Design Binding Techniques

 Registration is closed for this event

August 4th, 2014 9:30 AM

  • Instructor: Dominic Riley
  • Workshop Type: Binding
  • Workshop Status: Closed
  • Workshop Start: August 4th, 2014 9:30 AM
  • Workshop End: August 8th, 2014 5:30 PM
  • Sessions: 5

Modern fine bindings—or Design Bindings—are the last word in luxury for leather book structures, and require refined, well planned design, forwarding and covering.

This week-long class takes a close look at this elegant style of binding, and is one of the intensive master classes that offer students the chance to advance their skills in several techniques essential for more sophisticated fine binding. Special bindings will be sewn on tapes, with two-color paper flyleaves attached with ingenious paper guards to allow for easy opening.

After rounding and backing, the book will be laced into laminated shaped boards, which give an elegantly cushioned feel to the binding. The book will have artistically painted edges on all three sides, which harmonize with the overall color scheme and design of the binding. The textblock is finished off with silk sewn double headbands, spine linings and a paper hollow. You'll cover the book with fine goatskin, which is precisely pared using both a paring machine and a knife. Techniques for achieving accurate paring (edges, spine, headcaps and corners) and covering (shaping the leather over the turn-ins, comers and headcaps) will be a major focus of the class. Leather doublures (or endpapers), leather joints and suede flyleaves add an opulent touch that is the hallmark of Design Binding.

As part of the class, Dominic will give a slide presentation of some of the special Design Bindings he's completed over the last 10 years. Prerequisite for this class: Leather paring experience. Traditional craft bookbinding experience recommended.


 

Materials to bring: finishing press, bone folders, sewing needles (#18, and smaller for headbanding), scalpel or X-acto, cutting mat, dividers, metal ruler, pencil, scissors, backing hammer, glue brush (small), paste brush, fine artists' brushes (various sizes), sandpaper (rough thru smooth grits), sanding block, ace bandage clean & soft shoe brush, soft cotton cloth (rag), masking tape, acrylic paints (Liquitex pref.), artists palette and tupperware pot to hold it, beeswax, china marker, tweezers, cobbler's knife, headbanding silks, paring knife and strop. Bring if you have: brockman or scharf-fix parer, spoke shave, paring stone (small), finishing stove, finishing tools, backing boards (small).

Date & Time: Monday-Friday, August 4-8, 2014 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Workshop + Materials Fee: $650

Prerequisites: None

Please review the SF Center for the Book Registration Policies before signing up for a class


 

About the Instructor | Dominic Riley

 

Dominic Riley learned bookbinding at age 16 from Benedictine monks and at the London College of Printing. He spent the last 10 years in San Francisco teaching, lecturing and restoring rare books. He now has a bindery with Michael Burke in England's Lake District and serves as vice chairman of the Society of Bookbinders.

 

He also recently won the top award of £10,000 ($15,670.89) at the second Sir Paul Getty Bodleian Bookbinding Prize 2013 ceremony.The BBC filed the following report. To view the original article click here.

 

Past Student Reviews:

 

“Dominic is a masterful teacher. Very good with ALL students”

 

“Superb! Set the time frame very well so we could all complete work. Very helpful to slow learners!”

 

“Instructor was amazing- knowledge of technique, history, and personal anecdotes was informative and interesting”

 

"Dominic's classes are always worth attending. You learn about the history as well as the binding you are studying"