Arts

Arts workshops at the San Francisco Center for the Book are the creative heart of bookmaking –  where concept, materials, form and content come together. You'll find courses on varying approaches for creating an artist's book, the many art processes to capture your vision, and structures to spark your imagination.

Workshops: Arts
Type Title Instructor Summary Status
Arts
Sessions: 3
Start: Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 4:00 PM
End: Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 6:00 PM
Hope Amico

Spend three sessions experimenting with Gelli plates, a versatile tool for at-home printmaking.

Open
Printing, Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, January 19, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Sunday, January 19, 2025, 5:30 PM
Patricia Wakida

Design and print your own t-shirt and kitchen tea towel designs using speedy carve blocks (the "pink stuff"), which is an easy alternative to hard linoleum.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 2
Start: Saturday, February 1, 2025, 10:00 AM
End: Sunday, February 2, 2025, 4:00 PM
Richard Smith

Make your own large format gelatin plate, then turn your prints into folded artists books.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 3
Start: Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 6:30 PM
End: Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 9:30 PM
Billy Ola Hutchinson

Hand lettering for all, even those with the shakiest of handwriting! Ease into the art of calligraphy with this beginning class in penmanship, letter formation, layout techniques, and calligraphic processes and materials.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 4
Start: Saturday, February 8, 2025, 10:00 AM
End: Sunday, February 16, 2025, 3:30 PM
Shawn Sheehy

Work through The Pop-Up Creation Manual, an extraordinary collection of 72 foundational pop-up structures.

Closed
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, February 9, 2025, 1:00 PM
End: Sunday, February 9, 2025, 4:00 PM
Elaine Chu

Learn a modern take on the Chinese Thread Book, also known as Zhen Xian Bao.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, February 16, 2025, 1:00 PM
End: Sunday, February 16, 2025, 5:00 PM
Tim Svenonius

Make the color wheel into more than just a conceptual model by bending and shaping it to suit your palette and purpose.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Saturday, February 22, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Saturday, February 22, 2025, 5:30 PM
Pietro Accardi

Scroll down for more sessions on March 29 and April 26!

Wait-list
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, February 23, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Sunday, February 23, 2025, 5:30 PM
Pietro Accardi

Learn to make a multi-compartment box, perfect for storing sewing supplies or other small tools.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, February 23, 2025, 10:00 AM
End: Sunday, February 23, 2025, 4:00 PM
Bettina Pauly

Also known as ‘shepherd’s purse' or ‘explosion page’ and often used commercially for tourist maps, the Turkish map fold and other variants are interesting and impactful features to add to a binding.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Friday, February 28, 2025, 10:00 AM
End: Friday, February 28, 2025, 4:00 PM
Julie Beeler

Ready to dive into the magical world of fungi and natural color? In this day-long workshop we are going to be tapping into the colors hidden in nature's most surprising places!

Wait-list
Arts
Sessions: 2
Start: Saturday, March 8, 2025, 10:00 AM
End: Sunday, March 9, 2025, 4:00 PM
Aimee Lee

Learn to make thread out of paper two ways, rooted in Korean and Japanese traditions, with visiting instructor Aimee Lee.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 2
Start: Saturday, March 15, 2025, 10:00 AM
End: Sunday, March 16, 2025, 4:00 PM
Aimee Lee

Learn how to make bark lace from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree, usually used to make fine paper.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, March 23, 2025, 12:00 PM
End: Sunday, March 23, 2025, 5:00 PM
Stephanie Jucker

Use collage techniques to create a book with pop-up elements and a hard cover that nestles nicely in an upcycled tin.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 5:30 PM
Pietro Accardi

In this introductory class, student will gain a basic understanding of the history, techniques, tools, and styles of European marbling.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 10:00 AM
End: Saturday, March 29, 2025, 4:00 PM
Bettina Pauly

Learn the basics of pochoir, a stenciling technique that is great for editioning and book art. Pochoir will help you add color and depth to your projects.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 5:30 PM
Pietro Accardi

This extension of our popular Introduction to Western Marbling workshop will help students take their marbling skills to the next level as they learn to marble on fabric that can be used for covering books and boxes.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, April 6, 2025, 1:00 PM
End: Sunday, April 6, 2025, 5:00 PM
Kate Laster

Learn about the tender art of subtractive drawing that is papercut! What happens when we make images with razor sharp sweetness?

Open
Arts
Sessions: 2
Start: Saturday, April 12, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Sunday, April 13, 2025, 5:00 PM
Dorothy Yuki

Explore the possibilities of making prints from flowers, plants, and other materials found in nature in this two-day workshop.

Wait-list
Binding, Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Saturday, April 19, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Saturday, April 19, 2025, 5:30 PM
Bettina Pauly

Learn another use for the accordion fold: create an in-depth scene using postcards and photographs to make a lovely, layered, 3-dimensional book.

Open
Binding, Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Saturday, April 26, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Saturday, April 26, 2025, 5:30 PM
Pietro Accardi

In this introductory class, student will gain a basic understanding of the history, techniques, tools, and styles of European marbling.

Open
Arts
Sessions: 1
Start: Sunday, April 27, 2025, 9:30 AM
End: Sunday, April 27, 2025, 5:30 PM
Pietro Accardi

This marbling lab takes the art of traditional paper marbling to a new level by introducing metallics to the pigments normally used and experimenting with over-marbling techniques.

Open