Dominic’s design bindings are known for their use of colour, playfulness and experimentation. This class will introduce you to two interesting techniques he uses in his creative leather work. Both of these were learned from Dominic’s first teacher, Paul Delrue, one of the most creative artistic binders of his generation. Paul died early in 2024, and this class is a tribute to him.
First is Lacunose, meaning ‘furrowed or pitted’. Paul invented this new approach to covering as a means of exploring more interesting ways of painting with leather. The binding is covered at the spine and corners, and then leather pieces are applied all over the cover, pressed and sanded. This reveals hidden shapes and colours within the leather. The process is repeated multiple times, washing the leather in between layers, until a rich and complex image appears.
The second is Tudor Style, which takes cover decoration in an altogether different direction. It is a way of covering the book in overlapping strips of leather, the intention being to give a more interesting, sculptural look and feel to the binding. It is remarkably straightforward in principle; the finished appearance can be very complex but always pleasing.
We will work on both techniques at once to allow for drying time, on simple bookblocks which we will make in class.
Materials to Bring
Your usual bookbinding toolkit
Sanding block and sandpaper in a range of grits
About the Instructor
Dominic Riley (he/him) is an internationally renowned bookbinder, artist, lecturer and teacher. He has his bindery in England, from where he travels across the UK teaching and lecturing. He spends part of the year teaching in San Francisco and across the USA. His work is mostly restoration and Design Binding, for which he has won many prizes in the Designer Bookbinders competition. He was elected a Fellow of DB in 2008 and is Patron of the New Zealand Association of Book Crafts. His bindings are in collections worldwide, including the British Library, the Grolier Club in New York and the San Francisco Public Library. In 2013 he won first prize, the Sir Paul Getty Award, in the International Bookbinding Competition. Dominic is a past President of the Society of Bookbinders. Dominic and Michael Burke are co-founders of Book Camp, an immersive residential bookbinding experience which aims to teach new generations of binders.
He has taught masterclasses in the USA, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, at the Centro del Bel Libro in Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Canada.
Past Student Reviews
“Dominic is a great teacher!!!. He has a lot of experience and it is reflected in the way he transmits his knowledge. Every year I try to take a course with him because it is very inspiring to continue working in the book arts. THANK YOU SFCB and Dominic!!!”
“Dominic is a master binder. His skill level is unsurpassed. It is a privilege to learn from him.”
“I have taken many classes from Dominic and he is always a pleasure to learn from, and demanding. He sets a high personal standard of work.”
Location
San Francisco Center for the Book
375 Rhode Island Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Registration Policies
Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class. Registration will close approximately three days prior to the start date of the workshop to allow the instructor time to prep materials for class. We recommend you not wait to register, as workshops that don't meet our minimum enrollment will be canceled, sometimes as much as a week in advance.
Workshop fee
(includes materials fee):
$1540
Prerequisite:
Experience sewing textblocks, paring leather, and covering books in leather.
Class sessions:
Two weeks: Mondays-Fridays, July 7-11 and 14-18, 2025
9:30am-5:30pm
If this workshop is full, please click this link to add your name to the waitlist. If a seat becomes available, we will contact you.