The Drum Leaf binding is a simple and elegant adhesive binding ideal for presenting artwork in a book format. It opens flat and allows the artwork to be presented as a two-page spread flowing across the gutter without the interruption of sewing thread. Each signature is made from a single sheet of thickish paper folded in half and drummed to the adjacent signatures. Primarily used to bind existing artwork into a book format, the substantial pages and lay flat structure also make an excellent multi-media sketch book.  

In this class we will make a blank book with a drum leaf binding, a leather spine and decorative paper covers. This is an opportunity to get a very simplified sneak peek into working with leather. Students will be introduced to different material and decorative techniques, as we discuss different ways to finish and decorate this structure.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to Bring:
None, all tools and materials are provided. Students are welcome to bring their own bookbinding tools.

About the Instructor:
Beth was first introduced to making books in the photography program at San Jose State. She loves binding books for their perfect marriage of functionality and creativity.  After learning the basics of a well-made book at SFCB she went on to study fine binding at the American Academy of Bookbinding in Telluride CO. She works primarily with leather to create bindings for public and private collections. Her work can be seen at bredmond.weebly.com.

Learn to make knotted and beaded bindings with flair!

This workshop will cover five different exposed stitches to spice up a simple blank pamphlet, with a variety of embellishments for added fun.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to bring:
None

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

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.

The iron hand press is a workhorse from the nineteenth century that welds modern printing to its earliest incarnations over five hundred years ago.

This class offers an overview of the practices and principals of doing edition work on this venerable printing press. From the basics of imposing on the stone to locking the inner chase and packing the outer tympan, students will get a full tour of the handpress and its workflow and walk away with a keepsake inked and printed on the Center’s own iron hand presses. 

This workshop is ideal for novices and more experienced printers alike. The concepts taught in this class are valuable to any printer's understanding of the letterpress printing process, and are applicable across all different styles of presses.

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:
None

About the Instructor:
Chad Johnson (he/him) is an artist, printer, bookbinder, and teacher who has been living in the Bay Area for over a decade. After earning an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he has worked in conservation labs, letterpress shops, and libraries. He has experience conserving historic books, analyzing collections of rare books, working with artists and authors, printing professionally on many different letterpress machines, and teaching and sharing his love of books and printing.
As SFCB's Studio Director | Resident Instructor, he brings knowledge and experience fueled by passion and enthusiasm for the art and craft of making books by hand. From digital typesetting to steamroller printing to fixing presses to talking about letterpress history, Chad is always happy to help students and artists learn to express themselves through the powerful medium of the handmade book.

Reduction printing is a multi-layered printing process that uses a single block to create a multi-colored image. The process involves carving and printing, removing portions of the block after each layer is printed, usually working from lightest to darkest colors.

Students will carve their own small, two color design and learn the basic principles of reduction carving: what to carve and when. They will finish the class with a small edition of their two color design and usable stamp (single color design) to take home.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to Bring:
Students should bring a few different ideas or sketches for a simple image measuring 2 3/4” x 3 3/4” that could be separated and printed in two colors. The instructor will help you decide what will work best in class.

About the Instructor:
Nathalie Roland (she/her) is a San Francisco-based printmaker and painter who has been creating woodcut prints since 1991. Working from her Sunset district garage studio known as Sunset Paperworks, she specializes in woodcut reduction prints using pine or mulberry wood blocks that transform through multiple stages of carving and printing. She has studied relief printing under Zarina Hashmi, screen printing at Ape Do Good, worked as a bookbinder at the Arion Press and was formerly the in-house Riso printer for Yellow Owl workshop. 

If you have heard about letterpress but are not really sure what it is or how it works, this class will allow you to peer inside the rich history and engaging techniques of letterpress printing.

This class introduces the process, the materials, the machines, and the satisfaction of printing by hand on a Cylinder proof press. Participants will learn the basics of setting type using SFCB’s vast collection of lead type and decorative ornaments as well as inking, locking up and pulling a print.

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:
None

About the Instructor:
Brian Lieske (he/him) wandered into SFCB many years ago and continues to haunt the place. He completed both the bookbinding and letterpress cores as well as several of the summer historic structure classes. He enjoys making fully hand-sewn books and still fights to not over-tighten his kettle stitches. He’s lived in San Francisco for more than 20 years having arrived shortly after completing an MFA at the University of Texas at Austin.