In conjunction with Designer Bookbinders the Society organises an annual series of weekend workshops. 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.
SoB/DB Joint Workshops 2020-21
2020-2021 Programme
Given the uncertainty around restrictions on movements and gatherings in the next few months SoB and DB have decided not to start the new Joint Workshop series (2020-2021) before the New Year.
We have therefore rescheduled some of our workshops and will be starting in January 2021 and running our arranged programme within fewer months (so it’s a packed 2021 series!)
The dates of the workshops are as follows:
An Elegant method of Board Reattachment
Emma Fraser, Wellcome Collection, London
January 30-31st
An Introduction to Islamic Binding
Kristine Rose-Beers, Bayntun Bindery, Bath
February 27-28th
Colour, Texture and Pattern on Book cloth
Ruth Brown, Leah Higgins’ Studio, Manchester
April 10-11th
Fill that Page! A bookbinder’s guide to creative design practice
Sue Doggett, Brighton Junction, Brighton
April 24-25th
Tooling for Beginners
Dieter Räder, Dragon Bindery, Highworth, nr. Swindon
May 15-16th
Full-leather Notebook
Tom McEwan, Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, Scotland
June 5-6th
We are also currently confirming venues and dates for the three cancelled workshops from the 2019-20 series which we intend to run on rescheduled dates in 2021.
Booking for all workshops will open on 1st October.
Details and booking information will follow in due course!
Nesta Davies nesta.jointworkshops@gmail.com.
Sarah Burns sarah.jointworkshops@gmail.com
An Elegant Method of Board Reattachment
Emma Fraser, London
30-31st January 2021
One of the most common problems the book conservator encounters are detached boards and consequently there are a variety of methods for their reattachment. My method was designed for use on tight back bindings where one or more of the boards are detached but the spine and sewing is intact. The method is relatively quick and provides a strong physical attachment without excessive interference with original material or the functionality of the binding.
During this workshop we will examine and discuss various methods of board reattachment, followed by a demonstration of my method. Participants will then prepare the simple tools and materials needed before being guided step by step through the process on their own examples.
A knowledge of book structures and book conservation techniques is recommended for this ‘hands on’ workshop.
There will be a materials fee of £5 payable to Emma during the workshop.
Emma Fraser is an accredited Book and Archive Conservator. She completed her MA Conservation at Camberwell in 1997 and in 2000 she joined the Book & Paper Conservation Studio at the University of Dundee. It is here where Emma first developed her method of board attachment and has been adapting it ever since. In 2012 she set up the Book & Paper Studio, a small conservation practice based in the heart of Dundee. The Studio regularly takes in interns and Emma has taught various workshops throughout the UK.
https://www.facebook.com/bookandpaperstudio
Booking opens 1stOctober 2020. Information to follow.
Venue address: Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE
An Introduction to Islamic Bindings
Kristine Rose-Beers, George Bayntun Bindery, Bath
27-28th Feb 2021
This workshop will introduce the Islamic binding structure. Participants will make a model of an Islamic book, drawing on structural features from historic exemplars. Twined chevron-patterned endbands will be sewn, and various decoration techniques will be used to ornament the covers, including the application of gold.
Participants will look at the development and transmission of both structural and decorative features from Islamic to European binding traditions, and compare different structural elements such as cover-to-text-block attachment, types of board composition, the choice of text-block material, and the effect of each of these elements on the overall structure of the book.
Some experience of bookbinding would be useful. All materials can be supplied at cost (maximum £25) and participants will need to bring basic bookbinding tools.
Kristine Rose-Beers ACR is Head of Conservation at the Chester Beatty in Dublin, Ireland, and an accredited member of the Institute of Conservation (ICON). She graduated from the Conservation programme at Camberwell College of Arts, London in 2002 before beginning work at Cambridge University Library, where her fascination with Islamic manuscript material was cemented. In 2008 Kristine moved to Ireland to work at the Chester Beatty as book conservator for the Turkish collection, and in 2011 she was appointed Assistant Keeper (Conservator of Manuscripts and Printed Books) at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. After four years in Cambridge, Kristine’s passion for the unique Chester Beatty collections brought her back to Dublin.
Kristine has taught and lectured internationally and is a regular tutor at the Montefiascone Project in Italy. She is also a member of the Institute of Conservator-Restorers in Ireland (ICRI) and a member of the Board of Directors of The Islamic Manuscript Association (TIMA).
Booking opens 1st October 2020. Information to follow.
Venue address: George Bayntun, Manvers Street, Bath BA1 1JW
Colour, Texture and Pattern on Book Cloth
Ruth Brown, Manchester
10-11th April 2021
The cover is the reader’s first contact with a book and I really enjoy using my textile skills to try and create a covering that truly reflects the content of the book On this course we will be using a wide range of techniques to make marks, texture and patterns on fabric which we will then convert to book cloth. We will experiment with mono-printing, screen printing and numerous ways of making marks on fabric, as well as playing with colour and tone.
You will take home a range of sample pieces which can then be kept for reference when you create your own cover fabrics or can be used for small book projects. All the techniques we will use can be done easily at home with a small set of equipment. If time permits, I will also demonstrate how to print on fabric with a standard inkjet printer.
There will be a materials charge for this workshop, tbc.
Ruth started making books as a way of using her unique fabrics and quickly became addicted! Her career as a textile artist, tutor and author has spanned 20 years, following a career in IT. She uses a wide range of techniques to create her designs, including various forms of dyeing, screen printing, batik, mono printing and printing with found objects. She has also written two books, ‘Digital Imagery on Fabric’ and ‘Cyanotypes on Fabric’ and is currently working on a third, yet to be titled …
Booking opens 1st October 2020. Information to follow.
Venue address: Urban Studio North, Eccles, Manchester https://www.leahhiggins.co.uk/accommodation-and-map
Fill that page! A bookbinder’s guide to creative design practice
Sue Doggett
Brighton, 24-25th April 2021
Dig out your paint boxes, coloured pencils, inks and messy materials for a weekend of practical, experimental creative work. Explore how to approach that blank piece of paper and the beginnings of a design. This weekend course will give you a range of techniques to try out and will challenge you to fill that page. For those who wish to develop their paper into pages, there will be further discussion on how to take your 2D work into a number of simple book forms. The two days will include a series of demonstrations, practical creative exercises and plenty of guided workshop time. Sue will also talk about her own approach to creating artists’ books and bindings and how to build the content of a book, starting from scratch.
There will be a materials cost for the workshop of be approx. £8, payable to Sue on the day.
Sue Doggett is an artist who creates hand-made books and bindings. She gained a first class degree in Visual Studies and Art History from Oxford Brookes University, an MA in Design from Brighton University and was elected a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders in 1996. Sue has lectured and led workshops in book arts in the UK, Europe and the USA and is currently editor of ‘The New Bookbinder’. Sue works to public and private commission including the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.
Booking opens 1stOctober 2020. Information to follow.
Venue address: Brighton Junction, 35 New England Street, Brighton,BN1 4GQ
Deluxe Full-Leather Notebook
Tom McEwan, Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine, Scotland
June 5-6th
This binding style was derived and adapted from an original, early Victorian pocket notebook. The structure has several interesting features, including laminated boards which are sculpted and shaped to create a faceted, angular appearance. The page edges have a deckled/uncut finish and endpapers are of marbled paper typical of the period.
Endbands are leather over core. The inclusion of raised bands, embossed and tooled boards finished with leather ties all contribute to a highly tactile, visually striking but elegant binding.
The materials charge for this workshop will be £15.00 per student, to be paid to Tom during the workshop.
Tom is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art and Glasgow College of Building and Printing. He has won several bookbinding awards including the National Library of Scotland’s Soutar prize in 2006 &2007, the SoB John Coleman Award in 2011 and the Designer Bookbinders Mansfield Medal in 2012 & 2013.
In 2014 he was elected Fellow of Designer Bookbinders.
Examples of his work are held in public and private collections in the UK, Europe and USA.
Booking opens 1st October 2020. Information to follow.
Venue address: Harbour Arts Centre, Harbour St, IrvineKA12 8PZ, Scotland
Beginning Tooling
Dieter Räder, Dragon Press Bindery, Swindon
15-16th May 2021
This workshop will teach participants the fundamental techniques of hand tooling on leather. Suitable for those with no experience, it also offers a thorough refresher course for anyone wanting to gain confidence in their finishing.
Starting with practice boards and dummy bookblocks, we will go step-by-step through the stages of preparation, blind tooling and tooling with gold leaf, including design ideas and tips. The use of foils and various alternative materials will also be touched upon. While focusing on working with hand tools, type holders will be briefly introduced if wished.
Participants are welcome to bring along any binding projects requiring tooling for discussion and advice.
There will be a materials fee per student of £25 payable to Dieter during the workshop. This includes leather-covered practice panels and a dummy bookblock as well as gold, etc.
Dieter Räder was apprentice-trained in Germany. Following employment in Marseilles and Vienna, he moved to London in 1983 and spent two years working under the guidance of Robert Green. He then ran his own bindery in Somerset for some 20 years before establishing and managing the new fine binding and restoration department of a west London commercial bindery. In 2017, Dieter opened Dragon Press Bindery in Wiltshire, where he specialises in the restoration of antiquarian books and fine binding commissions as well as teaching. Dieter’s clients range from private collectors, booksellers and film producers (for props) to university libraries, national collections and museums.
Booking opens 1st October 2020. Information to follow.
Venue address: Dragon Press Bindery, Highworth, Swindon SN6 7PP
Registration Form
Registration Form
Will be updated soon –
Click on the icon below to view / download a PDF version of the Joint Workshops Registration Form that you can print out and fill in.
Terms and Conditions
- Registration will only take place on receipt of full course fees
- The fee does not include local accommodation or travel
- A charge for materials will be payable on the day
- Participants from overseas. It is possible to pay online by PayPal. Please contact the team first to confirm that a place is available on the workshop by emailing: jointworkshops@gmail.com
- Full details of the venue and a list of equipment and tools to bring will be sent out nearer the time
- Cancellation policy If you cancel your booking up to 30 days prior to the workshop you will get a refund minus a 25% administration fee Cancellation within 30 days will incur a 50% administration fee However, you are able to send a proxy with no administration fee In the event of a cancellation the first person on the waiting list for a given workshop will be offered a place
- The organisers reserve the right to change the location and date of the workshop or to cancel the workshop, in which case you will be offered a full refund or, if you choose, a place on any re-scheduled workshop
- By registering, you accept that none of the Society of Bookbinders, Designer Bookbinders, the organisers, the landlords of the premises where the workshops take place, nor the workshop leaders accept any liability for loss, damage, personal injury or consequential damages