Have you heard of the Designer Bookbinders society in England? Along with the Society of Bookbinders and the Guild of Book Workers it is one of the foremost groups devoted to the craft of fine bookbinding. Designer Bookbinders began over fifty years ago and runs regular exhibitions and competitions. They are dedicated to the encouraging the highest standards in bookbinding. Its membership includes some incredibly talented and highly regarded makers in the fields of fine bookbinding, book arts and artists’ books, each with a passion for presenting the bound text as a unique art object, encompassing text, structure, illustration, print and paper. Since 2009 Designer Bookbinders have had an International Competition where impeccable technique, individuality and innovation are highly regarded and encouraged.Continue Reading
Dominic Riley – In Focus
For those of you who have not been to a presentation, lecture or class with Dominic Riley, you don’t know what you’re missing. He is an outstandingly entertaining, knowleagable bookbinder and teacher. For those of you who have had the pleasure of learning whilst being entertained by Dominic I think you will enjoy this little bit of background information from him. Dominic will be presenting at the Bind19 Australian Bookbinding Conference this year and will be teaching in Sydney and in Canberra as well. You can read Dominic’s bio here. In Canberra Dominic will teach leather paring and knife sharpening, essential bookbinding skills. In Sydney you can finally learn the secrets to the traditional account binding Spring Back book, this is a five day class and will definitely be a lot of fun. Read on for a little insite into Dominics bookbinding career.Continue Reading