Virtual Bookbinding II: Introduction to Hardcover Books

Course Code: 26FBB200V

This five week, virtual workshop takes place online on Mondays, November 16th - December 14th, from 6PM to 9PM ET.

• Monday, November 16th, from 6PM to 9PM ET

• Monday, November 23rd, from 6PM to 9PM ET

• Monday, November 30th, from 6PM to 9PM ET

• Monday, December 7th, from 6PM to 9PM ET

• Monday, December 14th from 6PM to 9PM ET

Please Note: Registration for this workshop closes on Wednesday, June 17th at 11:59 pm.

About the Workshop:

This virtual class at Center for Book Arts is taught by instructor Elizabeth Castaldo.

*Prerequisites: Bookbinding 1 or equivalent
Take your bookbinding skills to the next level with hardcover construction.
Building on the fundamentals of Bookbinding I, this intermediate course introduces multi-signature sewing, and case-binding techniques used in fine and edition binding. Students will design and produce a fully cased-in hardcover book, learning the precision and sequencing that give hardbound books their strength and elegance.
As you develop your craftsmanship, you’ll also examine how material and structure influence an artists’ book’s visual and conceptual presence. Ideal for those ready to deepen both technical fluency and creative expression within the book arts.

Required Materials:

• Pencil and paper for note-taking

• Bookbinding awl

• Bone folder

• Olfa silver knife and blades, or exact-o knife

• Triangle or ruler

• Bookbinding needles

• ¼” Double sided tape with paper backing (3M 415 tape recommended)

• Wax paper

• PVA glue

• Glue brush (such as 1.5 inch chip brush that you can get at a hardware store)

• Masking tape

• Scissors

• Self healing cutting mat

About the Instructor

Elizabeth Castaldo is a New York based artist working in printmaking, collage, drawing and painting. She creates visually abundant works on paper and artist’s books reflecting on pattern as abundance, and the body as a site of action, as well as its inclusion in larger webs of connection. In 2025 she was an artist in residence at the Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University and a 2024 art-in-ed workspace resident at Women’s Studio Workshop. Additionally she has completed residencies at Proyecto ‘Ace in Buenos Aires Argentina, Arquetopia in Oaxaca Mexico, the Center for Book Arts in NYC and Printmakers Open Forum in Oxford PA. In 2025 her solo exhibition – born of Chaos, was presented at the Croton Free Library. She teaches printmaking and book arts at the Center for Book Art and Parsons School of Design. Castaldo received her MFA from SCAD Atlanta and her BFA from the School of Visual Arts. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is held in many private and institutional collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Public Library, SCAD, The University of Alberta, Carnegie Mellon University, Yale University.

All images courtesy of the instructor unless otherwise noted.