Continuing in the bookbinding theme, today’s images are some details I took of an impeccably bound book by Juliao Sarmento. I was struggling with this binding style- I pretty much disregarded the tips about using Japanese paper in Kojiro Ikegami’s book, which meant the book I’d been attempting were stiff and crunchy. The japanese papers, which have a high rag content, are incredibly thin yet strong, which means in a bookbinding style like this it’s possible to actually open the book fully without damaging it.

Regardless, this book is an artwork, a documentary, and an example in a medium.

Juliao Sarmento

Juliao Sarmento: Racial Makeup.

Well, the first post ought to be fairly momentous, and happily on the 16th of October we had one of the most useful lessons in the three years of an Illustration degree. We were given a day workshop with Richard Roberts, a London-based printmaker, illustrator, and graphic designer. We were shown the ins, outs and intricacies of binding a hard-back book, and by the end of the day thanks to the teaching standard we all had serviceable and attractive sketchbooks.

It’s great learning a new skill, especially one we can use in project work, and it’s clear that Richard enjoys what he does, making for a fantastic person to learn from! Richard Roberts is involved with the East London printmakers, a collective that offers various workshops, and also runs his own blog.

http://robertsprint.tumblr.com

http://www.eastlondonprintmakers.co.uk