Course Overview

• Explore the creative world of book arts through a series of focused evening workshops led by artist and printmaker Raquel Amat.
• These sessions introduce a range of traditional and contemporary bookbinding techniques, showing how folding, stitching, structure, and materials come together to create unique handmade books.
• Workshops take place in our North London studio, a short distance from Crouch End, Finsbury Park, Archway, and Highgate.
• Suitable for beginners and creative practitioners of all backgrounds, these hands-on sessions encourage experimentation while building practical skills in bookbinding and paper-based art.
• All basic materials are provided.

Time
18.00 – 21.00

Day
Monday

Tutor
Raquel Amat
email: artclasslondon.printmaking@gmail.com
mobile (WhatsApp): 07933084754

 

Booking Options & Prices

• Single workshop (3-hour evening) – £65
  Choose any individual technique.
• 4-week block (4 Mondays) – £250
  Attend all four techniques at a discounted price.

Workshop Schedule
Block 1

27 Apr – Introduction to Book Arts
4 May – Japanese Binding (we are open on Bank holiday)
11 May – Concertina Binding
18 May – Coptic Binding

Block 2
1 Jun – Introduction to Book Arts
8 Jun – Japanese Binding
15 Jun – Concertina Binding
22 Jun – Coptic Binding

 

Course Description

Japanese Bound

Discover the elegance of Japanese bookbinding in this focused evening workshop that introduces traditional stab binding techniques, known for their decorative stitching patterns and refined aesthetic.
You will learn how to assemble and bind your own handmade booklet using carefully selected papers, threads, and simple tools. The session develops precision, attention to detail, and understanding of structure while creating a visually striking hand-bound book.
By the end of the workshop, you will take home a finished Japanese-bound book and the skills to continue experimenting independently.

 

Concertina Bound

Explore the versatility of concertina (accordion) bookbinding in this engaging workshop, introducing a dynamic structure that unfolds to reveal continuous imagery or narrative.
You will construct a concertina book from start to finish, working with folding techniques, covers, and layout decisions to create a sculptural and expressive format suitable for storytelling, visual art, or combining text and image.
By the end of the workshop, you will take home a completed concertina book and confidence to continue exploring folded book structures.

 

Introduction to Book Arts

This introductory workshop explores the creative possibilities of the book as an artistic medium through simple structures and experimental approaches to book-making.
Participants will experiment with folding, cutting, and binding methods to create a series of small book forms while exploring how structure, materials, image, and text can work together creatively.
By the end of the session, you will have created several handmade books and gained a foundation for further exploration of book arts.

 

Coptic Bound

Learn the fundamentals of Coptic bookbinding, an ancient technique recognised for its exposed spine and distinctive chain-stitch structure, allowing books to open completely flat.
You will be guided through assembling and sewing a multi-section book using paper, thread, and simple tools, developing an understanding of structure, sequencing, and stitching methods used in durable handmade books.
By the end of the workshop, you will take home a completed Coptic-bound book and the knowledge to continue working with this versatile binding technique.