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).
