#hidden fore edge

[serranodebergerac]

Three hidden fore-edge paintings for the Elven Kings for three commissioned copies of Between Two Fires for author Christopher Buehlman!

The robin is a reference to the song Delphine sings while traveling through Paris, which her mother taught her. The angels presiding over the demon falling into a river needs no further explanation! And the stag and boar running through the autumn woods is a depiction of the hunting scene later in the book.

These were such a pleasure to make, and honestly, great practice for me. I no longer feel intimidated by leather binding and gilded fore-edges! Though with temperatures soaring up over 105 this summer, the hours I spent outside sanding down edges made for hard work 💪🏽

Each book has it's own personality, with none being exactly identical. I tried to match marbled paper and woven endband colors with what I had planned for each individual fore-edge painting.

After roughly planning out a thumbnail in Procreate, I try to finish the physical painting within a single day to prevent putting too much strain on the book spine for too long. This tiny painting press was jigged up by my dad (¡gracias papito!), and it helps immensely while I complete the piece.

It also delights me that all 4 books (including the first gifted copy) were made from the same leather hide! Though each cover has its own patterning and texture from being individually cut and hand dyed, they are all connected ♥️

Thank you so much to Christopher Buehlman for the opportunity to bring these to life! I am so proud of them!

[ashingtongreen]

[serranodebergerac]

A custom hidden fore-edge painting on a book commission ♥️

[serranodebergerac]

Another custom hidden fore-edge painting for a commissioned book! Love doing these.