Alchemy is more than just turning lead into gold. Trace the history of the process, learn about its applications and identify ways that you can use alchemical influences in your own art in this 4-hour workshop.

Enhance your collage skills and add a new twist to your finished pieces with beeswax. Working with various papers, imagery, and melted wax students will leave class with finished artworks ready to hang.

While bookbinding and book repair share many skills and techniques, they are also distinct pursuits. This course is intended to introduce the student familiar with bookbinding to key practices within basic book repair.

To paraphrase Lewis Carroll, we begin at the beginning. This, the first of our Core Bookbinding series, introduces students to the craft with the Coptic stitch, one of the earliest structures in binding.

To paraphrase Lewis Carroll, we begin at the beginning. This, the first of our Core Bookbinding series, introduces students to the craft with the Coptic stitch, one of the earliest structures in binding.

The San Francisco Center for the Book celebrates the craft and art of bookbinding. Our Bookbinding Core Certificate Program introduces students to four different binding models, leading them through the history and evolution of bookmaking. It provides students a comprehensive foundation to delve into the practice of binding and qualifies them work in our bindery.

In centuries past, books were sometimes sewn onto cords and then laced into soft covers before being bound for a specific collection or library. In this class students will bind a book using these bindings as a model but employing thick paper as the folded and laced wrapper.

The final class in our Core Bookbinding series uses skills learned in each previous class to create a beautiful and classic rounded back cloth binding.

Working from pre-cut materials students will learn three simple enclosures: Folded Paper Portfolio, Phased Box, & Slipcase.

Protect prints and books in elegant clamshell presentation boxes. Day 1: Students will construct a full cloth clamshell box from a provided template. Day 2: Students will design and construct a custom clamshell to their own specifications and using their own materials if they choose.

Protect prints and books in elegant lift-top presentation boxes. In this class you will design and construct a custom lift-top box to your own specifications.

Discover the possibilities of brush lettering. By learning some of the fundamental techniques and principles of letter formation, sign writing, and calligraphy, students will learn how to create their very own letter designs using watercolor and gouache painting methods.

In this workshop students will learn to make folded pens, also know as cola pens, exploring the basic strokes for mark making and gesture, as well as a variety of alphabets. Your own unique marks with this very individual with this pen!

Based on an historical 16th century style of bookbinding, this clever structure can easily be made in a few hours – the perfect thing if you’re interested in making a gift for a friend or a new sketchbook/journal for yourself!

Dig in to the tradition and history of letterpress printing and get your hands dirty. Learn about the process and practice of setting type, mixing inks and pulling impressions. In this class you will learn how to print your own cards!

Dig in to the tradition and history of letterpress printing and get your hands dirty. Learn about the process and practice of setting type, mixing inks and pulling impressions. In this class you will learn how to print your own cards!

The four class Cylinder Core Certificate Program allows students to move quickly through the press basics while also addressing relief printing in general. After this class students are qualified to rent press time as well as move on to more advanced classes and techniques.

Design and aesthetic. Increase your letterpress versatility: learn to set up the press, refine you registration skills, and run an edition. Learn more about packing, roller height, and make-ready. Come ready to run an edition of your own small poster!

Bring digital back into analog in this final core course and learn to print from photopolymer plates. Apply your letterpress skills to artwork created digitally to make fantastic plates for printing. Walk away with a stack of stationery printed from polymer plates.

Bring digital back into analog in this final core course and learn to print from photopolymer plates. Apply your letterpress skills to artwork created digitally to make fantastic plates for printing. Walk away with a stack of stationery printed from polymer plates.

Make a modern illuminated letter! Beginners to advanced students will explore historical models, study the anatomy of the letter, and learn how to draw a decorated letterform. Fancy, elegant, or wacky, your letter will make an impact!

If you’ve been seeking an interesting and elegant way to house your book and paper structures or you’re just looking for a beautiful, non-traditional box for storing things, this workshop is your answer. Spend a day learning to construct a charming and functional hatch-top box with a bottom drawer.

Collage is a process of exploration: with X-Acto in hand, we sift through old magazines, discarded books, and other scraps and ephemera in search of patterns, looking to unite images that were once separate. Learn how to stock your toolkit before you set out while getting a hands-on introduction to collage!

Are you longing to take your bookbinding to the next level? Then take this one day, beginner level class on the exquisite longstitch! Not only will you learn the ins and outs of this traditional German, non-adhesive, stitch pattern binding, but you’ll also learn to laminate decorative papers to create sturdy and malleable book covers.

Imagine the surprise of a Jacob’s Ladder structure combined with the possibilities of a flip book and you've got a Flim Flam book! Take a day and explore the creative potential of two non-traditional book forms.

If you’ve never made a monoprint before or haven’t made a monoprint since grade school, now is the time to discover this wonderful method for adding color, texture, gesture, and image to your work. It can be used in a journal, on a lettered broadside, or students can explore and develop the mark-making elements for calligraphy and letterform art. This technique is engaging, easy to learn and works on the most advanced levels.

This intriguing book structure, which means 'back-to-back' in French, turns two books into one!

It's that time of the year when presents abound. Make your gifts and holiday greetings stand out with hand patterned embellishments made from your own carved soft block. Take an evening and learn to personalize your gift giving this year.

Do you love the alchemy of printed words and images that mix and grow with the turning of pages? Do the complex layers of meaning that can arise within a book fascinate you? If so, the Artists’ Book is a medium worthy of your exploration. Begin to delve into this rich and expanding format in this one-day class that introduces the history, basic structures, and an overview of the practices used by book artists. Bring your own quotes, short poems, or images and craft a book during the day to get a taste of the joy that is the making of Artists’ Books.

Learn basic bookbinding structures and stitches that every book artist should know in this three-hour workshop. If you’ve ever been curious about how to make a book, Introduction to Bookbinding is the place to start. One workshop, five booklets!

Learn basic bookbinding structures and stitches that every book artist should know in this three-hour workshop. If you’ve ever been curious about how to make a book, Introduction to Bookbinding is the place to start. One workshop, five booklets!

Learn basic bookbinding structures and stitches that every book artist should know in this three-hour workshop. If you’ve ever been curious about how to make a book, Introduction to Bookbinding is the place to start. One workshop, five booklets!

Learn basic bookbinding structures and stitches that every book artist should know in this three-hour workshop. If you’ve ever been curious about how to make a book, Introduction to Bookbinding is the place to start. One workshop, five booklets!

Learn basic bookbinding structures and stitches that every book artist should know in this three-hour workshop. If you’ve ever been curious about how to make a book, Introduction to Bookbinding is the place to start. One workshop, five booklets!

If you're familiar with "book arts basic concepts" but not quite ready to jump into SFCB's Bookbinding Core series, this is the class for you! In this four hour class, students will build basic bookbinding skills with a focus on sewing multiple signature bindings.

If you're familiar with "book arts basic concepts" but not quite ready to jump into SFCB's Bookbinding Core series, this is the class for you! In this four hour class, students will build basic bookbinding skills with a focus on sewing multiple signature bindings.

If you're familiar with "book arts basic concepts" but not quite ready to jump into SFCB's Bookbinding Core series, this is the class for you! In this four hour class, students will build basic bookbinding skills with a focus on sewing multiple signature bindings.

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.

Learn the basic operations of the Kwikprint hot foil stamping machine. Students in this workshop will stamp brass type and ornaments onto leather, board, and paper.

Step up your mixed media techniques and new layers of content to your collage and book arts projects with this introductory course to image transfers. Students will learn a variety of transfer techniques and leave with samples to take home and incorporate into their own art processes.

Step up your mixed media techniques and new layers of content to your collage and book arts projects with this introductory course to image transfers. Students will learn a variety of transfer techniques and leave with samples to take home and incorporate into their own art processes.

This class introduces the process, the materials, the machines, and the satisfaction of printing by hand on a Cylinder proof press.

This class introduces the process, the materials, the machines, and the satisfaction of printing by hand on a Cylinder proof press.

This class introduces the process, the materials, the machines, and the satisfaction of printing by hand on a Cylinder proof press.

This class introduces the process, the materials, the machines, and the satisfaction of printing by hand on a Cylinder proof press.

This class introduces the process, the materials, the machines, and the satisfaction of printing by hand on a Cylinder proof press.

This class introduces the process, the materials, the machines, and the satisfaction of printing by hand on a Cylinder proof press.

Spend a joyful afternoon learning this centuries old process that produces exciting, intricate designs, and offers endless possibilities for decorating paper. Colorful and fun, this method is easy to learn and the papers created can be used for many purposes.

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

Have you ever wondered how in the world paper is made? Then this workshop which introduces the materials, processes, and equipment used in Western hand papermaking is for you!

Have you ever wondered how in the world paper is made? Then this workshop which introduces the materials, processes, and equipment used in Western hand papermaking is for you

Dig in to the tradition and history of letterpress printing and get your hands dirty. Learn about the process and practice of setting type, mixing inks and pulling impressions. Print your own cards!

The four class Jobbing Platen Core Certificate Program allows students to move quickly through the press basics while also addressing relief printing in general. After this class students are qualified to rent press time as well as move on to more advanced classes and techniques.

Develop your letterpress design skills and aesthetic while increasing your letterpress versatility: learn to set up the press, refine your registration skills, and run an edition. Learn more about packing, setting gauge pins, and make-ready. Come ready to run an edition of your own small poster!

Bring digital back into analog in this final Core Certificate Program course and learn to print from photopolymer plates. Apply your letterpress skills to artwork created digitally to make the plates print fantastic. Walk away with a stack of greeting cards printed from polymer plates.

This two day course will cover the basics of knife sharpening. We’ll talk about the advantages and disadvantages of Japanese water stones and micron sandpapers, and will explore using both those methods in the course.

Revisit and refine your leather paring techniques in this special class for those who have completed the Bookbinding Core and Orientation to Leather.

Who needs movable type when you've got toys to print from? Take your love of pixels and learn the basics of letterpress while creating multi-color prints from your favorite childhood building blocks.

'Tis the season to send some cards! Spend an evening getting an introduction to letterpress printing on cylinder presses while creating personalized and original holiday stationery.

Create a watercolor sketchbook small enough to travel with you on any artistic adventure. While learning basic design and watercolor techniques, students will create an exposed spine sketchbook with magnetic closures.

Get organized for the new year by making your own journal! Whether you are a diarist, a bullet journaler, or an artist wanting to make a unique sketchbook, this class can help you make your perfect hard cover book.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Evening Open Studio is an opportunity, for those who qualify to work on their own projects with an experienced instructor on hand.

Discover the creative side of letterpress printing using simple linoleum block designs and overprinting (overlapping) to create a series of beautiful layered prints.

Decorate your space in style with this fun twist on traditional bookbinding skills. Learn to combine paper and binders’ board to create lovely three dimensional geometric shapes that are sure to jazz up any room.

Finally! An all day image transfer class! Learn the core methods for transferring images and text to all surfaces: paper, fabric, wood and metal, then spend the day playing and exploring the world of image transfers.

Learn the fundamentals of digital design for letterpress! Students will learn key skills for software applications like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. We will explore best practices for handling photographic and vector images as well as setting digital type for photopolymer plate production.

After taking Polymer Core 1, learn how to make detailed, high-quality photopolymer plates from digital files and film for letterpress printing.

Discover how to dampen paper, use bearers, and finesse rubber-and oil-based inks on Cylinder and Jobbing Platen Presses for better ink coverage and control.

Channel your inner Joseph Cornell and create a winter wonderland in this 2-day workshop. From folding the scenery to constructing the see-through box to hold it, this class covers all the basics of shadow box creation.

Create a letterpress printed one page wonder. Single sheet books are made out of one sheet of paper and in this workshop students will design and print an edition of one-page folded books while learning to set type and print on a cylinder press.

Make your own medication scroll, a unique design and process developed by the instructor. There will be a brief history of the scroll and an introduction to focused awareness and stillness in the making of art.

Learn to make an adorable library of books small enough to fit in your pocket! Share your love of books by creating a set of tiny tomes to wear and share.