Resources for Book Artists
Important note: This is meant to be a starting point of helpful resources for book artists, not a comprehensive list. Inclusion here does not imply endorsement or recommendation by the Cincinnati Book Arts Society.
GENERAL
http://www.philobiblon.com
The Book Arts Web: “links to a large selection of book arts related sites on the web, including educational opportunities, professional organizations, tutorials, reference materials, and galleries with images.”
LOCAL ARTISTS’ BOOK COLLECTIONS
https://cincinnatilibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=artist%20book&searchType=subject
The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library’s artists’ book collection is housed in the Special Collections and Rare Books area of the Downtown Main Library’s History & Genealogy Department. More than 70 works in the collection were created by CBAS artists. About the collection: https://chpl.org/services/special-collections/artists-books/.
Tip: enter “artist book” in the subject field of the library’s online catalog.
https://uclid.uc.edu/search~S39/X?SEARCH=(artists%27%20book)&searchscope=39&SORT=D
The UCLID online catalog indexes materials from 19 separate libraries, including the University of Cincinnati’s Langsam Library, the DAAP (College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning) Library, the Elliston Poetry collection, the Mary R. Schiff Library & Archives at the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Lloyd Library & Museum and others. A number of these libraries have books about artists’ books and examples of the genre.
Tip: enter “artists’ books” in the subject field of the UCLID catalog.
LOCAL & ONLINE SOURCES FOR BOOK ARTS SUPPLIES
https://www.colophonbookarts.com/ Colophon Book Arts Supplies
https://www.dickblick.com/ Dick Blick Art Materials
https://hollanders.com/ Hollander’s
https://www.johnnealbooks.com/ John Neal Books
https://www.plazaart.com/ Plaza Art (local)
https://sudersartstore.com/ Suder’s Art Store (local)
https://www.talasonline.com/ Talas
https://www.universityproducts.com/ University Products
https://www.washiarts.com Washi Arts (CBAS members receive a discount)
MEMBERSHIP SOCIETIES AND GUILDS
http://www.cincinnaticalligraphy.com Greater Cincinnati Calligraphers’ Guild
http://www.mbs.org/ The Miniature Book Society
guildofbookworkers.org The Guild of Bookworkers
BOOK ARTS CENTERS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_book_arts_centers
Wikipedia has a long list of national and international book arts centers with descriptions of each. Many offer classes and workshops, some have artists’ books collections. Note: links are inconsistent and some need updating, but many are useful.
ORGANIZATIONS OFFERING IN-PERSON AND ONLINE CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS
https://bookbindingacademy.org/ American Academy of Bookbinding, Telluride CO
arrowmont.org Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg TN
http://centerforbookarts.org The Center for Book Arts, New York NY
http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/spc/JaffeCenter/index.php Jaffe Center for Book Arts, Boca Raton, FL
https://www.folkschool.org The John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown NC
http://www.mnbookarts.org Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Minneapolis MN
http://morganconservatory.org The Morgan Conservatory, Cleveland OH
https://nbss.edu/ North Bennet Street School, Boston MA
http://www.papercircle.org Paper Circle, Nelsonville OH
http://www.paperbookintensive.org The Paper & Book Intensive, Saugatuck MI
http://penland.org Penland School of Crafts, Penland NC
http://www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Hyattsville MD
https://www.sandiegobookarts.com/ San Diego Book Arts, San Diego CA
https://sfcb.org San Francisco Center for the Book, San Francisco, CA
SOME BASIC SUPPLIES FOR THE BEGINNING BOOKBINDER
Adhesives (PVA, gluestick, YES Paste, double-sided tape, etc. Each has different properties. Try a variety to find which is most useful for your style of bookmaking.)
Apron
Awl, T-pins, push pin (Something for poking neat holes in paper and book board)
Binders clips in several sizes
Bone folder (For creating crisp folds; a craft stick or smooth butter knife will work).
Book board (Available in art supply stores, but first try non-corrugated cardboard you already have on hand – think cereal box, the back of a note pad, gift box, etc.)
Clean-up supplies (Rags, paper towels, water jar for cleaning brushes)
Eraser (White, such as Koh-I-Nor or Staedtler)
Glue brushes (Inexpensive brushes in several sizes)
Metal ruler
Needles (Blunt tapesty needles sizes 16-20 available in craft stores work well.)
Paper in various sizes and weights (Experiment with what you have on hand first.)
Pencil and sharpener or mechanical pencil
Self-healing cutting mat
Scissors, small and large
Thread (Preferably linen, waxed or unwaxed. If unwaxed, a small piece of beeswax is helpful.)
Waste paper
Waxed paper (Use between pages to keep them from sticking together.)
Weights (A stack of heavy books, a brick covered in cloth or paper, a small box of coins, etc. will help flatten completed books, especially if you’ve used wet adhesives. )
X-acto, scalpel and/or craft knife with replacement blades
All of these supplies and more are available in the CBAS Studio for use by those attending Study Group meetings and workshops.