I began doing leatherwork when I was a child, but my efforts were limited to a punch, chisel, and stamps set. I liked what I could do, but I wanted to be able to create something more free-flowing, and subtle. This book shows how to write and draw on leather using tools that look a lot like soldering irons.

It’s easy to do, and the instructions make it easy to learn how, along with many patterns to create sophisticated drawings on leather. The often mythical patterns, like mandalas and celtic patterns, evoke some of my best adult coloring books, making everything quite easy yet allowing me to expand on those skills in creative ways. My favorite parts of the well photographed, and clearly written, book show how to create subtle shades and gradients as fills and backgrounds for various patterns and designs.