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OUR STORY
"I realised that a painting in the form of a collectable book could be a really fun and quirky solution. A decorative souvenir for that empty shelf space or nook. A book that you didn't have to worry about enjoying the story and would have timeless appeal. A book you could judge by the cover."
CHIEF
ARTSMITH
BOOKBINDER
As an Artist and librarian, I've always been in interested in books with gilded spines and decorative covers. When visiting a museum, i was struck back by how beautiful and decorative a lot of antique books exhibited were. A stark contrast to the dreary and mass printed covers at modern bookstores. It made me realise how we had lost the beautiful tradition of ornately designed and hand painted books.
When speaking to fellow readers, they all had trouble finding decroative objects for thier bookshelves. ​​This got me thinking. I realised that a painting in the form of a collectable book could be a really fun and quirky solution. A decorative souvenir for that empty shelf or nook. A book were you didn't have to worry about enjoying the story and would have timeless appeal. A book you could judge by the cover.
WHAT IS A ARTSMITH BOOK?
A Artsmith book is a collectabile Souvenir that serves as decoration for your bookshelf . Made of pinewood, each one is carved, painted and designed to resemble a real book. Artsmith books have their names on the spine were they are also signed by the Artist. The cover is handpainted with a cute set of eyes attached to the front. Artsmith Books can be opened to reveal a beautiful handpainted diaorama. A transparent sheet with a beautiful gold border covers the diorama to protect it from dust. A battery operated light if fitted on the inside of the Artsmith book with it's switch at the base. A mettalic gold piece is hand cut and attached to the diroama, this creates a stunning shimmer, esepecially when the light is switched on.
Artsmith books also have a exclusive poem revealed by scanning the QR code on the endpaper. As a result, you can read a literary pieace symbolic of the Artsmith book you own. Our Artsmith books are inspired by the ancient art of "Treasure binding" known for their exiquisite and luxorious covers. Harkening to a time when books would be gifted and admired for thier craftmanship and aesthetic.
THE JOURNEY TO MAKING MY FIRST ARTMSMITH BOOK
Creating the original concept for Artsmith books was a quite a long and arduous journey with lots of hurdles to overcome. Originally i palnned creating a smaller version of a normal book but quickly realised this wasn't going to work! The Artsmith book wasn't going to have pages inside so the finished product wouldn't resemble a book. I also pondered using ceramics, but these would be too fragile when shipping.​ Finally, i settled on using wood because of its durability and because it could be carved with the right tools.
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Once i had a material in mind, the second course of action was giving the book a expression. There were many designs i sketched out but coulden't quite find the right one. ​​​​​​ However, after some persistence i finally got the eyes that i wanted to use. Using inspiration from literacy, i used speech marks and italics as inspiration to create the template of a cute set of eyes. ​
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Although, I had finished the design of the book and was initially content. The feedback I received from friends and family was that they really wanted it to open like a regular book. As a result, I decided to add two new attritubutes to the original design of the Artsmith Book.
The first feature was a hand-painted and hand cut 3D scene inside the book would serve as pleasant surprise to the owner. The Artsmith Book is fitted with battery operated LED lights to illuminate the artwork inside. Each Artsmith books includes a metallic gold element that shimmers stunningly under the lights. The second feature is an exclusive poem unlocked by scanning the QR code found on the endpaper. A great way for readers to interact successfully with our Artsmith books in the social media age.
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TO BE CONTINUED.......
As we progress our business we have plans to increase production and introduce new designs and styles. We will also look to introduce other ornamental items for our audience in the future. Most importantly, we love to see creative, fun and interesting photos of our books. Feel free to tag us at @Artsmithbooks and we will be sure to drop a like/comment for the best ones!
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