Wednesday 25 July 2012

‽ Marks the spot

In addition to being an illustrator and writer I, a proud bibliophile, also bind books as a hobby. As my binding (and avid collection of papers and bookbinding cloth) has increased to a 'proficient' level I decided it was high time that I get my very own maker's mark. Remember the interrobang? Well, meet the themobang!


This beautiful brass handled letter is a finishing tool used to engrave letters and patterns into book covers and spines. I'm hoping to get a full set of handled letters at some point for customising the books that I make. I'm also itching to get my hands on some gold leaf!

The tool itself was created by Kevin Noakes of Bookbinding Designs. He's a crazy talented guy and I can't wait to get more tools from him. If you're looking for a custom tool get in touch with Kevin. Not only is it well-crafted he was soooooo quick and professional.

I studied binding at the Owl & Lion Gallery in Edinburgh under Isobel Ting. She is wicked cool and my books are not a patch on hers. If you're looking to learn a new skill, even just as a hobby, I highly recommend her courses. Or if you want a handmade journal, get thee to the Owl & Lion!

Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. Hello. I am preparing a brief blog post for my site (www.tulipbookbinding.com) on bookbinder's marks, and wondered if I might use the image above of your mark as an example. I will, of course, provide full image credit and a link to your post.

    Kind regards!
    H. Miller

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Hagen. Yes, I'd be delighted if you used mine as long as it's credited. Can you send me a link when it's up?

    Cheers,
    Themo

    ReplyDelete