FOBA Miniature Specimen Workshop / Resources

Miniature Specimen Workshop 

Here is a link to the FOBA Website listing for all the workshop description and details.

John Neal Books has a kit available for sale with the items that they carry in stock.

You can also view this Amazon wishlist with 3-4 options of many things from the list below to see brands and types I would recommend. 

Examples of Miniature Specimen Books and student examples here to see the scale and specimens that can work. 

Materials/Equipment to be Provided by Students

• Cutting mat (12″ x 18″ or larger)
• Apron and washcloth for cleaning hands
• Ruler 6″ or longer (some examples)
  • • Westcott® 8ths Clear Beveled Ruler - 6 inch and 12inch
    • Omnigrid Clear Plastic Ruler - 6inch and 12 inch
• X-Acto, snap blade, or scalpel knife
• Extra blades
• Bone or teflon folder
• Awl - Ceramic detail/needle tool can work (I have several to share)
  
• Small scissors (some examples...mustache or haircutting scissors are sometimes sharper than embroidery) 
  
  • Fiskars micro-tip scissors
  • Ontaki Mustache Scissors
• Micro spatula
  • • set of one 
    • Set of 2 
    • Set of 4 
• Mechanical pencil
• Tweezers with a point (CVS/Wlgreens or Amazon) 
• Optional: small pieces of bookcloth and THIN decorative paper 6″ x 6″, collage materials

Optional Specimens for your Artwork:

Small objects, plants, and ephemera less than ½″ depth and 2½″ height or which can be altered (each student will receive a detailed list of plants)
Here is a folder of sample items

• Collage materials work really well - like clippings, found artwork and drawings
• Small natural objects like leaves, nuts, seeds, seed pods
• dried flowers or pressed plants that are small
• found jewelry, charms or parts of jewelry, safety pins or small clips to hold things
• small scrap metal, or watch parts 
• old keys (small keys or locks, jewelry box keys) 
• Old photographs
• stamps
• lace, thin papers, and old documents
• small shells or
• small bones
• small stones or twigs
• threads, cords or bows from old objects for tying up bundles of things
• small clippings of book pages, magazines, collages, old prints

I will provide small jars, cork tops, safety pins and small platforms for you as well as a couple of bins of specimens to look through. 

Optional tools and Supplies: 

These are not required but can be helpful or recommended

• Dividers (please inquire directly if you do not have a pair already and want to borrow mine)
  • Talas online divider selection (several sizes)
  • 4 Inch Professional Precision Spring Wing Divider
  • 6 inch spring prescision divider

• Small metal 45 degree triangle 
  • https://www.talasonline.com/Sages-Magic-Triangle
  • https://www.colophonbookarts.com/binding/steel-triangle-ruler
  • https://www.beidlermade.com/handtools/brass-triangle
  • https://www.talasonline.com/Triangle
• Nylon artist brush / PVA Brush 
  • Round Anza Brush (sage Brush)
  • Professional Watercolor Brushes - Flat 1/2"  short handle nylon 
    
  • Sage brush 

Workshop Description

In this one-day beginner’s workshop, students will create a miniature hardcover book (3″ x 4½″ x ½″) designed to house a personal assemblage of natural curiosities. Using found objects, historic illustrations, altered book parts, and natural artifacts, participants will build a narrative through collage and layered materials.

We will cover basic bookbinding skills, collage techniques, and creative ways to incorporate text and collection cards. We will explore how this structure can be adapted to different scales and incorporate a wide range of found or handmade materials.