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The Fortnight of Frog Skins

It is in my wildest dreams to think that I would ever have an article published in the Designer Bookbinders newsletter. And yet, this Winter issue, sees my first ever article, not about bookbinding per se, but about frog skins. 

In early October, after meeting Chelsea Wan at Jurong Frog Farm, I started my journey of experimenting with curing frog skins into parchments and leathers. 

Designer Bookbinders International Bookbinding Competition 2017: Heroic Works - My Entry [Book of Coma]

I remembered very well the whole process of looking for the ideal book for the theme of “Myths, Legends and Heroes” for the Designer Bookbinders International Competition last year. I wanted something that was unique and was never produced before and not something that we are all so familiar with. I approached Michelle Yu from The Gentlemen’s Press and asked if we could collaborate and create a book for this competition. Michelle showed me the original drawings for Book of Coma and I was really excited. 

Though it looks like a normal accordion or Concertina book, it works as a side-to-side codex which allows you to look at the book in a linear way through the concertina, or scene by scene which is connected in the centre. Michelle did a wonderful job making sure that in both ways, the illustrations are seamlessly connected and creating 2 narratives.

I just received my certificate just this week, and the book was chosen for the touring exhibition in UK and probably in Europe too. It is featured in the catalogue among many other wonderful bookbinders from around the world. It is quite an achievement for me because back in year 2013, when I first started training to be a fine binder, I told myself that I will make it a point to be in every single catalogue hence forth, and maybe evetually win a prize. Looking forward to the next competition in 2021.