Learn to make handmade valentines the historical way!

Before the advent of the commercial Valentine's card, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century folk made handwritten and hand-painted Valentines called puzzle purses for their friends and lovers. These valentines unfold like pinwheels from compact squares to reveal hidden messages and illustrations. Because the cards needed to be folded and read in a certain order, they were referred to as puzzle purses.

In this workshop, you'll learn about the history of the puzzle purse, see their traditional rhymes and forms of decoration, and try your hand at making a few of your own.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to bring:
All materials will be provided, but students are welcome to bring watercolors and other favorite art supplies that can be used on paper.

About the Instructor:
Jane Knoll (they/them) was the San Francisco Center for the Book's 2025 Type Devil. After an undergraduate in writing and printmaking from Bennington College and a diploma in bookbinding from North Bennet Street School, Jane was awarded two fellowships at the Boston Athenæum's conservation lab and worked as Assistant Book Conservator at the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Currently preparing for a master's in book conservation, Jane studies the archaeology of the book, with special interests in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century structures, folk repairs, and personalized bindings, and has two publications on the American scaleboard binding.

Hand lettering for all levels! Join us for this innovative and welcoming approach to hand lettering with the talented Billy Ola Hutchinson.

This three session crash course in calligraphy will provide students with the building blocks necessary to continue their calligraphy practice on their own. Each of the three evenings will focus on a different hand: Billy's informal take on Gothic, Italic, and Copperplate. Students will learn foundational techniques such as pen position, how individual letters relate to one another, and how to rule out lines for alignment. They'll also learn hacks for how to avoid ruling out entirely!

Students will complete the course with an understanding of basic penmanship and letter formation, as well as the processes, materials, and layout techniques used in calligraphy. Most materials will be supplied.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to bring:

• Mechanical pencil
• Ultra Fine Point Sharpie, preferably in red but any color will do
• C-Thru® B-85; 2" x 18" 8ths Graph Beveled Ruler in Inches

About the Instructor:
Billy Ola Hutchinson’s passion for lettering began in pre-school with the assistance of Mommy Billie. Billy and Billie spent hours shaping letterforms day in and day out. Later in life, Little Billy parlayed that lettering passion into a calligraphic profession, creating a petit line of stationery, penning custom lettering for clients, designing a line of porcelain for San Francisco's luxury speciality store, Gump’s and of course as an instructor at SFCB—taking students through those first steps Little Billy took with Big Billie. Billy's lettering has been featured in magazines, wedding invitations, place cards, monograms, and brand identities.

SFCB is thrilled to welcome visiting instructor Anne Covell.

The Japanese Bookmaking Intensive is designed to give students the unique opportunity to learn three distinct Japanese crafts: Paper patterning and book cover decoration, hand bookbinding, and 2-flap portfolio boxmaking.

Each day we will build upon skills learned in previous sessions to create a body of work that is considerate of the resources, materials, and aesthetics that define Japanese bookmaking.

Students can expect to leave this workshop with a collection of hand bound books housed in a custom built Japanese portfolio, as well as a stack of luscious hand dyed decorative papers to use for further exploration.

On the first day of the workshop, we will begin by learning several traditional methods for decorating Japanese washi paper including brush and dip dyeing with natural dyes common to Japan such as kakishibu (persimmon tannin), clove, and indigo, as well as burnishing and embossing techniques using cut stone and wood blocks. We will also experiment with shibori, a manual resist dyeing technique for creating patterns in cloth and paper that dates to the 8th century, as well as momigami, a folding and crumpling technique (also known as kneaded paper) that strengthens the paper and gives it an appearance similar to leather. We will then use our handmade decorative papers to create laminated cover papers for our bindings. Students will have the opportunity to work from blocks carved with traditional Japanese patterns to emboss their papers for historical effect.

On the second day, we will use these materials to bind a selection of traditional Japanese books: the account binding (Daifuku chō), multi-section binding (Retchōsō), and stab binding (Yotsume Toji). Additionally, we will also create an accordion (Orihon) with pockets to house a selection of the paper samples we create.

On the final day, we will create a two-flap Japanese wraparound case with bone clasp closures to house our books and to tie together the work we produced into an elegant, finished product.

The available scholarships for this workshop have been awarded.

Prerequisite:
Ideally, students will have some bookbinding/making experience. This class will be physically demanding and intensive.

Tools/Materials to bring:
Bookbinder's toolkit including: bonefolder, awl, glue brush, 4 bookbinder's needles or tapestry needles with a small eye, X-Acto or scalpel with extra blades, sharp scissors, ruler, pencil. Please wear clothes that can get messy; aprons are available.

About the Instructor:
Anne Covell is a book artist, edition bookbinder, and hand papermaker. She holds an MFA in Book Arts from the University of Iowa Center for the Book where she was the recipient of an Iowa Arts Fellowship, and an MA in Library and Information Science & Graduate Certificate in Book Studies from the University of Iowa where she was a Robert A. Olsen Fellow in Special Collections. She studied Asian and Western papermaking techniques with Timothy Barrett, and has taught for numerous educational institutions including the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory, Penland School of Craft, and the University of Georgia study abroad program in Cortona, Italy, among others. Her work has been exhibited internationally and can be seen in an expanding list of private collections, special collections libraries, and museums worldwide. Covell lives and works out of her home studio in La Mesa, California.

SFCB is thrilled to welcome visiting instructor Islam Aly.

The stiff-leaf binding is a non-sewn technique ideal for assembling printed sheets into a rigid,durable book. Learn how to transform your prints and papers into a beautifully bound artist’s book using simple folding, gluing, and cover-making methods.

Learn the fundamentals of stiff-leaf binding, including hinge construction, page attachment, and material considerations with a balance of demonstration, hands-on practice, and discussion. Variations such as frames, windows, and layered pages will also be introduced.

Participants will create their bindings with time for troubleshooting and group discussion. By the end, participants will complete different sample books and gain the skills to adapt the structure for their projects.

Prerequisite:
Basic bookbinding experience (such as Introduction to Bookbinding) is helpful, but not required. Good hand skills are important, as some tasks involve precise cutting and folding.

Tools/Materials to Bring:
None. All tools and materials will be supplied.

About the Instructor:
Islam Aly is a book artist and lecturer of bookbinding at the German University in Cairo. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Art Education from Helwan University, and later pursued an MFA in Book Arts at the University of Iowa, where he refined his artistic focus. He went on to complete a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning with a concentration in Art Education at the University of Iowa.

His practice lies at the intersection of culture, technology, and aesthetics. Drawing on historical bookbinding traditions and integrating digital technologies, Islam reimagines the role of the book in contemporary art. His work pushes the boundaries of book art, offering innovative approaches to how history and technology can coexist on the page.

In this informal monthly session, we'll engage in unconventional exercises to spark fresh approaches to drawing.

If you're hungry for a challenge, or want to try new techniques, or if you simply want to draw in the company of others, join us on the third Thursday of the month. 

The exercises will change each month, so you may wish to sign up for multiple sessions. No drop-ins, please.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to Bring:
Bring your preferred drawing materials and an open mind. Paper and basic tools will be provided.

About the Instructor:
Tim Svenonius (he/him) is a mixed-media artist whose work explores the intersections of history, memory and myth. A voracious reader and an avid researcher, his work is shaped by deep investigations into arcane knowledge and lore. He has worked for two decades in the museum field, as a designer, writer, and producer of digital media. In 2015 he self-published a monograph, A Book of Lost Latitudes, which explores the role of the whale in mythology and literature, through evocative drawings and found texts.

Although known from around 1650, pastepapers were made really popular in the mid 1700s by the Moravian Sisters of Herrnhut in Saxony. Recent study of these papers has sparked a revival of interest in them, and in this workshop the instructor will introduce you to the methods, materials and patterns used on the original pastepapers.

Class will begin by mixing the colors using natural earth pigments, and making the few simple tools used by the Sisters. Students will then reproduce each of their original designs using the same colors, patterns, freehand brush strokes and tooling. Part two of the class will bring us up to date with a wide range of inventive techniques for making modern pastepapers.

The instructor will demonstrate how to make combs, stamps, rollers and other mark-making tools used in pastepaper design, and show a range of techniques he uses to create many different effects, from the simple pulled papers, to the highly regular striped patterns.

This class may be of interest to students interested in historical processes; those who enjoyed the pastepaper process in Bookbinding Core 1 or the Paste Papers & Gift Wrap workshops.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/materials to bring:

Optional:

• 1 inch and 1-1/2 inch paint brushes
• cellulose sponge
• notebook and pencil
• things to make marks in paper, such as: string or cord, plastic decorator's comb (Artex spreaders), natural materials such as leaves, old credit cards, rubber rollers (brayers), bubble wrap

About the Instructor:
Michael Burke (he/him) studied bookbinding with Dominic Riley and paper conservation with Karen Zukor. Michael lives in England, where he teaches bookbinding as well at events across the UK. Michael researches the structures of ancient and medieval bindings and received his Masters degree in the History of the Book from the University of London in 2011.

Michael is a co-founder of Book Camp, an immersive residential bookbinding experience which aims to teach new generations of binders.

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.

In the world of paper marbling, metallics are rare due to the heavier weight of these types of pigments. Since marbling pigments must float perfectly on the surface of the water bath, metallics prove challenging; but when handled correctly, the shining hues of copper, silver, bronze, gold and pearl will transform a sheet of paper into an iridescent wonder.

The use of rakes and combs is also tricky, requiring carefully manipulated movements of these heavy paints in order to achieve the desired effects without sinking or breakage.

In this workshop, students will learn to handle metallic paints and be introduced to new and more intricate patterns. They will also explore the exciting territory of “Over-marbling”, where one pattern is superimposed upon another to create a magnificent and complex play of pattern. Students will receive instruction during the morning half of class, then spend the afternoon dedicated to personal practice with hands-on guidance from the instructor.

*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.