Travel paintings of Scotland 2024

 We had a great wildlife tour with St. Hilda Sea Adventures.  We spent 10 days on the Speideren, a 75 ft Norwegian Rescue boat in the Outer Hebrides.  We stopped at 12 different Islands during the trip seeing beautiful scenery and wildlife. 

We boarded the ship in Oban, then traveled through Loch Melfort to our first stop Rum to walk at the Nature Reserve, then on to Canna where we anchored off shore.  Next stop was the Outer Hebrides.  We hiked to a remote beaches of Vatersay, stopped at the harbor of Castlebay on the Isle of Barra, then Lochboisdale on South Uist and Lochmaddy on North Uist where we hiked out to Loch nam Maddaah to see a Camara Obscura and had a day tour out to the small Island of Berneray.  Next we sailed to the Shiant Isles, three rocky  islands in the Northern Minch, that are nesting grounds for thousands marine birds (puffins, guillemots, razorbills, shags and great skuas).  Then we were off to East Tarbert on Isle of Harris and a stop at the local distillery.  On our way back we stopped at the Isle of Sky to hike up to Loch Coruisk, and Isle Eigg for a walk, and Lochdon on the Isle of Mull to tour Duart Castle.

We stayed a few extra days to tour the Isles of Mull and Iona.

We were very busy so I only had time to make quick sketches and take reference photos.  I finished the watercolors after we returned home. 

Oban harbor at night

Kinloch Castle on Rum in process

Vatersay bay, Outer Hebrides in process

Books with cross stitch covers

I have several small counted cross stitches my Mother started but didn't finish.  I decided to finish them but wasn't sure how to use the.  Then I saw a facebook post by Bep van Gasteren who uses counted cross stitch on the covers of her books.  

I followed her post to make a small book with a counted cross stitch butterfly on the cover.  Below are all the pieces for the book:

I prepared the book cover:  Cutting a hole in the center of the front cover.  Attaching the reinforced counted cross stitch.  Punching the spine.   

I prepared the book pages:  Cutting the paper.  Folding the signatures.  Cutting front and back signature covers.  Punching the six Signatures using 2 guides.

I assembled the book using Keith Smith "arrow" binding for 3 signatures.

I am happy with how this first little book turned out.  

Making large photo albums

A friend asked me to make a photo album for a gift.  I have made small photo albums before and so I was happy to make a larger one for him.  Once we started talking about what was going in the album (30 stories written on 8.5" x 11" paper) I realized it would need to be a very large photo album.

I started by determining the album pages would need to be 12" x 12".  This would allow a margin around the papers that would be attached to the pages.  It is also a  standard size so I was able to purchase the pages.  I then needed to determine the size of the book cloth and decorative paper needed to cover the book board.  Once I had the dimensions I was able to order the materials I needed.  

Cutting the materials:

• 4 book board pieces (2 for the back and 2 for the front). 
• 4 book cloth pieces 2 for the back and 2 for the front). 
• 4 decorative exterior paper pieces (2 for the back and 2 for the front)  
• 2 decorative interior paper pieces (1 for the back and 1 for the front). 

NOTE: It is important to mark front vs back and top vs bottom so you can punch and assemble the pieces without any misalignments.

I made a 3 hole template for punching the book board spine pieces, and punched them.  

Before gluing the paper and cloth to the book boards, I checked to be sure they were the correct sizes so everything would fit together correctly.

I began by gluing the book cloth onto the outside of the back and front book board pieces.  The corners were cut and the book cloth edges wrapped around and glued to the interior of the book boards.  The 2 smaller pieces of book cloth were glued over the spine on the inside, covering some of the exterior book cloth edges.  The 3 holes now covered by the book cloth were carefully re-punched. 

Next the decorative paper was glued to the outside of the front and back book board.  The corners were cut and the paper edges wrapped around and glued to the interior of the book boards.  

Finally the 2 large decorative interior pieces of paper were glued in place, covering the remaining edges of book cloth and exterior decorative paper.

I made a second 3 hole punch template with a narrower margin along one edge to use with the 30 book pages and 31 spacers.  This moves the edge of the pages away from the spine edge of the book.  After punching the 61 pieces I assembled the book.  

I actually made two books, so my friend would have a choice of colors.