Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke

About the Project

Princess Mononoke is an excellent film, one that holds a special place in my heart. I first saw it when it came out in 1997, going to the theaters with my brothers and even owning a VHS copy when it was released. We watched it repeatedly any chance we got. Beloved by many, this film captured the historical and mystical elements of Japanese lore while balancing themes of environmental corruption at the hands of modernity and progress.

A few years ago, my family and I began watching all of the Studio Ghibli catalog, however, my daughter was particularly enthralled with this title. We’d watch it again and again, every day for months. We’d play games centered around the plot as my daughter ran around on her pretend wolf-mother, battling the forces of the evil “Lady Eboshi”. As the titular Princess, she assigned the role of Prince Ashitaka to me, and we’d run with wild abandon as we’d rally the spirits of the forest to our cause.

The creation of this journal is an expression of our precious time together. My only goal was to keep those memories and blend them with my art. While I originally thought about selling it, I quickly realized that it’s best to keep it at home and use it to share travel memories with my daughter.

The Process

I decided to execute this design with cuir-ciselé, giving me a full range of custom expression and color choices. Each cover design was hand-drawn first before being transposed onto the veg-tanned sheepskin leather. For the back cover “mask” design, I employed a water-based dye of both yellow and red, giving the final look a subtle but striking aesthetic. The overall coloring was accomplished with a “saddle tan” gel antique, which has a red/burned feel when finished.

American Indian Medicine

American Indian
Medicine

About the Project

From my personal collection. My wife gave this book to me as a birthday gift and it’s always held a special place in my heart. One day, many years ago, my Uncle sent me some skins from his adventures in Arizona – he is a hunter/trapper and sends me things regularly. This particular gift was a large Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (complete with the rattle attached). I was, of course, blown away by its beauty and his generosity – and I immediately began planning how to incorporate it into a binding.

The book itself was a modern “perfect binding”, so I disassembled the entire block to rebind it with archival materials, giving it structure and functionality. The snake skin was also surprisingly translucent, so to adjust from my typical methods I strengthened the backing of the skin so it wouldn’t wear out with repeated use. Half-bound with a fine Morocco “copperhead brown” goatskin.

Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone

Harry Potter
&
The Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter
&
The Philosopher's Stone

About the Project

I was contacted by a private collector about two years ago asking if I’d be willing to rebind their first edition set of the Harry Potter series. At first, I was a bit nervous, as rebinding a first edition is considered taboo in the bookbinding/book collecting world. The thought behind this is many collectors desire to have the first edition as it was originally published and sent out into the world, providing a window through time of the experience one has when first encountering a particular literary work. I provided some options that we could do to honor this practice, such as a clamshell box or even a slip case. But they were not deterred and insisted that I rebind it. They’d seen my work in the past and desired to have their collection rebound by Boston Harbor Bookbindery. I was of course flattered and thankful for their kind words. Thus, I began the process of designing the binding we’d go with.

The original book was very attractive and I found it difficult to redesign. I ultimately decided to take the original layout and inlay all the necessary pieces to the leather covers. It worked perfectly and the collector loved the idea. We’d essentially created a leather version of the first edition, with traditional methods proven to last much longer than modern publishing practices. 

The front illustration and title were in excellent condition and were not at all difficult to remove and replace, which was the same case for the signature on the back cover. 

The spine was decorated with a fine Morocco and treated with 18k gold tooling to accent the panels and raised bands. The title and author panels were onlayed with a lovely, rich “orchid” purple leather (one of my favorites to use).

Gallery

House of Leaves

House of Leaves

About the Project

This book is a personal addition to my own collection. I wanted to do something fun that both challenged and excited me, utilizing the skills I’ve collected thus far in my binding endeavors. 

Design

Methods

I began with the design to be featured on the front cover. After reading this book I almost instantly knew what wanted to accomplish, and set about scouring for artists. The book itself is an enthralling journey, taking readers on a fantastic journey that is both engaging and mystifying. The premise, without giving too much away, is exploring a home that is larger inside than it is outside. Rooms measure bigger, walls are longer, and doors open to rooms not seen on the exterior. To accomplish this custom design I chose Cuir Ciselé as my preferred method. In order to do this properly, vegetable-tanned sheepskin was needed, and water-based coloring dyes.

Thus, I found some sketch work that caught my attention. I’ve long appreciated the geometric shapes containing a “world within” and felt. it would be a perfect way to capture the story, without detracting from the book itself. As with most custom work I do, I combined several different pieces to make my own design, the first of which is the picture of the diamond river backgrounded by mountains and a starry sky. However, I wanted the mountains to feel a bit different, so I chose another drawing from a map that I enjoy. The trees, too, were not detailed enough. So for this, I decided to do them free-hand.

The result turned out better than I’d expected. The leatherwork went well and the coloring took to the material superbly. Bordering the design I chose a 4-inch fillet with geometric patterns, to match the motif of the overall image.  

Gallery

Monaco Sailing Journal

Monaco Sailing Journal

About the Project

I’ve been asked to make a few sailing journals and this one was a fun project to complete. Commissioned as a gift for a dear friend, the client wanted to capture the recipient’s love for Monaco and the Sea. 

Design

Methods

The stamp design centered around the name of the recipient’s vessel, Tobi, with the addition of a star and the Monaco subtitle. While the binding is full leather, it is quartered white with red panels, simulating the official colors of the Principality of Monaco.

Gallery

Darth Vader Comic Book

Darth Vader

About the Project

This is a first for me and what a fun project it turned out to be! The entire collection of the Darth Vader 2015 series, written by Kieron Gillen and Illustrated by Salvador Laroca and Edgar Delgado, is now compiled into a single leather-bound volume. 

Methods

I decided to keep the design to a minimum and showcase the fine Morocco leather used to encapsulate this tome, with a shined finish meant to evoke the terrifying suit of armor that encases the Dark Lord of the Sith. For the spine decoration, I used 24k gold leaf for the title and year while using a blood red metallic leaf for the raised bands. I’ve never used colored metal before and it turned out wonderful.

Gallery

This book is both beautiful and formidable at the same time. The classically elegant style of traditional bookbinding brings these comics together in one place, yet the size and look are reflective of Darth Vader himself. This is only the first volume I’ve done but I suspect I’ll be doing more of these. There are three series in total and I can’t wait to begin bringing the full set together.

Until then, enjoy!

How to Relax

How to Relax

About the Project

This project was commissioned as a gift for a dear friend of the client. 

From the book’s description: How to Relax is part of The Mindfulness Essentials series of how-to titles by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, introducing beginners and reminding seasoned practitioners of the essentials of mindfulness practice. Pocket-sized, with original two color illustrations by Jason DeAntonis, How to Relax shows how critical it is to regularly interrupt the hub-bub and routine of our lives to stop, relax mindfully, and recharge.

Thich Nhat Hanh says that when we relax, we become calm water, and we will reflect reality as it is. If we’re not calm, the image we reflect will be distorted. When the image is distorted by our minds, it’s not the reality, and it causes lots of suffering.” Relaxation is essential for accessing the tranquility and joy that lead to increased personal well-being. With sections on healing, relief from nonstop thinking, transforming unpleasant sounds, solitude, being peace, and more,How to Relax includes meditations you can do to help you achieve the benefits of relaxation no matter where you are.

Scientific studies indicate that meditation contributes tremendously to well-being, general health, and longevity. How to Relax is a unique gift for those who want a simple guide to achieving deep relaxation, controlling stress, and renewing mental freshness and clarity, appropriate for those practicing in any spiritual tradition, whether seasoned practitioners or new to meditations.

Design

Methods

To begin this design, I started with color and materials first. The recipient’s favorite color is red, so I chose a fine Morocco from Russels Leather, considered to be some of the best leather available in the bookbinding world. 

With a little effort on Adobe Photoshop, I  quickly worked out a simple design that was both clear and effective. The Hammock is often associated with relaxation and I feel it worked well for the project at hand. 

With such a small spine to work with, I decided that a verticle display would be best for the title and author panels. While it requires a few more steps to achieve, it is no less beautiful when executed correctly.

Finished

The result was a very nice, compact book that is both beautiful and easy to access. Able to be carried in a bag or purse, this book will prove to be a lovely companion during times that require a bit of meditation or thoughtfulness to get through. I’m very happy with how this turned out and the client was, too! In fact, the client decided to give the gift in my bindery when the project was completed. They both came together and I gave them a quick tour. It was truly lovely to be a part of, as I normally just deliver the finished product and start on my next project.