At long last...

The collaborative cracker book project with the Artist's Book Club at UWE is finally complete. All packaged up and ready to distribute to the participants. Looking on the bright side, it's taken so long that it's seasonal all over again! 

Cracker Books at Large

Great to see the collection of cracker books exhibited together in Bower Ashton library. It’s been a really fun project… many thanks to my fellow cracker collaborators: Rebecca Weeks, Stephanie Turnbull, Alison Sloggett, Kate Williamson and Linda Parr (and Anwyl Cooper-Willis who’s just handed in a beautiful new addition to the collection).

Cracker Book sneak peek

The Cracker Book collaboration with the ABC group at UWE is nearing completion, and early results will be exhibited in Bower Ashton library from 20 April. Participating artists (from the left): Kate Williamson, myself, Alison Sloggett, Linda Parr, Rebecca Weeks (2 books). Having seen early print proofs of Stephanie Turnbull’s amazing lithographic contribution, it’s shaping up to be a lovely set of books. Just need to put my thinking cap on to come up with a good way to package them...

Ten orange cracker books

Flocked and finished - hurray!

Cracker books are go

Final stages of the edition of ten cracker books… all the components are ready for assembly - just need to start sticking.

Pull the other one

Prototype cracker book… part of a collaborative project with the Artists’ Book Club (ABC) at the University of the West of England - inspired by Rebecca Weeks’ magnificent collection of cracker toys.

The cover is grey board with painted edges, and covered in orange flock paper (30p a metre from the wonderful Scrappies in Church Stretton). Decorated with red rubber stamped stripes, neon acrylic paint dots and neon pink paper. Inner pages are digitally printed scans of back-drawn monoprints on 300gsm gesso paper (from printed.com). These are then hand printed with rubber stamps using Tsukineko Radiant Neon ink pads. This will eventually be a small edition, presented with a collection of other cracker books. Don’t seem to be shaking off the obsession with neon colour any time soon.

Cracker cars

Prototype illustrations for a collaborative book project in response to a fantastic collection of cracker toys. Rubber stamps on top of scans of back-drawn monoprints.