KOCHI: Living in a digital world has made many of us forget the essence of handwriting. How many of us even keep a handwritten journal anymore? However, Payyanur native and artist Manoop K’s new handmade journals are likely to tempt most of us to go back to the handwritten word.It all started when Manoop gifted his friend a handmade journal and it became a hit on social media.
“I love writing and I know there are more people like me. The smell of fresh pages evokes nostalgia in many of us. Being an artist, I made the gift for my friend using beads, colour papers, threads and cloth pieces, and gave it an aesthetic look. She shared it on social media, and people started enquiring if I can make more of those,” quips Manoop who has already sold more than 50 customised diaries.
The journals vary in size and pages. Manoop uses recyclable materials like jute, papers, cloth pieces, small wooden chunks, paper cardboard, beads and wool to give his journals their rustic, unique look. “I get requests even from abroad. I only get colour suggestions and themes from customers. The rest is my creativity. Some may take a day to finish, while others may take a week.
The most time-consuming part is arranging the pages in special textures and colours. For pages, normal A4 sheets are cut to specified sizes and attached with the cover. Binds are easy to make than the pages,” says Manoop. The prices of the handmade journals may vary according to the size, handworks and patterns. “For the recent journal I made, I shaded the cut pages with coffee powder and textured it, giving it an archaic look. I finish the work by lightly burning the page ends on candles.
The journals also include bookmarks and small sticky notes,” he says.For the cover of his personalised journals, Manoop uses thick handmade paper found in stationery shops and normal paper cardboards. “I prefer handmade paper as they are durable and it’s easier to paint and shade over them,” he