designer bookbinders contemporary book arts 20designer bookbinders newsletter | 192 | winter 2020/21 202 021 02 introduction www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
editorial...
Our emeritus Secretary Wendy Hood, has handed over the reins and hasn’t looked back since, leaving Designer Bookbinders to usher in a new era with Pippa Smith at the helm. Wendy, as a friend of mine always signs off ‘onward!’, and Pippa, welcome to ‘Designer Bookbinders Towers’.
I’m always on the lookout for a binding to feature on the cover, or a graphic of sorts? So for the spring edition, I’m asking for your ideas of what should be on the front & back cover. What would your interpretation be? Send me a drawing, a photo or a detail and I’ll feature the one that works ‘on the cover(s)...’
‘The Secret Lives of Colour’ by Kassia St Clair is a great book. Now, I’m certainly not going to write a review, rather give you an excerpt I read to a friend, to which she snapped ‘I’m buying that right now!’. ‘Dulux sells a Brobdingnagian array of paint colours to its non-trade customers. Beige lovers riffling through the thick colour-card wads are in for a treat. If Rope Swing, Leather Satchel, Evening Barley or Ancient Artefact don’t appeal, Brushed Fossil, Natural Hessian, Trench Coat, Nordic Sails, or any of several hundred others may well do. Those who are in a rush, however, and who don’t want to trawl through lists of evocative names, may find themselves a little stuck: not one of these pale yellow-greys is actually called ‘beige’.
Don’t forget it’s a digital edition which means the links are live. Click on an email address to get in touch or a picture of a Fellow to view their work. Some links aren’t obvious, therefore if you hover over an image and your cursor changes, head over to that link...
And finally, congratulations to Douglas Stuart on winning the 2020 Booker Prize with Shuggie Bain. Designer Bookbinders Fellows Stuart Brockman, Sue Doggett, Kate Holland & Derek Hood, Dominic Riley, Lori Sauer and Rachel Ward-Sale all bound one of the six shortlisted novels, which gives us six pages of ‘My Booker... WiP’. p14
‘As always, stay safe and keep well’.
Troy p.s. Brobdingnagian, think Gulliver’s Travels! [email protected] www.instagram.com/troy_of_london
Thank You 2020...
Kathy Abbott Colin Forrest Jeremy Littlestone Neale M. Albert Paul Garcia Jen Lindsay Susan Allix Flora Ginn Ben Maggs Richard Beadsmoore Jenni Grey Glenn Malkin James Brockman Barbara Hebard Kitty Maryatt Stuart Brockman Aoife Higgins Lucy Phillips Hannah Brown Kate Holland Clare Prince Sarah Burnett-Moore Derek Hood Dominic Riley Lester Capon Wendy Hood Lori Sauer Jeff Clements Angela James Romilly Saumarez-Smith Mark Cockram Mel Jefferson Melissa Schnaible Nesta Davies Jeanette Koch Pippa Smith Sue Doggett Adelene Koh Peter Tyler Julia Dummett Alexia Kokkinou Peter D. Verheyen Judith Ellis Midori Kunikata-Cockram Rachel Ward-Sale Susan Flamm David Lanning Ella Wiggins Dr Mirjam Foot Eloise Lee welcome 03 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
view from the President’s bench...
I would like to start by welcoming our new Secretary, Pippa Smith. Many of you will already know Pippa from various events and conferences, but for those of you who haven’t yet met her, please read the introduction she has written on page 4. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Wendy Hood for all her hard work on behalf of the Society over the last 13 years, she has been the backbone of the Society and will be greatly missed.
The return of lockdown has disrupted several already rescheduled events. The Oxford Fine Press Book Fair has been rescheduled again to November 20th and 21st 2021 and the first two joint workshops have been postponed. The February Fellows and Licentiates meeting has been cancelled and the Executive Committee has started and will continue to hold meetings by Zoom.
The only unaffected activities seem to be online, with Instagram and Facebook featuring recent work by binders from around the world. This year’s Booker Prize was broadcast live on BBC iPlayer enabling everyone to watch the ceremony. Binding related groups on Facebook such as The Business of Bookbinding are a good source of information and advice, in addition many Fellows are posting ‘work in progress’ photos and videos. These offer a fascinating insight into how binders design and execute a binding, taking viewers through the process over a period of time.
As the 2021 Licentiates and Fellows Application meeting has been postponed until 2022 any binders considering applying will have an extra year to prepare. Designer Bookbinders needs new exhibiting members to survive, but when approached the reply from binders is often ‘but I am not good enough yet’. Before dismissing the idea, I would like to suggest that binders show their work to some of the Fellows to get feedback or if you are unsure about approaching someone directly ask the secretary to arrange an introduction. The lack of Designer Bookbinders social events makes it hard to meet other binders, but we Fellows are a friendly group and happy to offer advice. The closure of full-time bookbinding courses has had a devastating effect on bookbinding and we all need to do our best to support the craft and enable it to continue and flourish.
Keep well and keep binding,
Rachel [email protected] www.instagram.com/rachelward_sale
on the cover(s)... 2021 meeting dates newsletter deadlines
2020/2021 Executive Committee spring 01st February 2021 21st January c 28 m 33 y 47 k 13 Executive Committee summer 01st May 2021 c 4 m 4 y 6 k 0 AGM Spring Meeting c 0 m 0 y 0 k 100 17th April autumn 01st August 2021
c 0 m 0 y 0 k 0 Executive Committee 12th June winter 01st November 2021 04 notices www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
It has now been a couple of weeks since I officially handed over the einsr of Secretary and I have to say it has taken some adjustment for my brain to switch off after so many years!
I would like to say a huge Thank You to Pippa Smith who, as you know, has taken over the role. I couldn’t have asked for an easier transition and I know Pippa will do a sterling job which I hope she will thoroughly enjoy, as did I.
Being in the role for so many years meant I had the pleasure of working with many Presidents and they were all fantastic. In my last couple of years Rachel Ward-Sale gave me so much support through some difficult times and I cannot thank her enough for this. The warmth and humour of Jack London made him a wonderful Treasurer to work alongside and I hope to have many more lunches with him in the future! To the many Executive Committee members who have been in place over the years, you are a lovely bunch of people and I hope to see many of you at events in the future.
And finally to the many members around the world who have sent their wishes to me, Thank you, I have been touched by your sentiments. I received an absolutely amazing leaving present from the Fellows, Licentiates and Executive Committee and I would like to say the biggest Thank You for this. You were generous beyond belief and I am a very happy girl!
With my very best wishes, Wendy Hood
In November, I took on the role of Secretary of Designer Bookbinders and was asked to introduce myself and say a bit about how I got here.
From being a production co-ordinator at the BBC (a catch-all role and title that covered continuity, research, booking facilities, running the production office, et cetera, depending on the type of production). I moved on to a career in academic administration at the University of London. I came across bookbinding through evening classes at the wonderful City Lit. Among the many courses I took, taught by inspiring binders, I was lucky enough to study the City & Guilds in Bookbinding with Nesta Davies and Fine Binding with Kathy Abbott.
Having moved to Worcestershire last year to a house ‘needing some renovation’ with an overgrown garage in the garden I can convert into a workshop. I aim to bring my professional skills to the Secretary role to support the Society and on the creative side I hope to develop my binding and further my work in textiles.
I look forward to seeing you again, or to meeting you for the first time when life returns to normal, in the meantime please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Pippa Smith - [email protected]
Announcement - Anthony Cains: It is with sadness that we have learned of the death of Anthony Cains on 4 November 2020. Anthony was apprenticed with E. A. Neale and studied at the London College of Printing. He was taught by Ivor Robinson, Edgar Mansfield, Bernard Middleton and William Matthews. He became an assistant to Sydney Cockerell. Later he taught at Farnham, Camberwell and Luton schools of art and the London College of Printing. He worked with the British team of bookbinders and conservators helping to rescue some of the thousands of books damaged in the disastrous floods in Florence in 1966 and became the Technical Director of Conservation at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze 1967-72. He wrote several articles on conservation binding for The New Bookbinder and was elected a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders in 1967. He established the conservation workshop at Trinity College, Dublin where he was Technical Director 1972-2002. The Eulogy given at his funeral by Maighréad McParland can be found at www.icriconservation.ie/news/tony-cains-r-i-p. notices 05 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
The Art Book Craft Summer 2020 online exhibition, a new departure for Designer Bookbinders and a solution to the closure of exhibition spaces, launched in early August showcasing some of the finest work in contemporary bookbinding and book arts’ all produced by exhibiting members of Designer Bookbinders.
Fellows & Licentiates proposed a total of 21 bindings for inclusion in ABC, which was a great response to this new venture. The collated work displayed within an e-catalogue with binders listed alphabetically, continues to develop and evolve as work is sold and the exhibiting members replace sold pieces with new items.
‘Rather than viewing this as a disadvantage, the current restrictions are enabling our bindings to attract interest from a new audience and promote our position in the field of applied arts.’ - Rachel Ward-Sale www.designerbookbinders.org.uk/ABC
Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association
Firsts: London’s Rare Book Fair 21st-23rd May 2021 Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York Square, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY
Firsts - London’s Rare Book Fair, the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association summer fair - returns in 2021 for its 64th edition with a new home at the Saatchi Gallery, in the heart of West London. One of the largest and most prestigious antiquarian book fairs in the world, showcasing rare, unique and unusual items from more than 150 leading UK and international dealers, Firsts London is the jewel in the crown of Rare Books London, which celebrates old and rare books, with special events and behind-the-scenes activities for bibliophiles during May and June.
www.aba.org.uk www.firstslondon.com
Fine Press Book Association
Oxford Fine Press Book Fair 20th-21st November 2021 Oxford University, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford OX1 4BG
The Fine Press Book Association is an international society promoting the creation, study, and collection of contemporary book arts that aspire to the highest standards of craft and design.
Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the book-related arts. The FPBA had its first official meeting and issued the first issue of Parenthesis in 1998. Today it has a worldwide membership of those interested in the fine book and contemporary fine printing: collectors, printers, artists, illustrators, museums, libraries, and dealers.
www.fpba.com 06 notices www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Suspension of Licentiate and Fellow Applications 2021
As travel and in-person meetings continue to be difficult and subject to changing guidance, it has been decided to suspend applications in 2021.
The next applications will be invited in winter 2021 with the deadline of January 2022.
Find out about becoming a Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders.
Licentiates are UK based binders who:
• have two Fellow mentors to support their development as binders to the highest possible standard • have the opportunity to exhibit in the Society’s exhibitions alongside Fellows • play a part in the running and development of the Society.
Applications are considered on the basis of work that displays potential in design and technique. If you would like to apply to become a Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders in 2022, but are not sure if you are experienced enough, please contact us so that you can discuss your work informally with a Fellow and perhaps map a route to application.
With plenty of time to prepare for your application, please contact Pippa Smith for more information and to be put in touch with a Fellow: [email protected]
www.designerbookbinders.org.uk/Licentiateship
I’m sure there are many lovers of bookbinding who are in a similar position to me. About twelve years ago I’d just taken early retirement and although I’d dabbled with bookbinding at evening classes it was very much one of several interests.
Now, however, with time on my hands I was looking for something to give me some interest so I enrolled on Kathy Abbott’s class at City Lit. I occasionally entered the dbUK Competition but apart from a Highly Commended Certificate in 2009 I’d never won anything, so the thought of applying for Licentiateship had never crossed my mind.
In 2015, I went to collect my binding of George Orwell’s 1984 and as always, I asked for feedback from the Fellows.
It was then that Lester Capon asked if I’d ever thought of applying. The short answer was no! It took some weeks of thinking but in the end I decided to give it a go – what had I got to lose but maybe a slightly bruised ego? Much to my amazement I was accepted and I’m still on the journey towards Fellowship.
Remember, the Fellows are looking for potential rather than the finished article so if you’ve not entered the competition before or have, but never won anything, try getting a Fellow to look at your work (hard at the moment I know!), see what they say and don’t let age be a barrier!
Licentiate Richard Beadsmoore notices 07 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
I became a Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders in 2009 after winning The Mansfield Medal in the 2008 dbUK Competition. I was encouraged to do so by a number of my peers, at the time bookbinding was very much just a hobby for me. As an Associate member I liked the idea that I could become a Licentiate and gain feedback about my work in order to improve my binding practice. As I was not getting any formal tuition and I was learning by attending short weekend courses and lectures I was keen to broaden my exposure to bookbinding as a craft.
I was allocated two Fellows, Jenni Grey and Peter Jones as my mentors, because I had Brighton connections (having done my degree there), and the work I was doing was similar to them both - the embroidery side of my work linked well to Jenni’s and the mixed media to Peter’s. One comment I would like to make about the Licentiate programme is that it is largely self-initiated and it was up to me to be proactive and arrange meetings with them both. Both mentors were really great and were more than happy to give up their time to see me in person and talk through my work, the feedback I got was invaluable. Fortunately both Jenni and Peter lived very close to each other so I was able to arrange to see one after the other very easily and overload on bookbinding feedback!
The initial five years of my Licentiateship shot by, so I applied for the two year extension on offer. It was during this time that I became pregnant with my first child so I decided to have a go at applying for Fellowship during my sixth year knowing that my binding productivity would take a nosedive once I had a baby to look after! On reflection I wasn’t ready but it was great to get the feedback. I wasn’t able to apply again before my seventh year was up due to family commitments and adding another baby to our family so I fell off the Licentiateship shelf back to being an Associate member in 2016.
As each year has rolled by since then I just haven’t quite felt ready to apply for Fellowship again, but I know that the support of my two original Licentiateship mentors remains in place and I also know that I could approach any of the other Fellows for guidance. Geographically Licentiates are hopefully paired with Fellows close to them, so now being in Somerset rather than London I have a different selection of Fellows close to me. Emails and phone calls will never compare with face-to-face meetings but they are still an invaluable tool to have for feedback.
I would encourage any Associate members who are thinking about applying to become Licentiates to do so, a big benefit of the programme is being invited to participate in exhibitions (both physical exhibitions and of course online ones, as have been necessary this year with the ongoing pandemic), that otherwise you wouldn’t be invited to. This exposure will make your work visible to established collectors and I also found it very beneficial to have an entry deadline of an exhibition to work to - there is nothing like a due date to spur you and your bookbinding on!
Hannah Brown, Publicity and Events Manager www.instagram.com/db_bookbinding_uk
I have been a Licentiate for several years now and will shortly be applying for Fellowship. During that time I have had the opportunity to exhibit my work and be involved in more aspects of Designer Bookbinders activities as well as getting to know some of the Fellows much better (they really are a decent bunch!). But the biggest advantage is having the opportunity to improve the technical and design aspects of my bindings through having mentors and talking to the Fellows who have been supportive, honest and encouraging.
It continues to have a huge impact on my development and on the enjoyment I get from creating something beautiful. Even if you have no desire at this stage to become a Fellow, going along the Licentiate route may be challenging at times but it is an extremely positive experience. I would encourage anyone who is interested in progressing their design binding skills to talk to one of the Fellows or current Licentiates and find out more.
Licentiate Glenn Malkin 08 letter(s) www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Glue not fit for purpose?
‘I have recently experienced that some glues are becoming unfit for purpose. I don’t know why, perhaps manufacturers have changed their recipes or process?
Having run out of a well known and highly rated brand of archival PVA, I ordered a PVA and EVA endorsed with royal warrants assuming it would be suitable. Unfortunately the PVA was useless as it dried in seconds and - even diluted - would not adhere to bookcloth for a fairly large box. The EVA had the same problem, drying too rapidly. I believe the conservation department at The British Library mix it with methyl cellulose, and it takes 24 hours to soak properly before adding and the addition can be a little random and make it too wet?
I am considering, even with the scare-mongering about PVA breaking down, of removing EVA from my workshop altogether as it bonds immediately or doesn’t adhere at all, and secure in the knowledge that books bound using PVA some time ago are still okay today. Still trying to find a PVA fit for the job, I purchased a highly recommended medium sized tub of PVA and set to work on the cover of a case-bound children’s book. This glue looked perfect, but smelt horrible. Fighting back the odour with the doors open I worked on... Two days later I opened the cover and the same smell hit me from inside the book. This was not an important book, but I am loath to use the product on one that is.
All these glues may be fine for those doing small work, completed with speed: but I bind large books slowly. I now have enough nasty little pots to last me until kingdom come. I hope this may be a warning for anyone learning or starting out and binding by themselves! But, does anyone know the answer?’
Sue from London
I’ve also had trouble with PVA and EVA.
I had one lot of PVA that got very stinky, I assumed that as some suppliers buy in bulk from the manufacturer, then decant into smaller containers? I must have somehow got an odd batch that was past it’s sell by date and had gone off, so I chucked it all out.
The first batch of EVA I bought was fine once I’d got used to it, however, the second batch was a real problem. I seemed to get it all over myself (not an issue I’ve had in the 40 years I’ve been binding), and it doesn’t want to come off your skin, even after applying a barrier cream. Recently working on some prototype panels for a binding idea, which after a few days I decided to change, I noticed that the panel I’d pulled away was still tacky where I’d used EVA to stick it down. Said panel has been on my bench for at least two months now and is still tacky, so I don’t know what that means for it’s long term sustainability.
I’ve since gone back to PVA, it has been okay so far, but I did notice it looked a more bluey/white in colour and a bit more translucent than before, I don’t know if that signifies anything? - Fellow Jenni Grey
The one thing that springs to mind, is that this glue might be routinely watered down? I decant my PVA a bit at a time as needed but never add water unless it’s starting to get a bit thick. If water is being added, maybe there is something in the water affecting it? My guess is it depends which supplier it is from - maybe some are thicker than others?
Licentiate Glenn Malkin
I only use PVA and paste (or PVA/paste 75%-25% part mix or a 50-50), only occasionally adding a drop of water to a mix depending on the material and the consistency required. I have noticed terrible smells when making my own paste, due to the starch, other chemicals, heat in the studio and I probably seal it in containers too soon. I now refrigerate the paste which adds to its shelf life and reduces the obnoxious smell and once dry there is no smell? I’m not sure I have the answer myself, however, I’ve heard of ‘wood glue’ (PVA), containing too much water, even though PVA is a water soluble synthetic polymer? - Troy Moore responses... 09 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
I can’t say I have experienced any problem with adhesives, I’ve never used EVA but do use PVA which I now buy from a reputable supplier. It is simply called Archival PVA adhesive and comes in 500gm tubs - maybe also in larger quantities but I don’t get through as much as I used to so don’t buy those. I have always found this glue to work just as well as any I used to use - dilutes well if need be, doesn’t dry too quickly nor yet too slowly. I do sometimes work on large areas and it seems to be fine - obviously you have to glue out evenly and quickly on a large area but I haven’t had a problem. - Fellow Angela James
Adhesives... can be a sticky subject.
Having worked in a number of different environments and places ranging from a leper colony in India, an art university in Tokyo, scratch workshops in the middle of a jungle, half way up a volcano, specialist colleges and courses and of course my own studio, I have used many different adhesives. From bright blue paste with a very dubious origin, gelatine, hot/flexible glue, tapioca paste, fish glue, various PVAs and EVAs and ‘UHU’ to name a few. Of course I always try to use the best adhesive I can, however, I have to be aware of the limitations of the place I am working and the fact that the adhesives I use in my own practice may be unavailable or just too expensive for my hosts to afford or store (electricity and fridges are not free). I have learnt to be flexible, to use what is available and works in the local environment. I have experimented, mixed and matched. Looked into what works and does not work.
From my personal experience I find that many problems with adhesives are not actually the adhesives in themselves. More it can be the way the adhesive is applied and/or the suitability of any adhesive in relation to the materials or surfaces to be adhered. Some adhesives have a very short open time and fast grab, often used in the commercial environment, the key here is the speed of application. Along with brushes, I use various different sizes of rollers depending on the size of the surfaces I am working with. Commercial workplaces do not want all the worktops, benches and presses taken up with work drying. Likewise there are adhesives that have longer open times, this allows for a slower working speed, to enable repositioning or further manipulation of the materials being adhered. The open or grab time can be altered by letting the some of the water content of a PVA, say, evaporate or the addition of water or paste.
I hasten to add that the blue paste worked wonderfully well in the heat of Anandwan, from what I remember it was blue to stop people from eating it by mistake. Find adhesives that work for you, the materials you use and your individual working technique, and stick with them. - Fellow Mark Cockram
There are four UK based suppliers with Royal Warrants selling adhesives. Conservation by Design, Conservation Resources, Preservation Equipment and ourselves. We have never sold EVA. Up until March 2020, we sold two qualities PVA - M155 for general use and M218 a reversible (in water), ph neutral (at manufacture), PVA aimed at the restoration and conservation markets. Due to changes with the manufacturer, we have now consolidated the two PVAs onto one product - M289. This is what we say about it on our web site:
‘Our new PVA M289, replaces both the previous M155 and M218 products. This new PVA is a general all-purpose bookbinding and leather-goods PVA adhesive and is suitable for use on leather, cloth, paper, board and wood. It may be used for a variety of packaging, bookbinding and leather-craft applications either by machine or by hand and is particularly suited for use on Swift, Balema or Nubal machines for hand case making. It is also suitable for Conservation Work as the dried adhesive film de-laminates in the presence of water. However, as conservation can be varied and requirements differ, we recommend that the customer test this product against their specific conservation requirements. Approximate shelf life - 6 months.’
With regards to the ‘smelly’ batch. I suspect that this was just unfortunately a bad lot. It is worth noting that most PVAs have a similar (not unpleasant), odour and are easily identifiable by the smell.
Depending on the manufacturer, PVAs will have variable drying (open) times. If required, open times can be increased to allow for longer slippage and placement of the cloth, leather or paper. This is achieved by adding water and/or paste in varying amounts to the PVA. A common mix is 50/50 PVA/Paste, but different requirements will dictate different ratios. - David Lanning, J Hewit & Sons Ltd. 010 experiments in bookbinding... www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
The Fortnight of Frog Skins
From left to right, top to bottom: Parchment 1, Parchment 2, Tea-tanned Leather, Alcohol-Glycerin Close up of Parchment 2 Leather, Tea-tanned Leather with blue food colouring, Alcohol-Glycerin Leather with purple leather and Alcohol-Glycerin Leather with purple dye, Alum-tawed Leather leather dye
The frog is an amazing creature. It spends its early stages of life in water, then emerging into an adult that lives both on land and in water. Therefore, the skin of the frog has to be highly versatile to adapt to the conditions of both a wet and dry environment.
After my first post on Instagram about my attempt at making trout parchment, a friend introduced me to a second generation frog farmer in Singapore. This began my two weeks of experiments with making frog skin parchment and leather. After a rather impromptu arrangement for us to visit the frog farm, my husband and I took the almost hour long drive to the far north-western part of Singapore, where the small dwindling number of farms reside in our very urban island of 726 square kilometres.
Jurong Frog Farm started in 1981, and has been providing frog meat for local cuisines such as clay-pot frog leg porridge and Gung Po frog legs. The frogs they rear are the American Bullfrogs. Chelsea Wan, a second generation frog farmer, having taken over the lead from her father, has been finding new ways to promote the use of every part of the frog, including the skin. When she heard about my experiments with fish parchment, she was extremely excited that I was willing to try making parchments and leathers out of frog skin. We saw and heard the many hundreds of frogs at the farm and thinking about how I’ve never touched a frog, nor eaten one, and how would I manage touching the skin of this amphibious creature. Nevertheless, I went home with a small bag of frog skins that afternoon. Upon arriving home, I emptied the bag of skins into a mason jar, filling it with cold water, a squirt of dish soap and placed it in the fridge.
After three days of mustering up some courage, I fished out one skin, and prepared it for stretching. I initially thought I had to clean the skin by removing the bits of flesh that were stuck, but was surprised that the flesh side has barely any trace of meat attached to it. results 011 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
However, a pale brown translucent gel-like layer on the outer side of the skin had to be slowly peeled away. I found out later that this is the mucosal surface layer: stratum corneum.
I had to figure out a good way to cut the skin so that I can get a nice area of parchment after stretching. The skin was taken from the frog by pulling it off, much like how a rabbit is skinned. Therefore parts of the torso and the legs were still in a tube-like structure. Frog skin is very flexible and stretchy and it was not easy to determine where I should be placing my pins, unlike the trout skin which was relatively straightforward.
It took less than three hours for the frog parchment to dry out. The skin was placed next to a window with indirect sunlight, at a room temperature of 29.5ºc and humidity of 79-80%. The frog skin parchment has a varied thickness: the whiter areas, which is the underside belly area of the frog, measures about 0.15mm, similar to the thickness of 80gsm printer paper and the darker areas, which are the back and the legs of the frog, measures between 0.20 and 0.28mm.
My guess would be that these are the parts of the frog that are exposed to danger and are naturally thicker to protect the frog. Overall, the frog parchment feels like a sheet of crisp paper. It is not translucent, but it is thin enough to allow light to pass through. It is very flexible, and when I tried to tear it, all it did was stretch a little. It The stretching of the frog skin involves a piece of greyboard, a sheet of was surprisingly strong. baking paper and a large handful of pins (Parchment 2)
Frog skin no. 2 was fished out of the soapy water after a week to be cleaned and stretched. I was surprised that the outer mucosal layer peeled off the skin very easily and did not need much effort. With the experience of stretching the first skin, this second stretching was much easier, and I realised that it worked better if I placed pins on the opposite ends for a more even stretch. Skin no. 2 turned out to be the best and most complete piece of frog skin parchment so far.
Instead of making all of the parchment the same way, I decided that I wanted to try various methods in treating the skin. At this point, I was very hungry for more information about the methods of measuring the thickness of the skin parchment and preparing skins. I did what most people would do, research online for techniques and ideas.
Unsurprisingly, there is not much information about frog skin parchment or frog leather making. The closest I found, and getting really disappointed after I realised what it was, was a ‘Frog-leather Armour’ made by some Dorgeshuun Goblins for the online fantasy game RuneScape. Measuring the thickness of the frog skin parchment 012 experiments in bookbinding... www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
So I decided to use age-old methods of using tannins, alum salts and a glycerin mix that was used for snake skin.
For the tanning of skin no. 3, I brewed a small container of 150ml of water to two teaspoons of English Breakfast tea, letting the mixture steep. I placed the skin in to the tea mixture, including the tea leaves, and allowed it to cool in the fridge. The tea-tanned frog leather had a brownish colouration to it, and as I had not actively turned the skin in the tea mixture, therefore the skin was not evenly tanned.
Before stretching, the skin felt rubbery, as compared to the parchment which was more slimy and smooth. After drying, it was softer than the parchment. The thickness of the tea-tanned leather was the same as the parchment. Close up of the back of natural tea-tanned frog leather and tea-tanned leather with blue food colouring
My bookbinding studio is also a small laboratory of sorts. There are plenty of chemicals I bought for various uses in making decorative papers, book restoration or sometimes, just experiments.
From a recipe I found online for tanning snake skin, I made a mixture of 50% industrial alcohol, and 50% glycerin, and placed a piece of skin into the solution after cleaning and rinsing off the soapy water. The skin was stretched after five days, left to dry in the shade on a cloudy day. The skin weighed 18 grams before stretching, and after drying out, it only weighed 7 grams. Skin no. 4 felt very tough and thick when it was taken out of the solution, but dried to be a rather soft and pliable piece of leather. It feels almost as soft as a thin goat leather.
Comparison of translucency between frog parchment (left) and alum-tawed frog leather (right) results 013 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Moving on, I wanted to test if it was possible to dye the skins during the tanning process. I made a new tea mixture, adding blue food colouring. Food colouring mixes in water, so it would work best in this method of tanning. For the alcohol and glycerin solution, I added a spirit-based purple leather dye. I chose these colours hoping to achieve something striking, different and ‘un-frog-like’.
To my greatest surprise, the blue food colouring resulted in a dark emerald green frog leather. I could not understand why, for about a day, then it occurred to me that since the tannins of the tea made the skin a brownish-yellow, yellow plus blue would give a green! That made a lot of sense. The leather yielded from the purple alcohol-glycerin mixture was as expected: purple.
The solution did not add any colours to the skin.
I was down to my last piece of frog skin, I needed to try yet another method. I had some alum from when I thought I would try paper marbling, and added it to some pink Himalayan salt to a water solution. From what I read, alum-tawed skins usually turn out very white. During the soaking process, the flesh-side of the skin did indeed turn very white. But after stretching, the alum-tawed frog skin became somewhat translucent. This piece of skin turned out to be the one that resembles parchment. Though I must say that, the method I used, might not be the true way of alum-tawing. Therefore, more tests are needed.
Microscopic view of frog skins at approximately 400x magnification
As I convert my studio from a tannery back to a bindery, I now look at the frog skins as I would as a bookbinder: a beautiful piece of material with limitless potential. As we move towards the new year, I have carefully planned out how I would use these frog skins for binding. Watch out for my creations in the forthcoming spring edition of the Designer Bookbinders newsletter. In the meantime, you can also check out Instagram for updates @aduhlene.
Adelene Koh www.dddots.com www.instagram.com/aduhlene
Adelene is a fine bookbinder, practising for nearly a decade. Having trained in Tokyo under Yamazaki Yo and Nishio Aya, she completed ten months intensive training in London with Mark Cockram, before returning to Singapore where her dddots bindery is based.
Having received the ‘Highly Commended Certificate’ consecutively in 2014 & 2015 from the dbUK Bookbinding Competition and the ‘Certificate of Competence’ in the Cased-In category from the Society of Bookbinders UK in 2015, Adelene also received her first prize, the ‘Highly Commendable: Use of Material’ award in the Open•Set Competition in 2017.
Her work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore. Adelene is a member of the Society of Bookbinders, the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Arts Guild and Designer Bookbinders. 014 my Booker... WiP www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Stuart Brockman
Title: A New Wilderness Author: Diane Cook Published by: Oneworld Publications 2020
Binders Statement:
Binding Description: Hand marbled endleaves; gilt edges; laced on cushioned boards; double multi-coloured endbands; covered in full chestnut goatskin; black goatskin and gilt Levant onlays; gold tooling and lettering; stainless steel fittings; housed in velvet lined quarter leather box, lettered in gold to the spine.
Binding Design: The design depicts barbed wire separating the skyline of the City and the trees of The Wilderness. The colours for the binding and the onlays were chosen to reflect the nature and feel of the book. The use of pink in the endbands represent Agnes’s pink bedroom in the City and the nail polish the girls use when the Newcomers arrive. my Booker... WiP 015 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Sue Doggett
Title: Burnt Sugar Author: Avni Doshi Published by: Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Random House 2020
Binders Statement:
There were so many starting points to explore creatively in this novel, it being so rich in imagery with very distinct themes and complex characters. As the basis of my design, I chose to work with the idea of opposition: Antara and Ma, fat and sugar, remembering and forgetting, tradition and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. There are suggestions of sweets and the colours of sweets (almond and pistachio), the chemical symbols for fats and sugars, the prevalence of mirrors, the fabrics that Antara finds in her mother’s cupboard and the volatile and often distant relationships between the men and women in the novel.
The embroidery is a form of drawing and references the ways in which Antara uses it, amongst other things, to try and understand her mother’s dementia. The interior of the binding is white with some drawn marks which also refer to Antara’s art practice.
The binding is full leather with machine embroidered imagery on spine and boards. Hand embroidered drawing in silk, cotton and rayon thread with embedded shisha mirrors and leather onlays. Silk endbands and hand-painted flyleaves and board papers. 016 my Booker... WiP www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Kate Holland & Derek Hood
Title: Shuggie Bain Author: Douglas Stuart Published by: Picador, Pan Macmillan 2020
Binders Statement:
Full biscuit goatskin with multi coloured goatskin and faux shagreen inlays, hand tooled gold dots and title, all edges gilt, hand sewn headbands, printed edge to edge paper doublures, gilding on endpaper.
The main inspiration for the design is the housing estate Sighthill in Glasgow where we first meet Agnes and Shuggie, the pebble dash and blues and greys of the high rise buildings, and on the top floor Agnes leans out of her window gazing down on the carpet of Glasgow.
On the back cover elements of black and white for Shug with the red light of his receding taxi cab. Over both loom the colliery wheels of Pithead depicted in a myriad of gold dots. Inside Elizabeth Taylor, Agnes’s heroine and touchstone, watches over a Sighthill walkway whilst a gilded beer can stain lies opposite. my Booker... WiP 017 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Dominic Riley
Title: Real Life Author: Brandon Taylor Published by: Originals, Daunt Books Publishing 2020
Binders Statement:
I found this to be a beautifully wrought novel. Wallace is a young gay black man in a research position on a university campus, surrounded by ‘benign’ white colleagues, who, whilst being supportive, are also capable of casual prejudice and privilege. This behaviour can be stifling, and life is not easy for him. He carries out his research at the same time as he struggles with the difficult act of falling in love. It is not an easy journey.
I read the book twice, and tried to come up with an image that might capture the soul of the book. I hit upon the idea of snakes and ladders, a simple children’s game that is supposed to be a metaphor for real life: a role of the dice and a bit of luck can be the thing that decides whether you will succeed or fail.
In America, of course, the game is called ‘chutes and ladders’, so I tried to make the design something that could mean both. A bit of my culture, and a bit of Brandon’s.
I am so glad that I got this book to bind. As a gay man I identified with allace’W s journey, as, no matter how privileged we are, we all face prejudice from many quarters. I cried at the end (always the measure of a good story), and hope that many will not only enjoy but also be inspired by the story of our lovely Wallace. 018 my Booker... WiP www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Lori Sauer
Title: Shadow King Author: Maaza Mengiste Published by: Canongate Books 2020
Binders Statement:
I was very pleased to have this novel to bind.
The story revolves around a core of vividly drawn characters and the roles they play in a pivotal point of Ethiopian history. There is tremendous weight and strength to the telling. The author fills the narrative with images of light and shade, of the brutality and cruelty of the time, but also of the courage and determination of a people.
I decided to use a crossed structure binding as it provides a very stable and flowing movement for thick text-blocks. I did not want the usual weaving straps visible so opted to have a cover with fore-edge folds that return to the spine and hide the structure. I wanted to use slate veneer (real stone) – it is strong with beautiful markings. I chose a pale eel skin for the spine, with its own unique character.
I included suede fly leaves, exposing the reverse side of the suede that had mottled and subtle variations of colour. The overall thinking was to use shifts of light and shade and design motifs of flying/falling. The final design has inlaid paper strips, tooled gold dots and spattered gold and the edges are painted in real gold. my Booker... WiP 019 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Rachel Ward-Sale
Title: This Mournable Body Author: Tsitsi Dangarembga Published by: Faber & Faber 2020
Binders Statement:
The yellow edges and flyleaves have been decorated with green stencilled leaves based on the jacaranda trees mentioned in the book.
Double core endbands, sewn in multicoloured green silk threads match the edge decoration. Natural leather has been stippled with green dye for the spine and stencilled with leaf designs for the boards.
Additional designs on the binding reflect events in the book which affect the main character, Tambudzai. Onlaid leather circles are coloured to match her state of mind, red for the trauma of war, black for depression, blue for tears, purple and gold for her new lucrative job and grey for a final state of calm.
The red line running around the book illustrates the tradition of burying a baby’s umbilical cord on their homestead to tie them to their place of birth. 020 20/20 with Fellow Dominic Riley www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
1. Talk us through a typical day… I spend about a third of my year teaching: here in the UK, America or in Australia and New Zealand, so when I am doing that, it’s hard work but pleasurable, and fairly routine. When I’m home, restoring books or making new ones, I stick to a very strict schedule. I can’t get to work before I solve the Guardian cryptic crossword, so sometimes I don’t get to the bench till evening. I then put in a few hour’s work. At some point in the day I will catch up with life in California.
2. What’s the best thing about your job? That it’s not a job. As Professor Higgins said, ‘Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby’.
3. What’s the worst? What Maureen Duke said in the film we made: ‘bookbinding’s a solitary craft. But sometimes it’s more than solitude, it’s loneliness’. Which is why we go to conferences: to learn, to commune, to share, to make friends.
4. Something you want to learn… A few years ago I learnt Irish, and now I’m learning Welsh. It’s so important for us to be able to speak to our neighbours. I’d love to able to read the Mabinogian.
5. Who or what inspires you? Pretty much any of the great socialist thinkers: Bertrand Russell, William Morris, Tony Benn, Owen Jones. Also the cooks: Julia Child, Yotam Ottolenghi, and Bernard Shaw’s cook Alice Laden.
6. What would you consider as your hobby? See Q2. Also, I am quite a good soup maker. I make three soups a week for a local café, which do quite well. The feedback is tremendous. I also make my own jigsaws.
7. Give us a ‘nerd fact’… I’ll give you two. The ‘Black Box’ aka flight recorder, is not, of course, black, but is painted the same colour as the Golden Gate Bridge, which is International Orange. Also, the word ‘peat’ is probably the only Pictish word in English.
8. What’s your favourite film? Drowning by Numbers (Peter Greenaway 1988).
9. What is your favourite book? Love Nina by Nina Stibbe. The film was rubbish.
10. What was the last book you read? I usually have three on the go. Just finished a re-read of Burr, Gore Vidal’s first instalment of his history of the USA, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (Booker longlisted), and Real Life by Brandon Taylor (Booker shortlisted and my Booker binding this year).
11. What annoys you? Bragging, screens, and Tories.
12. What or who makes you laugh? Dorothy Parker, Elaine Stritch and Riverdance.
13. Current favourite place? Odd question, given the times. My Alaskan hot tub. Also the ancient forest of Delamere which I cycle through each day to get to work.
14. Busman’s holiday (working), or fly & flop (beach)? I teach to travel. I have recently discovered the joys of the Australian Pacific coast, which is so much warmer than the Californian one. So I’ve been swimming a lot.
15. Town or Country? I’m a city lover who lives in the countryside, I’m still trying to figure out how that happened.
16. Shaken or Stirred? Since I take no medicine except white wine, the question is redundant.
17. Beatles or Stones? I loathe The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles were before my time. Invoking the Desert Island Discs clause, I nominate instead the greatest living composer/songwriter Stephen Sondheim and the Gay Messiah Rufus Wainwright.
18. Analogue or Digital? I haven’t yet come across an app for putting up a shelf.
19. Who would you want to play you in your biopic? I imagine just about any Redgrave could give it a good go.
20. Do you have a secret you’re prepared to share? Certainly not! competition 021 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Designer Bookbinders are pleased to welcome the following new members:
Robin BRANDES San Anselmo, USA
Catherine BURKHARD Dallas, USA
Matt JACOBS Bristol, UK
Samantha KING Leeds, UK
KORTHAGEN BOEKRESTAURATIE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Anne McLAIN Salem, USA
Sandra MERTEN Gottlieben, Switzerland
Alison PAYNE London, UK
Jade QUEK Harbor City, USA
Maria REBELO Wilmette, USA
Sonia SERRAO London, UK
Christian STUDER Worb, Switzerland
VITARLENOLOGY Bandung, West Java , Indonesia
Aviva WEINER Los Angeles, USA designer bookbinders
Membership Secretary - Pippa Smith 29 Windrush Crescent, Malvern WR14 2XG [email protected] 022 competition www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
The DB UK Bookbinding Competition 2020 Sponsored by the Folio Society
Dear entrant,
It is with great regret that we have had to make the many announcements throughout the year via the website, social media and the newsletter.
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the dbUK Bookbinding Competition Committee made the reluctant decision to postpone the hand-in deadline to Saturday 6th February 2021. We fully intend to have a physical exhibition and are still hopeful we will be able to arrange an exhibition in spring 2021, but it may be that we will have to make the difficult decision to take it online if this isn’t possible.
We ask all entrants to post their bindings by Royal Mail Special Delivery with details of where to send them being sent shortly to all who have entered.
Please ensure that you have given us your correct contact details. Any questions please email [email protected]
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Stay safe and happy binding.
With best wishes, The Bookbinding Committee
Prizes and Sponsors The Folio Society 1st and 2nd Prize Set Book £500 and £250 cheque The Clothworkers Company 1st and 2nd Prize Open Choice £500 and £250 cheque Sally Lou Smith Forwarding Prize £250 cheque St. Bride’s Prize for Finishing £250 cheque Elizabeth Greenhill Prize for Gold Tooling £100 cheque J. Hewit & Sons Prize for Interesting Use of Leather £250 voucher Harmatan & Oakridge Prize for Sympathetic Handling of Leather £250 voucher Maggs Bros. Ltd. Judges’ Award £150 cheque John Purcell Paper Prize £200 voucher Ratchfords Non Leather Prize £200 voucher The Circles of Art Prize for Artistic Innovation £250 cheque Ash Rare Lettering Prize £200 cheque Shepherd’s Prize for Book Arts £200 voucher Lisa Von Clemm Prize for Best Newcomer £250 cheque ABA Highly Commended Certificates 4 x £100 cheque sponsors 023 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
SUPPLIERS OF QUALITY COVERING MATERIALS
Established 1889. Supplying quality covering materials to binders, printers, stationers and hobbyists. Materials available in rolls and cut lengths.
TEL: 0161 480 8484 FAX: 0161 480 3679
WWW.RATCHFORD.CO.UK
EMAIL: [email protected] 024 designer bookbinders www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Designer Bookbinders and the Society of Bookbinders Joint Workshops 2020/21
Apologies for this belated announcement, we hope you’ll understand that we have been busy behind the scenes trying to ensure that we don’t present something as possible that we later have to withdraw.
As travel and meeting are subject to changing guidance from area to area, we have decided to postpone the workshops hosted by Emma Fraser and Kristine Rose-Beers and are asking for an expression of interest only at this stage for all other workshops, including the three postponed from the 2019/20 series. If you would like to express an interest in attending a workshop(s), please contact Sarah Burns with your name, address, email address and telephone number. Please also state if you are a member of Designer Bookbinders or the Society of Bookbinders or both. (Society of Bookbinders members please give your membership number.) If you have already contacted us to book a workshop, could you please reconfirm your interest with Sarah Burns with your full details to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding. For detailed workshop descriptions and tutor information visit the ‘education’ section of www.designerbookbinders.org.uk or www.societyofbookbinders.com
As and when we know whether each workshop will go ahead, you’ll be asked if you wish to confirm your booking, if we have to postpone we will inform you immediately. We have varying maximum numbers for each workshop, dependent on social distancing requirements at the time of each workshop.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. Nesta Davies & Sarah Burns ([email protected]) or 01643 841116
Contemporary Paper Conservation Binding
Tutor: Kathy Abbott Dates: 20th/21st February 2021 Times: 10am-5pm Venue: London Centre for Book Arts, London Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
How to make two paper-covered conservation bindings. The first binding will be a ‘Clip-on-cover Binding’ on a blank book. This structure is fully reversible, opens completely flat and is perfect for making at home with limited tools or equipment. The cover literally clips on to a primary wrapper, so that if it gets dirty or damaged, you can simply replace it with no intervention on the text-block. The second structure is the ‘Polo Binding’. This simple, non-adhesive structure is perfect for when you have a book that does not have a cover nor needs re-sewing. We will sew a blank book with an unsupported link stitch and then attach a cover using a secondary sewing over leather rings.
Contemporary Paper Conservation Binding
Tutor: Ann-Marie Miller Dates: 13th/14th March 2021 Times: 10am-5pm Venue: Southern Bookcrafts Club, Winchester Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
Conservation housing and enclosures are an essential weapon in the preservation armoury. Protection to minimize the risk of damage during transportation and handling. This workshop will cover various types of conservation enclosures, such as phase wrappers and their variations, archival book shoes, and fascicules. Participants will make each housing option following step-by-step instructions to ensure a made-to-measure finish. You will learn about both the manufacture of the structures themselves and be able to make informed choices about when to use them. Please bring books that need a housing made for them. 025 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Colour, Texture and Pattern on Bookcloth
Tutor: Ruth Brown Dates: 10th/11th April 2021 Times: 10am-5pm Venue: Leah Higgins’ Studio, Urban Studio North, Eccles, Manchester Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
The cover is the reader’s first contact with a book and I really enjoy using my textile skills to try and create a covering that truly reflects the content of the book. On this course we will be using a wide range of techniques to make marks, texture and patterns on fabric which we will then convert to book cloth. We will experiment with mono-printing, screen printing and numerous ways of making marks on fabric, as well as playing with colour and tone. You will take home a range of sample pieces which can then be kept for reference when you create your own cover fabrics or can be used for small book projects. All the techniques we will use can be done easily at home with a small set of equipment. If time permits, I will also demonstrate how to print on fabric with a standard inkjet printer.
Fill That Page! A Bookbinders’ Guide to Creative Design Practice
Tutor: Sue Doggett Dates: 24th/25th April 2021 Times: 10am-5pm Venue: tbc Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
Dig out your paint boxes, coloured pencils, inks and messy materials for a weekend of practical, experimental creative work. Explore how to approach that blank piece of paper and the beginnings of a design. This weekend course will give you a range of techniques to try out and will challenge you to fill that page. For those who wish to develop their paper into pages, there will be further discussion on how to take your 2D work into a number of simple book forms. The two days will include a series of demonstrations, practical creative exercises and plenty of guided workshop time. Sue will also talk about her own approach to creating artists’ books and bindings and how to build the content of a book, starting from scratch.
Tooling for Beginners
Tutor: Dieter Räder Dates: 15th/16th May 2021 Times: 10am-5pm Venue: Dragon Bindery, nr. Carmarthen, Wales (n.b. new address) Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
This workshop will teach participants the fundamental techniques of hand tooling on leather. Suitable for those with no experience, it also offers a thorough refresher course for anyone wanting to gain confidence in their finishing. Starting with practice boards and dummy bookblocks, we will go step-by-step through the stages of preparation, blind tooling and tooling with gold leaf, including design ideas and tips. The use of foils and various alternative materials will also be touched upon. While focusing on working with hand tools, type holders will be briefly introduced if wished. Participants are welcome to bring along any binding projects requiring tooling for discussion and advice. 026 designer bookbinders www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Deluxe Full-Leather Notebook
Tutor: Tom McEwan Dates: 5th/6th June 2021 Times: 10am-5pm Venue: Harbour Arts Centre, Harbour Street, Irvine, Scotland Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
This binding style was derived and adapted from an original, early Victorian pocket notebook. The structure has several interesting features, including laminated boards which are sculpted and shaped to create a faceted, angular appearance. The page edges have a deckled/uncut finish and endpapers are of marbled paper typical of the period.
Paper Cut Drum-Leaf Artists’ Book
Tutor: Kip Perdue & Mark Cockram Dates: 5th/6th June 2021 Times: 10am-5pm Venue: Wurkshop, Barnes, London Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
A special double act co-hosted by paper cut artist Kip & book artist Mark. Working with various papers and a knife, participants will create unique pages and spreads that explore contrast in colour and texture, line, form and space within an artists’ book structure. Kip will demonstrate how to cut intricate shapes to create a field of depth within a sequential narrative and Mark will focus on the construction of the book, creating the form of the text block for a flat back case binding, with hacks and tricks along the way.
An Elegant Method of Board Reattachment
Tutor: Emma Fraser - Postponed Dates: tbc Times: 10am-5pm Venue: tbc - Wellcome Collection, London Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day)
An Introduction to Islamic Bindings
Tutor: Kristine Rose-Beers - Postponed Dates: tbc Times: 10am-5pm Venue: tbc - Bayntun Bindery, Bath Fee: Members £185.00/Non-Members £205.00 (materials fee payable on the day) education 027 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
City Lit - Courses in Bookbinding and Book Arts 2020/21
City Lit Fine Binding Higher Level: Vellum (VD333) - Keeley Street Tutor: Kathy Abbott Learn how to make a stiff-boarded binding in full vellum. Practise ‘pulling’ (disbinding) a book, preparing it for rebinding, making endpapers, edge-gilding, sewing multi-coloured end-bands, and preparing and covering with vellum. Suitable for advanced level students. Tuesdays 12/01/21 - 06/07/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £1099 Senior £879 Concession £550 City Lit Bookbinding: Intermediate (VD322) - Keeley Street Tutor: Gavin Moorhead An intermediate-level course for students with some experience. Learn new skills and techniques. Develop and build on existing knowledge in traditional and contemporary bookbinding, including leather paring and fine binding. Wednesdays 18/01/21 - 28/06/21 5:45pm - 8:45pm Full £649 Senior £649 Concession £325 Beginning Miniature Bookbinding (VD410) - Keeley Street Tutor: Royston Haward Explore the magic of tiny books in this introduction to miniature bookbinding. You will discover the history and appeal of this unique style and make three adorable miniature books to take home. Suitable for beginners. Thursdays 08/07/21 - 22/07/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £129 Senior £103 Concession £65 Bookbinding Weekend: Endband Extravaganza (VD360) - Keeley Street Tutor: Kathy Abbott A weekend packed full of endbands for bookbinding enthusiasts. Learn a little about the history and different styles of endband and try out some for yourself. There will be demonstrations of a range of endbands including multi-coloured, Islamic and ‘Manhattan’ style. Suitable for those with bookbinding experience. Saturday & Sunday 10/07/21 - 11/07/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £129 Senior £103 Concession £79 Bookbinding: 10 Projects for Beginners (VD262) - Keeley Street Tutor: Sue Doggett An exciting range of graded projects to introduce you to bookbinding. Come armed with enthusiasm and walk away with a stack of small books and a heap of information on materials, tools and techniques. Thursdays 22/04/21 - 24/06/21 6:00pm - 9:00pm Full £299 Senior £299 Concession £150 Creative Arts for Bookbinding I: Decorative Paper Techniques (VD354) - Keeley Street Tutor: Sue Doggett Try out a range of decorative techniques for paper including paste papers, dip dyed papers, rubber stamps and a marbling technique for bookbinding use or as individual pieces. All levels welcome. Saturday 12/12/20 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £79 Senior £63 Concession £48 Creative Arts for Bookbinding II: Leather Dyeing Techniques (VD361) - Keeley Street Tutor: Sue Doggett Spend a day experimenting with leather dye and dyeing techniques. You will be introduced to different dye types, methods of applying dye and a range of creative techniques such as resist, crackle and speckling, to use on bookbinding and other leather projects. Suitable for beginners. Saturday 19/06/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £79 Senior £63 Concession £79 Creative Arts for Bookbinding III: Papercutting (VD441) - Keeley Street Tutor: Lara Mantell Learn how to manipulate paper into abstract or representational designs. A range of paper cutting and folding techniques encourage you to explore silhouettes, pattern, imagery, colour and scale to develop your own approach. Techniques can be adapted for use in book arts and bookbinding projects to create pages, covers and structures. Saturday 14/08/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £79 Senior £63 Concession £79 Visible Stitches, Spectacular Spines: Experiments in Exposed Sewing (VD409) - Keeley Street Tutor: Sue Doggett Explore the creative possibilities of visible sewing in bookbinding through structure and materials. Experiment with wrapping, folding and piercing to produce a set of books where the spine is the star! Fridays 12/03/21 - 26/03/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £149 Senior £119 Concession £75
Print Into Book Intensive (VS026) - Keeley Street Tutors: Sue Doggett and Claire Hynds Explore the three dimensional possibilities of print. This course will encourage you to develop your initial ideas through experi- ments with printmaking techniques and bookbinding structures to create an artist’s book. Some printmaking and/or bookbinding experience may be beneficial but not essential. Fridays 15/01/21 - 05/03/21 6:00pm - 9:00pm Full £319 Senior £255 Concession £160 028 education www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Book Arts Drop-ins - Keeley Street Tutor: Sue Doggett A one-day, tutor supported book arts workshop. This short course is ideal for students who would like some technical or conceptual advice and the space to work on a personal project. Students will work independently with one to one support. Monday 14/12/20 (VD337), Friday 23/04/21 (VD339), Sunday 25/04/21 (VD340), Tuesday 03/08/21 (VD340) 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £49 Senior £49 Concession £49 Bookbinding: Paper Engineering and Pop-ups (VD290) - Keeley Street Tutor: Clare Bryan Be creative with paper and develop the 2D page into 3D pop-ups. Learn folding techniques and simple book structures to create and explore your ideas. Suitable for beginners. Mondays 22/02/21 - 29/03/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £289 Senior £231 Concession £145 Bookbinding: Learn to Bind Artists’ Books (VD292) - Keeley Street Tutor: Sue Doggett Explore the world of artists’ books and create your own one-off or small edition. Combine text, image and bookbinding to bring your interests to life; this course will help you develop your ideas through the structure of the book. Mondays 07/06/21 - 26/07/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £389 Senior £311 Concession £195 Print, Design and Bind: A Book in a Week (VD438) - Keeley Street Tutors: Anne-Marie Foster and Penny Stanford Come and enjoy a week in the print and book studios and leave with an artist’s book. This course will encourage you to experiment with printmaking techniques and bookbinding structures and help you to develop your initial ideas into a finished work. Some printmaking and/or bookbinding experience may be beneficial but not essential. Monday - Friday 16/08/21 - 20/08/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £249 Senior £249 Concession £152 Try it Out Conservation (VD350) - Keeley Street Tutor: Nesta Davies Discover the tools, materials and skills involved in book repair and conservation while trying out some basic techniques on paper, book cloth and board. No bookbinding experience required and a chance to discuss further study in bookbinding at City Lit. Sunday 22/11/20 10:00am - 5:00pm Full £79 Senior £79 Concession £79
Book Conservation and Repair Workshop: Intermediate and Higher (VD246) - Keeley Street Tutor: Gavin Moorhead Ideal if you have some bookbinding conservation experience and want to develop your skills further by working on your own projects with advice and guidance. Each term will include demonstrations that focus on a different aspect of book conservation. Wednesdays 13/01/21 - 31/03/21 6:00pm - 9:00pm Full £349 Senior £349 Concession £175 Book Conservation and Repair: Leather-bound Books (VD203) - Keeley Street Tutor: Peter Spain Learn paper repair including toning, lining and infilling, and the repair and conservation of tight and hollow-backed full, half or quarter leather-bindings. Ideal if you have some bookbinding experience. Wednesdays 13/01/21 - 31/03/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £499 Senior £399 Concession £250
Book Conservation and Repair: Vellum-bound Books (VD204) - Keeley Street Tutor: Peter Spain Learn to assess books and repair vellum-covered books including limp, semi-limp and boarded style. Work on your own projects in paper, cloth or leather. Basic materials included. For those with some bookbinding experience. Wednesdays 21/04/21 - 07/07/21 10:30am - 4:30pm Full £499 Senior £399 Concession £250
City Lit Keeley Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 4BA www.citylit.ac.uk/bookbinding [email protected] 020 7831 7831 education 029 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Australia
New South Wales Guild of Craft Bookbinders Booklyn www.nswbookbinders.org/contact [email protected] www.nswbookbinders.org www.booklyn.org
Canada Guild of Bookworkers [email protected] Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild www.guildofbookworkers.org [email protected] www.cbbag.ca New York Center for Book Arts [email protected] Italy www.centerforbookarts.org
Professione Libro North Bennet St. School [email protected] [email protected] www.professionelibro.it www.nbss.edu
Switzerland Penland School of Crafts [email protected] centro del bel libro ascona www.penland.org [email protected] www.cbl-ascona.ch San Francisco Center for the Book [email protected] United Kingdom www.sfcb.org
BINDING re:DEFINED - Lori Sauer [email protected] www.bookbindingworkshops.com
Black Fox Bindery - Nicky Oliver [email protected] www.blackfoxbindery.com
Dillington House [email protected] www.dillington.com
London Centre for Book Arts [email protected] www.londonbookarts.org
Studio 5 - Mark Cockram [email protected] www.bookbindingcourses.blogspot.com
West Dean [email protected] www.westdean.org.uk
United States of America
American Academy of Bookbinding [email protected] www.bookbindingacademy.org 030 education www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
BINDING re:DEFINED aims to inspire a wider appreciation of book structures and how they make an intelligent contribution to the aesthetic of the finished work. The focus of our carefully selected programme remains firmly in the tradition of well-crafted pieces that exhibit the best in contemporary design. We are based in Wiltshire’s beautiful aleV of Pewsey and are easily reached by road or rail. email [email protected] or ring Lori Sauer on 01672 851638
PLEATED HINGE February 11th - 13th Lori Sauer
PURE NAKED BEAUTY March 10th - 12th Claudia Benvestito & Lori Sauer
ORIGATA BINDING April 23rd - 24th Julie Auzillon
details at www.bookbindingworkshops.com
BINDING re:DEFINED
Black Fox Bindery offers a variety of teaching resources from taster courses to intensive, from one day to long-term.
The bindery is fully equipped. Enough space to accommodate five students comfortably at any one time and is fully insured.
Black Fox Bindery also plays host to guest binders or makers who may not have space of their own to teach. This is a great opportunity for all involved; I get to see a new teaching approach, my students have access to different techniques and the guest gets paid to pass on their skills.
One to one tuition has been invaluable to my personal progress in bookbinding and I emphasise the importance of it for focussed skill and technique development. I can offer one to one tuition tailored to your needs.
For further information please contact me (Nicky) at: [email protected] www.blackfoxbindery.com/workshops contacts 031 www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
192 | winter 2020/21
Chino Crafts designer bookbinders Nepal based artisan group supplying handmade tools and accessories to artists worldwide. President - Rachel Ward-Sale Star Brewery, Castle Ditch Lane, Lewes East Sussex BN7 1YJ [email protected]
Hon. Treasurer - Jack London 10 Pattison Road, London NW2 2HH [email protected]
Secretary & Membership Secretary - Pippa Smith 29 Windrush Crescent, Malvern WR14 2XG [email protected]
Publicity and Events Manager - Hannah Brown [email protected]
www.facebook.com/DesignerBookbinders
Please email Bindu: [email protected] www.instagram.com/db_bookbinding_uk www.chinocrafts.com www.twitter.com/designerbookuk
Newsletter Editor, Design and Layout - Troy Moore 92 Battersea High Street, London SW11 3HP [email protected]
Designer Bookbinders Publications Designer Bookbinders Publications Ltd. 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT [email protected]
The New Bookbinder Designer Bookbinders 6 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AT [email protected]
Website [email protected]
Designer Bookbinders International Competition [email protected]
dbUK Competition [email protected] designer bookbinders contemporary book arts 20designer bookbinders newsletter | 192 | winter 2020/21 202 Published by Designer Bookbinders 6 Queen Square London WC1N 3AT 021© Designer Bookbinders 2020 Charity Number 282018