- "The ideal sketchbook"
- Clasp-making for beginners
- "The presentation album"
- Introduction to paper repair
- tab 5
- tab 6
- tab 7
- tab 8
- tab 9
- tab 10
- tab 11
- tab 12
- tab 13
- tab 14
- tab 15
- tab 16
- tab 17
- tab 18
- tab 19
- tab 20
3-4 June 2023
Strong, elegant and pleasing to use, this was the 'daybook' of choice for all the great romantic English poets and artists.
This structure is modelled on the nineteenth century artists' sketchbooks and journals, similar to the ones used by Wordsworth and Ruskin as they wandered across the Lake District to draw and write. It is an honest structure made simply and from high quality materials, opens beautifully and is very durable. It can be made at home with no equipment, just a few simple tools, and since it is not 'cased-in' requires very little pressing.
The pages are made from good cartridge paper, ideal for pen-and-ink drawing, pencil sketching or writing. Working from full sized sheets, we will fold and slit the paper to give a beautiful, feathery deckled edge. We will then sew the book with linen thread on strong tapes, and sew in a cloth hinge for strength. The book is rounded, for easy opening, but not backed, eliminating the need for a press. The case, or cover, is made from cushioned boards covered in strong natural canvas that can withstand all the hard knocks associated with going 'out into the field'.
Experience level: Beginner
5-6 June 2023
You will learn how to design and execute a brass book clasp and fastener with leather strap, using a piercing saw and needle files.
Experience level: Beginner
7-8 June 2023
The Presentation Album was developed as an answer to a question: how to create a simple but handsome album which would house photos in an elegant embossed page without swelling the book.
The album is very handsome and can be made with a few tools and little equipment. It has pages made from a good quality card, which are folded at the fore-edge. Each page has an impressed panel to house the photographs, made using an ingenious technique which is far simpler than you could imagine. The finished panels resemble the impression of an etching plate.
The pages are hinged together on the inside with thick paper strips, and a small amount of PVA is all that’s needed to hold it all together—no need for sewing. The album has cloth joints which are attached to the cover, it is pressed and then a plain paper doublure added.
This is the favourite album that we teach, and as an added bonus, you can eliminate one step of the gluing and create a concertina instead, ideal for creating an album suitable for display.
Experience level: Beginner
9-10 June 2023
This class will teach and build confidence in carrying out simple paper conservation techniques using basic tools and readily-available appropriate materials. We will explore such topics as methods of starch paste preparation, the uses of Asian and Western papers, tear repair, loss infilling, guarding, humidification and flattening, and colour toning.
Experience level: Beginners
