Gilding With 24K Gold And Other Bookbinding Techniques

August 6, 2015

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZuvGwPPXMw/VcLZRnKFjBI/AAAAAAAACZU/xrCv-A6PBPI/s1600/11781857_10204518787033981_1190676196194900437_n.jpg

Greetings, everyone:

Since I have shown you my previous work here, I'd like to share with you my experience with some bookbinding courses I took this summer in Mexico City. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I enjoy sharing it with you. As always, I appreciate the space this community has given to me.

Now, to the courses. The teacher was Susana Domínguez, from the workshop Códex in Madrid, Spain.

The first of the courses was "flying gold". It lasted for seven sessions, approximately 40 hours.

This is gold of 24k in extremely thin sheets. In this image you can see it after being cut.

http://41.media.tumblr.com/652a7c22bd12e965abbc9836dbdda06c/tumblr_nrltbyHP7D1s1jljbo1_1280.jpg

We learnt how to gild edges like they used to do centuries ago.

http://41.media.tumblr.com/f509e8de78c3036b48f9f6f4167615e1/tumblr_nr8e490nwL1s1jljbo2_250.jpg

http://40.media.tumblr.com/a8c65d7582ab34bb71f92da4a8305d75/tumblr_nr8e490nwL1s1jljbo1_500.jpg

In this course they also taught us to gild using the gold leaf. Now, there are two methods: a traditional one that uses egg white and a modern one that uses something called "fixor". Using the white obviously has more complications, specially time related, but it has the perk of being cheaper and more common: everyone can get an egg, while fixor is quite expensive and only sold in Relma (Paris).

Anyway, below you will see a plaque of black leather: the right side of the plaque was gilded with the egg white and the left side with the fixor.

Some details of the left side, gilded with fixor:

http://36.media.tumblr.com/65667573d89806801d8c665d52305970/tumblr_nrppa4s1pN1s1jljbo1_1280.jpg

http://36.media.tumblr.com/5e3d14b00edde74b5dc198bd9b8955c8/tumblr_nrpp1ycWyc1s1jljbo1_1280.jpg

http://40.media.tumblr.com/c1fdf1269f409d7c1b31831bc392d7c9/tumblr_ns9nh0McSu1s1jljbo1_1280.jpg

Some images of the right side of the plaque, using the egg white.

Finally, we made some mosaique, that is, we cut out a piece of leather and we put a different one, then we gilded on top.

The second course was on "escartivanas". I didn't find a traduction on escartivanas; it's a style of binding which has the characteristic of opening very well. We didn't make a book, but we made models on the different types of escartivanas one can make. The course lasted approximately 10 hours.

The third course was on Contemporary Decoration Techniques. The course lasted for about 25 hours.We worked with pieces of leather and we were taught how to emboss an image, how to transfer an image onto the leather and how to dye a piece of leather, using alcohol inks, foil and acrylic.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gv-5wLWkxMs/VcLYIu1pUOI/AAAAAAAACY0/DwrRRpRV1ik/s1600/11703037_10204518795954204_2568247139751111335_n.jpg

http://40.media.tumblr.com/b43836c6528e2a9953236a83a79b8d30/tumblr_nrwt8ckyWR1s1jljbo1_1280.jpg

We also had two plaques to work on. On the first one, we made mosaic border-to-border. The pieces I used were pieces of leather I had previously dyed.

http://40.media.tumblr.com/797791396841a006862e73cc0773c2e2/tumblr_ns7s7t0Eem1s1jljbo1_1280.jpg

On the second plaque, we practised incisions and applications.

Some images of the plaques made by my classmates.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qmVTPXe0tDQ/VcLYTgcEwPI/AAAAAAAACY8/SL6c2qySHro/s1600/11182109_10204518786633971_2995689441640531640_n.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KWAMaMEGH6k/VcLYThl8FzI/AAAAAAAACZA/t30m3qsk_G4/s1600/11212775_10204518791354089_612876989105367314_n.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EZt2XBfUpx8/VcLYTnn87BI/AAAAAAAACZE/Clsromq08kI/s1600/11222644_10204518788034006_2400231978384639433_n.jpg

I hope you found this post interesting and you enjoyed it. Comments or questions are welcome. Have a nice day!

Edited August 6, 2015 by GatzBcn

August 7, 2015

Wow! Everything looks so interesting and beautiful. Keep up the great work. @FPN: Dibs on being first in line! Muah-hahahaha (:<

August 7, 2015

Thanks I love learning new techniques. Keep up the great work.

August 8, 2015

Wow! Everything looks so interesting and beautiful. Keep up the great work. @FPN: Dibs on being first in line! Muah-hahahaha (:<

Yeaaah, you are first hahahaha I am glad you liked the new techniques, I can't wait to put them to work.

Thanks I love learning new techniques. Keep up the great work.

Yes, I love the feeling, I totally agree. I can't wait to practise more.

August 8, 2015

Between you and T M Lee I am desperate to find some time to try my hand a bookbinding

August 12, 2015

I don't know how gold leaf works for on leather (such as for the binding and cover of the book you're working on. But, for calligraphic works on paper -- and presumably also on vellum -- all you have to do is breathe on the gesso ground (often based). I've seen directions in which the scribe blew through a narrow tube, to just moisten the gesso just enough to get the first layer of gold to adhere. Part of the burnishing process (especially for successive layers of gold leaf) is effectively smoothing any underlying bumps or defects in the gesso work.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

August 17, 2015

Between you and T M Lee I am desperate to find some time to try my hand a bookbinding

Hahaha if you'd like some more inspiration, I have some tutorials on my blog .

I don't know how gold leaf works for on leather (such as for the binding and cover of the book you're working on. But, for calligraphic works on paper -- and presumably also on vellum -- all you have to do is breathe on the gesso ground (often based). I've seen directions in which the scribe blew through a narrow tube, to just moisten the gesso just enough to get the first layer of gold to adhere. Part of the burnishing process (especially for successive layers of gold leaf) is effectively smoothing any underlying bumps or defects in the gesso work.
Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

On leather, you can use fixor, which is a type of glue, or egg white, as was traditionally used. With egg, you apply the white on the leather and wait for a few seconds for it to absorbe, yet not dry, then apply some almond oil on the surroundings, so that the gold leaf will adhere. You smoothly press with a cotton so see the footprint under the leaf and then use the heated tool to press in the same footprint. With the egg and the heat, the gold leaf will permanently adhere to the leather. Then, remove the rests of the leaf with a clean cotton. I have never seen anyone working on gesso, it sounds interesting.

August 19, 2015

Thanks, I will visit your blog. Used gesso on gilding years ago to get a raised relief - time to get back to play with fun projects again.

August 19, 2015

Ohhh, all those covers are so surrealist looking.

Sooo beautiful.

Congratulations, Ana, all that is dramatically different.

August 19, 2015

Beautiful. I like the egg white gilding best - a traditionalist, I guess.

August 22, 2015

Thanks, I will visit your blog. Used gesso on gilding years ago to get a raised relief - time to get back to play with fun projects again.

Thank you very much, I hope you will like it.

Ohhh, all those covers are so surrealist looking.

Sooo beautiful.

Congratulations, Ana, all that is dramatically different.

Yep, up until now I had only done more classic stuff, so it was time to break proportions .

Beautiful. I like the egg white gilding best - a traditionalist, I guess.

The thing is the egg gilding depends on the leather; I mean sometimes it looks great, sometimes it doesn't stick so well. While the other one presents no problems on the leather.

But they both look very similar to the eye .