Courses and Tuition

Tom O'Reilly Teaching a class

Tom O’Reilly has taught the art of hand bookbinding, both as private classes, and at various venues such as Plymouth Art College, Plymouth University, University College Falmouth, Cornwall County Council, and Port Eliot Festival. He has taught all age groups, from children as young as four to retired adults, and has tutored and lectured at BA and MA level.

Tom is enhanced C.R.B checked and fully insured.

We offer a selection of courses and workshops in different styles of bookbinding, book arts, paper craft, creative writing and other crafts. Our current available workshops are listed below. Please email, or call 01503 230575 or 07769 506079, to book your place.

Individual tuition is also available – please contact us for prices.

Festival Class

All materials needed for workshops are provided, and included in the price. For all workshops, we provide tea and coffee. For day workshops, please bring a packed lunch. Courses are held in The Old School, which has disabled access.

Child Bookbinding

We can bring many of our workshops to you. We have taught workshops at schools, colleges, libraries, universities, festivals, and many other venues. We would be delighted to bring one of our unique workshops to you. We also provide a bespoke service, and are happy to design a workshop to your requirements. Please contact us to find out more!

Introduction to Bookbinding

One Day Workshop

Introduction to Bookbinding

This unique and fun day is a beginner’s guide to the basics of this fascinating craft. You will learn several styles of sewing and binding including Coptic binding, Japanese binding and traditional case binding. You will work on a minimum of three small projects, which will be yours to take away at the end of the day. All materials needed are included in the price.

Adult & Child Bookbinding

Two Hour Workshop

Adult & Child Bookbinding

This is a fun and creative session for children and adults. You will work together with your child to create a simple bookbinding, using skills that you can take away and replicate at home. Great entertainment for the summer holidays! All materials needed are included in the price. Suitable for children aged between 4 and 8 years old.

Quarter Leather Binding

One Day Workshop

Quarter Leather Binding

This workshop introduces techniques for bookbinding with leather. During the day, you will create your own quarter leather bound notebook, with a slipcase. This is a wonderful object to keep for yourself or give as a special present. All materials needed are included in the price.

Large Sketchbook Binding

One Day Workshop

Large Sketchbook Binding

Perfect for artists, illustrators, or to give as a present to one! This day workshop will teach you how to bind a cloth-bound, A4, landscape sketchbook. All materials needed are included in the price.

Other Workshops

Festival Workshop

Bookbinding
Photo Album/Scrapbook Binding (One Day Workshop)
Full Leather Binding (One Day Workshop)
Gold Finishing Techniques (One Day Workshop)
Coptic and Japanese Style Binding (Half Day Workshop)
Slip Case Making (Half Day Workshop)

Paper Crafts
Paper Making (One Day Workshop)
Paper Marbling (One Day Workshop)

Creative Writing
Short Story Writing (Two Day Workshop)
Creative Writing for Catharsis/Self-Expression (Six Week Evening Course)

Weekend Workshops (Saturday & Sunday)
Sketchbook Binding & Painting
Journal Binding & Creative Writing
Paper Making & Bookbinding
(In the above weekend workshops, one day is spent binding a book, and the other day is spent in another art/craft activity, which forms part of the book.)

We will be adding dates for other workshops soon. If you are interested in any of the subjects listed here, please let us know. Some workshops are run as soon as enough interest has been expressed. There are also a variety of workshops and courses in different subjects, such as art, craft and self-development, available at the The Old School. Please see The Old School Courses website for more information, or contact us to find out more!

"So, please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install, a lovely bookcase on the wall."

Roald Dahl

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