Designer Bookbinders & The Society Of Bookbinders Weekend Workshops 2013-2014

Welcome to the tenth series of joint workshops offered by Designer Bookbinders and the Society of Bookbinders. The programme has been organised by George Davidson.

These workshops offer structured, intensive learning from established teachers and are designed to stress the 'hands-on' approach where students complete a structure or technique following demonstrations from the teacher. The size of each workshop is limited to allow students to benefit from individual attention. We hope you will be tempted - but please remember that the workshops tend to fill up very quickly, so sign up early to avoid disappointment

Workshops usually take place on a Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm with suitable breaks. The fee for each workshop is £140 plus a charge for materials provided by the tutor and payable 'on the day' (for Mark Cockram's one-day workshop, the charge is £70 plus materials, etc.).

Embroidered Leather
with Hannah Brown
22nd-23rd March 2014
Kentish Town, London NW1

You can create striking cover designs for bindings by using simple embroidery techniques. This workshop will teach you how to add attractive surface decoration to your leather, by adding sewn detail over coloured leather onlays.

For each of the fine bindings Hannah has made to date, she has made a sample book board. These are invaluable tools for practicing new techniques, working out colour combinations and are a brilliant physical record of each of her bindings. The aim of the weekend is to work on a leather-covered book board of your own, working to a design of your choice.

Hannah will start by demonstrating a variety of different hand and machine stitches onto leather and paper, showing how to build up a design over coloured leather onlays. Following this, there will be time to practice some of the techniques before starting to work on your own personal board.

This workshop is more suitable for binders with good leather paring skills. Some pre-prepared materials will be required, further details will be posted out closer to the date. Materials supplied by the tutor will cost £20.

Hannah Brown graduated with BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Crafts from Brighton University in 2004. After graduation she began learning bookbinding at evening classes, and now binds in her home studio alongside working as a Technician at the V&A Museum. She was elected as a Licenciate of Designer Bookbinders in 2009 and has won the Mansfield Medal in both the 2008 and 2011 DB Competitions. She is also a committee member of the Society of Bookbinders and co-organises the SoB International Bookbinding Competition.

Onion-skin Binding
with Benjamin Elbel
12th-13th April 2014
Kentish Town, London NW1

This is a structure in which the spine is built up with layers of papers of different colours. The way the spine grows from the centre to the outside, as well as the resulting pattern, was the inspiration for its name, onion-skin binding.

There are two different variations: the album and the single-section binding. In the album, the spine layering acts as a continuous guard that incorporates the pages and compensates for the thickness of the photographs to be added. In the single-section binding, it serves as a stub on which to sew the section, and grows to build shoulders to fit the boards.

A model of each will be made in this two day course, taught by the originator of the structure. Materials will cost £10 - £15.

Benjamin Elbel studied fine arts in France before specializing in bookbinding and book conservation in Ascona, Switzerland. Following that, he gained hands-on experience in various binderies in Germany and England, before setting-up his own studio in London in 2012.

Benjamin's activities are divided between bookbinding services, product design and training. Over the years he has developed many original structures that he uses in his own work and actively teaches across Europe.

Registration & Further Information from:
Sarah Jarrett-Kerr - sarah@jarrett-kerr.com
and
George Davidson - gddavidson@supanet.com

Copies of the brochure and workshop booking forms can be downloaded from the DB and SoB websites at:
www.designerbookbinders.org.uk
www.societyofbookbinders.com

Bookbarnkat Studios, Florence Italy

A place to play and to learn about book arts, bookbinding, restoration, metalsmithing, marbling, papermaking, other paper arts. We offer a rich environment, a studio to explore for the student of the book and paper. After years of traveling the globe, in furtherance of our own curiosity about this most primal art to civilization and wanting a place like this to play in. I am graced with the understanding, gained after years of reflection, that everything about bookbinding draws you into wanting to study everything about how civilization came to be - all the materials that we use and we take for granted every day - books, leather, paper, thread, letters, language, tools - are all intensely interesting and learning how they were invented and used to capture civilization. Please explore for yourself how you might want to find answers to your curiosity and put your hands onto making books and paper in the heart of humanism and the Renaissance - Florence, Italy.

Calligraphy in Blossom
with Marina Soria
12th-13th April 2014
If we start from letters the result will be pretty much the same, but if we move to a much broader shape resource in nature, then the result would be a whole set of new possibilities. We will try to find the similarities between letterforms and the shapes we may find in nature. We will research into the Taoist principles to broaden our graphic and design solutions.

Ebru Marbling Workshop
with Hikmet Barutcugil
21st-22nd April 2014
What is ebru? - Ebru, oe marbling, or marbled paper is the art of creating marble-like patterns by means of transferring the patterns prepared on the surface of water to paper. As the paint is dripped onto the surface of the water, initially it forms round shapes which soon expand, resembling the clouds in the sky. Marbling, one of the oldest traditional Turkish arts, originated in Central Asia and dates back to the fifteenth century and can be described briefly as water surface painting. The Turkish word Ebru, meaning clouds, describes the artist's own inner world. Patterns which take shape on water are fixed when they are transferred to paper or other materials, which are then used for a variety of purposes. As it is akin to abstract painting and contemporary graphic art, marbling is often framed and hung. The art came first to Iran via the "silk road" where it was called ebri, meaning "cloud" or "cloudy", it was also called abru meaning "water face." Subsequently, the art moved toward Anatolia and was named ebru in the Turkish language. At about the end of the sixteenth century, tradesmen, diplomats and travelers coming to Turkey took this art to Europe, calling it "Turkish paper." Marbling came to be used widely in Italy, Germany, France and England. At the same time, marbled paper was used to decorate calligraphy, whether as a background or as decorative fillers for the blank spaces left in the four corners of the page. This is clear evidence that Turks envisioned marbling primarily as a work of art. Within this scope, ebru has been framed and displayed like oil paintings since antiquity. The use of ebru as endpapers in fine bookbinding was an additional use of the art. Later, marbling art developed an important place in Islamic art. Turks adopted Islam with great fervor and they attempted to express the Beauty of the Divine in all artistic disciplines. They searched for mystical beauty in architecture, music, and in functional ornamental art. Out of this interest grew art workshops and students were trained in the master/apprentice method.

Hikmet Barutcugil - In 1973, as a first year student at the Department of Textiles, School of Applied Industrial Arts, Barutcugil, while starting to study Hüsn-i Hat (Islamic calligraphy) under the guidance of his professor, Dr. Emin Barin, first encountered Ebru, for which he quickly developed a burning passion. After receiving his degree in Textile Design in 1977, Barutcugil decided on a career in Ebru and carried his interest to London, where he conducted his postgraduate studies in abstract art between 1978 and 1981. Barutcugil transfused progressive methods with the classical manners of Ebru and applied time-tested motives of this decorative art on a multitude of functional media, e.g. interior surfaces, gadgets and clothes. Thus introducing the majestic beauty to the general public. His technical trials resulted in a unique line of Ebru, now known by his name as Barut Ebru.

He has contributed to hundreds of events and exhibitions on traditional arts, given short-term courses and seminars in over 35 countries to encourage re-emergence of Ebru in the minds of art lovers. He has lectured at the Royal College of Art (London, UK), Internationale Gessellschaft für Musik-Ethnologie und Kunsthraphie For University of Grasse (Wein, Austria), the Otonom University (Madrid, Spain), The University of Graz (Graz, Austria), The Basel Paper Museum (Basel, Switzerland), The University of Massachusetts (Boston, USA), and The Lok Virsa Museum (Islamabad, Pakistan). During this journey, he has also provided a multitude of articles for newspapers and magazines, attended numerous TV programmes and received numerous awards. He has given more than 164 lectures worldwide, conducted countless courses, and seminars. Barutcugil has opened or participated in more than 180 exhibitioins, 95 of them abroad.
He is a lecturer at the department of Traditional Turkish Arts, Mimar Sinan Sinat University, Academy of Fine Arts (Istanbul, Turkey).
He conducts workshops on marbling and other traditional crafts like calligraphy, tezhip (illumination), miniature painting, and bookbinding at his art centre, Ebristan.

What you will learn in this workshop:
- How to make a traditional marbling brush using horse tail hair and rose branches
- Traditional Turkish marbling backgrounds - Traditional Turkish flowers - Matting Ebru on cardboard

All equipment will be provided by the instructor:
- Basins
- Papers
- Gum tragacanth
- Pigments and metal oxides
- Traditional brushes - Combs, pins and other tools

Creative Leatherworking and Decoration Techniques
with Tom McEwan
25th-27th April 2014
This 3-day workshop is designed to provide instruction and practice on contemporary leather decoration techniques and how they can be applied to fine design bookbinding. The main areas covered will be:
- Craquelle
- Direct dye
- Masked dye
- Transfer Print
- Flaked gold
- Screen print
Each student will create a batch of leather samples using the above techniques which will then be used to create an inlayed and onlayed leather panel. The finished leather panel will then be applied to a prepared board, simulating the covering process on an actual book. The workshop will be very practical and 'hands-on' in nature but will also cover issues of design. Most tools and materials will be supplied. However, please bring along your favourite handtools including a paring knife and a spokeshave. Although a paring machine will be available, if you have your own (Brockman or Scharf-fix) please bring this too, if possible. As we'll be using dyes, rubber or latex gloves will be required.

Day 1 - Preparation of boards; lining and bevelling. Creation of decorated leather samples.
Day 2 - Leatherworking: inlays, back pared onlays, scarf jointing. Design principles. Completion of leather panel and preparation for covering boards.
Day 3 - Covering board. Filling in and preparing for doublure. How to pare, trim and fit an edge-to-edge doublure.

Tom McEwan - studied sculpture at Glasgow School of Art from 1976 to 1980. His interest in bookbinding began in 2005 when he studied for an HNC in fine bookbinding at Glasgow City College. He was elected a Licentiate member of Designer Bookbinders in 2010 and became a Fellow in 2014. Examples of his work are now held in public and private collections in the UK, Europe and the USA. Among many awards, Tom won the Society of Bookbinders 'John Coleman' trophy for best book in the 2011 International Competition and has won the prestigious Designer Bookbinders 'Mansfield Medal' in 2012 and 2013.

Leather Dyeing Technique and Bradel Bookbinding
with Nicky Oliver and Paolo Taddeo
28th April-2nd May 2014
Dyeing your own leather can be an extremely creative process and it can enable the binder to produce beautiful and unique covers for their design bindings. The first part of this workshop will be a mixture of some short demonstrations and hands on experimenting. We will be using a selection of different dyes and exploring each of their uses and limitations. The aim will be to develop a different approach to how you illustrate your design pieces. A selection of natural and fair leathers will be prepared and provided. We will concentrate mainly on the dyes and their different applications but we will also be exploring many surface design techniques. The second part of this workshop will be to incorporate our dyed and designed pieces of leather into a disappearing spine Bradel binding. This is a wonderful structure as it allows many design possibilities!

Nicky Oliver - After working over ten years in commercial binderies in London, Nicky Oliver established her own business Black Fox Bindery in 2009, specialising in commissioned and design bindings, box and label making and teaching. She became a Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders 4 years ago and has won several awards in the Designer Bookbinders National Competitions culminating with winning 'the Silver triple' with first prize for set book, open choice book and the Edgar Mansfield Medal for best book in 2010. In 2013 she won one of the Distinguished Winners silver trophy for the Designer Bookbinders International Competition. She is an active member of both Designer Bookbinders and Society of Bookbinders - www.blackfoxbindery.com

Paolo Taddeo - Paolo's career begun in Italy in 1995 where he worked for 5 years as an apprentice bookbinder and typographer. He then worked for several years as a digital designer in both the print and web industries. After studying bookbinding and book restoration at the London College of Printing and Centro del Bel Libro Ascona (CH) and gaining experience working in several binderies, he ran his own business Festinalente Books from 2009 to 2011. Paolo now runs his studio Paolo Taddeo - Books & Design in North London, specialising in fine bookbinding, box making, gilding, leather design and other bespoke commissioned work. Elected Licentiate of Designer Bookbinders in 2013, among the prize winners of UK and international bookbinding competitions, Paolo is an active member of both Designer Bookbinders and Society of Bookbinders - www.paolotaddeo.co.uk

Equipment will be supplied by instructor:
All the material used in this workshop are supplied by the instructors
PARTICIPANTS ARE INVITED TO BRING THEIR OWN TOOL KIT
Make sure your kit includes: bone folders, paring knives, lifting tools, scalpels and blades, dividers, micrometre, paint brushes, latex gloves, sponges.

Supplied by Bookbarnkat Studios:
- workbench height is bench height
- bench height chairs
- a good light
- clean pressing boards and weights

The deadline for applications and payments is 31st March
- Eight places available with a minimum of five required for the course to run.

Booking and Further information on all the workshops is available from:
Bookbarnkat Studios
2 via dell'Amorino 8R Firenze, Italy
phone +39 328 5465766
Email: info@bookbarnkatstudios.com or visit www.bookbarnkatstudios.com

American Academy of Bookbinding, Telluride, CO

Contemporary Decorative Techniques
with Hélène Jolis
5th-9th May 2014

"Helene was fantastic at helping each of us constantly explaining, identifying our own personal challenges and ways to work on them. Also very personable, interesting and fun!" - Student, 2012

Learning from Hélène Jolis is a rare opportunity! This year she is teaching Contemporary Decorative Techniques for one week and Titling the second week. Her Titling class is full with a waiting list. Don't wait too long to register for the decorative techniques class!

Course Description: This class is open to students who are studying with Hélène for the first time. It is also open to students who have studied with Hélène before, but who might be out of practice and need a refresher. Hélène will have new designs that will challenge both new and returning students. The techniques taught in this class open real possibilities for creative work in contemporary decoration. They are adapted to the need of most designer bookbinders, from beginners to professionals, without requiring an investment of costly tools. Students will focus on a number of techniques including onlay, inlay, relief and juxtaposition. Each student will work on one or two leather-covered panels, following a design pattern created by Hélène. Students will begin with simple exercises that will lead to more complicated inlay designs as the week progresses. Using a variety of materials such as wood, metal, different kinds of leather and small objects, students will learn a new way to approach inlays. The techniques taught are easily accessible to everyone and will lead to precision, finesse and an improved quality of work. The objective is to lead the student to a technical understanding that will serve to stimulate creativity.

For more information please email deb@ahhaa.org, call 970.728.8649 or visit bookbindingacademy.org

School for Formal Bookbinding Schedule with Don Rash, Plains, Pennsylvania

We are pleased to present the upcoming SFB classes for 2014. As usual, the six core classes will be offered twice, and we'll be running three weekend classes. Tuition and housing prices have been slightly increased: $240 for two day classes, $600 for five day classes and $960for two classes in a row (a 20% discount); the rooms at Powell Street are $35 a night.

The 2014 class schedule:
24th-28th March - Foundations of Hand Bookbinding (Bookbinding 1)
31st March - 1st April - Introduction to Case Binding (Bookbinding 2)

26th-27th April - Introduction to Paper Repair

5th-9th May - Introduction to Leather Binding (Bookbinding 4)
12th-16th May - Full Leather Binding (Bookbinding 5)
31st May - 1st June - Introduction to Titling and Tooling

9th-13th June - Cloth Binding Conservation (Bookbinding 3)
16th-20th June - Leather Binding Conservation (Bookbinding 6)
28th-29th June - Introduction to Inlay and Onlay

14th-18th July - Foundations of Hand Bookbinding (Bookbinding 1)
21st-25th July - Introduction to Case Binding (Bookbinding 2)

13th-17th October - Introduction to Leather Binding (Bookbinding 4)
20th-24th October - Full Leather Binding (Bookbinding 5)

3rd-7th November - Cloth Binding Conservation (Bookbinding 3)
10th-14th November - Leather Binding Conservation (Bookbinding 6)

For detailed information about the School and about individual classes please go to the website www.donrashfinebookbinder.com
or feel free to call the School at 1 570 8217050.

Bookbinding structure with Ben Elbel - London

This series of short courses explores alternative ways of constructing and designing books, resulting from Benjamin's extensive research and experience in the field. The host is the brilliant London Centre for Book Arts (LCBA) in Hackney Wick. These workshops are offered to experienced bookbinders, however they have proven popular among beginner bookbinders as well as photographers, artists, or anyone involved with books and interested in a different approach than the strictly traditional. All materials are included, and tool kits are available if you haven't got your own. Enrolment is limited to 8 students. We look forward to meeting you!

Leather decoration 9th April 2014, 10.00-16.00, £80 Leather is without a doubt the finest bookbinding material but its natural grain can have a somewhat conservative feel and look, not necessarily suited to contemporary work. In this one day workshop you will learn how to create rich and interesting patterns and textures onto suede leather, which can then be used as a covering material.

The Shrigley Evening class, 16th April 2014, 13th August 2013, 3rd December 2014, 18.00-21.00, £40 This workshop will reveal the secrets of 'The Shrigley', an elegant and non-intrusive method for storing and presenting documents. One simple model will be made in this half-day workshop, containing variations and potential for development.

Dos rapporté binding 16th July 2014, 10.00-16.00, £80 The dos rapporté binding (French for hooked-on spine) is a special spine construction which provides the book with a very flat opening as well as an elegant and contemporary character. In this one day workshop you will learn the basics of the structure by completing a full-cloth binding.

Tue-mouche bindings 12th-13th November 2014, 10.00-16.00, £150 Tue-mouche bindings are semi-flexible bindings in folded paper, suitable for artist books, conservation bindings or stationery. The spine construction derives from the 'dos rapporte' binding and offers a flawless opening. In this two day course, three models will be made, exploring different cover-to-text and cover-to-spine attachments, as well as different closure systems. The technique offers very simple and effective design opportunities which will be pointed out by the tutor.

Further information on these workshops is available at www.elbel-libro.com
or by contacting Benjamin by phone on 07733730178
or email benjamin.elbel@gmail.com

Please note: Benjamin also teaches some of these classes via Skype.
To find out more, visit www.elbel-libro.com/collections/online-workshops

Teaching Opportunities at the London Centre for Book Arts

Come and teach at the LCBA! The centre is looking to add more workshops to their schedule. If you have an idea for a workshop to teach at the Centre, please let them know by filling in the form on their web site.

You can see examples of their current workshops at londonbookarts.eventbrite.co.uk

Questions? Get in touch with Simon at simon@londonbookarts.org

Bookbinding Workshops In the Lake District Spring 2014, with Dominic Riley and Michael Burke

Welcome to the Spring offering for 2014. There's a variety of workshops here, from basic structures to more advanced techniques and historical bindings. There should be plenty here for you to enjoy. Please remember, the workshops do tend to fill up quickly, so let Dominic and Michael know as soon as you can if you'd like to book a place. Workshops are from 10-5 at our bindery near Ulverston. Space is limited to ten people. Lunch is provided.

Library Style Binding
12th-13th April 2014
£120 (Materials £20)
The Library Style was developed for the British Museum at the end of the nineteenth century by Douglas Cockerell, as a way of binding books which needed to be extremely robust yet could remain pleasing to use and would open well. The book is sewn on heavy tapes and has a hidden cloth joint, which together form a flange that is glued into laminated split boards for strength. The edges are sprinkled and waxed, and a hollow back added to the spine. The book is covered in heavy-duty buckram, with special 'library-style' corners for added strength. The endpapers are put down and a gold-tooled leather title label added. The Library Style is ideal for heavy books which get a lot of use and need to be extra strong, such a dictionaries, cook books or manuals.

Restoration of Leather Bindings
1st-4th May 2014
£240 (Materials: £20)
This workshop is a thorough introduction to restoring leather bindings. We'll begin by detaching the boards, lifting off the spine leather and cleaning the backs of the sections. Then we'll repair the board edges and corners, and lift the leather along the spine edge of the boards to allow for rebacking. We'll then split the boards and insert strong cotton, which will be adhered to the spine to form a new attachment of book to cover. New headbands will be sewn, the spine relined and a hollow attached. Then we'll reback with a compatible leather dyed to match the original and carefully pared to fit under the lifted areas. After rebacking, we'll reattach the original spine, put down the lifted leather and repair the endpapers.

Byzantine Binding
5th-8th June 2014
£240(Materials: £55)
Byzantine Binding is a luxurious taste of the east. The book has a style emanating from Constantinople, the seat of the Roman Empire that lasted for a thousand years after the fall of Rome. Byzantium became Constantinople became Istanbul. Typical Byzantine bindings had vellum pages dyed to a royal purple, were lavishly embellished and were written on with inks of gold and silver. We shall reproduce the structure of these ancient books with beautiful materials: linen thread, quarter-sawn oak wooden boards and fine leather and cloth. The extraordinary practice of sewing the book in two halves and then joining them together will be revealed. To begin we will drill and carve grooves into the wooden boards. Then we'll sew link stitches to attach the textblock in two parts to the two boards. After attaching the two half-texts together, we'll swaddle the spine in cloth. We'll further sew endbands that extend onto the boards, and cover the whole book with leather. We will close our books with peg and strap fastenings, made of metal and braided leather. Our books will then be further embellished with decorative metal pieces and metal studs.

If you need to stay overnight, Dominic and Michael can help with B&B accommodation
Low Wood House, Low Wood, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 8LY. 015395 31161
dom.riley@hotmail.com

Learn to bind at the Otter Bindery in Surrey

For those wishing to learn bookbinding, The Otter Bindery offers classes, for all levels from beginners upwards.

Bookbinding Introduction to Leather Binding - Library Style Course
14th-16th March, 20143 over two days 10.00 - 18.00
Teacher: Steve Orriss
This 3 day course builds on the knowledge gained on the Taster and Sewing courses. You will learn the fundamentals of preparing leather for binding using a paring knife and a spokeshave. You will work with goatskin which will be prepared, then pasted out and moulded over the book. This course is an ideal preparation for our follow on course 'Making a Traditional Bound Leather Book'.

Bookbinding: Loose board Half Leather bound tight back binding Course
18th-20th April, 2014
Teacher: Steve Orriss
At the end of this 3 day course you will take home a leather bound book you have made yourself using traditional techniques little changed in centuries. You will learn about different sorts of endpapers and which sorts of endpapers apply to which sorts of books. You will round and back them. You will make handsewn silk headbands and prepare vegetable tanned goatskin leather for covering using a spokeshave and a paring knife.

Bookbinding: Restoration and Conservation Course
15th-17th August, 2014
Teacher: Linda Orriss
On this three day course you will learn how to repair a wide variety of different types of book. We will cover repair techniques that are applicable to books of all ages. We will also learn how to carry out some paper conservation and repair.

Each day of the course runs from 10am-5pm with a 1 hour break for lunch. Participants must have completed Level 1-4, or have equivalent experience, to attend this course. You must bring in 3 books that are in need of repair to work; on a paper back book, a cloth covered book and a leather bound book.

For further details please check the website www.otterbookbinding.com or telephone 01932 845976.

Bookbinding with Doug Mitchell

Higham Hall, Cumbria

Bookbinding - The Basics
21st-23rd March 2014
A workshop for those wishing to establish or develop their skills in the fundamentals of Bookbinding with one of the UK's leading exponents.
Materials provided at cost: £20pp
Residential: £209 Non-residential: £145

Bookbinding & Restoration
2nd-6th May 2014

Playtime (Complete all those unfinished projects or start new ones)
18th-20th July 2014

The Glazia Codex Binding
24th-27th October 2014

For further information go to www.highamhall.com

For over 12 years, Douglas Mitchell has been holding various workshops covering all aspects of Paper Conservation and Book Restoration at Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Levels. They are held three times a year at a beautiful location in the Lake District and are residential. For details contact Doug Mitchell on booksurgeon@gmail.com. He also holds one day workshops in Suffolk, (Judith Viesner studios), London (SOB London region) and the Lit. & Phil. Library, Newcastle.

Doug is a City and Guilds, Apprenticed Bookbinder, working at The British Museum and Foreign Office binderies and currently working as a Book and Paper Conservator and Gold Leaf Finisher at The British Library with 40 years experience.

Arthur Green - Bookbinding Workshops in Oxfordshire

These workshops will provide students with a step-by-step tutorial on traditional bookbinding styles, with a little bit of the history thrown in too. Participants will also learn about the tools, materials and terminology of the craft. One and two-day workshops are held on Saturdays throughout the year and run from 9:30am to 4:30 pm. All workshops are held in an 18th century school house in the middle of Eynsham village, just west of Oxford. The workshops are in small groups of six or less and all levels are welcome.

Fee: £65 per day, including lunch, tea/coffee, and all materials.

Further information is available from Arthur at:

The Bartholomew Rooms
The Square
Eynsham
Oxon, OX29 4HW

tel: 07921457174
email: arthurfgreen@yahoo.co.uk

Workshops & Short Courses at the Black Fox Bindery in North London

Nicky Oliver offers a range of courses and workshops at Black Fox Bindery from beginners bookbinding and box-making to advanced book design classes such as leather dyeing techniques and onlay work. Nicky can also tailor classes to your requirements. All materials and equipment are provided.

Please contact her on nicky@blackfoxbindery.com or 07929 549 140 for details and bookings.

North Bennet Street School, Boston, MA - Full-time Bookbinding Program

Established in 1986, this popular two-year program attracts students who share a passion for books and materials, problem-solving, the creative process and working with their hands to make, restore and preserve books and other printed cultural treasures. Students learn fundamental bookbinding techniques including tool use and modification, non-adhesive bindings, cloth and paper bindings of various styles, edition binding and an introduction to book repair and conservation. The second year provides a comprehensive examination of leather bindings, decorative tooling and finishing and re-backing and repair of leather bindings. Advanced paper treatments including washing and deacidification and other conservation procedures are covered.

For more information go to: www.nbss.edu

Handmade Art Workshops, London

Handmade Art Workshops design and deliver unique analogue art projects that encourage hands on creativity. We are artists, designers & craftswomen combining our experience and skills to teach drawing, printing and bookbinding to a range of ages and in a variety of community settings.

Get a Sketchbook is suitable for anyone over the age of eleven. It aims to engage its participants with the importance of sketchbooks in the creative process by enabling them to work with two professional artists and a bookbinder to make and use their own personalised hand-made, hardbound sketchbooks. These sessions can be booked individually or as a three session package.

Stages of the Get a Sketchbook workshop:

Workshop 1
Relief printing a cover using an etching press for your own sketchbook with artist Rachel Thomson
running time 2 hours
numbers max 20
price £250 includes materials & refreshments

Workshop 2
Making and binding your own sketchbook with professional book binder Nicky Oliver
running time 2 hours
numbers max 20
price £250 includes materials & refreshments

Workshop 3
Introduction to use of sketchbooks, speed drawing and information gathering involving use of different media with artist Agnes Mitchell
running time 2 hours
numbers max 20
price £250 includes materials & refreshments

Binding in Powys at The Farthing Press & Bindery with Alan Fitch

There are available a variety of courses, which run through out the year, offering the opportunity to learn in an idyllic location and relaxed atmosphere. With only a maximum of three people on any one course, tuition is on a very personal level, with each student having their own work station and all tools and materials supplied.

The courses run from Monday - Friday (9 - 5). Over the period of the course you will be guided through all the aspects of bookbinding, relevant to each course. There are at present four courses available:

Basic Course - This course has been designed for the beginner and covers all the basics of binding a book.

Refresher/Repair Course - This course is designed for the student who :
- Has completed the Basic Course but would like to spend more time developing their basic skills before moving on to finer things.
- Has had some experience in the past of binding a case bound, round and backed book but would like to refresh their skills.
- Would like to develop their skills in repairing old cloth cased books.

Full Leather Course - This course is for the person who wants to develop their bookbinding skills and progress to binding in leather.

2 Day Bookmaking Course - This course has been designed to allow you to spend two days making a variety of types and styles of book, none of which require any specialist equipment or tools.

Accommodation is available

For further detail please telephone +44 (0)1938 590733

The School for Bookbinding Arts, Winchester, VA

The school is committed to providing quality training in the craft of hand bookbinding. Its ongoing series of two-day workshops is designed to teach techniques that are immediately useful to the student as well as to create a solid foundation of skills for further bookbinding study. The curriculum includes both basic and advanced courses that are geared toward the needs of book dealers, collectors and anyone interested in learning the art of hand bookbinding. Each workshop features demonstrations of the techniques being taught coupled with ample supervised practice time for the student. A complete package of printed notes accompanies each of the workshops to aid the student in assimilating the body of information being presented.

Workshops are taught in the studios of Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding near Winchester, Virginia. Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding is a fully operational hand bookbinding and book restoration facility established in 1991 by Jill Deiss. Instructors for THE SCHOOL FOR BOOKBINDING ARTS include Jill Deiss, Dee Evetts, Susan McCabe and Bill Deiss.

Foundation Level Course

Beginning Cloth Binding Restoration: This course teaches a wide variety of skills that are immediately useful for the repair of cloth bindings and also serves as a foundation for later courses. Techniques taught include: repairing damaged corners, endcaps and joints on cloth bindings; toning of discolorations; and minor paper repair techniques. Limited to 9 students. $235

Beginning Leather Binding Restoration: Students will learn various treatments for leather bindings including repairs for damaged corners, endcaps, and joints. Also included are techniques for polishing and improving the condition of leather surfaces. $235

Advanced Cloth Binding Restoration: Learn the professional technique for restoring a cloth binding using original boards and spine. Requires Beginning Cloth Binding Restoration for participation. Limited to 7 students. $235

Advanced Leather Binding Restoration: The leather reback is the companion repair to the cloth reback but for leather bindings. All portions of the original binding are retained in this professional restoration. Techniques for thinning and paring leather will be featured in this workshop. Requires Beginning Leather Binding Restoration for participation. Limited to 7 students. $235

New Cloth Bindings: Two styles of new bindings will be taught to enable students to put covers on books that have lost their original bindings. Introduction to book titling will be featured as well as methods for endsheet attachment. Limited to 9 students. $235

Clamshell Box Construction: Students will learn the craft of creating custom-fit clamshell boxes. Limited to 9 students. $235

Paper Marbling [Beginning & Advanced]: Students will learn many traditional marbled patterns as well as how to set up their own marbling studios. Inquire for course fee.

Further information from:
540-662-2683
www.CatTailRun.com
email: info@cattailrun.com

The Artworks, Halifax, Yorkshire

Printmaking and Bookbinding

Please visit their web site for a full list of available courses.

"All of our workshops offer the highest quality tuition in a relaxed, welcoming, open and conducive atmosphere. Our workshops are structured, providing you with the necessary skills and techniques to master the craft and are flexible too, allowing you to work on different projects from traditional to contemporary. You can work at your own pace and all materials and tools are provided at the class to get you going."

Further information is available from www.theartworks.org.uk

CBL Ascona, Switzerland

The Association centro del bel libro in Ascona is the parent institution of an internationally known and recognised technical school with the specialised areas of Bookbinding and Design and Book and Paper Conservation. The Association exists for the continued development and ever higher qualification of its instructors in both areas. Competitions and exhibitions help inform the public about their activities and expand public awareness of the book. The Association makes it possible for experts in related fields and for interested laypeople to acquire knowledge and skills pertaining to the book through special courses of instruction. The Association is a not for profit organisation. Its departments assure the smooth functioning of the school and an especially well organised office assists course participants with their stay in Ascona. The Directorate, among other duties, is charged with attracting new supporting members for the Association to ensure the continued work and development of the School. Should you be in agreement with the stated goals of the Association - we would be pleased to welcome you as a new member!

Department of Bookbinding and Design - The study areas of Bookbinding and Design offer discerning bookbinders the opportunity of technical and creative challenges. Course participants have the opportunity to further their qualifications through learning internationally recognised methods and techniques, are able to hone their skills and increase their knowledge, evaluate themselves and be inspired by colleagues. They will exchange ideas and find paths in creativity and through self reflection; paths which open up by being away from job demands and daily stress, away from routine, and the pressures of time and expectations of productivity. The annually changing course offerings are continually enhanced by timely developments to expand students depth of understanding. They include classic hand bookbinding techniques, such as the French full leather binding, the Bradel technique, as well as hand gilding. Another area of program concentration is the contemporary design of bookbindings, in which design, technique and material complement each other and fulfil the functional and qualitative aspects of a book.

Department of Book and Paper Conservation - The study of book and paper conservation at the centro del bel libro ascona assures further education specifically for book and paper restorers and delivers timely, inclusive and internationally recognised competencies in theory and practical applications. Scientific bases of restoration, restoration ethics, as well as documentation and decision making are encouraged and fostered in order to increase the knowledge of course participants in these areas. The opportunity to engage in dialogue in related disciplines, support and evaluation of innovation, and most of all development of practical skills to assure correct restoration and conservation measures - all are addressed in this context. The exchange of ideas among experts, and the addition of highly specialised guest lecturers provide the best conditions for exploring all relevant subjects in depth. Highly qualified teachers, a pleasant study and work environment, course participants from countries world wide, and the much renowned southern joie de vivre facilitate learning, ignite the desire to learn and communicate, and reward the student with improved self confidence. Building on these facts, it becomes an easy task to develop conventions for the protection of our cultural heritage, the book - a task which the centro del bel libro ascona has set itself and which it fulfils.

Further information regarding courses programs can be found on the schools web site at: www.cbl-ascona.ch

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