A short film

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

A short film....... Please follow the link below.

 

Please note there are other ways of making a book and bookbinding styles and stuff to do with stuff and things, 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....

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/29370055462619642

 My biblionautic chums and friends. After what could be best described as Radio Silence...... I am back in the seat of posting stuff. First.... The International Nabokov Society has now released their online exhibition of the Nabokov bindings from last year's exhibition... you may remember my posts from April of last year.

Please follow the link for a really great on-line exhibition with 3D models of all the books. https://thenabokovian.org/nabokovbindings

2nd bit of news..... I am pleased to say that I am now part of the full time teaching staff for books and book binding at West Dean College. I say full time, it is more of a job share as I am 2 days a week.... So Studio 5 remains as Studio 5. More news about West Dean and Books to follow.

Introduction to Bookbinding

 My biblionautic chums and friends. 

Places available, a residential bookbinding course at West Dean College in May. Introduction to Flat Back Case Binding, inspired by Arts and Crafts style bindings (historical examples will be available to study) and Slip Case making, designed for the beginner/improver. Not only will you be introduced to 3 sewing techniques and 3 covering styles.... we will make sewing gauges, pricking cradles, 2 paper decoration techniques (this can be gloriously messy!) and masses of tricks and tips. In addition to all of that we will explore hot foil tooling and lettering. The workshop is fully equipped and all materials are included, though there is an on site art shop should you wish to go off piste. An intensive 4 days of learning, doing and making. For more information.....please follow the link

https://www.westdean.ac.uk/short-courses/s4d39825-arts-and-craft-style-flat-back-case-binding-and-slip-case-making 

Please follow the link for an introductory video on how and why I make and teach Flat Back Case Binding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tNliTSkDm4 

 

Burning Books

Legs, display and 365, 0

 

My biblionautic chums and friends

365, 0

One may recall a small palimpsest parchment hinged diptych with hand pierced (holes) rembroitage boards with 20mm bayonet tacks I made last year.

One recurring thought I always have is in how the viewer/user engages with the book, book arts etc. It is common practise with most of my work that I make a box for the book/book object/book art for protection. The box (with the book/book object/book art in it) is then placed in a book case. Unlike other arts and crafts, such as painting, pot making, glass work and the like, which are displayed. Plinth or mantle piece, wall or garden and so on. I know the arguments for each, a painting is there to be seen etc etc. So, for my part, on the odd occasion when I have a day or two spare I will make some sort of device that is used with a book/book object/book art I have made.

The last couple of days have been spent in making a very simple stand, similar to a plate stand I guess. And yes, I could have gone to a shop or online and bought something that would have done the job.... but there would always have been the nagging thought that it would have been a compromise, just not what I was hoping for, but does the job.

So, after making a practise stand I set to work... components cut and covered with marbled paper. The paper the 'knocked' or aged, then assembled. As I want. The intention was to make something that looks old. Something that one could imagine being found in the bottom of some long forgotten cabinet of curiosities along with Totem Book 365, 0, brought together in some ill matched marriage by some well meaning but slightly befuddled curator.

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 Picture of Dorian Gray. Work in progress.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Work in Progress. A Picture of Dorian Gray. 

 

A couple of days with a little free hand black line foil work. 

 

The surface of the binding was abraded revealing the layers of hand dyeing to 'age' the surface which has been torn and disstressed in places, or left twisted and brooding in others. All to create a 'canvas'. The original artist's painting becoming lost in a patchwork of floating colours and low relief sculpture for the partial over image of the true Dorian Gray to be worked into. Though in life Gray never aged his pictured did. Each carnal, immoral and perfidious act eating away the once beautiful image, leaving the true picture of Gray as an etched (eaten away), twisted, ungodly creature. 

 

My intention with the various techniques I have used is to give a painterly/hand drawn quality to the binding along with an over image that resembles an etching of the period. Perhaps we can imagine each line and mark being etched or carved into the canvas.

 

Just the leather joints and edge to edge doublers to do.

 

Please note there are other ways of doing stuff to books. Opinions etc, etc, etc.....along with 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.....

 

Life in a Suitcase.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Regular readers may be aware that along with holding workshops in Studio 5 I also am teaching and giving workshops out and about. 

 

The last few weeks have been somewhat busy with workshops. First was a 2 day workshop and illustrated talk "My Hippo has No Ears" in the beautiful city of Tallinn, cobbled streets, many trees and wonderful students producing equally wonderful work, more about their work in a future post. Nice.

Earlier this week I was hosting a late night workshop at the truly inspiring Waterstones Bookshop (Piccadilly London) as part of the wonderful Book Launch of Phillip Pullman's latest book, "The Rose Field" marking the conclusion of "The Book of Dust" trilogy. A total of 15 joined the workshop with all the tools, materials, cutting mats and the like fitting in to my small and rather cute suitcase. There has been, of course, teaching, along with my great colleagues, on the full time course in bookbinding at West Dean College. Bring it on.

Next week follows a similar trend. First is a spell at West Dean followed by a 2 hour bookbinding workshop at the Dubai International Libraries and Publishing Summit. Then back to the UK to resume teaching at West Dean for the first week of November. Phew!

All the kits for Dubai, papers, threads, hand tools etc etc etc being prepared when time has allowed. All in boxes ready to go. And it is with ready to go in mind that I have realised I may need a bigger suitcase! Oh No!

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.

 

 

 

Workshops and Lecture in Tallinn

My biblionautic chums and friends.

I am delighted to be able to post and share news of a couple of workshops and a lecture I will be delivering in Tallinn next month.

Please note.... there are other workshops available and 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.

 

A Little Eggcitement.

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Studio 5 Saturday Summer Workshops.

The morning after the Saturday Shake, Craquele and Roll workshop.

My one reader will be pleased to know that my cut finger, an impromptu lead in to a little demonstration of First Aid, is much better, thank you for asking.

Back to the workshop.... Starting with paste making we learnt about the egg, make up and use. We stretched, we stuck stuff to other stuff and got messy. Explored different materials, discussed applications of Craquele, design and use. A creative, full on and intensive day.

All in all an eggcellent day with cracking results, thank you to the attendees. Funnily enough only I had the dodgy coffee, the students deciding to get coffee from a nearby cafe.... strange!

One aspect of many workshops I have attended in the past was time. I am sure that I am not alone in this. Just to say... The Studio 5 workshop started at 10.00am, this is to give those traveling to the workshop time to get here. The only break is for lunch, no tea breaks, one grabs refreshment when one can. The workshop finished on time with every attendee finishing all the work (and extras) without the usual mad rush in the last half hour. This I consider important, with many of us having fixed times of travel on trains and the like and who wants to leave a workshop with unfinished work?

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.

 

Workshop results.

 

 

 

A SHORT FILM ABOUT HOW I GO ABOUT DOING A LITTLE BIT OF FINISHING

 

My biblionautic chums and friends.

Following on from A LITTLE BIT OF FINISHING TOOL MAKING AND MAKING PRACTISE BOARDS, the the third film in the trilogy.

PART THE THIRD (AT LAST)

A SHORT FILM ABOUT HOW I GO ABOUT DOING A LITTLE BIT OF FINISHING WITH THE FINISHING TOOL I MADE IN PART THE FIRST

Please note this video is not intended as a training video, more it is a peek in to one method of finishing I use.

https://youtu.be/PYT74dttUJU

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.

 

A new film.... that features disappearing Jaffa Cakes amongst other things.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends

A new film.... that features disappearing Jaffa Cakes amongst other things.

Following on from A Little Bit of Finishing Tool Making.

Part the Second

Though I did say that the second part would be about testing the tools I thought it a better idea to have a short film about how I go about making practise boards...... so.....

A SHORT FILM ABOUT HOW I GO ABOUT MAKING PRACTISE BOARDS

https://youtu.be/dNEFV4iNwK4

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.

 

 

Simple Finishing Tool Making.

My biblionautic chums and friends

Simple finishing tool making. A new post on my youtube channel.

 

https://youtu.be/NxMYMm4yFwc

 

 

 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.

Cold Gold for bookbinding.

 

My biblionautic chums and friends

Summer in the City.

Studio 5 Saturday Summer Workshops.

The morning after Saturday 19th of July, Cold Gold Techniques workshop.

Biscuits nibbled but no takers for the dodgy coffee. After a packed day of making and doing. The beauty of working on more than one techniques of Cold Gold is that there is no down time, when adhesives need to dry we turn our attention to the other technique. From preparing our leather through to the finished results we concentrated on the processes required (nothing in kit form). Using basic tools and equipment we explored each step in the making, finding that each step was, in fact, a stand alone. By stand alone I mean that each step could be used as a finished technique, realising that we had acquired knowledge of a minimum of 5 individual decorative techniques suitable for in-lays, on-lays, panel work etc etc.

I have found, in the past, that many students want to produce perfection first time, becoming frustrated when they fail to achieve their idea of perfection. This drive for perfection so often results in the student not grasping the processes required.

I concentrate on the process, encouraging practise later on... in the elusive search for a perfection. 

 

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.

 

 

My biblionautic chums and friends

Summer in the City.

Studio 5 Saturday Summer Workshops.

New date......Saturday 19th July 2025.

Back by popular demand......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 in the one day workshop.Image for illustrative purposes only.

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

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

 

........................................ 

 

Introduction to Book Arts. 

 

26th of July 2025. 

 

The Introduction to Book Arts workshop introduces the student to the Minimalist Flat Tight Back Binding (MFTB) with a Drum Leaf text block, a book structure that is an ideal starting point for artists’ books and creative book works.

 

Variations in the Minimalist Flat Tight Back Binding (MFTB) with a Drum Leaf text block. Image for illustrative purposes only.

 

The MFTB with a Drum Leaf text block can be made with just a few hand tools and basic materials, making it both realisable and flexible in use. The structure is suitable for heavier papers and lends itself well to mark making, process print techniques and hand work.



 

Image for illustrative purposes only.

 

The workshop is divided into two sessions. We start by learning the construction process, selecting materials, develping the structure and the skills needed to create a professional-looking book. 

The second session could get messy! We will develop our own personal book art or book work. We will consider the structure as a platform for creative exploration in addition to thinking about sequence, materials and layout. Whether you are working with pencil, pen and ink, collage or text, the intention of the second session is for you to produce a book of your own. 

By the end of the day it is anticipated that you will have gained the skills and confidence to continue experimenting with the MFTB with a drum leaf text block in your own work.
 

 

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

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

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.