always feels rawesome!

[Angry__Panda]

I would love to see how to actually sew a book together! Could you please post some step by steps pictures/descriptions or maybe post a link or two. I agree, doing something all by yourself always feels rawesome!

 

If you search YouTube for "Coptic stitch" there are quite a few videos of how to sew the stitching. I also recommend going through this thread page by page, lots of great information (sometimes kind of hidden within the 21 pages heh). That's what I did and I am about to make my second notebook probably next week.

[Ted A]

I would love to see how to actually sew a book together! Could you please post some step by steps pictures/descriptions or maybe post a link or two. I agree, doing something all by yourself always feels rawesome!

 

Definitely review this thread from the beginning. It documents the first book (I think) done five years ago and the improvements and the changes that TMLee has made in those five years. There are also references to and links to books that can be helpful, discussion of materials.

 

this thread is a whold bookbinding course and is lots of fun.

[TMLee]

I would love to see how to actually sew a book together! Could you please post some step by steps pictures/descriptions or maybe post a link or two. I agree, doing something all by yourself always feels rawesome!

 

Hi,

I think I'm gonna have to disappoint you ...

Its hard to document it down.

And even harder to describe.

you can learn from books describing it as I have mentioned somewhere in this super long thread.

And yes, there's lots of valuable tips within here, you just have to be patient to glean it out from here.

I have described a lot of things from a firsthand experience - what works and what doesn't. These are not easily found in books.

Anyway, a very warm welcome to FPN .

[TMLee]

This is Journal #157A "Blue Waves" A6 size

 

This is the red variant of an earlier yellow version.

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/002.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/005.jpg

 

I kept the colours to a minimum becos the blue fabric print was already very attractive ..

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/014.jpg

 

The stitches were a blood red ...

with a matching ribbon pagemarker ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/006.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/008.jpg

 

The stitches sit within a notch in the covers , created for that purpose.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/010.jpg

 

 

These days I make sure the stitches in the covers don't crisscross each other.

It looks neater ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/004.jpg

 

 

Full spread

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/013.jpg

 

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/011.jpg

 

 

The blood red flyleaves that match the stitches ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/016.jpg

 

 

The ink test page written with a

STIPULA Etruria Alter Ego <0.9> stub

filled with Pelikan Brilliant Brown.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/017.jpg

 

 

The Colophon page

written with a :

FABER CASTELL E-motion <F> Stubbed DIY

dipped into DIAMINE Monaco Red

and

LAMY safari <F> Stubbed DIY filled with

NOODLERS Black.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20157%20Blue%20Waves/Journal%20157A%20Blue%20Waves/018.jpg

 

 

7 signatures, 4 folios each, 112 writing pages total.

Writing paper is :

NATURALIS Brilliant White , 135gsm, Matte

Unlined.

Edited August 11, 2012 by TMLee

[TMLee]

I did it ...

managed to paint the film carton tab onto the rear elevation ...

I used Pelikan acrylic kids colours ...

I was very happy that the paint pats had the particular shade of KODAK yellow...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/001.jpg

 

I improved upon the first sketch. This one has shadow etc to kinda like balance the front elevation ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/007.jpg

 

The colours were painted in using a very fine brush.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/004.jpg

 

Whilst at it, I decided to add a tinge of red on the self-timer button and the LED indicator at the top of the camera.

After painting, I sprayed a layer of matte clear lacquer to lay a protective film over the paints and the photocopied image ..

It will eventually come off after wear and tear , but thats to be expected of all kinds of journals anyway - that worn look ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/006.jpg

 

As expected, in my excitement to see the possible results of my efforts, I quickly wrapped the covers ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/011.jpg

 

Rear cover ...

This is after spraying a coat of that artwork protective lacquer.

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/014.jpg

 

I know, the red isnt as chilli-red as I wanted , ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/016.jpg

 

 

The journal will contain other thumbnail sketches like so ...

I shall add this to one of the flyleaves ...

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u236/TMLee/2011/2012/2012%20Journals/Journal%20158%20OM-4Ti/Journal%20158A%20OM-4Ti/009.jpg

 

I think this journal will be a nice one ...

Edited August 12, 2012 by TMLee