This course is part of our Making Skills: Degree and Diploma Taster Week, a themed series of short courses that teach foundation skills and offer an insight into studying one of our Higher Education courses at West Dean.

They cover a variety of subject areas and are taught by selected tutors who teach on the Degree and Diploma courses at West Dean, giving students a real insight into the opportunities available for full or part time study. They also offer an excellent opportunity to create and build on your portfolio, often a key requirement when you apply for a higher education programme, develop you practical making skills and find out if you would like to pursue further study.

There will also be opportunities to Meet the Tutors on Tuesday 8 September, with an evening event starting at 5:15pm in The Old Library, where each tutor will give a 10 minute talk about their practice and course. Workshop and studio tours will also be scheduled as part of the week, offering students the chance to see the full range of facilities and courses West Dean offers.

Course details
Bookbinding is essentially a form of engineering: based on good design, the moving parts have to function well for the book to work as a carrier of information. As an introduction to a fascinating craft, this bootcamp style course will provide you with entry level knowledge of book structure, materials and formats.

Over four days, you will develop core bookbinding skills: the first two days introduce fundamental structures and techniques, followed by two days of further bookbinding development. You will create a case binding from bookcloth you have made, sew a textblock, design and make decorative papers using a variety of techniques, and design and decorate the textblock edges. You will also be introduced to titling and finishing techniques, including blind and foil tooling, allowing you to make your book your own.

Your tutor(s) will introduce you to a variety of bound structures and explain their purpose and use, helping you to understand how different book formats function. You will work with a full range of materials, tools and equipment found in bookbinding, gaining confidence through guided, hands on making. Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on careful construction, good design, and creative exploration through both traditional and more modern book arts techniques.

This course is particularly suitable if you are a prospective student, or if you have applied to the GD Conservation pathway and have little direct bookbinding experience and require the Book Camp top up.

Aims of the course:

• To introduce you to a variety of bound structures
• To help you understand the purpose of bindings and different book structures
• To develop an understanding of the processes required to create a textblock and binding
• To explore and use a full range of materials, tools and equipment found in bookbinding
• To encourage creative expression in book arts and design using traditional and more modern techniques

By the end of the course you will have:

• A range of material samples, including textiles and decorative papers, and a simple container to house them
• A sewn, case?bound note or sketchbook created using your own design and materials you have made
• An understanding of various binding formats and their purposes
• Experience of a suite of decorative techniques used in book arts and bindings

Making Skills: Degree and Diploma Taster Week

Other subjects and short courses on this themed week are:

Printmaking: Combined Techniques
Attendance on the above course offers skills relevant to progressing onto Foundation Diploma in Printmaking

Tapestry Weaving: The Art of Translation
Attendance on the above course offers skills relevant to progressing onto Foundation Diploma in Tapestry

Painting Inspired by Goldsworthy’s Chalk Stone Walk
Attendance on the above course offers skills relevant to progressing onto Foundation Diploma in Art & Design and BA (Hons) Art & Contemporary Craft

Object: Memory - Exploring Tactile Ways to Tell Stories and Experimental Concrete Casting for Sculpture
Attendance on any of the above courses offers skills relevant to progressing onto BA (Hons) Art & Contemporary Craft

Printmaking: Combined Techniques, Experimental Concrete Casting for Sculpture and Tapestry Weaving: The Art of Translation
Attendance on any of the above courses offers skills relevant to progressing onto Graduate Diploma Fine Art and MFA Fine Art

Silversmithing with an Emphasis on Box Making and Blacksmithing: Fundamentals and Individual Projects
Attendance on any of the above courses offers skills relevant to progressing onto FdA Metalwork (Craft Practices)

Woodworking: Tool Control, Posture and Precision. No Plane, No Gain
Attendance on the above course offers skills relevant to progressing onto FdA Furniture (Craft Practices)

Bookbinding Sampler: Designing and Creating a Sewn Notebook and Introduction to the Conservation of Books and Archives
Attendance on any of the above courses offers skills relevant to progressing onto FdA Books & Bindings (Craft Practices)

Introduction to the Conservation of Books and Archives
Attendance on the above course offers skills relevant to progressing onto Graduate Diploma Conservation and MA Conservation

Interior Design Intensive – Process, Planning and Presentation
Attendance on the above course offers skills relevant to progressing onto BA (Hons) Interior Design and HE Diploma Interior Design

Find out more and View all Courses

Included

Everything you will need is included in the fee and the use of specialist tools to use during the course

What students need to bring

An Apron

Available to buy

Available from tutor: A variety of tools and materials to continue bookbinding

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear (no sandals or open toes).

Arrival day - first date of course
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm for registration  
Student welcome, followed by dinner: 6.45pm (dinner included)
Teaching session: 8pm-9pm (attendance is essential)

Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am-5pm  
Morning session: 9.15am-12.45pm including coffee/tea break  
Lunch break: 12.45pm-2pm (lunch included)  
Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm including coffee/tea break  
Teaching finishes: 5pm    
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Departure day - last date of course
Course teaching: 9.15am-3pm (lunch included)  
Teaching finishes: 3pm  

Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am.
Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.

Terms & Conditions