Introducing several easy-to-master methods for making bookplates.

Let’s talk about the classification of bookplate prints first:

1. Category: letterpress type, paper prints: 1. Paper watermark bookplate creation. 2. Creation of monochrome mimeograph paper prints and bookplates. 3. Creation of bookplates using color powder printing paper prints. 4. Creation of physical bookplates. 5. Creation of blow molded paper prints and bookplates. (called pearl printing in Japan and Taiwan), it is divided into two types: monochrome and color printing, and two types: oil printing and pink printing.

2. Intaglio type: 1. Creation of paper plate stencils and bookplates. (Also called hole engraving) A method of overlapping printing. 2. Creation of transparent slide prints and bookplates.

3. Letterpress Category: 1. Creation of plaster prints and bookplates. 2. Creation of mimeograph woodblock prints and bookplates. 3. Creation of plastic bookplates (called rubber plates in Japan and Taiwan).

4. Intaglio type: creation of copper engraving bookplates. (It is required to use a copper plate machine, which is suitable for schools with better conditions).

5. Two types of mimeograph inks and water-based inks

1. Watermark paper printmaking techniques for bookplates. Demonstration content: A little girl who loves beauty.

Tools and materials: carbon paper, rubbing bag, a watering can, a pair of scissors, a palette box, two large and small brushes, one small brush, water pink or watercolor, several cardboard plates , (paper of more than 150 grams) printing paper, pencils, a bottle of milky white glue, pen wash, etc.

Production process: 1. Drawing. 2. Use copy paper to outline the entire picture. 3. Plate making. Use carbon paper to transfer the drawing onto the master plate. 4. Cut out each part of the image from the divided plate and paste it on another base plate with latex. 5. Moisten the filter paper prepared in advance. 6. Place the damp paper on the cut paper plate and secure it with a clip. 7. Start coloring. (Be sure to apply light colors first, then dark colors). The colors used can be watercolor or gouache, depending on the needs of the picture.

2. Techniques for making bookplates with leaky prints. Presentation Content: Forest Guard Owl.

Tools and materials: carbon paper, cardboard, several sponges (square ones are better), a carving knife, color palette, water pink (red, yellow, blue, black, white) pens Wash, pencil, two small clips, a piece of gouache paper, scissors, printing paper.

Production process: Note: When printing this kind of prints, light or light colors should be printed first, and then heavy or dark colors should be printed.

1. Use a slightly harder paper and pencil to draw. 2. Edition. 3. Use a manual knife to carve. 4. Printing. Print light colors first, then print heavy colors. The heavy color is called the main version. The effect will usually be produced after the main version is printed. The light color is called the secondary version. It is best to use concentrated colors, as the printed paintings will appear thick. Cut the sponge into square, smaller and various sizes. Clip on with clips.

3. Crayon prints. Or watermark prints. Demonstration content: 1. The Lion King. 2. Colorful buildings.

Tools and materials: gouache paper, watercolor, or watercolor, crayon, others are the same as above.

Production process: 1. Design the drawing, 2. Use crayon to draw the drawing on the gouache paper, 3. Attached paper for printing.

Bookplate

Bookplate is used for collecting books. Its original function is the same as a book seal, and it is a mark of personal collection. The earliest bookplate was made by a German in 1470, signed Legor, and consisted of a woodcut depicting a hedgehog holding wild flowers in its mouth and stepping on fallen leaves.

However, bookplates composed of pictures like this were extremely rare in the early days. Until the end of the 17th century, bookplates mostly used coats of arms indicating noble status as patterns. Since only nobles or monasteries could afford to collect books at that time, heraldic bookplates often symbolized power and status and were not popular. For example, in the mid-17th century, the bookplate of King Charles II of England used the royal heraldry of two lions holding a shield as the pattern. The composition was solemn and somewhat rigid, and it was a typical heraldic bookplate.

By the 18th century, with the popularization of education and the development of the publishing industry, book collecting was no longer the exclusive preserve of a few nobles. Many middle class people also collected books, and bookplates became commonplace. Status, instead, pictures are used to express the personality and preferences of the collector. Bookplates tend to be personalized and pursue artistic meaning. For example, in the mid-18th century, the British Reverend Bully used the pile of books in the corner of his study as the composition of the bookplate to represent the collector. a kind of interest. During this period, allegorical bookplates were also popular, which seemed to convey more cultural meaning.

For example, the allegorical ticket designed by Dutch painter Michael Berges depicts a pair of angels riding on the back of a ferocious eagle, holding the eagle with one hand and guarding the bull's head with the other. The meaning is intriguing.

The golden age of bookplates occurred in the second half of the 19th century. Almost all European literati made their own or had someone design their own bookplates. Some bookstores can make bookplates according to customers' needs. Of course, the aesthetic style of bookplates also reflects the times. When the huge wave of the Industrial Revolution hit European countries overwhelmingly, people were tired of mechanical rigid geometric patterns, so bookplates with curved and changing plant branches and leaves as compositions became popular. For example, in 1897 the German Kleedoff designed a bookplate with dandelions and wildflowers as the background and a flying angel. The smooth brushstrokes conveyed the charm of romanticism. Therefore, the development of bookplates has gone through a process from pure practicality to a gradual focus on personalization and artistic appreciation.

As for when Chinese people began to use bookplates, there is no clear statement yet. However, the earlier ones include the book stamps of Guan Zuzhang, a student studying in the United States. The picture shows an ancient scholar searching for books in the study. The floor is full of thread-bound books, as well as swords and other accessories. It is quite antique. It is signed with the words "Guan Zuzhang Collection". Made around 1914. There is also a bookplate used by the dramatist Song Chunfang. It is marked with the name of the "Brown Wood House" study room, which also has a traditional literati touch. It was probably made at the beginning of this century. In the 1920s and 1930s, many writers and artists used bookplates, such as Ye Lingfeng, Yu Dafu, Li Hua, Tang Yingwei, etc., and they all produced many unique styles of bookplates. However, in China, bookplates have always been a self-entertainment thing for literati and rarely circulated. It is not until recent years that some publications have introduced the knowledge of bookplates sporadically, and one or two collections about bookplates have been published.

At present, the internationally popular bookplates can be summarized into four major categories.

The first type is painted one by one by an artist. This type of bookplate is rare. The other type is made by printmakers, which is the most common. The plate types can be divided into four types: convex, concave, flat and leaky. The printing materials for relief printing include hemp glue, plaster, plastic, etc., but wood printing is the largest and most common. The ideal plate material for gravure is copper plate, but there are also zinc plates, lead plates, etc. The plate material of lithography is stone tablet. The leakage version is also called the hole version and the screen version. Among these four major types, the production techniques are also diverse. At present, the International Bookplate Federation has issued more than 20 general numbers to distinguish and standardize the types and techniques of bookplate production.

However, due to the increasingly diverse techniques of printmaking, many types of prints and techniques do not yet have unified code names internationally. Such as color extension version, blow molding version, etc. The above two categories are original bookplates and are relatively rare. Those that are just hand-painted are not easy to produce and inevitably do not travel far; those who use printmaking to make rubbings have greatly increased in number and are even regarded as authentic. For this reason, bookplates are also known as "printing bookplates".

If we call the first category "hand-painted bookplates" and the second category "printed bookplates", then the third category is reproductions that can be printed in large quantities, which can be called "Universal bookplate" or "reproduction bookplate". This type of bookplate is still rare in our country, but it is already on the market in foreign countries. Because this type of book stamp is not for special use, it does not indicate the owner of the book stamp, but there should be a certain blank space on the face of the book stamp as a place for the book owner's signature. Some of them are like stamps, with perforations and glue on the back. You just need to tear off a piece after buying it, stick it on the title page of the book, sign or stamp it, and that's it.

The fourth type of bookplate is the "computer bookplate". It can be mass-produced and is on the rise. The latter two types of bookplates are combined with modern technology, providing an unprecedented opportunity for the widespread popularity of bookplates into thousands of households.