Thorson
Custom Norse
Journal
About the Project
This book was created for a close friend as a gift for his wife. He and I have been working together for a long time and I am happy to see it all come together exactly as he envisioned it. It started with a simple conversation about influences and design motifs and evolved into a sweeping design for both the front and back covers. A key aspect of this design was the inclusion of the Berkano Rune, which has special significance for him and his family.
I was deeply honored to make this and bring it all together as a wonderful gift for his wife. I’ve admired his work for quite a long time and I feel thankful to have some of my work featured in his collection.
Methods
Cuir-ciselé is my favorite approach to decorating books in which the client has a desire to make something completely customized. While tooling or hot-stamping could have achieved this, as is often practiced in today’s world of bookbinding, I find an immense joy in working with this style. It’s how I got my start in bookbinding and I love coming back to it.
We started with a very basic Norse design and I expanded it from there. Using this file a baseline I then connected the flowing lines naturally to make the piece fill out the cover. I’ve been studying Norse design elements for many years and this project allowed me to stretch that knowledge I’ve been practicing. Thankfully, I’ve been working with “The Anatomy of Viking Art” by Jonas Lau Markussen, a wonderful book made by a modern master. His studies of the subject are quite unparalleled and I’ve really enjoyed his work.
After we make the decisions needed to compile a picture of the final product, I always prefer making a second-phase mock-up of the design. This helps me determine how much time it will take, what techniques I need to employ, etc. First drawing it out with pencil directly on the leather, I then use my swivel knife to carve out the major features of the image. After wetting it, generously, I take my hammer and chisel’s to work out the details.
Design
Finished
The result gave us exactly what we were looking for. After finishing the carving I applied an “evening blue” leather dye and a Japanese antique gel to really make the design pop and give it an overall aged look. While making the book I also thought it would be a good idea to have nine spine fillets (raised bands), instead of the tradition five or seven. Nine is a particularly important number in Norse cosmology and I wanted to bring as much as I could to this project. On a personal level, I and the client have a deep connection to the Norse belief structure, so these small touches help connect this book with our wider world.
We are excited to begin working with you. Boston Harbor Bookbindery is experienced in designing custom, one-of-a-kind books for each client.
Whether you’d like to restore a family heirloom, re-bind a personal favorite, or print a book from scratch; we have just what you need to make your dreams a reality.
Thorson
Full leather binding | Cuir-ciselé