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mothdogsart · 2 days
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Okay, this is gonna be a long one, so I’m putting it under a cut. Folks on Reddit have asked for a walkthrough of my bookbinding process, so I’m going to detail it. A few steps I forgot to take pictures of, but I’ll keep them in the list so that the workflow hopefully makes sense.
🌟 This is not meant to be an in-depth tutorial! For bookbinding/fanbinding tutorials with guided steps I recommend LadyBobbitt on TikTok or DASBookbinding on YouTube. 🌟
Fic pictured in every step after Step 3 is “Pretend for Me” by @obsessivelollipoplalala because I was working on an author’s copy! 🌝
Step 1 - Typesetting (not pictured)
Step 2 - Printing and folding the signatures (not pictured)
Step 3 - Punching the signatures. This is a 3D printed punch cradle from Etsy. I don’t recommend the Memory Keepers brand one on Amazon—it’s really shallow and hard to get centered punches.
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Step 4 - Sewing the signatures, aka my least favorite part. Everything is downhill after you get it sewn. My preferred method for sewing signatures is called the kettle stitch.
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Step 5 - Clamping the text block, reinforcing the spine with mull, and adding fake endbands
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Step 6 - Gluing endpapers onto the text block after the spine reinforcement has dried
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Step 7 - Measuring and cutting the cover chipboard
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Step 8 - Forming the cover. I glue the chipboard to a central piece of cardstock. Some people find that this makes your creases less sharp, but I like the extra reinforcement.
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Step 9 - Dry fit the text block to make sure everything is sized properly (not pictured)
Step 10 - Gluing the cover onto the bookcloth (this is the underside—the edges also get glued and folded over onto the chipboard)
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Step 11 - Casing in the text block (not pictured). I add glue to the outsides of the endpapers and stick them to the inside of the cover. Once everything is placed correctly, I wipe off any excess glue and make sure there are no air bubbles anywhere.
Step 12 - Placing parchment paper between all wet/glued areas to prevent moisture transfer to the pages.
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Step 13 - Press! (Not pictured)
Step 14 - Let dry overnight, then you have a book!
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Not including the dust jacket making process here because it would require me to take screenshots from my computer and I’m sick rn so who has the energy?
Anyway thanks for looking if you scrolled this far :)
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mothdogsart · 23 days
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I pulled my latest bind out of the book press today! This is Slow Show by @mia-ugly. It’s my absolute favorite Good Omens fic I’ve ever read and I really enjoyed the process of typesetting it and designing the cover. I included the original bookcover created by @dorywhynot inside as homage to the Ineffable Editions version.
Technical details follow:
The cover design repeatedly beat my ass, but I think it turned out okay in the end! I drew Az’s hand in Procreate and imported it into Canva. I’ve a mind to cut out the coin shape in gold vinyl and add it in later.
This was my first time trying to hand-trim a text block, and it was… bad. I had to sand for a long time and gave up doing the tops and bottoms of the pages. So the text block is technically only a third finished 😅 Next time I hand trim I’ll have to use a thicker, sharper blade for sure.
I’m so pleased with the endpaper from Hollander’s. The colors are really vivid and it’s got a lovely matte feel.
Overall I’m really proud of this bind. The dark green bookcloth really came together with the blue and black and cream. 🤩
Tumblr mobile isn’t letting me paste the fic link, but it can be read on AO3.
❗️My binds are not for sale. Authors and artists may enquire about gift copies.❗️
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mothdogsart · 1 month
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Just finished binding “Pretend for Me” by @obsessivelollipoplalala and couldn’t wait for daylight to take pictures in nice natural lighting 😅
I’m a sucker for fake dating, and this fic is such a stellar example of the trope. It has a lot of understated soft and sweet moments, which I tried to capture with a “Barnes and Noble Bestselling Romance” book cover vibe. But I had to include some of Aziraphale’s badass eye and sword imagery on the back cover in gold vinyl (hand-cut, because I was too impatient to wait for my Silhouette to arrive in the mail...) I also sprinkled the flower motif in with the morning glory page breaks, and snuck a wedding ring onto the front cover >:)
This was my first time using the vellum Allure bookcloth from Hollanders and I don’t think I’ll be ordering it again. The plasticky texture was hard to glue right with. And I’m still having issues with moisture control on the first pages of the text block 😭 Just gotta keep experimenting!
❗️ My binds are not for sale. Authors can inquire about gift copies.
The full work can (and should!) be read here:
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mothdogsart · 1 month
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Stargazing picnic date 🥰
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mothdogsart · 2 months
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My fifth bind is complete! This is a collection of some of my absolute favorite short Good Omens fics (sub-20k words) which I sorted into rough thematic categories. This book features works by @thehoyden and @darcylindbergh (among others who I don’t think are on Tumblr) as well as a cover image graciously provided by @adealiz ♥️
Technical details follow:
This was my first time working with this specific paper (which I cut to the correct grain direction! What a delight!) as well as my first time using hand-marbled endpaper (as opposed to printed scrapbook paper.) The endpaper was much thinner than what I’m used to, so I had a little unexpected glue moisture rippling.
I think I’ll be switching my fonts up going forward. I keep having issues getting Garamond to print consistently.
For the cover, I used a faux leather upholstery patch. I printed the cover image on printable vinyl and added some silver lettering stickers. It might not be the most durable/travelable thing ever, but it looks nice on the shelf.
I’m so happy to have this one done—the learning process never ends. I’m already typesetting my next two binds, another Good Omens fic and a Star Trek AU 😊
❗️These binds are not for sale. Authors and artists may inquire about gift copies.
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mothdogsart · 2 months
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Characters for a oneshot(ish) I’m DMing with my buds. Clockwise from the top right we have Finch, fire genasi monk; Marigold, weretiger barbarian; Adrien, custom-lineage firbolg/elf ranger; and Patina, dragonborn bard. They’re all level 11 and currently kicking asses throughout the lands of the Radiant Citadel lol
Paging @blissandbookstores and @likesirensinthenight 🥳
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mothdogsart · 2 months
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I love all of my DnD characters, from the ones I’ve played for years to the ones from aborted campaigns and oneshots, but I truly think Lathander might be my favorite of them all.
Aside from enjoying the technicalities of playing a paladin, I also love how his story is so integrally woven into the world of our campaign. A cursed child and despised orphan, he’s finally learned to accept the love of his friends-slash-traveling-companions. He yearns to rebuild his fallen Paladin order into a truly righteous force for good, instead of the tyrannical farce that it was before it fell. He cares deeply about his friends and wants to help them achieve their goals and protect them however possible. And all of his hopes lay in the dormant dragon’s egg he carries, which grows closer to hatching every day 🤩
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mothdogsart · 2 months
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Dramatic reenactment of Lathander’s battle with one of his abusive older cousins. He ate total shit for 3 rounds but managed to get a lucky double-hit-divine-smite combo to finish the bout 😤😤😤
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mothdogsart · 3 months
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A (doubly censored) corner of my latest piece for @goodomensafterdark. See the full thing, which includes both Aziraphale and c*m, on my Twitter also named @mothdogsart or on Mastodon:
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mothdogsart · 3 months
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Let’s see if Tumblr lets me get away with this technically censored work 🤨
Here’s an initial entry for @goodomensafterdark’s ongoing Smut War! The full piece, Crowley’s 🐍 included, is up on my Twitter account which is also @mothdogsart or over on Mastodon at https://mastodon.social/@mothdogs/111723109976167517
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mothdogsart · 3 months
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“You turn my life into something light, amazing, rainbowed—you put a glint of happiness on everything—always different: sometimes you can be smoky-pink, downy, sometimes dark, winged—and I don’t know when I love your eyes more—when they are open or shut—”
Vladimir Nabokov, Letters to Vera
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mothdogsart · 3 months
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It’s that time of year again! I really enjoyed making this wrap-up. It was a year of firsts: first time participating in ArtFight and first time learning how to bookbind. I drew a lot of my and my friends’ Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur’s Gate characters, but I still got in some fanart every now and again. I also became a lot more comfortable with lineart.
In 2024 I want to keep evolving my understanding of lighting techniques and painterly styles, continue to refine my bookmaking process, and maybe start learning animation with Procreate Dreams! 😌🤲🏻
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mothdogsart · 3 months
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Me [delusional]: Can’t wait for Aziraphale’s apology with tears 🤭
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mothdogsart · 3 months
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These two deserve a soft rest 💫
Redraw of an old piece from 2020:
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mothdogsart · 3 months
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Now that Christmas is over, I can post the fanbind I made as a gift for my beloved @indeedcaptain! I collected their Star Trek short stories into one volume.
Originally I tried stamping the title on the front cover, but this cheap Amazon book cloth resisted taking five different kinds of paints and inks. I’ll be ordering some proper linen book cloth for my next project!
As ever, the textblock was typeset by me, and the cover page and book jacket were designed in Canva Pro. You can find IndeedCaptain’s Spock/Kirk fanfiction on ArchiveOfOurOwn.
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mothdogsart · 4 months
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Today I finally finished the fanbinding project I started back in October 😅
This is a fanbind of Atlas, my favorite ever Spirk fanfiction and a loving portrait of the mote of sunlight that is AOS Jim Kirk. This fic was written by @distractedkat and can be read on AO3 (Tumblr isn’t letting me add a link on mobile.)
The text block was kettle-stitched and typeset completely from scratch in Word, and the dust jacket was designed in Canva Pro. I realized I forgot to take a picture without the dust jacket, but it’s cloth bound in a navy linen bookcloth from Amazon.
I’m really proud of how tightly this bind came out compared to my wonky first attempt! Now my partner and I can reread this amazing story in physical format for years to come 🥰
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mothdogsart · 4 months
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Bonus art of Lathander with a more colorful backdrop and less moody lighting. I love this guy with my whole entire heart
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