The End...?

What I did:
- Michael's for new frames (30 mins)
- printing posters installation (2 hrs)
- Final fixes: (2.5 hrs)
- Kolossos (3 hrs)

- Drawing and painting cover images (2.5 hrs)

- scanning, editing, formatting, printing cover (2 hrs)

- Binding (5.5 hrs)
- setting up installation (3 hrs)
- documenting (45 mins)
- updating website (1.5 hrs)

What I discovered/encountered/accomplished:
     I went out and got different frames for my exhibition. They aren't the ones with the really thin border because the Michael's I went to had no idea what I was talking about... also I physically couldn't find them. I got the next best thing: They are glass and have a realitilvey small black border.
     I printed the posters to be framed once. This took a while to get all the settings right. I had to adjust the curves a couple times. However, while trimming them, I noticed they were extremely line-y. So I printed them again. But they are framed and hung.
     I made some last minute changes with color as well as physical add-ins and changes. For example, I added signatures on a few casts that I forgot about. I switched Kay's wink in the second to last page to read more as a wink.... etc.
     Kolossos was really understanding with my whole situation. I have been in there a lot over the past week. Test prints. Prints. More prints.... and last minute fixes. I realized at 5:20 on Tuesday that I messed up the formatting on the first and last page (and I sliced through one while trimming). I got there 20 minutes before they closed, huffing and puffing in complete disarray. Luckily the girl I have been working with was there and assured me that they could print a few pages off before close. At 6:01 I walked out with fixed pages. What a relief!
     My cover turned out pretty okay. I wish I had more time to work on it, but it works.

i promise, it looks better in person.

     Binding is such an exhaustive, but worthwhile process. I trimmed, folded, measured, sewed and glued 52 pages. In the end I had two pretty awesome copies of my book.

      When I got to my space in Work gallery,  Mark had already had my table, pillows, and even a rug set up. I guess my bothering him everyday worked out for the best. I painted the wall to cover up scuffs and other gross things. I hung my three frames in a straight line (and equally spaced too!!). I cleaned the rug and table. I also had to put some tape under the rug because it slid a little too well across the floor. I almost broke my neck a couple times. Lastly, I set out some postcards and my completed book. It almost feels silly that I have been stressing so much for the past 7 months and here is this little book on this little table.
     I updated my thesis project website to include picture of my process, and after tonight, I will be adding pictures from the show.

It is so strange that this is the end...

What's Next:

     I have a million things I want to do. Make more fixes. Practice binding more. Spend more time on the cover. Send it to blurb or lulu so my family and friends can have a copy.

So maybe this isn't the end for Kay... I think she still has a few adventures left.

 

Final Stretch

What I Did:
- rescanned some drawings (2 hrs)
- photoshop (8 hrs)
- formatting indesign document for printers (1.5 hrs)
- printing (45 mins)
- binding (3.5 hrs)
- website (2.5 hrs)
- cover (1 hr)
- prepping for installation (2 hrs)
- writing/editing artist statement (1.25 hrs)


What I discovered/accomplished/encountered:
     It took me forever to photoshop my images. I mostly just worked with color matching and saturation. I did work some photoshop magic on some mistakes, although I was pretty excited that there weren't as many as I originally thought. As for color, my watercolors ended up pretty faded, so the extra color boost helped a whole lot. The hardest part for me though was getting the color of the "xray view" pictures to look the same. Evidently the hue of my greenish-black xray color changed over the course of 27 paintings. It is looking better, but after looking at the test prints, I know things still could improve.
     Speaking of test prints, I sent my first set of prints through at the beginning of last week. They turned out WAY better than I thought and I think I might start having faith in this project again. The booklet printing setup worked fine, especially with each signature being its own document. The paper also worked without too much transparency.
     I stink at binding. I really really stink. First of all, I need to go out and buy the right thread, because what I had on hand was too thin and tangly. I also need to tie tighter. (Although making less signatures will help with this a lot.)  Everything lined up pretty well. I need to work on my folding so the pictures line up (not just the edges of the paper). I am also going to crop it next time so there is no white border.The glue was a mess. I got it everywhere, including on the pages. It was a mess. I learned a lot and I know I won't make these mistakes again, but regardless, it was a mess.
     Website is up and mostly working. You can check it out at http://xraykay.carbonmade.com/. I am still working on uploading content and organizing and such.
     I did some drawings and sketches for the cover. At first it was just going to be a picture of Kay, but Hannah suggested she somehow interact with the text (which I looove), so that is currently in progress. Although all I've done since Thursday afternoon is mostly sleep.
     I have everything turned in for my installation. I managed to track down a table and floor pillows from Mark, so I am also good on that front. Fingers crossed I get Work: Ann Arbor.
     Lastly, I worked for a while on my artist statement. I thought quite a bit about why I think this project is important and what sparked the idea in the beginning. I think it turned out pretty well....
"Over the past few years, I have found myself more and more fascinated with human anatomy, particularly with the skeletal system. In a culture where bones are typically used to signify death and danger, I have found myself with a very different perception. To me, bones represent vitality and beauty. They are our armature, orchestrating every movement and every breath. Physically, they have a unique beauty; each bone delicately sculpted so each bump and ridge has a story.
 I believe that by fostering a curiosity for anatomy at a young age, we can help dismiss preconceived morbidity that is usually associated with it and appreciate the human body for the work of art that it is." 


What's Next:
     I am taking my book home this weekend for feedback. I will then make some fixes and have the final copies printed off Tuesday so I may bind and troubleshoot Tuesday and Wednesday. I will be setting up my space sometime this weekend hopefully. If not then, than Monday.

Turns out when you don't sleep for a number of nights, you eventualy go to bed and end up just sleeping through a lot of alarms/phone calls.... Sorry this post is a bit late.

What I did:
- redid some paintings (5 hrs)
- made some small fix-up paintings (3 hrs)
- fought with the scanner (5 hrs)
- researched frames (1 hr)
- went to michaels... twice (1.5 hr)
- talked to Mark about installation (20 mins)
- sketched out installation (45 mins)
- prepared 2 test signatures (4 hrs)
- took signatures in to printers (1 hr)
- thought about artist statement (1.5 hr)

What I discovered/accomplished/encountered:
     This week I completely re-did two of my illustrations due to some un-photoshoppable problems. I also made some smaller paintings to photoshop over some of my previous problems. (Like that creeepy reaching hand).
     I am still not done scanning, but I had to re-do all of my previous scans to get rid of the nasty watercolor wrinkle. The scanner hates me, but I am gaining patience (and I studied for my physiology exam while I worked. bonus!)
     I looked in to some frames at Ikea, but I ended up going to Michaels and ended up getting 2 different kinds of frames. I will test and see which one works better tonight.
     I talked to Mark for a few minutes about installation. He said recently that I could use a small table and some floor pillows for my project, so I went in to make sure they were still available (and they are).
     Photoshopped and indesgined my test signatures. I gave it to Kolossos yesterday, I will be picking it up as soon as I finish this.
     As for my artist statement (It is the artist statement that is going on the wall right?). I was thinking of a couple things: 1) A description: A children's story exploring a very different point of view, bones.   2) Teaser-esque: One curious girl. One extraordinary pair of glasses. One unforgettable adventure.  3) More "traditional" artist statement: What do you get when you meld the whimsy of a children's story with the scientific, yet beautiful world of bones? You get an unforgettable adventure through the eyes of a curious girl who gets to see the world through a very new and unexpected perspective. Join Kay as she explores and brings to life the world of bones.
-- I was also thinking I could do something short on the wall and glue or paint my more traditional artist statement on the table. I am allowed to paint the table (thank goodness! the one he was showing me was bright fire-engine red!).
-- Also, as part of my installation, I was also thinking about making a "life-size Kay" painting and adhering that to the wall somehow. Maybe it's too much. Thoughts?

*** edit: help! So the frame sizes available are either a bit to small (but correctly proportioned) or too big (and weirdly disproportional). Should I just trim down the original drawings to fit? Or should I make nice "correct sized" prints? Or buy a more expensive custom fit frame?

What's Next:
Finish scans. Photoshop scans. Final to printer by Monday @ 830am sharp. Test bind & sloppy bind by Tuesday. Buy and frame all pictures by Tuesday. Finished book by Thursday.
   

oops!

curious kay

fish skeleton!

What I did:
- priced out/tested kinkos/kolossos. (1.25 hrs)
- bought binding supplies at Hollander's (30 mins)
- illustrations (21 hrs)
- scanning and such (2 hrs)

What I encountered/discovered/accomplished:
     So Kinko's wants to charge me $3.75 for one 11"x17" double sided color sheet of 32# paper. One run for one book would cost skyward of $98. Kolossos wants $0.78 meaning printing there would only cost about $40. I got a test print  from each to compare paper and ink quality and I have come to the conclusion that they are the same. I also wanted to factor in that I would want to do at least 2 runs of the prints just in case I mess something up while binding. (Printing 2 sets at Kolossos is still less than one at Kinko's. Ridiculous!)
     We also talked about binding for a bit. Perfect binding would be about $65 per book at Kolossos and I would have to make at least 3. Although their binding looks pretty seamless, I am pretty excited about hard binding by myself. In fact, I went to Hollander's and picked out some book board, PVA glue, binding cloth, and an awl. I bought extra supplies so I could practice. I think I am going to make a half size version of my book soon, just to practice getting the indesign files right and sewing the pages together.
     Done with illustrations!! REJOICE REJOICE!
     Scan scan scan. Still working on getting the whole process down to a science. I tend to mess up a lot (aka. things are crooked, hairs and fuzzies get on the paper, etc...)
   
   
What's next:
     Put together the files to send to the printers. Bind! Collect frames and things for exhibition!!

What I did:
- tested paper (2.5 hrs)
- paper research (1.5 hrs)
- illustrations (20 hrs)
- scanning (1 hr)
- book binding (3 hrs)
- test
- looked in to framing & chairs/table (1 min)

What I encountered/discovered/accomplished:
     I sent some of my new paper through the printer. I really like the weight of the 60lb hammermill, but i like the color vibrancy of the mohawk and the color depth of the strathmore. Although I don't know if I will actually need to pick out the paper, as it seems I should probably get everything professionally printed. It was still nice though to play around with the printers. I forget how finicky they are.
     I know I should be done with my illustrations, but they take so long and lately I've been focused on other things... However I would rather take my time and do it right the first time. Although I see the end! Just a few pages left!
     I scanned in some of my finished drawings. Still need to tweak them in photo shop.
     The book binding crash course was awesome. I definitely understand my book a lot better now. I was just going to go in blind and hope everything came out good. But now I have a better understanding of how the pages need to be laid out in indesign and how I need to format them for the printers. I also have a much better grasp on binding. Can't wait to practice more!

What's Next:
     Finish Illustrations and focus on scanning/photoshop so I can have everything sent out to the printers by the 25th.

Paper trail.

I feel like everything these past two weeks has been centered around paper.

What I did:
- Illustrate (23 hr)
- Visit Allen Elementary (3 hr)
- Fixed pagination (3 hr)
- Visited AADL (1.5 hr)
- Emailing (2 hr)
- Bought lots of paper (2.5 hr)

What I encountered/accomplished/discovered:
     I didn't finish all my illustrations over break (which I am very bummed and anxious about). But I did try to use my time wisely... While waiting for the fancy Arches watercolor paper to come in the mail, I spent some time working on my storyboard. In fact, I got some absolutely priceless feedback from my target age group.
     I did an exercise where I brought in the story board and asked them to describe to me what was happening in each picture. This was incredibly helpful since I am relying on my illustrations to tell the story, not words. It also helped me get rid of extraneous details and clarify the important ones. I also think I made the ending more significant.
     I visited AADL and spoke with a lady named Erin about how to present my book. Although I can't host something at the library, I could take my thesis to a school or community center. Laura, librarian and storyteller was able to offer me some advice about presenting my story. She said that because the visuals are so important to me, I shouldn't take away from that by trying to narrate. She gave me the contact info for someone at the library who does more visual storytelling (like comic books). Hopefully I will get some interesting solutions from him.
     I am doing the binding workshop on Tuesday, so I went on quite the paper finding adventure. I was able to track down the number for Xpedx, even though they are closing at the end of the month. I went to the store and got an awesome deal on three types of paper. I am trying a Mohawk stock and 2 different weights of Hammerhill. I also stopped into MBS to look at what they had. I ending up finding some Strathmore matte inkjet paper to try as well.

What's next: 
     Obviously my next step is to print on all the papers. I want to see which weight works best and which paper brand takes the color best. I will have this done by Tuesday. I will also finish my illustrations and scans of them by next weekend.

Pre-Midwinter Break

What I did:
- postcard image (3 hrs)
- pagination modifications (2.5 hrs)
- researched/purchased watercolor paper (2.25 hrs)
- full size illustrations (3 hrs)

What I discovered/encountered/accomplished:
     Worked on making the image for my postcard at the end of last week. I worked to find an image that was interesting in both subject matter and point of view. I settled on an image of a hand partially through the lenses of the x-ray glasses. I made a  couple versions, since I am still warming back up to watercolor painting.

one curious girl.
one exceptional pair of glasses.
one extraordinary adventure.
X-Ray Kay.

     I modified my pagination in several ways. I am still working on expanding the x-ray adventure and cutting the lead up. I think that I have almost successfully done both. I am also working on making some scenes clearer. I am also settling on a distinct and consistent way to show x-ray. I tried doing a "fade" view, however it wasn't too successful in showing both worlds at the same time. I will continue to work with inset boxes.
     I took a look at some of my earlier versions and I realize that although it has been a struggle to not just settle and start drawing, all this time and modifications have been extraordinarily helpful and important. At the end of November, my story wasn't half as strong as it is now (both visually and in clarity).
     I finally dropped the money for my watercolor paper this week. I needed large, high quality paper really really bad. I decided on Arches 22x30" 140lb cold press. It took a while to make that decision, let alone find the cheapest retailer. I purchased a sample pack of watercolor papers a while back and I played around with those to determine the best fit for the look I was going for. I really like the thickness of the higher pound paper and the subtle tooth of the cold press paper. When I ordered the paper, I made sure that it was large enough to do 150% scale. I want the images to be crisp, clear, and detailed in the final book.
   I worked a bit on full scale illustrations. I'm glad I started last week, because I was able to change the book proportions and things are working out much smoother. All though these full scales are just tests, I have learned a world of things. Not only am I more comfortable with watercolor, but I realize what size things really need to be, how different pen sizes change things, what details show up and which ones are extraneous, as well as realizing that some elements (all though well intentioned) actually flatten or confused the image.

What's next:
     I am making final modifications of my pagination as I type this and I will have my illustrations done by the end of break. LET'S GO!