Bookbinding of Your Artwork without Folds
A course by Susana Dominguez MartinNational Artistic Bookbinding Award (Spain, 2017)
A course by Susana Dominguez Martin, National Artistic Bookbinding Award (Spain, 2017)
Learn how to present your work artisanally to open at 180º without losing any visual information
An essential part of any collection of art is in its presentation, a craft that can enhance and even become a part of its narrative. Susana Domínguez, winner of the National Artistic Bookbinding Award in Spain (2017), is a specialist in this beautiful discipline and is the founder of Códex studio, a place of international reference in the artistic bookbinding field. Through her continuous investigation and experimentation with different materials and techniques, she creates innovative solutions that adapt to the needs of each art piece.
In her first Domestika course, Susana taught the basics of Handmade Binding without Stitches to create your own art book. In this course, she teaches you how to join loose pages to bind them without any folds and with a full 180º opening without losing any print, image, or other information. Use either the artwork itself or add other materials as a supporting structure, and develop two types of models in a simple way, without the need for any previous experience.
What will you learn in this online course?
21 lessons & 10 downloads
materials
20 minutes, 9 seconds
Image preparation: bifolius and skin base
13 minutes, 55 seconds
Basic union of two elements: bifolios 1
10 minutes, 33 seconds
Basic union of two elements: bifolios 2
11 minutes, 36 seconds
Union of three or more elements: concertina
15 minutes, 32 seconds
Bi-fold sewing 1
14 minutes, 44 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet Susana, a professional with extensive experience and winner of the National Artistic Bookbinding Award in Spain (2017). She talks about this beautiful craft, her career, projects, and where she finds in the bookbinding field.
Start by getting a recap of the types of paper, tools, and materials you’ll use in the course. She shows you how to prepare the printed images on rice paper and how to transfer them onto cotton paper to prepare the base of the two prototypes for the course. She also shows you a technique to dye and give texture to leather.
Then, see how to join the elements to create two types of presentation: uniting two elements to create a bifolium, and then see each step to create a concertina with your bifolium or in a codex-stitched book format.
Discover the use of the book cover, by analyzing three different types and see how to prepare, develop, and bind them: without a book spine and with a book spine for concertina and book covers for bookbinding with stitches.
Lastly, Susana gives you alternatives to work with the same image using different supporting structures: watercolor, photography, or drawings, among others; and shows you some formats to present your artwork so it stands out.
What is this course's project?
Create two bookbinding models for your artwork with which you can add many other types of media to either bind them and create concertinas or for bookbinding with stitches.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
For anyone interested in bookbinding: graphic artists, photographers, illustrators, as well as binders.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is required to take this course.
As for materials you’ll need any type of artwork (photography, collage, postcards, watercolor, drawings…), cardboard and/or poster board, Wenzhou paper or any type of Japanese paper, Tyvek (optional), a ruler, a craft knife, PVA glue, methyl, cement paper (optional), and double-sided polyester film tape (optional).
Reviews
- 3 months ago
Excelente
- 3 months ago
Hasta el momento estoy disfrutando mucho regresar a mis años de inicio en la encuadernación cuando exploraba y construía piezas de encuadernado muy variadas y dónde algunos ensambles no cuadraban pero podía trabajarse sobre ello. Me encanta lo claro y detallado que es todo el proceso de explicación para poder trabajar con seguridad
- 4 months ago
I definitely learned new things and got a lot of inspiration! Thank you very much for the course!
- 4 months ago
Me encantó la profesora y la claridad de sus explicaciones. Un lujo!!!!
- 4 months ago
Un curso bastante alentador, con las herramientas y experiencia de Susana, es increíble.
Her work has received awards in Spain and other EU countries. Since 2006, she has been teaching her craft alongside Guadalupe Roldán at the studio she founded: Códex. Their studio has become an international reference in artistic bookbinding and is a space for exchanging ideas and knowledge where many bookbinders and artists from different nationalities have honed their skills and explored their creative potential.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
Previous steps
- Tools
- materials
- Image preparation: bifolius and skin base
- U3
Preparation of the project: joining the sheets
- Basic union of two elements: bifolios 1
- Basic union of two elements: bifolios 2
- Union of three or more elements: concertina
- Bi-fold sewing 1
- Bi-fold sewing 2
- Bi-fold sewing 3
- Bi-fold sewing 4
- U4
Preparation and joining of the covers
- Spineless covers for concertina 1
- Spineless covers for concertina 2
- Three pieces (with spine) for concertina 1
- Three pieces (with spine) for concertina 2
- Covers for stitched binding 1
- Covers for stitched binding 2
- U5
Final recommendations
- Alternatives of different image supports
- Presentation variants: play with sizes and perspective
- FP
Final project
- Bookbinding of Your Artwork without Folds
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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FAQs
You’ll learn hands-on, creative techniques to bind loose sheets, craft artist’s books, use a variety of materials, and present graphic works in formats like accordion folds, sewn codices, or artistic boxes.
This course is designed for those with intermediate skills—perfect if you already have basic experience in bookbinding or crafts and want to refine artistic techniques and structures.
You’ll need cotton paper, Tyvek, leather, cardboard, adhesives (PVA and methylcellulose), a craft knife, bone folder, metal ruler, compass, awl, linen thread, and a brush. Access to bookbinding materials and graphic supports is recommended.
Yes, the course teaches specific methods to bind and present photographs, watercolors, or graphic works without folding or losing visual information, adapting the binding to the artistic medium and format.
Techniques covered include accordion folds, Carmencho’s cross structure, Blizzard binding, onion binding, origata without adhesive, and folio sewing, plus methods to join cardboard and customize covers.
Artistic bookbinding focuses on the aesthetics and construction of the cover, while an artist’s book transforms structure and content into a fully conceptual work. The course explores both approaches.
You’ll be able to design, build, and personalize books, boxes, and structures to showcase graphic works, mastering modern techniques and diverse materials for professional, creative finishes.