The artistic possibilities found in nature are endless. In this course students will explore different organic techniques like onion and iron solutions to turn found pieces of flora into prints on paper. Each technique will have different results and with instructor guidance students will study the use of mordants, baths, steaming and simmering with lots of leaves, flowers, and other plant parts.

At the end of the first day, each student will have created a stack of eco prints full of artistic potential. Leaving the prints to dry overnight, on the second day the instructor will demonstrate how to use these prints to create simple books, boxes, cards and other paper art. Students will leave with a useful handout and numerous eco-printed goodies to share with family and friends.

Prerequisite: None

Tools/Materials to bring: Fresh or pressed plants/botanicals. The instructor will send an email a week before class with instructions.

About the Instructor: Dorothy Yuki (she/her) studied to be something other than an artist. She began as a fashion designer immediately after college but soon she became a partner of a manufacturing company, In Good Company, from 1965-1976. She designed and manufactured kitchen soft goods and linens. Later, as a production and design consultant, she worked with many identity and music production companies, as well as new startups.

Now in her 80s and living in San Francisco, she is engaged in many volunteer activities, Ruth’s Table, Artseed, SCRAP-SF, San Francisco Center for the Book, and FabMo. She also mentored at Bay High School in their Senior Program. She was past President of Friends of Calligraphy and has been a Master Educator for the Macy’s Fashion Incubator San Francisco.

She still has the time to 'do art’ and has worked on projects for MMOCA, Flax Art and Design, Kalligraphia, Ruth’s Table, FabMo and SCRAP-SF. She is a recipient of Honorable Mentions for her artwork at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art Altered Book Show 2014 and 2015. To find out more about Dorothy's work, visit her blog www.dotsrainbow.com

Revive your manual pasta maker by learning how to use it to create small drypoint prints. This technique uses the pressure that normally rolls out the pasta dough to print artwork.

Students will learn how to use different materials to create a plate including milk cartons, Tetra Paks, and Akua plate material. They'll learn how to ink up the plate, add packing to the pasta maker for the perfect impression, and pull prints to make a small edition.

The small-format prints created in class will be up to 4” by 6”. Prints will be made using a drypoint needle and a cutting knife and will be printed on Rives BFK paper with different kind of inks. The materials fee includes a drypoint needle, chipboard & felts as well as printing paper that students will be able to take home to continue making prints on their own pasta machines.

*The pasta machine does not get any ink on it, so using it for pasta AND printing is perfectly fine. Oil based etching ink will be used during class; the instructor will demonstrate how easy it is to clean up without any heavy cleaning solution.

Prerequisite: None

Materials to bring:

- Hand-crank pasta maker if you have one - only the basic maker is needed, we do not need the cutting or ravioli parts!

- Empty milk cartons and/or Tetra Paks for printing (Tetra Pak is a type of packaging used for store-bought soups, broth, nut milks, etc. Google it for examples.)

- Ideas for small prints - come with sketches

About the Instructor: Bettina Pauly (she/her) lives in San Francisco and works as both a book artist and 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.

Learn how to create a unique artist’s book using textiles, stitching, inks and collage.

We will start by adhering a patchwork of fabrics and paper ephemera to freezer paper. When dry the resulting strip of material is peeled off the freezer paper and folded into an accordion. This can then be embellished with hand stitching, stamping, and ink painting.

Simple sewing and embroidery techniques will be demonstrated. The final fold out book will be attached to a textile cover that can also be decorated with these mixed media techniques.

SFCB's Windgate Scholarship Fund is dedicated to providing need-based financial support to individuals interested in learning bookbinding, letterpress printing, and related book arts. Click here to apply.

Prerequisite: None

Materials to bring: All tools and materials are provided. You may bring fabric scraps and other ephemera if you wish.

About the Instructor: Stephanie Jucker (she/her) is an exhibiting artist who uses mixed media and printing techniques in her paintings, books, and art installations. Originally from London where she earned her BFA, Stephanie has an MFA from Syracuse in painting, printmaking, and ceramics. With 25 years of teaching experience, she currently runs art classes at College of Marin, Kala, and Art Works Downtown in San Rafael.

Spend the day at SFCB making miniature book ornaments!

In this class we will sew single signatures that will then be cased into decorative covers. Variations on covering will include full paper, full cloth, and quarter cloth bindings. Gold foil labels of the current year, 2026, will also be available to place on the front cover.

These miniature books make great gifts and decorations and can even be used to note special memories from the past year.

Prerequisite: None

Materials to bring: All tools and materials will be provided. Students are also welcome to bring any of their own favorite bookbinding tools.

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.  

Discover the magic of Polaroid emulsion lifts in this hands-on workshop exploring one of photography's most tactile and unpredictable processes.

Participants will learn how to separate the delicate emulsion from a Polaroid photograph and transfer it onto a new surface, creating ethereal, painterly images that embrace chance, distortion, and imperfection.

Through demonstration and guided experimentation, this workshop will cover the complete emulsion lift process, from image selection, materials, handling techniques, transfer methods, and preservation. No prior experience is necessary.

Participants will leave with completed emulsion lift artworks, practical knowledge of the process, and the confidence to continue experimenting with this unique photographic technique on their own.

SFCB's Windgate Scholarship Fund is dedicated to providing need-based financial support to individuals interested in learning bookbinding, letterpress printing, and related book arts. Click here to apply.

Prerequisite: None

Materials to bring: All tools and materials will be provided.

About the Instructor: Ria Rajan (she/her) is an Intermedia artist and educator whose teaching emphasizes experimentation, material inquiry, and interdisciplinary making. Working across analog and digital media, she leads hands-on workshops that invite participants to explore experimentation with  image-making, and storytelling through accessible, process-driven approaches. Her workshops combine technical instruction with conceptual exploration, creating accessible, supportive environments for artists of all experience levels.  

Building on the skills learned in Introduction to Western Paper Marbling, this workshop will take students through the techniques needed to marble on fabric.

Students will begin the day by advancing upon their marbling skills with the introduction of marbling on fabric. With the instructor's guidance, they will work on new patterns with an eye for nuance. The main focus will be on marbling fabric to create book cloth, and techniques for other textile uses will also be discussed.

At the end of the day, the instructor will demonstrate how to prepare dry pieces of marbled cloth for use in bookbinding. Students will leave with their own stack of 15 marbled fabric pieces.

Prerequisite: This workshop is open to beginners who are specifically interested in marbling fabric, though it's best as a next step after an introductory class such as Introduction to Western Paper Marbling.

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

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.

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.

Buttonhole books come with personality on the spine and cover. Set your glue aside – these easy-to-learn non-adhesive bindings are great for writing and sketching in.

Students in this workshop will examine various examples of this binding structure and make their own buttonhole journal, using various decorative papers and cover cutouts.

Prerequisite: None

Materials to bring: All tools and materials will be provided.

About the Instructor: Dorothy Yuki (she/her) studied to be something other than an artist. She began as a fashion designer immediately after college but soon she became a partner of a manufacturing company. After its sale, she worked as a production and design consultant with many identity and music production companies, as well as new startups. While living in Tequisquiapan, she became involved with the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group and taught small communities to become self-sustaining. Now in her 80s and living in San Francisco, she is engaged in many volunteer activities. She was past President of Friends of Calligraphy and has been a Master Educator for the Macy’s Fashion Incubator San Francisco.