Welcome to Unseen Sketchbooks

Unseen Sketchbooks are a UK based bespoke publishing house producing limited edition books with designers, illustrators and artists. Each limited edition publication will focus on the work of a designer, artist or musician and looks at creating new and unseen work from their archives. The editions are all short print runs and often involve special print techniques and covers.

Have you got an archive?

We are interested in hearing from other designers, artists and musicians who have an archive they would like to explore.

Where the sun falls to the ground by Emilia Dragosz

Warsaw based artist Emilia Dragosz graduated from the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Through her work she attempts to connect to a more spiritual state and explores the relationship of spiritual states. Her realistic paintings, using traditional oil painting techniques on cotton or linen canvases, always start with a photograph. Where the sun falls to the ground explores this relationship.

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UNS Where the sun falls to the ground Emila Dragosz Poland
David Shillinglaw

Everything starts in a sketchbook
by David Shillinglaw

Our tenth publication explores the work of UK artist David Shillinglaw. The very personal nature of David’s sketchbooks reveal of the sketchbook isn’t just a place to doodle, but a place to develop and nurture ideas.

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Rhythm & Trace by Benoît Sjöholm

Our ninth book is Rhythm & Trace by French artist Benoît Sjöholm. This publication presents the work of Benoît through a visual tour of his sketchbooks and finished works. The emphasis is on the rhythm and pattern of his works and the traces they leave behind.

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9: Rhythm & Trace by Benoit Sjöholm

SIX/SEIS by Jesús Cisneros

Exploring the sketchbooks of Jesús Cisneros. We have been working Jesús Cisneros on a new book exploring his sketchbooks. The book is broken into six sections, themes, series, memory, exploration, accidents and fiction. The book contains an interview with the Spanish illustrator in both English and Spanish.

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Edition 7: Jesús Cisneros sketchbook

CHAOS/PATTERN

This book looks into the sketchbooks of Ed Merlin Murray. Limited edition lay flat bound and taped edge book with screen printed cover.

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Edition 5 Chaos Pattern Ed Merlin Murray
Erik Kessels Let's get shitfaced, it's free

Let’s get shitfaced, it’s free by Erik Kessels

EDITION 3 is Let’s get shitfaced, it’s free. by Dutch designer and artist Erik Kessels. Kessels collated a series of images as a form of digital sketchbook which have been interpreted into a new book by designer and Unseen Sketchbooks collaborator Chris Bigg.

 
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Skotchbook

Skotchbook by Jim Stoten, a selection of pages from his personal sketchbooks, which he keeps in his coat pocket at all times and has done for the last 10-15 years. Jim draws it in every day.

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Skotchbook by Jim Stoten
Unseen Sketchbooks Edition 1 deluxe wrapper

Analogue Process by Chris Bigg

EDITION 1 is Analogue Process focused on the designer Chris Bigg who is known for his work for Record Label 4AD including recently working on The Breeders artwork and videos.

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Artist Designed T-Shirts

Our T-Shirt Collection is a collection of hand screen printed unique artist designed t-shirts, modelled by the artists themselves.

All our t-shirts are climate neutral made from 100% combed organic cotton which is incredibly soft next to the skin.

Manufactured using purely renewable energy from wind and solar power.

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Dana Gusman t-shirt leaf
Busy day yesterday working on the George Hardie book. The book contains several foil blocked items and I wanted to recreate these myself. . I’ve never done foil blocking myself but it it actually a really satisfying process. Like most of these skills it probably takes years to master, but for what I was doing it was fairly straight forward to get up and running. . In simple terms you make a die, I used Metallic Elephant for this @hot_foil The die is then set in a printing chase and secured with furniture and tightened with quoins. It is the simply heated and pressed. The main controls then are pressure and heat. With different stocks and fouls requiring different settings. Too much heat and pressure and the print splays, too little and the foil didn’t adhere. . And yes, burnt my fingers several times. . Follow at: @georgehardiearchive . Edition of 99 at: www.georgehardie.co.uk . . . #georgehardie #georgehardiearchive #manual #hands #handmade #handprinted #hotfoil #hotfoilstamping #hotfoilprinting #hotfoilstampingmachine #hotfoiled #bookmaking #designprocess #howtomakeabook #bookart #artistsbook #bookstagram #rarebooks
Busy day yesterday working on the George Hardie book. The book contains several foil blocked items and I wanted to recreate these myself. . I’ve never done foil blocking myself but it it actually a really satisfying process. Like most of these skills it probably takes years to master, but for what I was doing it was fairly straight forward to get up and running. . In simple terms you make a die, I used Metallic Elephant for this @hot_foil The die is then set in a printing chase and secured with furniture and tightened with quoins. It is the simply heated and pressed. The main controls then are pressure and heat. With different stocks and fouls requiring different settings. Too much heat and pressure and the print splays, too little and the foil didn’t adhere. . And yes, burnt my fingers several times. . Follow at: @georgehardiearchive . Edition of 99 at: www.georgehardie.co.uk . . . #georgehardie #georgehardiearchive #manual #hands #handmade #handprinted #hotfoil #hotfoilstamping #hotfoilprinting #hotfoilstampingmachine #hotfoiled #bookmaking #designprocess #howtomakeabook #bookart #artistsbook #bookstagram #rarebooks
Screen printed poster. . . . #icographica #100k #jump #noise #locust
Screen printed poster. . . . #icographica #100k #jump #noise #locust
Cutter for paper and sandpaper elements in the ‘Manual’ book with George Hardie. . Hidden beneath the outer rubber coating is a blade. Will be cutting some elements next week. . www.georgehardie.co.uk @georgehardiearchive . #hands #manual #georgehardie #georgehadiearchive #handmade #handmadewithlove #hand #handprinted #handmadebooks #handmadebook
Cutter for paper and sandpaper elements in the ‘Manual’ book with George Hardie. . Hidden beneath the outer rubber coating is a blade. Will be cutting some elements next week. . www.georgehardie.co.uk @georgehardiearchive . #hands #manual #georgehardie #georgehadiearchive #handmade #handmadewithlove #hand #handprinted #handmadebooks #handmadebook
Blah, blah, blah . Strike sheet . #blahblahblah
Blah, blah, blah . Strike sheet . #blahblahblah
I’ve been working with George Hardie on a new project. . Website www.georgehardie.co.uk . Please follow @georgehardiearchive for progress on the book. Film here is one of the many items in the book. . #georgehardie #nta #artistsoninstagram #artistbook #artistsbooks #selfpublish #selfpublishing #artbook
Some footage of Chris Hunt @tonesdronesgrids in the print room at Brighton Uni. Had the pleasure of working with Chris on lots of protects over the past year and a half or so. Books and prints with @chrisbigg_design @xpatrickthomas @e.merlinmurray and most recently @jesus.cisneros.ilustrador . Have really appreciated his patience with me, as a complete amateur compared to what he does. . Not only am I pretty poor at screen printing, but I’m equally bad at making films. That said, what I was trying to capture here was the care and consideration Chris has before going into full scale production mode. . #screenprinting #screenprint #printinglife #screenprintinglife #printstudio #peopleofprint #ink #inked #graphicdesign #graphicdesigner #graphicdesignblog
End of day printing on @xpatrickthomas project. . #printisnotdead #grungetypography #grungetype #grungetypeofday #distressedtypography #distressedtypeface #distressedfont #messuptype #messeduptype #typegrunge #typefacelogo #letteringart #letteringchallenge #letteringdesign #typespecimen #typeinspiration #typeinspired #typebeats #typographicdesign
End of day printing on @xpatrickthomas project. . #printisnotdead #grungetypography #grungetype #grungetypeofday #distressedtypography #distressedtypeface #distressedfont #messuptype #messeduptype #typegrunge #typefacelogo #letteringart #letteringchallenge #letteringdesign #typespecimen #typeinspiration #typeinspired #typebeats #typographicdesign
Some shots from the print room . Rainy day in Brighton today, but bright colours going down. @jesus.cisneros.ilustrador print coming together. Am loving this @gfsmithpapers Gmund stock. . #gfsmith #gfsmithpapers #gmund #screenprint #screenprintstudio #screenprintinglife #screenprintinglove #designstudio #printworkshop #printisnotdead #jesuscisneros #spanishartist
Printing up some new thank you 🙏notes that go out with book orders. Here is a little bit of Colin Brignall’s Aachen typeface for Letraset 1969. One of my favourites. . . #colinbrignall #aachen #aachenfont #font #typedesign #typography #typestyle #typedesigner #graphicdesign #screenprinting #thankyou #thankyoucard #1969
Printing up some new thank you 🙏notes that go out with book orders. Here is a little bit of Colin Brignall’s Aachen typeface for Letraset 1969. One of my favourites. . . #colinbrignall #aachen #aachenfont #font #typedesign #typography #typestyle #typedesigner #graphicdesign #screenprinting #thankyou #thankyoucard #1969
Work in progress on a type scale I’ve been developing. I’ve always been interested in numbers. Even though I have a form of dyscalculia I have always found the systems and patterns make sense. . Graphic designers have that added complication of multiple forms of measurement. Paper comes in inches or centimetres, while type is set in points. Add into the equation absolute measurements like paper sizes and relative measurements like EM and EN sand it quickly becomes apparent why type setting is so tricky. I’m working on a scale using Fibonacci sequences, points, mm’s and standard computer sizes. . Going to be a four colour screen print onto a semi transparent material. . I ran a workshop using an old Caxton scale I had when at uni and loved it. . It’s all about numbers. . #typetype #typestyle #logodesigner #logotype #fibonacci #typescale #caxton #logoinspirations #typesetting #brandingidentity #typefacedesigner #typesizefinder #fibonacci #branddesign #typographyinspired #typographydesign #typedesign #packagingdesign #typesizefinder #fontstyle #graphicsdesign #graphicdesigning #designcommunity #designsystems #designinspiration #typefaceoftheday #fibonacci #peopleofprint #fibonaccispiral #typesequence
Work in progress on a type scale I’ve been developing. I’ve always been interested in numbers. Even though I have a form of dyscalculia I have always found the systems and patterns make sense. . Graphic designers have that added complication of multiple forms of measurement. Paper comes in inches or centimetres, while type is set in points. Add into the equation absolute measurements like paper sizes and relative measurements like EM and EN sand it quickly becomes apparent why type setting is so tricky. I’m working on a scale using Fibonacci sequences, points, mm’s and standard computer sizes. . Going to be a four colour screen print onto a semi transparent material. . I ran a workshop using an old Caxton scale I had when at uni and loved it. . It’s all about numbers. . #typetype #typestyle #logodesigner #logotype #fibonacci #typescale #caxton #logoinspirations #typesetting #brandingidentity #typefacedesigner #typesizefinder #fibonacci #branddesign #typographyinspired #typographydesign #typedesign #packagingdesign #typesizefinder #fontstyle #graphicsdesign #graphicdesigning #designcommunity #designsystems #designinspiration #typefaceoftheday #fibonacci #peopleofprint #fibonaccispiral #typesequence

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Supported by G . F Smith, Gemini Press and University of Brighton Creative Futures
 
gf smith gemini press
University of Brighton Creative Futures