Custom Poetry Book

About the Project

Time was of the essence for this project. My client contacted me in late February to commission a custom poetry book for an upcoming trip to Venice she and her fiance planned – which was happening in less than a month. Normally, I don’t take on new projects with a timeline so abbreviated, however, something spoke to me on this one and I felt like I needed to do anything I could to help her. I am, admittedly, a romantic at heart and a story like this just felt magical and I was honestly happy to help.

She and her fiance had written poetry during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which served as a connective and strengthening exercise for them both. As they were joining each other in marriage, she wanted to capture those moments with each other into a single volume that will last for the rest of their lives together.

This project was a full “ground-up” endeavor, taking it from an abstract idea into the physical world. She sent me the raw text on .doc files and I set to work designing and typesetting the book. We worked quickly and we were in constant communication. Thankfully, the book was finished and cured on time and delivered a few days before they departed. From beginning to delivery it took about 3-weeks.

The result was exactly what she’d imagined.

The Proposal

After my client returned home she sent me an update on their trip and included some amazing photos! The photography was done by Luisa Basson and they are excellent. Her website is https://www.luisabassowedding.com/ and more of her stunning work can be found there.

I am so touched that she included me in this important moment for them and I don’t often get to see the books I make in their new life. Seeing what we made together, in context and in action, was a surreal experience.

As a bookbinder, I operate mostly in the background – making books that people enjoy and that look nice within a collection. But knowing that something I made played a small part in such a big moment for them will always be special to me.

Photography by Luisa Basso (https://www.luisabassowedding.com/)

The Process

Since this was a time sensitive project, I decided to do this work in the cuir-ciselé technique. While I have been perfecting my skills in freehand gold/silver tooling, I wanted to get this done with confidence and havana set-backs at all. I began with veg-tanned sheepskin and carved the Rialto bridge design first. Once the leather was colored and finished I moved on to the stamping for both the front and back covers. Since we had a relatively large canvas to play with, I felt a 36pt type would be perfect for the title and it really captures the gold in a lovely way. I also decided not to stamp the spine, since vertical stamping can be quite time consuming to get it to align just right on such a thin spine.

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.