A designer slipcase fits the book perfectly, like a glove fits a hand and protects it completely from dust and light. The tailored rounded spine shape gives the slipcase a nice and snug feel. Participants can choose if they want to apply the opening horizontally, vertically, diagonally or free form.
Please bring along 2 to 3 of your own bound books. Ideal format: maximum A5.
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the art of making and designing a traditional French binding. The bookblock is worked with stabs and sewn on hemp cords. The book is covered with box calf leather, while the endpapers are an elegant combination of leather and suede.
Another focus of the course is the development of an individual design concept. Special tools and plexiglass templates are used to create leather inlays.
The half leather binding with attached covers and a "floating" spine is a refined technique by Edgard Claes. The book is easy to open, and the decorative spine offers a play of shapes and colours. We will set the joint at 90° and split and pare the leather. The spine consists of three layers: a thin leather, a leather-covered spine insert, and leather straps that attach the spine insert to the book block. The boards will be attached and covered with coloured paper.
This subtle half leather binding technique, developed in Denmark, has been constantly refined over the last century and is seen by bibliophiles as an extraordinary fine bookbinding. The book is worked on a 90° shoulder and head caps, similar to the German full leather binding.
Ideal format: approx. DIN A5, 3-10 sections.
The „Double or Triple board binding", invented by the Czech master bookbinder Jan Sobota, utilises a new binding form without shoulders. This method involves covering the two/three boards with leather separately, starting with the inner doublure board surface and finishing with the outer board, and then gradually gluing them together as a laminate. It is possible to create very interesting designs using this process.
Dying 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.
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.
