Field Marks – a leather gift collection for birdwatchers and list keepers (Volume I-D)

From the Practice Log – an ongoing series of leather stamping studies. Volume I-D.

A September study.

Field marks are the small details a birder reads to tell one species from another – the wing bar, the eye ring. We borrowed the term for this collection: five original designs pressed into leather goods, each one a gift for somebody you could point at – the one who travels, the one who spots the bird first, the one who keeps the list.

First, the luggage tags. A skein of geese over one word, MIGRATORY – for whoever moves with the seasons and always comes back. The design runs lengthwise along the tag.

Black-and-white MIGRATORY die artwork with seven geese for the Field Marks leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

Looks great when stamped onto the leather. On the black tag, the skein carries the gold.

A black leather luggage tag stamped in gold with MIGRATORY and seven geese, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-debossed with MIGRATORY and seven geese, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

A caramel leather luggage tag blind-debossed with MIGRATORY and seven geese, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

Next, the keychain, for the companion who finds the bird while everyone else is still raising their glasses. Binoculars head-on, and under them the standing claim: SAW IT FIRST.

Black-and-white binocular die artwork reading SAW IT FIRST for the Field Marks leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

One in honeyed russet, one in deep green.

An Indian Summer leather keychain blind-debossed with binoculars and SAW IT FIRST, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

A forest-green leather keychain stamped in gold with binoculars and SAW IT FIRST, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

Then the toiletry bags, for camp mornings and field seasons. Whoever hears the dawn chorus was packed before sunrise – so a rising sun with two early birds carries the line UP WITH THE BIRDS, pressed small into the lower corner. One bag in honeyed russet, one in deep espresso.

Black-and-white sunrise die artwork reading UP WITH THE BIRDS for the Field Marks leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

An Indian Summer leather toiletry bag blind-debossed with a sunrise and UP WITH THE BIRDS, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

A dark-espresso leather toiletry bag blind-debossed with a sunrise and UP WITH THE BIRDS, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

Then the catchall tray. A tray by the door is a nest in every sense that matters – a gathered place where small things wait to be needed again. We drew an empty nest in looping twig lines across the golden tan base and titled it THE NEST. Whatever you drop in becomes the eggs.

Black-and-white open twig nest die artwork reading THE NEST for the Field Marks leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

It looks genuinely beautiful.

An Arizona leather catchall tray blind-debossed with an open twig ring and THE NEST, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

And finally, the journals, for the keeper of the life list. Three checklist lines with the top one ticked – and the bird from that ticked line already flying off the page: ONE MORE FOR THE LIST. We bound it in the two classic field-guide colors, navy and warm tan.

Black-and-white checklist and bird die artwork reading ONE MORE FOR THE LIST for the Field Marks leather gift collection, Volume I-D.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather.

A Blueberry leather journal blind-debossed with a bird checklist and ONE MORE FOR THE LIST, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

A caramel leather journal blind-debossed with a bird checklist and ONE MORE FOR THE LIST, from Field Marks, Volume I-D.

We made this out of love. Leatherius Woodman is on a mission to create and share artifacts of beauty, craft and love – this study is one of them, and we hope the feeling is mutual. Every image is a render – how we prototype before cutting a die.

If you'd like any of these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.