Common Rocks and Other Problems
Common Rocks and Other Problems is a book about the confounding divergence of humanity’s relentless frailty and nature’s unending power.
The world is shifting tectonically above and below the surface; a seismic energy accumulates as pressure boils and builds. Things are turbulent now more than ever. Common Rocks and Other Problems illustrates the dynamic between the psychological faults of human thinking and the geological and meteorological facts of nature. These two realities are forced together and it is up to us as human beings to actualize our fates. We are the only entities that can make a decision about how things will be.
The text of the book reads from front to back and back to front, depending on the orientation of the piece in the reader’s hands. The reading and meaning of the text fluctuates between scientific and poetic.
Do not be fooled.
It has always been this way.
Don’t worry, it’s ALL
and/or NOTHING.
The way we divide.
The way we conquer.
How it endures, technically.
How we make so many mistakes.
How it moves, tectonically.
How our brains work (and don’t) work.
The points of displacement.
The places of disappointment.
Ways of coercion.
Ways of erosion.
Ways we resist change.
Rates of Change.
We are SORTED until we’re not.
STARDUST in different states of matter.
Constrained vs Unconstrained.
Types of Minerals.
Theoretical remains.
Territorial Deposits.
Matters (Human).
(Geological) Matter.
The book contains 11 linoleum cut rocks that each hold a volvelle inside the fold. The volvelles have a human fault printed on one side and a natural disaster printed on the reverse side.
Each human fault and natural disaster has been assigned a typographic icon that is symbolic to the topic. The volvelles illustrate the roiling beneath the surface that is the invisible and visible dynamics of humans and nature.
The book also includes a letterpress printed “menu” that lists and defines for the reader the Facts of Nature (Volcano, Earthquake, Tornado, Landslide, Hurricane, Wildfires, Anthropocentrism, Famine, Flood, Drought, Plague) and the Faults of Human Thought (Gambler’s Fallacy, Reactivity, Pareidolia, Self-fulfilling Prophecy, Halo Effect, Herd Mentality, Reactance, Hyperbolic Discounting, Escalation of Commitment, Placebo Effect, All or Nothing Thinking). The menu allows readers to approach the book in a more formal, defined way.
Common Rocks and Other Problems is written, designed, and produced by Ellen Knudson in Gainesville, Florida. The reference texts used are “Top Ten Common Faults in Human Thought” (Listverse article) and various geological / meteorological definitions of natural disasters. Other text in the book is written by the artist.
The book is letterpress printed from linoleum blocks and photopolymer plates on Okawara paper. Both the book structure and folded book cloth box enclosure are inspired by structures created and/or elaborated by Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol. The pleated cover and inner structure are printed using gelatin plate stencil technique with screenprinting inks. The volvelles are letterpress printed on Gmund translucent vellum paper. The folio is printed on Rives BFK. The typefaces used are Palatino, Spartan Bold Condensed and Stymie Bold Condensed, and various type embellishments.
Size:
Book: 7” x 11.75” x 0.75” (closed); 7” x 23.5” x 0.5” (open)
Box: 7.25” x 12” x 1.25”
Folio: 6.75” x 11.5” (closed)
Variable elements of the edition:
Each copy of Common Rocks and Other Problems has a mono-printed cover and inner pleat structure as part of the edition of forty-five books. The folded book cloth box enclosure has a letterpress printed felt “rock” on the lid that varies from copy to copy.
Edition of 45.
Book Fair Discount:
$1,200 (Pricing will be available for a LIMITED TIME during and after CODEX 2024.)
Rule of Thumb is a moveable artist’s book about social media (via the thumb!)
The text of Rule of Thumb is a documentation of the historical human obsession with thumbs, with ourselves, with control, and with approval. In the last 10 years, we have become consumed with living online instead of actual living. We seem to only care about how many “thumbs up”, likes, or hearts we can accumulate on social media platforms. We practice a psychological social separation. We live virtual lives. Now, with the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus, we are living with the physical reality of “social-distancing”. How will we make it back? Can we make it back? Rule of Thumb considers the ways in which humans have used our thumbs to, at best, twist reality, and at worst, ruin ourselves.
Rule of Thumb was written, designed, and produced by Ellen Knudson in Gainesville, Florida, 2020/2021. Printed on and constructed from Colorplan paper (350gsm, Natural). Letterpress printed from linoleum blocks, photopolymer plates, and metal types. The binding is a storage book structure with a concertina Tyvek spine hand-tinted with acrylic inks. The enclosure is a portfolio with soft flaps (made using directions by Peter D. Verheyen). Enclosure spine and book cover are foil stamped in matte black. 11.5”H x 6.5”W x 2”D Edition of 40 books.
$950.00 Limited Time!
(BOOK FAIR PRICING!)
© Ellen Knudson. 2020/2021. CROOKED LETTER PRESS.
Illustrated Bookmaking 2 is a second volume of diagrams featuring a new collection of book structures, projects, and tools. Beginning with ILLUSTRATED BOOKMAKING, the initial series of drawings was created for my own educational and instructional purposes over the years of teaching my Book Arts class. This new selection of diagrams features student projects that I have consistently taught along with some of my own most recently produced studio edition projects. Creating diagrams has helped me to better understand the structures. As I work through each drawing, I rediscover nuance in the process of these seemingly simple books! It is always my intention to guide people through making these projects. However, I will reiterate that although somewhat directional, the diagrams included in the ILLUSTRATED BOOKMAKING series are intended to supplement in-person (or online) bookmaking instruction and practice.
I hope people continue to find these drawings beautiful, educational, and useful. I have enjoyed making them!
—Ellen Knudson 😃
Diagrams:
Book Arts Tool Kit
Single Sheet Books
❱ Traditional 8-panel
❱ Maze Book: Zig-Zag
❱ Maze Book: Spiral
❱ single sheet tunnel book
❱ Exquisite Corpse
5-Hole Pamphlet
Double Pamphlet
Pleated Book Structure
Chain Stitch Pamphlet
Pamphlet Set
German-Lapped Case Binding
Secret Accordion Postcard
Folded Paper Box
Clamshell Enclosure
Manual Repeat Pattern
Pochoir Print Process
Favorite Book Tools
Collection: Writing Implements
Edition of 200
NEW EDITION: 80gsm white recycled paper
48 pages
11.5”W x 15”H
Printed by Newspaper Club
©Ellen Knudson, 2025 (first edition)
BACK IN STOCK
Illustrated Bookmaking: REPRINT (November 2024)
The new reprint of Illustrated Bookmaking is back and on 80gsm white recycled paper, along with a new publication Illustrated Bookmaking 2 which has all new diagrams of book structures, projects, and tools. Illustrated Bookmaking has been a very popular publication!! THANK YOU for your support! ♥️♥️♥️
Illustrated Bookmaking is a collection of diagrams of book structures.
I developed these drawings for my own educational and instructional purposes over years of teaching my Book Arts class. Creating diagrams helps me understand the structures better, and I can teach them in a more complete way as a result. Although somewhat directional, the diagrams included in this publication are intended to supplement in-person (or online) bookmaking instruction and practice.
I’m indebted to others that have provided instructions in book binding and inspirational note-taking; many of these diagrams stem from their teachings: Anna Embree, Sarah Bryant, Heather Weston, Alisa Golden, and Frank Zeier in particular.
I hope people find these drawings beautiful, educational, and useful!
—Ellen Knudson, Crooked Letter Press
Diagrams:
Book Arts Tool Kit
Grain Direction
Paper Planning
Fortune Teller
Pamphlet with Wrapper Cover
Drum-leaf Binding
Whirlwind Binding
Multi-section Flat-back Case Binding
Tunnel Book Volvelle
Single Sheet folder
Pop-up Map
Long-stitch Binding
Hinged Accordion
Nested Accordion
Slipcase Enclosure
Hexaflexagon
More Book Arts Tools
Edition of 300
NEW EDITION: 80gsm white recycled paper
32 pages
11.5”W x 15”H
Printed by Newspaper Club
©Ellen Knudson, 2021 (first edition)
(Reprints: 2023 and 2025)
Friendly reminder to always be true to yourself and to do what you know is right. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Be classy. Be kind. Be honorable. Don’t do things at the expense of other people. Require the best from others and from yourself. Be forgiving, but don’t accept ill treatment from anyone. Don’t hide your light — let it shine — and only be around people that LOVE your light. In other words — REMEMBER WHO THE HELL YOU ARE.
Letterpress printed from multi-block linoleum cuts. Printed on heavy cotton fabric (duck cloth) and sewn. All inks are heat-set with an iron, but may not stand up to machine washing. Spot wash only if needed.
$50.00 (shipping included)
WE ARE ALL BORN NAKED AND THE REST IS DRAG. — RUPAUL.
I am incredibly angry to be living in a time where politicians are attacking drag, trans people, and really anyone "weird". I AM WEIRD -- We all are, sooner or later. That's the problem with things like this...who is the next target? Because someone is always NEXT.
So yeah, NO! I'm not into this bullsh*t.
I've printed these 12.5 x 18" posters. If you'd like to buy one, I will be donating 100% of the proceeds to the ACLU. They are $30 incl. shipping. Edition of 25.
Letterpress printed on French Paper Company paper from linoleum block and wood block shapes.
Our Florida home garden froze in the January winter of 2023. This is not something that happens often anymore, but when it does we are always surprised at how terrible it looks. However, we also know that it will be better. We must be patient and not cut it all down, but allow it to be ugly and still work to make it healthy again. it occurred to me that this mentality applies to many things in our world right now.
Letterpress printed from laser cut wood blocks in 4 ink colors. The text is set in Franklin Gothic Bold Condensed 72 and 60 point metal types. The paper is French Paper in Arctic White. 13 x 19”. Signed by the artist.
Edition of 20.
Talisman is an artist’s book about the struggle of artistic isolation.
Talisman is an offering in support of artists and creative people that might be feeling alone in the world these days. Since 2016, as an artist (and as a human being) I have found it difficult to feel motivated while the worst traits of humanity have not only surfaced in our country, but are being celebrated. Writers and artists before us have lived through similarly poisonous times and created iconic works despite the tumultuous climate. Talisman is an amulet, a charm to keep with us. The linocut image of the boat-tailed grackle is intended to be a familiar spirit to guide us through rough territory. In times like these, it helps to keep our friends close.
4.625 x 5.75” folded. (12 x 18” flat). Edition of 100. Written, designed, letterpress printed, and bound by Ellen Knudson / Crooked Letter Press. Gainesville, Florida. 2019. The single-sheet book contains three linoleum cut prints. Text is printed from photopolymer plates. Signed and numbered.
Numbers 1–53: Deluxe edition — printed on Okawara paper. Deluxe includes wrapper enclosure made from Cave Paper treated with foil stamp and metal grommets. The book also includes interior pocket “FEAR” and “DOUBT” cards to be used for personal notes.
Numbers 54–100: Standard edition — printed on Mohawk Superfine 80# text paper. Delivered flat with instructions to fold into book structure if desired. Wrapper enclosure and pocket cards are not included with the standard edition.
$100 (standard)
(See Talisman Standard Edition: https://crookedletterpress.com/#/talisman-standard/)
Talisman is an offering in support of artists and creative people that might be feeling alone in the world these days. Since 2016, as an artist (and as a human being) I have found it difficult to feel motivated while the worst traits of humanity have not only surfaced in our country, but are being celebrated. Writers and artists before us have lived through similarly poisonous times and created iconic works despite the tumultuous climate. Talisman is an amulet, a charm to keep with us. The linocut image of the boat-tailed grackle is intended to be a familiar spirit to guide us through rough territory. In times like these, it helps to keep our friends close.
4.625 x 5.75” folded. (12 x 18” flat). Edition of 100. Written, designed, letterpress printed, and bound by Ellen Knudson / Crooked Letter Press. Gainesville, Florida. 2019. The single-sheet book contains three linoleum cut prints. Text is printed from photopolymer plates. Signed and numbered.
Numbers 1–53: Deluxe edition — printed on Okawara paper. Deluxe includes wrapper enclosure made from Cave Paper treated with foil stamp and metal grommets. The book also includes interior pocket “FEAR” and “DOUBT” cards to be used for personal notes.
(See Deluxe edition: https://crookedletterpress.com/#/talisman/)
Numbers 54–100: Standard edition — printed on Mohawk Superfine 80# text paper. Delivered flat with instructions to fold into book structure if desired. Wrapper enclosure and pocket cards are not included with the standard edition.
Ingress / Egress is an artist’s book about ways in which an artist’s books can function.
Ingress / Egress was selected as one of the five finalists for the 2017 Minnesota Center for Book Arts Biennial Prize.
Ingress / Egress is an artist's book that contemplates the design of artists' books. The intent of the piece is to encourage ideation on the theme "books are". The six French-fold books use geometry, visual design, text, and imagery to investigate topics such as "Books Are Architecture" and "Books Are Collections". The French folds are housed in a wrapper & clamshell enclosure. Books are letterpress printed on Japanese mulberry paper from photopolymer plates. The translucency of the mulberry paper produces layers of reading in each book, and the potential interaction of layers amongst the entire suite of books. 6"W x 9"H x 3/4"D
Edition of 50 books.
Ingress / Egress is the 2015 edition in the Artists’ Publication Series from the Ringling College of Art and Design. The book was designed by book artist Ellen Knudson of Crooked Letter Press, Gainesville, Florida. The edition was letterpress printed and produced at the Ringling College Letterpress and Book Arts Center. Special thanks to the Ringling College student assistants that helped with the production and binding stages of the process. The six french-fold structures are printed on Japanese mulberry paper from photopolymer plates by Boxcar Press. The typefaces used are Humanist 521 BT, Spectrum MT, and a typeface named Spindle, drawn by Ellen Knudson. Other materials used are Colorplan papers and Dover book cloth.
This is the digital version of INGRESS / EGRESS, created and designed by Ellen Knudson in 2019. First shown as part of the artist’s keynote address and presentation “In Defense of the Book” at The Symposium on the Book at University of Georgia in March 2019. The fifteen “page” animated book is now available for download at the Crooked Letter Press website:
https://crookedletterpress.com/purchase-books-and-prints/ingress-egress-digital-book
The print edition of INGRESS / EGRESS was selected as one of the five finalists for the 2017 Minnesota Center for Book Arts Biennial Prize.
INGRESS / EGRESS began as the 2015 edition in the Artists’ Publication Series from the Ringling College of Art and Design. The book was designed by book artist Ellen Knudson of Crooked Letter Press, Gainesville, Florida. The print edition was letterpress printed and produced at and with the Ringling College Letterpress and Book Arts Center.
INGRESS / EGRESS is an artist's book that contemplates the design of artists' books. The intent of the piece is to encourage ideation on the theme "books are". The six French-fold books use geometry, visual design, text, and imagery to investigate topics such as "Books Are Architecture" and "Books Are Collections".
© 2015 & 2019, Ellen Knudson.
Print made from linoleum cuts used in the book Rule of Thumb. These thumbs are used on the end sheets of the artist’s book edition. Letterpress printed as reduction linocuts on soft white Colorplan paper. 9”H x 12.5”W
Tea towel made from cotton fabric printed (by Spoonflower) with patterns I created from my drawings in Illustrated Bookmaking. 15”H x 8.75”W (unfolded). More designs coming soon!
SOLD OUT
Typographical prints done for the Cause/Effect print exchange in 2018. Letterpress printed from photopolymer plates. Print One is symmetrical and controlled (how we would like life to be), while Print Two is asymmetrical and chaotic (how life really is). Both prints use the same plates and the same colors in diametric layouts. 7.5”H x 9.75”W.
Blue Bunny print from linoleum cut. Brilliant blue ink on white Mohawk or French paper. 12”H x 15.5”W
Letterpress printed duck cotton sewn into a soft, sculptural pillow. Front side is the blue bunny linocut, printed in royal blue; back side is printed with a vibrant chrome yellow linocut with wood type that reads “BLUE BUNNY” printed in red ink. Ink is set with an iron, but should not put in the wash. Gently spot clean as needed.
Approx. 14”W x 10”H x 4”D
Three-color pochoir (stencil) print of a snarling dog/wolf. Printed from mylar stencils using stamp inks and stencil brushes. Choice of 3 different paper colors: red, gray, or yellow. 9.75”H x 12”W
Linoleum block print of the iconic, relatable, and beloved country singer/songwriter, Dolly Parton. The print was created for the exhibition Dolly: P/N 35 National Juried Art Exhibition at East Tennessee State University (February 18–March 13, 2020). 12” x 18”. Printed on Colorplan paper.
Edition of 22.
Signed and numbered on the back of the print.
$50 (unframed)
Letterpress printed linoleum cuts and handset metal types on Okawara paper. Edition of 20.
10 x 15”
$50.00
Enough is Enough!
On February 14, 2018, a messed up kid went to his old high school in Parkland, FL, and shot a bunch of people, killing 17 students and teachers. He used an AR-15 semiautomatic assault weapon capable of shooting 30+ rounds per minute. Those rounds have the energy and velocity to decimate internal organs. He legally purchased the weapon.
Easy access to assault weapons like these needs to stop.
We all know the lists of tragedies.
Enough is Enough — it’s way more than enough at this point.
As artists and printers, we created this print exchange to visually address the issue of gun violence, the sale of assault weapons in the United States, and the devastation and fear the problem has brought upon the citizens of this country.
Ellen Knudson of Crooked Letter Press, Gainesville, FL and Lisa Beth Robinson of Somnambulist Tango Press, Greenville, NC organized this print portfolio collaboration to benefit Everytown for Gun Safety.
Printers:
Hannah Batsel
Mare Blocker — The MKimberly Press
Denise Bookwalter — Small Craft Advisory Press
Brian Borchardt & Jeffrey Morin — Seven Hills Press & Sailor Boy Press
Mary C. Bruno — Bruno Press
Dan Elliott — Pieces of Craft
Bridget Elmer — Flatbed Splendor Press
Jarred Elrod — Jet Pilot Designs
Caren Heft — Arcadian Press
Josh Hockensmith — Blue Bluer Books
Andrew Huot — Big River Bindery
Molly Kempson — Spotty Boy Press
Ellen Knudson — Crooked Letter Press
Craig Malmrose — Trade Union Press
Emily Martin — Naughty Dog Press
Penny McElroy — Five & Dime Press
Jessica Peterson — Paper Souvenir Press
Lisa Beth Robinson — Somnambulist Tango Press
Jessica Spring — Springtide Press
Ashley Taylor
Emily Tipps — High5 Press
Eileen Wallace — Mile Wide Press
Special thanks go to: Myda Iamiceli who helped Ellen Knudson construct the portfolios for the prints, and Emily Brooks for helping Ellen Knudson collate and organize the print sets.
A special thanks to the generosity of Vicky and Bill Stewart at Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers, LLC, who are also handling sales of the print portfolio. http://www.vampandtramp.com.
22 Prints are each 11 x 14”. Printed with various techniques (letterpress, linoleum prints, screenprints, etc.)
Portfolio is approx. 11.5 x 14.5” x 0.5”
Edition of 47
$500.00
(Proceeds donated to Everytown for Gun Safety)
SOLD OUT
Safety is Not Promised is a maze book addressing the unsophisticated views we, as Americans, hold regarding the abundance of guns in this country. When there are more guns, bigger guns, there is more death, bigger death. We have a problem and we are doing nothing to correct it. Printed as part of the Enough Is Enough Print Exchange done in reaction to the AR-15 gun massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Letterpress printed from photopolymer plates. 8 colors. Designed, written, and produced by Ellen Knudson, Crooked Letter Press, Gainesville, Florida. 2018. Single sheet accordion structure in slipcase enclosure.
Edition of 30 (available as books)
Full edition: 90
SOLD OUT
(Proceeds benefit Everytown for Gun Safety and Sandy Hook Promise)
Print for the Enough Is Enough Print Exchange.
2-sided print. Sold flat (11 x 14”)
Safety is Not Promised is a maze book and print addressing the unsophisticated views we, as Americans, hold regarding the abundance of guns in this country. When there are more guns, bigger guns, there is more death, bigger death. We have a problem and we are doing nothing to correct it. Printed as part of the Enough Is Enough Print Exchange done in reaction to the AR-15 gun massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Letterpress printed from photopolymer plates.
The print also operates and is available as a single-sheet book in a slipcase.
Edition of 10 (available as prints)
Full edition: 90
$40.00 + S&H
Split Fountain letterpress prints from wood and metal types. Quotes from Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter series.
1. Anguish — 14” x 20” 2 colors on Frost White from French Paper Co.
2. Youth — 12” x 16” 2 colors on Frost White from French Paper Co.
$20.00
Intrusion is an artist’s book about the effects of human life on the natural world.
Intrusion is featured in the CODEX 2022 Materialia Lumina publication and accompanying exhibition, with an essay written by Sandra Kroupa. Intrusion was awarded the Jacque Mielke Award at the Bibliophoria V exhibition at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 2018. (Juried by Macy Chadwick.)
Intrusion is a modern bestiary that illustrates the conjured effects of human encroachment on nature and wildlife. These contemporary beasts are the amalgamation of animal bodies and environmental abuses — the illustrated outcomes of the human excesses of plastic bottles and bags, the unrestrained consumption of goods and the inordinate amount of garbage it creates, the imprudent disposal of decor and furniture, the overuse of water and the naive assumption that water is forever guaranteed, and the evolution of disease that is the consequence of carelessness.
We might not be able to change what has been done, but we can act to prevent more deterioration of our environment. The viruses are going to keep growing; the ocean is going to keep coming. They don’t care. It’s our own lives we save — or not.
11-1/2”h x 7.25”w x 1/2”d. Letterpress printed on Okawara mulberry paper. Accordion binding, 12 tri-paneled pages. Foil stamped title on spine and label. Slipcase enclosure with foil-stamped label. Canson Ingres endsheets and pastedown. Dubletta and Duo book cloth on all enclosures.
Edition of 35 books. Text from various online sources as cited and credited to each author. Other text written by the artist. Letterpress printed on Okawara mulberry paper from woodcuts on baltic birch plywood, handset types, and photopolymer plates. Poetic verses on the reverse side are written by the artist’s son, Gus. Accordion binding by the artist with helpful conversations from Anna Embree. Designed, written, and printed by Ellen Knudson (Crooked Letter Press) in Gainesville Florida. © Ellen Knudson 2017
$900.00 (standard edition)
SOLD OUT
The deluxe edition of Intrusion includes a copy of the book and slipcase, and a portfolio of the prints from the book. The portfolio is 12”H x 14”W x 1/2”D. The book and the portfolio are housed in a shelve-able bristol card wrapper. © Ellen Knudson 2017
$1,500.00 (deluxe edition)
SOLD OUT
Prints from the artist’s book “Intrusion”. Printed letterpress from hand-carved woodblocks and wood and metal types. Printed on Okawara paper. Please be aware, some of the prints are two-sided. Size: 12” x 23”
Prices vary
(see the Purchase Books and Prints page)
Two-sided print from the artist’s book “Intrusion”. Printed letterpress from hand-carved woodblocks and wood, metal, and polymer types. Printed on Okawara paper. Size: 12” x 23” (prints have fold creases).
$100.00
The print portfolio from the artist's book, Intrusion, contains the ten woodcut animal images from the book. The woodcuts are letterpress printed in black ink on Okawara paper. Each print measures 14" x 11.5".
© Ellen Knudson 2017
Edition of 5 sets.
$500.00
Made Up is a non-scientific science book about the imaginary cellular composition of the human body. Fourteen cells are illustrated:
Anger, Curiosity, Failure, Fear, Jealousy, Joy, Knowledge, Location, Love, The Past, Success, Talent, Trust, Work.
The cell images are vibrant multi-block and reduction linoleum prints with a diagram explaining how each cell operates. The text is playfully pseudo-scientific and presents theories about the attributes that "make up" a person.
The inspiration for Made Up stems from a general fascination with how things are constructed. I often think about how people are similar and how we are different, and wonder how those similarities and differences occur. I had been drawing cells in my sketchbook and formed the idea of imaginary, emotional cellular structures that might "make up" a person. I listed fourteen types of cells (Anger, Curiosity, etc.) and wrote text for each cell using indirectly scientific language. To further support the pseudo-scientific nature of the books' content, I used a non-digital form of image creation for the cells — multi-block linoleum cuts.
The typefaces used are Spectrum and Franklin Gothic Condensed printed from photo-polymer plates. The cell images are multi-block and reduction linoleum prints. The book is printed on Mohawk 100# text weight paper. The structure is a drum-leaf binding with foldouts in a clamshell enclosure. 12.25"H x 6"W x 1"D.
Written, designed, and letterpress printed by Ellen Knudson / Crooked Letter Press, Gainesville, Florida. 2014/2015.
$800.00
The Deluxe edition of Made Up is a large clamshell box that contains 14 unfolded prints from the book and a copy of the book. The color multiple block linoleum prints of imaginary cellular structures are featured without text in their pure, vibrant glory. The Deluxe edition is limited to 5 copies, numbers 1 through 5. The box is 19"H x 14"H x 2.5"D. Each box has a window that features a detail from a selected print. Each of the five Deluxe copies have a different print in the window. (Print shown is the cell entitled "The Past".)
SOLD OUT
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Made Up is a non-scientific science book about the imaginary cellular composition of the human body. Fourteen cells are illustrated: Anger, Curiosity, Failure, Fear, Jealousy, Joy, Knowledge, Location, Love, The Past, Success, Talent, Trust, Work. The cell images are vibrant multi-block and reduction linoleum prints with a diagram explaining how each cell operates. The text is playfully pseudo-scientific and presents theories about the attributes that “make up” a person.
American Breeding Standards explores the systemized rules about what comprises a good or bad horse, a good or bad woman — and the steps one might take to achieve the breed standard.
American Breeding Standards is designed and letterpress printed on Zerkall Book by Ellen Knudson, Crooked Letter Press. Images and text printed from photo-polymer plates and handset metal types. The binding structure is an exposed spine sewn on Cave Paper tapes and attached to paste paper covered boards. The book was produced in 2012–2013 and printed by the artist in Gainesville, Florida. Text excerpted from American Horses and Horse Breeding (John Dimon, 1895) and Canine Breeding Standards of the German Shepherd (American Kennel Club, 2012). Other text and illustrations by the artist.
The cover of the book has a hinged pop-up that folds out. The interior of the book contains 3 foldout pages.
Edition of 60.
$475.00
SOLD OUT
2013
Letterpress print from the artist’s book American Breeding Standards. Printed from photopolymer plates and metal types. This is a print from the book with printing on both sides of the paper.
Size: 9.5” x 18”
$100.00
Letterpress print from the artist’s book American Breeding Standards. Printed from photopolymer plates and metal types. This is a print from the book with printing on both sides of the paper.
Size: 9.5” x 18”
$100.00
Print related to the artist’s book American Breeding Standards. Color palette used is different from the finished artist’s book, but letterpress printed from the same photopolymer plates used in the book.
Size: 8” x 10”
$20.00
Letterpress print from the artist’s book American Breeding Standards. Printed from photopolymer plates and metal types. This is a print from the book with printing on both sides of the paper.
Size: 9.5” x 18”
$100
Subject / Verb / Object is a word game that grew from a need to process feelings of anger. The game has no beginning, no end, and no way to win. The turning, fitting, and order of words can lead to clarity or confusion. The reader plays with language and considers some of the options about what we all want, need, and have.
The concept behind the book stems from the frustration and anger I feel towards art criticism and other academic writing. Academic language seems intended to control its audience, exclude "outsiders", and is not meant to clarify the subject for a reader. It takes the beauty and passion out of language and, in turn, out of people. Subject/Verb/Object pokes at this idea by doing something similar: it uses simplistic language and structure to force the reader to attempt a visual organization of the things we cannot put in order: our desires.
The entire book was letterpress printed on a Vandercook Universal I from a combination of handset metal types and photopolymer plates. Handset body text is Stymie Medium and Bold 12 pt. Larger type is a combination of various display metal types. Volvelle, interior sleeve, and belly band are all printed on Murillo paper. The exterior sleeve is covered in Iris book cloth in Coffee. Metal brad binds the volvelle. Metal grommets on other portions of the the sleeve.
Closed sleeve: 13”W x 13”H x 0.25”thick
Volvelle: 12” diameter
Edition of 85 books.
$250.00
2012
Letterpress print from the artist’s book Subject Verb Object. Printed from photopolymer plates onto cover-weight Kraft paper.
Size: 14” x 20”
$20.00
From the Prologue: "I only recently left North Carolina, having lived in both Carolinas my entire life. It seems ludicrous now, but I somehow thought I was a city girl, that I cared nothing about quiet, warmth, trees, and the absence of crowds — all of the things a city lacks. North Carolina kept its arms around me for so long I began to hate its comfort. I struggled against it and like a good parent it let me go, knowing all along I would miss it. It bided its time, doing what it does and let the longing build in me. The realization of what I’d lost crept up on me, caught me off guard like steam after a cool rain. These are the details, the myths and the handwriting on the wall — the how and why it wriggled its way into my heart. (The text above was written in 1998. It is all still true, except that we left North Carolina fourteen years ago.)"
The type is handset in Palatino 10pt, 18pt and 42pt and Harold Berliner's Lutetia Italic. The color illustrations began as colored pencil drawings and later became magnesium plates which were four-color process printed on the letterpress. The line drawings are from the Webster’s Dictionary circa 1950. The entire book was letterpress printed on a Vandercook Universal I. Each book is built with 75 passes through the press. The book block is composed of Rives BFK (beefcake) and my handmade Philippine Gampi. The binding is a stab binding cased into a hard cover/soft spine structure, and enclosed in a handmade slip case.
Edition of 50 books.
$450.00
2010
Wild Girls Redux: An Operator's Manual is the revisit of a book created almost 12 years ago. The original book, How to Become One of the Original Wild Girls, was designed and printed in 1997. That book is a playful list of imaginary "rules" that "should" be followed to achieve Wild Girl status. The rules are light-hearted, but they have the sting of recognition that most women realize to be sexist in nature. Wild Girls Redux reexamines these issues, using motorcycle road and driving rules as text along with images of pin-up girls and industrial schematic illustrations. The tactile materials of the book include pink heart paper doilies, white doily placemats, flocked paper covers, and green office ledger papers. The intent of the "Operator's Manual" is tongue-in-cheek and provides the ordinary, mechanical, and absurd rules of how to operate women.
All parts of the book are designed and letterpress printed from photo-polymer plates by Ellen Knudson, Crooked Letter Press. 2009. Text adapted from the Missouri Department of Revenue Motorcycle Operator Manual. Typefaces are Blue Highway, French Cursive, and Cooper Black. Paper is Indian Sunn Hemp Contemporary. Cover is flocked paper in maroon. Binding is an accordion portfolio cover with two pamphlet structures sewn in. Lining paper is Hahnemühle Bugra in Fawn. Each book comes with with a set of stickers, kept inside a yellow office mailing envelope decorated with a wrap-around belly band.
Edition of 100. Signed by the artist.
$250.00
This book is a collection of
poems written by Leah Eisenbeis. She wrote the poems in 2001 as part of
her final project for her degree in English from The University of
Minnesota. Leah and I met and became friends as we were students in the
University of Alabama Book Arts Program. I wanted to print the poems
because they are so unaffected, honest, and beautiful. Just like my
friend Leah. The illustrations throughout the book are done in reaction
to her poems. The collages of animals, plants, and birds are letterpress
printed from linoleum cuts that I produced. In addition to the poems, I
decided to include the text of a few emails that Leah and I exchanged.
Written by Leah Lintner Eisenbeis. Designed and illustrated by Ellen
Knudson. Typeset in Bembo and Incognito types letterpress printed from
photopolymer plates on Hahnemuhle Biblio paper. The two large fold-outs
in each book are printed on Kitakata. The binding is french-sewn and
bound in a full-cloth, built-in groove, flat-back case. Each copy of the
book is contained in a handmade clamshell box. The cloth for both the
book and box is decorated with stitching done on my Janome sewing
machine. 4.75” x 6.5”, 60 pages with map-style foldouts.
Edition of 75
Signed by the author and illustrator. $325.
2007
What good is art? Why do it? These are questions I think about often. I worry about them, and then I proceed to make art anyway! The quote is from Oscar Wilde. It is the first part of a letter he sent to an acquaintance addressing the question of the uselessness of art. The image represents what might be the cellular form of "uselessness". This print is the initial trial for a larger book project titled "Made Up" about the imagined cellular composition of the human body. The production of the book is in progress, to be completed in summer 2015.
This broadside print is a reduction linocut in six colors letterpress printed from multiple blocks. The text is printed from handset metal types. Printed on a variety of papers (Mohawk Superfine 100# text, Cordenons Text, Somerset Velvet Cover, and Lettra Text). Designed and printed by Ellen Knudson / Crooked Letter Press. May 2014. 12" x 17".
Edition of 24.
$40.00
The process once used for printing everything from literature to newspapers is now used for printing as an art form and craft. The type high object in the bed of the press — whether it's type, linoleum, wood block, or photopolymer plate — is impressed into and becomes part of the paper on which it's printed. The possibilities of words combined with images are endless. Different types of letterpress printers include fine press printers, (traditional books and poetry chapbooks), job printers (invitations, announcements) and book artists (books and flat art pieces, combined with other art and printing processes). Crooked Letter Press produces letterpress books in the realm of book arts, with a focus on high craft and quality printing in the tradition of fine press printing.
Setting type
Setting metal or wood type by hand is the way type was set before the advent of photographic reproduction or computers. Type comes in a variety of typeface styles and sizes. In a font of type, each letter of the alphabet, (plus other characters, figures, & ligatures) is set on top of a piece of metal of a specific height (.918", or type high.) The letters are selected from the type drawer, one by one, and set side by side to form words and sentences. Spacing material sized shorter than the type is placed between words for wordspacing, and pieces of leading are placed beneath each finished line of set type for line spacing. The lines must be set firmly in the composing stick so they can be removed without falling apart, tied together into a form, and moved into the bed of the press for letterpress printing.
Mixing Ink
Using a Pantone mixing guide, any ink color can be mixed from a standard collection of basic ink colors — either rubber-based or oil-based ink.
For two years I traveled the road between Starkville, Mississippi and Tuscaloosa, Alabama while I attended graduate school. This book is a collection of visual and textual vignettes in reflection of that trip; little pieces of the scenery and of my thoughts during that drive.
The paper is 100% cotton rag, handmade from my family's clothes. The six large illustrations are linoleum reduction prints, the other illustrations are line art drawings printed from photopolymer plates. The type is handset in multiple sizes of Lutetia metal types, cast by Harold Berliner. The book is bound in a built-in groove case in a dos-a-dos style binding. 4" x 6", 56 pages with two illustrated fold-outs.
The six linoleum prints are also available as a set of prints in a handmade portfolio. The prints are only available as a set with the book. Edition of 15 sets of prints.
Edition of 50 books, signed.
$250.00 (book only)
$385.00 (book and portfolio set)
2005/2006
Photo by Jerry Mathiason
This broadside is a poem that reads:
"The thing that puts me in my place is clover on the roadside.
The thing that puts me in pieces is you in the morning." Handset in wood
type, Cooper Black, and Lutetia metal types, with imagery printed from
photopolymer plates. Printed on Bugra Hahnemuhle paper. 9" x 12".
Edition of 40.
$20.00
Paper can be made in many different ways and from many different fibers. When making paper from clothes or rag, the fabric is cut into small pieces, soaked, then put into a large beater and beaten until it is a usable pulp. The pulp is added to a large vat of water and a mould and deckle is dipped into the vat. Fibers are gathered on the mould screen and lifted out of the water. The paper is couched (kooched) off of the screen onto felts. The steps are repeated until there is a 10 to 20 sheet post of paper to be pressed. The press squeezes water out of the paper and the papers are parted, placed on dry felts, and pressed again. The paper is parted again and stacked onto blotters, under weight, for further drying.
Photos of Papermaking class, University of Alabama
Book Arts Program,
Spring 2005
When I swim, thoughts come and go, flowing like the water. How Swimming Saved My Life is a book about my experience of swimming as exercise and as a release from the stresses of life. “My fury makes me a bad person and the one thing that saves me from being a monster is swimming. Water is one of the few places where I am graceful.”
Designed, written, and illustrated by Ellen Knudson. Handset in Goudy Old Style #394 and Melior types. Printed letterpress on Somerset Book heavyweight paper. The binding is pamphlet-sewn with covers of handmade Indian Khadi paper. Each copy of the book contains an original gelatin plate monoprint and two multiple-color reductions printed from linoleum blocks. 6.625” x 9.5”, 12 pages with foldouts.
Edition of 45, signed.
SOLD OUT
2005
The range of options is broad for structure, style, and complexity in bookbinding. The binding of a book depends greatly upon the contents of a book. The steps involved in making a book depend somewhat on the style of binding being executed. In most cases the steps proceed something like this:
1. Trim book block and end sheet papers to correct size.
2. Fold folios (single sheets) into a section (group of folded sheets) using a bonefolder for crisp folds.
3. Press the folded sections between boards in a nipping press.
4. Using a punching jig, punching trough, and awl, punch holes
through the sections to prepare for sewing. The type of sewing depends
on the style of book being made.
5. Sew the book. If the book is a non-adhesive structure, (and the covers have been made) no further steps are taken.
6. Prepare the spine of the book. This involves many possible
combinations of straightening, rounding, backing, gluing, and adhering
of spine linings.
7. Make the case of the book. Cut boards to size, make spine
stiffener, cut cover and spine covering materials, glue all pieces of
case together.
8. Case in the book. Position the book in the case and glue up
end sheets one at a time. Press book firmly in nipping press and allow
to dry under light weight.
How to Love Someone Forever is a collection of poems written by Kevin Knudson (my husband) and myself for one another and for our son.We are always working on how to love each other, Kevin, Gus, and I, so this is a hint of the grand gooey mess that is us. The weed illustrations further reflect the tangle of our relationships, lovely and difficult as they are. The illustrations are line drawings of weeds printed from photopolymer plates. The book is about the every day of relationships and finding beauty in them when they can be taken for granted and so easily go unnoticed, much like weeds. Handset and printed in Goudy Old Style 394 and Caslon metal types. Letterpress printed on dampened Hahnemuhle Bugra papers in mint and marble gray. The book is double-pamphlet sewn and set in a built-in groove case binding. The paste paper covers are handmade on mint Bugra. Printed by Ellen Knudson / Crooked Letter Press in Starkville, Mississippi on the badass Vandercook Universal 1 proofing press. September—October 2004.
The poem Valentine Sestina (the large fold-out in the book) is available as a separate broadside. The broadside poem is a sestina written by Kevin Knudson with illustrations by Ellen Knudson. Sizes: book: 6” x 8”, 34 pages with fold-out; Broadside: 8” x 17¾”.
Edition of 50 books and 50 broadsides.
$170.00 (book and broadside)
$125.00 (book only)
2004
This book is a visual and verbal stream-of-consciousness about my life since having my son. It is not meant to be read to get from the beginning to the end. It is meant to be read like the mind before falling asleep — very loose, without a start or finish. The illustrations are calligraphic drawings done as linoleum reduction prints. The drawings are not meant to be read as words or to make normal “sense”. The letters are to function as forms and not as words. The text is handset in 18 pt. Spartan and 24 pt. Melior Bold metal types. The illustrations are calligraphic drawings transferred to linoleum and letterpress printed in three colors by reduction. The paper is Rives lightweight in natural white. The binding is a single section built-in groove case binding with handmade paste paper covers.
Edition of 35.
$65.00
2004
This book is about me and my two sisters and the figurative houses we live in: the Brick House, the Haunted House, and the Restored House. The title Triumvirate refers to the ruling powers of three people. The choice of type, illustration, and colors (gold, red, black) are a reference to the royal figures on a deck — or house — of cards. The text is handset in 16, 12, and 10 pt. Bembo and 36 pt. Homewood metal types. The illustrations are line drawings printed from photopolymer plates. The binding is a french-fold pamphlet. The papers are Hahnemuhle Bugra in Chamois and Brick.
Edition of 35
$30.00
2003
Wild Girls (Betty Book)
This book is inspired by the images of Betty Page. The text is a list of instructions on How to Become One of the Original Wild Girls. These are my ideas of things one can do to become a strong woman and also get what you want. It’s the truth and lies at the same time. I don’t know if they work, but they sound great. The text is set in Goudy, Futura, and wood display types. The paper is Rives in natural white.
Edition of 12.
Out of Print
Linocut reduction and type
Inspired by my 4 year-old niece's "inside only" drawings on a sheet of folded paper, I thought how true that is, that all the good stuff is on the inside. The feathers and bubbles linocut is printed in three colors (metallic silver, split fount yellow and magenta, and warm red). The typography is printed in dark purple from dissected photopolymer plates. The arrow numbers are printed in warm red from metal types.
The prints are letterpress printed onto the pages of a deconstructed math text book.
POEM BY CATHERINE PIERCE
Love Poem to America by Catherine Pierce, 2002. First published in the book Famous Last Words (Saturnalia, 2008). Designed, typeset, and letterpress printed by Ellen Knudson, Crooked Letter Press. Printed from photopolymer plates on French Speckletone Kraft cover. March 2010.
14 x 24"
Edition of 60.
$25.00
Printed from the plates for the book "Wild Girls Redux: An Operator's Manual". Six ink colors; many, many runs through the press. Each print is slightly different, but generally the same. Edition of 25.
10 " x 18"
$50.00
Single-sided print of the Wild Girls Redux book cover. Two-colors; black and fluorescent orange. Printed on flocked paper
5.75" x 9.5"
$10.00
Images and text from the Wild Girls Redux book. Three-colors; black, burgundy, and fluorescent orange. Printed on office ledger book paper.
16 " x 5.5"
$25.00
Printed from collagraph, linoleum reduction, photopolyer plates, and handset metal and wood types. Edition of 50, letterpress printed on Rives BFK.
20 " x 14"
$50.00
These four “Made Machine” prints are printed on Kitakata mulberry paper. They are one-of-a-kind mono-prints printed from linocut plates and stencils. The images juxtapose feathers and mechanical gears.
Sets of 5 letterpress printed note cards or postcards.
1. Joy — set of 5 4x6” notecards (blank inside) with 5 A6 envelopes
2. Life is Full of Little Surprises — set of 5 3x5” notecards (blank inside) with 5 A6 envelopes. Pink paper is handmade by the artist from cotton fiber.
3. Thank You — set of 5 4x6” notecards (blank inside) with 5 A6 envelopes.
4. You Are Everything, and Everything is You — set of 5 4x6” flat postcards (blank on reverse) with 5 A6 envelopes.
Envelope are the all A6: 4.5” x 6.5”.
$20.00 each set.
Letterpress printed collograph and pressure print. Edition of 15.
7.5" x 11"
$10.00
The poem was written after a trip to the Birmingham, Alabama Botanical Gardens. The ghost cactus is a real plant and the poem was written as of word play comparing aspects of a cactus to behaviors of a person. The illustration is a linoleum reduction print of the cactus printed in three colors. The text is Dante 14 pt. roman, 10 pt. roman and italic handset metal types. The paper is Rives in natural white. The poem and illustration are by Ellen Knudson.
Edition of 45.
$40.00
Linoleum reduction block print inspired by a Lucienne Day textile design. The text is 18 pt. Melior Bold and 10 pt. Palatino handset metal types. The text says (in French) “This is not a bird from “The Partridge Family.” There are two typographical errors in the translation, which were noticed after printing the title. So I decided to acknowledge them with the subtitle. The heavier text is better balanced by the lighter capitals, which also function as an extention of the texture in the illustration.
Edition of 35.
$20.00
Variety of metal type, handset and letterpress printed. Brown ink on
colored papers (see paper colors below; check for availability.)
6.5" x 10"
Edition of 25
$20.00
Collector Prints
Letterpress printed from handset wood and
metal types, and linoleum block on various papers. Edition of
20. (4 on white, 8 on brown, 6 pale green, 2 printed on 3/16" chipboard)
White and brown papers shown left.
6.25" x 9"
$10.00
