Category: Art Posts

More Book Covers

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Yesterday I completed three more book covers. For each cover, I used a different technique. For each cover, I used a slightly different technique. For my copy of Animals as Teachers and Healers by Susan Chernak McElroy, I decided to try to create the cover on top of the existing soft cover. Visually, the book turned out well, but the binding is very stiff. For the other two projects, I fully removed the covers. I used paper with ribbon trim for the finish material as opposed to using just fabric as with my first project. For the third book; The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, I covered the spine in a grey/silver velvet and the rest in paper. Finally, I have an old copy of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Howard Pyle. This is the very first ‘novel’ that I ever read and I have held onto it ever since. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to this book and the cover was ripped and falling off. I chose to cover the book in a plain deep purple velvet. This binding technique varies from my first in a few minor ways. First, the text block is held to the cover by paper, not cloth, and second, the first and last pages are not sacrificed by gluing them to the leaves connected to the cover.

Animals as Teachers and Healers: True Stories and Reflections by Susan Chernak McElroy
The Crystal Bible: A Definitive Guide to Crystals by Judy Hall
King Arthur and the knights of the round table: Om Illustrated Classics by Howard Pyle
All four books completed books.

Creating Hardcovers For My Books

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A few months ago I donated most of my books in an effort to live minimally. Those books that I did keep are the ones which I reread or that I have a special attachment to. Even though some of these books are old or falling apart after years of reading, I still want to hold on to them. I have made a notebook from scratch before and when I was ten, created a hardcover for my copy of Eragon with some success. I have decided to relearn that skill, improve upon it and to make new hardcovers for all of my books which are not already beautiful. This is an art project perfect for minimalism as you do not end up with more things than you started out with, only more beautiful ones. For my first attempt, I decided to start simple and create a cover for my copy of The Fifth Sacred Thing in black cloth with a patterned paper for the lining. I mostly followed this instructables tutorial though I did make a few changes most notably the addition of faux headbands created by folding two pieces of cloth in half (see image 2 below). I find their addition to greatly add to the complete look of the book. The entire process of creating a hardcover is easier than one might think, though it is important to pay attention to every minor detail especially early on. One thing which I have yet to do is mark the title and author on the outside of the book. I am currently looking for a set of alphabet stamps that will allow every book to have a uniform feel when viewed together. I plan on creating more covers and on trying new techniques. Hopefully, my library will only expand in quality, not quantity.

Arsenal Cosplay. Belated Halloween Post.

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Me as New 52 Roy Harper aka Arsenal.

Over the past year I have been working on an Arsenal cosplay costume. Arsenal is Green Arrow’s ex-sidekick Roy Harper in the DC Comics Universe. Currently, he appears in the Red Hood and the Outlaws ongoing monthly series. There are very few cosplays of the character online.

I have been a Green Arrow fan for a very long time, and Roy Harper has always been an interesting character. I remember as a kid creating arrows which would ignite on contact in the garage. For lack of a bow to fire them, probably a very good thing, I would throw them into the air and then run away before they struck the pavement of the road. Street hockey would no doubt  have been a safer pastime.
Comic Panel from Red Hood and the Outlaws.

As it turns out, going as an obscure comic book character only really works at comic conventions. For Halloween in Vancouver, I was only recognized when I entered the comic book store to purchase a copy of Red Hood to carry with me. “I’m this guy.” worked a lot better than trying to describe the character did.

Creating the costume was very difficult. I had to tech myself how to sew and made a lot of mistakes doing it. Things like the hat and mask were fairly easy to make, paint and a bit of foam were all i required. The vest, belt, and quiver were another matter entirely. I documented those with videos on my YouTube channel which I will post below. Making a costume as simple as this one really gave me a better appreciation for the work which goes into cosplay. This costume took me hours of labour and I gave up on the project several times. Luckily, I kept returning and the final piece was able to be worn. I don’t know when the next opportunity to where the entire costume will arise, but when it does, I’ll be sure to share it in more detail.
https://www.youtube.com/v/kepXcYkwqew?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata