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

Students will get hands-on experience of all aspects of Western marbling techniques from paper priming and preparatory mixing of water medium and paints, to the creation of classical patterns. Specific attention will be given to learning how to obtain particular designs using a diverse array of rakes and combs. Students will have ample time for experimentation with guidance from the instructor and will leave with a sampling of papers they've marbled themselves.  

*Please note that paper marbling is a wet process and papers made in the workshop may not be dry at the end of class. Students may return to SFCB after the workshop to retrieve any papers left to dry at the of the day or request mailed returns. 

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to bring:
All tools and materials will be provided. Please wear comfortable shoes for standing that you don't mind getting wet.

About the Instructor:
Pietro Accardi (he/him) owned a Bookbindery in Turin (Italy) for 12 years. He worked for Turin’s main Library, Municipal Archives, and University Libraries restoring and binding documents and books. He also runs his own paper marbling and decorative box making business. Now he lives near Lake Tahoe with wife, cats and a studio. He is currently working for the library of special collections of University of Reno doing restoration work and teaches workshops.

Developed in the Renaissance for studying perspective, the tunnel book is sometimes called a 'peephole book.' It is truly an adapted accordion with multiple panels bound on both sides, to be viewed from the front giving it a 3-D effect.

Students will collage the various layers out of their own postcards and photos to create a unique and personalized book. After attaching the pages to the accordion fold that holds them, the tunnel book will be glued into a simple cover for a more finished look.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to Bring:
Several postcards (landscape orientation), old pictures, and/or magazines to cut up for images.

About the Instructor:
Bettina Pauly (she/her) lives in San Francisco as a book artist and works as a letterpress printer with Kim Vanderheiden at Painted Tongue Studios, Oakland, California. She loves books and boxes both as physical objects and as containers of meaning. She is interested in a variety of folded, sewn and woven structures in which she can incorporate her printing.

If you have taken the introduction to paper marbling and enjoyed it, this advanced class provides you with the opportunity to try your hand at even more complex patterns, explore the color wheel and experiment more with your favorite palette. Pietro will skip all the introductory talks about paper marbling and, after a brief recap for rusty minds, start with some more advanced demonstration. Another main goal of this class will be the introduction of the use of metallic paint and give tips on how it could be “domesticated”.

Last but not least we’ll be talking about the many possibilities that overmarbling offers and you will execute 3 of such patterns. Also, this class is designed to accommodate the needs of special projects that students may have or envision (you can notify Pietro of your specific project in advance).

*Please note that paper marbling is a wet process and papers made in the workshop may not be dry at the end of class. Students may return to SFCB after the workshop to retrieve any papers left to dry at the of the day.  

Prerequisite:
Introduction to Western Paper Marbling, Pietro's Paper Marbling online workshop, Introduction to Fabric Marbling, or other marbling experience.

Materials to bring:
All tools and materials will be provided. Please wear comfortable shoes for standing that you don't mind getting wet.

About the Instructor:
Pietro Accardi (he/him) owned a Bookbindery in Turin (Italy) for 12 years. He worked for Turin’s main Library, Municipal Archives, and University Libraries restoring and binding documents and books. He also runs his own paper marbling and decorative box making business. Now he lives near Lake Tahoe with wife, cats and a studio. He is currently working for the library of special collections of University of Reno doing restoration work and teaches workshops.

Discover the elegance and functionality of the sewn boards binding, a modern structure popular today with bookbinders from various backgrounds.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to sew text blocks onto integrated cover boards, creating a durable book that opens completely flat.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to bring:
None. All tools and materials are provided.

About the Instructor:
Clair Emma Smith (she/her) is a bookbinder specializing in repair located in Oakland, California. She found her love of bookbinding during an art conservation internship at a historical society in Indiana, and she has been setting up her dream home studio ever since. Clair Emma relocated to the Bay Area after graduating from North Bennet Street School's bookbinding program in 2019 and works in private practice for both herself and other conservators as Bouguereau Bindery.