The Story of a Bookplate
This section will show the development of a bookplate from first ideas to the finished plate. It was commissioned as a gift and I am very grateful to both my client and the recipient for their permission to feature this bookplate on my website.
This bookplate started, as usual, with emailed exchanges about the two main sections; the lettering and the elements that would make up the design. The latter included a Tudor "revival" cottage and a harp, that symbolised creativity, as well as music. I made some rough sketches, including this one:
I also started to consider the lettering. I sketched it out as white line lettering against a black background inside a frame:
I emailed these to the client and received a considered response. I had expressed an opinion that, perhaps, the plate should feature the harp alone, with no player, and my client agreed. She also requested a formal garden with some small or hidden elements. I thought about these ideas and developed them into a much more finished drawing:
This was approved and I prepared to transfer it to the block. You will notice that many elements of the drawing are still quite sketchy; this is very typical of the way that I work and it leaves me room to develop and refine the design as I engrave it. You will see that the leaves around the bottom of the block are kept well within the black border - this would change. The drawing is four times larger than the finished size and I needed to both reduce and reverse the design before I could engrave it.
I selected a piece of English boxwood and darkened the surface with diluted writing ink. This allows me to see both marks drawn on the block and the cuts that I make during the engraving. Here is the block after I engraved the lettering:
In the next step, I marked up the outline of the drawing and started to engrave:
Here is the block sitting on top of the sandbags on my engraving desk - the tools are laid out to the right of the block:
Eventually, the engraving is more or less complete and it is time to print a proof from the block. Here is the finished block:
The block is fixed to the bed of my 1865 Albion handpress. Ink is rolled over the surface, showing the design clearly for the first time:
Paper is placed over the block and the pressure applied to transfer the ink from the wood to the paper.
The proof is taken, examined, and the block re-engraved as necessary until I am happy with the results. When the bookplate has been approved by the client, I print the number required, allow them to dry and then trim them to size.
I was particularly pleased with this bookplate. The elements the design appealed to me and I enjoyed the collaboration with the client. Here is the finished bookplate:
I will be very happy to discuss your ideas for your own bookplate or gift.
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