Bookbinding Gallery

Gallery

Here are some examples of my bookbinding work - new things will be added regularly. I never repeat a design, but if you see something you like for yourself, we can talk about it.
You can see all images larger by clicking on them.

Journals and Sketchbooks

	A perfect-bound (ie, with sheets that are glued together rather than sewn, allowing pages to be torn out without damaging the rest of the book) sketchbook, 110 gsm acid-free textured drawing paper. Quarter-bound in black lambskin, boards covered in printed paper and varnished. Satin head- and tailbands, beadwork dragonfly and raised gold dragonfly motif on front cover.
Another perfect-bound A5 sketchbook, this one made for a friend. It's full-bound in black glove leather with a cut-out design on the front cover. Underneath is a painting in acrylics, ink and gold leaf. The end sheets are marbled in red and dark green. The headband is silk, and the tail decoration is a Venetian glass bead. It features a three-tab closure along the fore edge, which also functions as a pen holder.
	A sewn A5 journal - 110 gsm acid-free unruled cartridge paper. Half-bound in brown calf-skin, boards covered in gold mosaic print paper, Ingres end sheets. The headband and bookmark are silk, and the bookmark is decorated with a gold bead.
A sewn journal, format and paper as before. Bound in black glove leather and handmade Bangladeshi marbled paper, with design of horses painted in silver acrylic paint. Ingres end sheets, satin headband and triple silk bookmarks.

This journal is sewn together and quarter-bound in antiqued leather. The boards are covered in gold paper stitched with a spiral pattern in gold thread. The silk bookmark is decorated with beads, and the end sheets are dark metallic copper-coloured paper. The headband is beaded with bronze and green glass beads.

Another sewn A5 journal - 110 gsm acid-free unruled cartridge paper. Full-bound in dove grey suede, with a cutout on the front holding a gold butterfly under a semi-transparent black silk ribbon. The end sheets are hand printed in Zimbabwe, white with a pattern of birds and butterflies in gold. There is a silk bookmark (which was decorated with an Indian foil-center glass bead after this photograph was taken). The front edge has a three-tab pen holder and closure.

Sketchbook with removable pages, quarter bound in black buckram. The boards are covered in a collage made from old Japanese guidebooks, with pictures of Buddha statues, gold friezes and various painted details, such as gold fingerprints. The bookmark is decorated with a red glass bead and a black silk tassel, and the end sheets are red ingres. Along the front edge is an asymmetrical three-tabb pen closure, holding a Japanese calligraphy brush.

Full-bound sketchbook in brown calf leather with pen tab and closure made from a seashell. Twisted silk headband, seashell-print end sheets and raised gold design on front cover.

Sewn garden journal, quarterbound in black leather with raised gold design. Three narrow satin bookmarks with glass beads and satin tie closure on fore edge, also with beads. Inside is a pocket for storage. Ingres end sheets and classic striped headband.

Another sewn journal with a spine covered by a gold-veined 'leaf' of dark-green leather. The boards are covered with varnished paper, and there are three beaded satin bookmarks and a beaded headband. Inside there is a storage pocket at the front of the book, and the end sheets are made from heavy-duty tissue paper printed with gold and copper gingko leaves.

A journal I bound for my sister. It has a free-form leather cover and spine with cut-outs and raised drawings on a paper-covered, varnished board. There are two bookmarks, one decorated with beads and the other with a small Japanese metal fish. The headbands are plain satin, and the end sheets are printed paper.

This book is full-bound in mock leather, a material with a long tradition in the bookbinding craft. It is made from thick paper which has been texturised with varnish and dye. The end sheets are blue with a printed paisley design in silver. There are two bookmarks, one with a Venetian glass bead and the other with a silver tassel, and the headbands are classic striped silk stitch in black and blue. The design on the front is a reproduction of an 18th century print with a raised silver frame.

Landscape-format sewn sketchbook with a free-form leather cover and spine, and a cut-out on the back. Paper-covered and varnished board with raised gold edging. Satin headband and bookmark, with a small metal-and-beading orchid, pink ingres end sheets.

This book contains an actual text, a short story by a friend of mine. The book is full-bound in brown skived goat leather, and decorated with raised gold designs and a hand-lettered label set on the same hand-marbled paper as the end sheets are made from. The headbands are beaded and the narrow gold satin bookmark is decorated with Indian glass beads.

Photo Albums

Photo album - a first birthday gift for a little boy. Spine is black leather with date in raised gold script, boards are hand painted and varnished. Pages are 300gsm black card, illustrated with pictures and text based on Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat.

This photo album was a wedding present. The pages are 300 gsm black card, guarded in maroon ingres. The boards are covered in hand-marbled paper from Bangladesh and feature a cut-out leather frieze set on leaf gold, edged in gold ribbon, and decorated with a raised gold pattern. On the front cover, there is a raised gold monogram, and the spine is decorated with coloured paste stones set in gold. The headbands are beaded, and the top one features a small gold elephant and a black silk tassel.

CD Cases and boxes

Slip cases for CDs, made for Kiwi singer Melayne Web.They have glove leather spines and are covered in hand-gilded, fibre-textured paper with a raised gold monogram. Inside are two leaves of recycled paper for a personal message, and a transparent PVC pocket for the CD.

My CD case, still holding up after being carried around for over a year. It's built on a normal CD carry case from the $2 Shop, with ten plastic pockets. Free-form spine design in black leather, boards covered in varnished red and gold Indian hand-marbled paper. Leather tong and 'monkey fist' knot closure.

A jewellery box, made for a friend's birthday. The wooden box is covered in paper collage, made from various printed, marbled and plain papers, and decorated with glass beads, various jewellery findings, raised gold paint, Pacific coloured pearls, leaf gold and paua shell pieces. There is raised gold lettering (a quote from a poem by Sappho) around the edges of the lid. Inside, the box is lined in crushed gold velvet, and there is a mirror, edged in green upholstery trim, in the lid. There is also a small, built-in music box.

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