Legend of the Ravaja

Legend of the Ravaja

Author's Edition

"By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”".

Genesis 3:19, NIV

About the Project

It’s no secret that I truly enjoy making a book for the author. I find the entire process a personal journey for both the client and me. Whether or not the book is intended to be published on a large scale, the idea of having one special book for the creator is always fun. 

I’d actually worked with this client many years ago, shortly after my apprenticeship concluded and I first opened the bindery. Back then I was known as Sound Leather Books and I operated out of a small studio space in the Old Rainier Brewery building, which is nestled next to I-5 and welcomes people into the cityscape of Seattle. I think back on that time fondly. I was just finding my way as a bookbinder, establishing clientele and my own artistic voice. Clients early on took chances with me and helped me develop professionally and personally.

Since our last project together, I’d grown immensely and I was very excited to take another crack at this book.  I’d acquired a new collection of leather, decorative techniques, and, more importantly, a sense of confidence to execute an ambitious design scheme.  

With darker colored leathers I enjoy working with silver, as opposed to gold, for lettering and tooling. I feel like silver has a strong look when applied on a dark background, allowing the book to stand out and invite readers into its contents. During the binding process, I asked the client if he’d like to include any kind of design, line drawing, or other kind of decorative motif. When he sent me a draft design of a “sigil”, I immediately began working on it to translate it from the page and into a format that can be tooled properly. The marbled endleaf sheets give the book another wow factor once the covers are opened, giving the reader one last treat before enjoying the text.

Overall, this was an incredibly satisfying project. My mission statement is “Let’s make the book of your dreams” and I feel like this hits directly on that mark.

The Process

I try to capture as many images as possible throughout the process. As you can see there were times I needed to improvise with the final steps of the binding, simply due to the fact that the book just didn’t fit in any of the presses I own. 

Deathfire

Deathfire

Custom Rebinding with Original Art Inlay

About the Project

Another paperback conversion!

Using the same methods for the Vengeful Spirit project, we extracted the front cover art and reprinted the endleafs to produce an upgraded version of the original book. I ended up taking more pictures of the process, as compared to the finished work. It was a lot of fun making this book, and I’m excited to do more in the future.

The Process

Vengeful Spirit

Vengeful Spirit

Custom Rebinding with Original Art Inlay

About the Project

A paperback conversion with some added flare!

This is actually the second project I have done with this client, and I will be uploading the first book we made together soon – I just forgot to do it when we finished!

We essentially wanted to ‘upgrade’ her book without losing the overall feel and aesthetic of the original paperback copy. So, I suggested we extract the original front cover and place it on the new case with a recessed window (inlay), thereby protecting the art from any friction and preserving it. The endleafs of the book were the expanded version of the painting done by Neil Roberts, so we scanned them in adn sized them appropriately for the new endleaf sheets. 

The leather we worked with is a fine goat/kid leather from Siegel Leather and is some of the best I’ve worked with. It has a rich, dark blue-gray color and is supple to the touch. The book feels great in your hand and feels comfortable to read. For the spine decoration, we decided to work with a blue-gold foil with silver for the title panel on black leather. 

The result is quite wonderful. I had such a great time making this book and it feels good to work with new material. Plus, exploring with different color foil is always a treat.

The Process

Gallery coming soon..

Waking to Nightfall

Waking to Nightfall

About the Project

This project began in the Summer of 2024. The client contacted me with a clear vision of what he wanted to make, sending me a digital mock-up of what he had in mind. The key component of this design, aside from the intricate knotwork, are the contrasted areas between light and dark blue and the 12 “studs” on both covers. I immediately began working with ideas of how we can make this project happen. My first instinct was to run with a cuir-ciselé approach, followed by custom engraved stamps where needed.

While it took some time to finish this project, I feel like we made exactly what was intended. A custom leather book, traditionally bound, with bold design features.

The Process

I first needed to isolate the design from the digital mock-up the client sent me and size it to the text-block, which gave me an opportunity to extract the Moon Design and the Title/Author for the spine. I knew we needed a custom stamp for the spine, however, I initially thought I could carve the moon myself. Unfortunately, the carved moon design didn’t translate as well as I intended, so we decided to make a second stamp for that part. 

When I made the first draft it didn’t feel like the contrast of color was present, so I went back to the drawing board for another draft. I took my time with it, experimenting with different dyes and finishes that would stand out and give us the contrast we were looking for. Thankfully, I found a solution. Using a turquoise dye, I put down a base layer over the entire hide and let it dry overnight. I then focused on the border areas we wanted to emphasize and finished them with Atom Wax. Once that dried, I went over it again with an “Evening Blue” to give us the darker blue. For the final step, I applied a Japanese Gel Antique to smooth out the coloring and blend it all together. 

Once the coloring was completed I attached the boards. Before turning the edges in, I then punched holes for the studs. Since I don’t often work with these, I asked around to some of my colleagues for their advice. It’s always fun to collaborate with the community, whenever the chance arises. For this design aspect I chose to go with “Chicago Screws”, finding the exact size that matches the boards and leather thickness (approximately 4mm).

Wedding Album

Wedding Album

About the Project

I was excited when this project came across my table and eager to further my skills my custom tools I’d commissioned from Dimitri, a bookbinder in Greece. He and I have become fast friends over the years and it’s quite fun to trade notes with him and discuss topics specific to bookbinding.

This project was a gift, so the amount of time/money it would have taken in reality is unknown to me. My younger brother and his then-fiancé were preparing for their wedding and this idea popped into my head. I personally enjoy making books as gifts. I feel it puts me back in touch with my roots, as I began bookbinding as a hobby and would often make gifts for people as a surprise. To see people light up is one of the purest forms of joy one can experience. Gift-projects also give me a certain latitude of expression. It feels freeing in a way, allowing me to step into the realm of creation to see what surprises are in store for me. Sometimes I fail and need to start over, other times I am amazed at what comes forward. Either way I enjoy it.

The idea for the design sprouted from the wedding theme itself. Often weddings have a floral motif and their wedding was no exception to that. So I leaned into it and asked the two what their favorite flowers were. “Orchid and Peony” was their answer, so I immediately set to work. I found two designs that I felt would be suitable for the plan I’d devised and I began my preparations.

The Process

These are the designs I came up with for this project. The first draft is on leftover leather I always keep in the bindery for just such a purpose.

Once I felt confident on the design’s execution, I readied myself for the actual project.

The work on the book went in phases, breaking the designs down into their essential components. This helped me organize my thoughts while I worked on the leather. Alternating between gold and silver was a fun way to make each design pop, with opposing elements showcased on each. I only took a couple of photos during the process, unfortunately.

Procession of the Night Theatre

Procession of the Night Theatre

About the Project

Making a book for the author is a special thing. Easily one of my favorite parts of the job. However, to have the author actually work on their own book is priceless. 

Jay came out for a visit to see their publisher and spend time in residence at the Celestial Arts Education Library (CAELi). Once we connected we immediately knew we wanted to work together in the bindery. I walked them through the process of bookbinding and essentially conducted a shortened version of my Introduction to Bookbinding class I teach with Arbutus Folk School.

It was a lot of fun introducing Jay to the bindery and letting them work with my tools. A particular favorite of mine is the Challenge Paper Cutter (Guillotine). It’s a 70-year old artifact that is operated by hand, whereas its modern counterparts are all automated. It does take a bit to get used to, especially if you’ve never operated one before, but the results transform the book completely!

Before Jay left we discussed expanding the project into a 28-edition series, each with their own sigil designed by Jay. So, they drafted the first sigil for their personal copy and I took the opportunity to begin working with a custom tool set I’d commissioned from a bookbinder in Greece. The tools allow a bookbinder to perform “free-hand tooling” in silver or gold (or any metallic foil). This was my first venture into this decoration technique and we are both happy with how it came out.

More details will be announced soon!

The Process