Bunzum's Ex Libris

Recently, I was commissioned to do a bookplate for a 3-year-old who loves to tell stories. Something which could serve in the coming years as she grew up and read more books. The parents wanted something including her favorite plushies and the stories she tells about their ongoing "battle" for the basement. 'Cause children always have armies of mice & bats led by rats & rabbits, right? It's such a fun idea, I wanted to do something using household goods as materiel, but that was getting really complicated for a 3x4-inch block... So I got to come up with some cozy images of the protagonists reading together up during a lull in the fight.

The alphabet behind them is a nod to this excellent dresser the kid uses, composed entirely of drawers shaped like giant wood type.

After a serious, all-day printing session, the bookplates are drying prior to posting off to their anxious patrons. Some photos of the print session. : )

Now, I hope I have time to make our holiday candy... luckily Lisa wrapped all our presents this year. Off to do all the (remaining) things!

Some Bookplates I'd Neglected

Somehow, these two bookplates slipped through and didn't get shared (except with their commissioner, of course). He asked that I kindly wait until after his friend's birthday, but then I plum forgot... for almost 2 years.

Here's a matched pair of bookplates for a client in Australia (other-side-of-the-globe art) from 2011. The theme was SF/F. The blank spaces in each were to be filled by the client's and his friend's names. I carved them rubber stamps for the purpose.