Adventures in Bookbinding

and other elegant terrors of a similar nature

Hi readers!

A bit of news: I’ve just launched a portfolio website for my art, after working on it for a couple of months. As a programmer who likes working with HTML and making websites from scratch, I was a bit hoity-toity about using WordPress (Those awful drag-and-drop programs? Ugh, dear me, I’ll be dead before I use one of those). But I have to admit, it made the process of creating a website a lot easier in some ways…and occasionally, more complex (I kept itching to add my own custom CSS & code but WordPress refuses to make that easy, haha).

I also have a Great Gatsby vanishing fore-edge painting, waiting for me to film & list on Etsy. Planning to get to that before Christmas. :P

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Now, onto the meat of the thing: Since my last post, I’ve dipped my greedy little fingers into the wonderful world of bookbinding.

As you’ll know if you’ve seen my vanishing fore-edge paintings, they need to be painted on gilded books to achieve the ‘vanishing’ part. Until now, I’ve used machine-bound & machine-gilded books. But I’m keen to learn how to apply my own edge gilding to any book I choose. Edge gilding with real gold leaf has a soft, glowy finish, much nicer than machine-applied, imitation gilding…

Look at that lovely soft shine…yes I am a bit in love.

When working so closely with books as a fore-edge painter, another important part of this craft is knowing how to treat books and repair them. Since putting a book in the painting press adds strain to the spine and can damage fragile bindings, I need to be capable of keeping the book in good condition. Someone might have an old treasured family Bible that they want a fore-edge painting to be added to, and if the book is already damaged, then it should be repaired before adding a painting.

So, if I’m serious about embarking on this rare, antique artform in a semi-professional manner, I need to learn bookbinding (including book repair and edge gilding) as the next step.

I live in regional Australia, which means that the nearest access to any form of bookbinding instruction is about 3-4 hours drive away, and workshops for beginners are only conducted about four times a year. But thankfully, there are some truly incredible tutorials & resources out there:

• The Bookbinding Reddit (the folks there are very helpful and kind to newbies, and everyone loves books)

• Darryn Schneider’s famous YouTube tutorials: DAS Bookbinding (a fellow Australian with a wealth of knowledge and research)

• The lovely Chanel at bitter melon bindery (her clear, detailed tutorials made the learning process much less intimidating)

• Four Keys Book Arts never fail to inspire me with their excellent guides and historical-inspired bindings

Thanks to all of the above, with a few roadbumps and minor disasters along the way (all part of learning a new craft!!!), I’ve now made two books by hand, from start to finish:

First project: a blank journal. Bookmark also made by me!

Second project: the only print copy of a novella by Spencer Sekulin!

It starts as mere sheets of paper, a pretty square of cloth, yards of waxed thread, and grey, drab bookboard. And somehow — holding one’s breath the entire while — one is able to assemble these pieces into a functional, gloriously beautiful book!!?!? It boggles the mind. The way books work is brilliant, y’all.

The self-taught process was slow, and often panicky (PVA glue dries so fast!!!), yet it was all forgotten in the absolute pleasure and satisfaction that came from holding in my hands a book that I had made myself. A book with pages that one has printed, folded, pierced, sewed together, glued, mull’d, etc… 'tis a wondrous process from start to finish.

Next week, I’ll be at a two-day workshop, run by the Queensland Bookbinding Guild, to get some more bookbinding experience under my belt. I only have a month left before I hear if my grant application to study fore-edge painting and bookbinding in the UK has been approved or not…so I’m trying to get my basic skills built up beforehand, readying myself for a program of more complex bookbinding workshops I hope to attend in 2026.

Who knows if I’ll get the grant…but even if I don’t, I’m certainly not giving up this new art in a hurry. I look forward to making my own journals for years to come.

Dear reader, I really encourage you to try your own hand at bookbinding. Sign up for a class! Watch a basic tutorial! Visit r/bookbinding and get inspired! Choose a small, unambitious project, and make it out of scrap materials!

Imagine…you can make your own custom journals…recreate an out-of-print copy of your favourite book…turn an unflattering paperback into a gorgeous custom hardback edition. If you’re a writer or a rambler or an artist, why not turn your short stories, poems, musings, photos, paintings, into a personal album or keepsake? (Not to mention, it’s the perfect handmade gift for a book-friend.)

I don’t know about you but I crave delicious-looking books, and it’s so hard to find nice journals that have the right paper, visual aesthetic, or reasonable price tag!!! The world is filled with books that deserve better casings. So, here’s the answer: Go make them yourself. :)

And if you have made books before — tell me about them!

- The Inky Baroness xx