A Dive Into Bookbinding
I first started in leather working, so it seemed like a short hop to to get into bookbinding as well. Using various YouTube videos, I was able to learn to do the process on my own. At the same time, I was taking a videography class, and I decided to video the process that I was taking to make the books as one of my assignments. Bookbinding is one of my hobbies that showcases my ability to make do with less, and to learn complex processes on my own and without any formal training. My first several journals look a little rough around the edges, but I am improving with every new journal that I make.
Home Bindery
With the limited resources currently available to me, my home bindery and video studio don’t consist of very much. Basic filming essentials that were thrifted, hand-me-downs, or borrowed make my studio. The kitchen table, an old cutting board and repurposed tools make up what I occasionally call the bindery (when it isn’t the workshop, the forge, or the kitchen).
Tools of the Trade
Most of the tools that I use for bookbinding are repurposed from other hobbies that I have. I use leather stamps on the covers rather than expensive, specialty book stamps, I use forging or carpentry hammers, and I use sewing needles to actually bind everything together. Some of the specialty tools I made myself, like the presses.
Short Form Video
Because the first edit that I made was too long for my class, I shortened it even more. Again using Adobe Premiere Pro, I cut out the long, middle parts of many of the processes. I show enough for the viewer to understand the gist of what I am doing, then I cut to the end of that process. This successfully shortened the video enough that I was able to submit it for my assignment.
Long Form Video
The bookbinding process is a long one. To make one journal it takes many hours of work. Because of this, I had a lot of footage of the making process. Using Adobe Premiere Pro, I spliced all of the pieces together to show my entire process. This made for a video that was too long to submit for my assignment.