Bookbinding workshops

 My biblionautic chums and friends

Summer in the City.

Studio 5 Saturday Summer Workshops.

Saturday 28th of June 2025.

Cold Gold Techniques. Gold leaf is a beautiful and versatile material for the bookbinder and book artist. During the workshop we will be creating 3 design solutions combining Gold Leaf and leather to produe beautiful Tesserae, Maril (MArbled Inlaid Leather) along with sensitive nuggets of wonderfulness. And if that was not enough we will be exploring a South East Asian technique of sprinkling Gold Leaf on to paper and Leather. All suitable for the bookbinder and other artisans.

A much enlarged image of one of the Cold Gold techniques.

£115.00 including all materials, tea, dodgy coffee and biscuits.

Limited to 4 places only. For more details please PM me.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

365, 0

 

My biblionautic chums and friends

Palimpsest parchment hinged diptych. Hand pierced (holes) rembroitage boards with 20mm bayonet tacks.

Please note.... there are other construction methods, studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

 

The Marriage Of True Minds

 

My biblionautic chums and friends .........

THE MARRIAGE of TRUE MINDS. A commission is finished.

The overall design is largely inspired by the poem All Souls’ Night by Frances Cornford (1861-1960) page 76.

My love came back to me

Under the November tree

Shelterless and dim.

He put his hand upon my shoulder,

He did not think me strange or older,

Nor I him.

All Souls' Night uses the superstition that a dead lover will appear to a still faithful partner on that November date.

Full leather binding with exposed sewing structure (Jean de Gonet style). The sewing structure brings together the front and back boards, creating a physical bond that infers of the link between the partners, though separated they are joined in their love for each other. The boards are covered in emulsified fragments of leather in the style of David Sellars, the surface left rough and hand dyed a consistent black. Layers of lacquer, made from an old 78 record - I love the Moon by Tom Cline, 1928 HMV recording - are repeatedly applied and polished. The raised areas catch the light with the recessed areas remaining matt.

The resulting surface create both texture and the illustration of bare branches caught in the moonlight. The end papers are printed from reclaimed wood, I slightly augmented the existing scratches and gouges. The resulting print gives us the outline of figures under a bare tree in a midnight landscape.

267mm x 186mm x 20mm

Please note.... there are other construction methods, studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

 

TEN POEMS with ONE TITLE

 

My biblionautic chums and friends .........

TEN POEMS with ONE TITLE, a just finished and collected commission. Exposed sewing (De Gonet style) with hand dyed leather to the spine. Boards are in hand dyed palimpsest parchment with free hand foil work.

Please note.... there are other construction methods, studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

 

 

 

Nailed It.

My biblionautic chums and friends .........

Nailed It. Ok, I am somewhat busy but I had a few spare hours, a blank book, one hammer and 560 Fine Cut Tacks (Bayonet Point). What could possibly go wrong?

And before anyone says anything, it is not pointless (there are 560 of them) and I made the book from scratch.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

 

Frances Cornford's poem... All Souls' Night.....

 

My biblionautic chums and friends work starts on a new commission. Love Poems. First read the book then the end papers.

Wood cuts on re-claimed wood. I like to think of lovers carving their initials in to a tree. Inspired by Frances Cornford's poem... All Souls' Night.....

My love came back to me

Under the November tree

Shelterless and dim.

He put his hand upon my shoulder,

He did not think me strange or older,

Nor I, him.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

All inked up.
 

A whole lot of rubbing.

Even more rubbing.

The reveal.

The print/endpaper.

Pale Fire and Box finished.

My biblionautic chums and friends work is finished on Pale Fire and the box.

Exposed structure, collage, palimpsest parchment and stuff. Hand printed end-papers. 204mm x 127mm x 35mm (when closed).

On a slightly different note... I always try to remember to take a few images with a colour separation guide as, if the images are to be used in a publication, the editor or whoever is doing the layout has a fighting chance of getting the correct colour, tones etc. In addition I have been told, by those who know of these things, that it is best to let the editor, layout person etc the original images... not clipped, altered colour etc.

A modest set-up of camera (not mobile phone), tripod, lights and backdrop is all that is required.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

Pale Fire

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Pale Fire a commission... more about that later...keep an eye on this space!

Exposed structure, collage, palimpsest parchment and stuff. Hand printed end-papers.

Please note.... there are other galleries/exhibition spaces, studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

 

It is all in the preparation.

 My biblionautic chums and friends.

As some of you may already know, I am a course tutor on the West Dean College FdA (Foundation Degree Arts) course-Bookbinding.
Recently we decided that it would be a nice idea to have a Bookish happening in The FdA Bookbinding studio/bindery on a Monday evening. And why not?
This Monday will see me give a masterclass/demonstration on Leather Label Making. What could possibly go wrong? To show and explain the various steps, processes and related stuff in the making of leather labels for books and what have you.

So..... Most of today has been spent in preparation. Running through the various steps, having a 'Heres one I did earlier' for every step to ensure that the said Masterclass/demonstration and resulting Q and A session takes about an hour.

Having delivered illustrated lectures, demonstrations and stuff for the best part of 30 plus years related to my work and techniques, I am always aware of the preparation time that is involved, recognising this in others who do the same often in awe of them as I have some idea of what they go through.

I guess we have all, at one time or another, had the misfortune to sit through an excruciating demo or lecture. The person delivering either not preparing enough, running out of time or taking the p*ss with what they are doing.... Perhaps a combination of all and, of course other aspects of the delivery of the said lecture/demo etc being awful.

I hope not to be one of those.
I, like others, practise and rehearse. Going through the running order, checking and re-checking.... To ensure that all runs smoothly in the allotted time, to deliver in a natural way..... (not to have 10 minutes of some thing feeble and 50 minutes talking about myself and dropping names like it is raining names - for example) It all takes time. A lot of time. Let alone having the confidence to stand in front of people and share... To be under the spotlight... The scrutiny of others.......

So dear reader, the next time you attend a lecture/demo etc and all was well, let the poor sod standing up front know you appreciate what they have done for you. You would at a concert woudn't you?

Anyway, the image is of some of the prep work from earlier in the day.


Please note.... there are other galleries/exhibition spaces, studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

New exhibition in BASE - Book Arts SpacE.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends a new exhibition in BASE - Book Arts SpacE. Free entry as it is only visible from outside of Studio 5!

Please note.... there are other galleries/exhibition spaces, studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

 

 

My biblionautic chums and friends. A new module has been created for the Studio 5 Creative Studies in Contemporary Bookbinding and Book Arts.

New for 2025. Exposed Structure Binding in the style of Jean de Gonet .

Introduction to Leather Paring and Dying.

 

Rationale.

The Exposed Structure module develops the students skillin leather paring and dying and an awareness of exposed structure/sewing specific to a Jean de Gonet style of binding. It will give students the opportunity to work with leather and apply different covering materials to the boards. Aspects covered will included leather paring, hand dying and manipulation along with made end-papers. This particular module can be geared to the individual student wishing to produce either a traditional style binding or a binding more contemporary in flavour. Please note, the images show the boards covered in Affichés Lacerées...other covering materials, papers etc are available. It is expected that the student will produce 2 variations.

Aims.

To introduce the student to leather binding and manipulation

To identify the correct materials specific to the binding style

To understand the need for and limitations of the binding style

To apply the relevant techniques

To be introduced to hand paring of leather

Learning Outcome.

On completion the student will be able to:

Select suitable text blocks in need of this structure

Forward the book to the required standard

Make an Jean de Gonet Exposed Structure style binding

Understand how to manipulate leather to achieve the desired effect

Assessment Strategy.

Assessment will be in line with the STUDIO 5 criteria and will be evident through examination and discussion of 1 finished item of work. The student will demonstrate an ability to apply the techniques to a good standard and understand the reasons for their use.

The Module is delivered over 6 days with all materials included.

For more information please visit https://bookbindingcourses.blogspot.com/ or contact me.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.

Affichés Lacerées Exposed

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Something a little different...

After a three day workshop in introduction to exposed construction binding, after the wonderful Jean de Gonet, with a little Affichés Lacerées.

I think I may introduce this aspect of bookbinding to the new Studio 5 Workshop Modules.

If I am honest, I had forgotten about this particular technique, but.... I really like it.

The new workshop series will be posted on my blog site next month.

Please note.... there are other studios/binderies doing stuff, spelling and grammar. Please further note, the opinion of the author may change at any moment. This is due to having an open mind of sorts.