The Working Proof – a leather collection in the language of the studio

From the Shops Waterfall – Volume I-C.

A September study.

The Working Proof is a small leather collection in the language of the studio – the working marks and habits that come before the finished work. Five original stamps, each one something a maker would recognize at arm's length.

First, we set a painter's field easel on an empty horizon and wrote FIELD STUDY beside it – because every trip is one, even when the paints stay home.

Black-and-white FIELD STUDY die plate with an easel and horizon for The Working Proof leather collection.

The black tag carries the design in gold foil – our nod to the gilding shelf.

A black leather luggage tag gold-stamped with an easel, horizon, and FIELD STUDY from The Working Proof collection.

It looks genuinely beautiful pressed blind into deep green and navy as well.

A forest-green leather luggage tag blind-debossed with an easel, horizon, and FIELD STUDY from The Working Proof collection.

A blueberry leather luggage tag blind-debossed with an easel, horizon, and FIELD STUDY from The Working Proof collection.

Next, the printer's registration mark – the small target that says every color landed exactly where it should – ringed with the words IN REGISTER. A good day at the press, and a good place to keep the keys.

Black-and-white IN REGISTER die plate with a printer's registration mark for The Working Proof leather collection.

One fob in pale sea-blue for the cyan plate, one in warm poppy red.

A pale sea-blue leather keychain blind-debossed with the IN REGISTER printer's mark from The Working Proof collection.

A poppy-red leather keychain blind-debossed with the IN REGISTER printer's mark from The Working Proof collection.

Then, for the catchall tray, a round brush set down mid-work beneath the words BETWEEN COATS – which is what a tray is for: the place where things wait while the paint dries.

Black-and-white BETWEEN COATS die plate with a resting paintbrush and drop for The Working Proof leather collection.

Looks great when stamped onto the golden tan leather.

An Arizona-tan leather catchall tray blind-debossed with a resting paintbrush and BETWEEN COATS from The Working Proof collection.

For the toiletry bags, a paint tube rolled up from the bottom, the way a painter actually finishes one – TO THE CRIMP. Seeing a thing through to the end, pressed small into the corner of the caramel-over-chestnut stack.

Black-and-white TO THE CRIMP die plate with a rolled paint tube for The Working Proof leather collection.

Caramel and Sicilian-brown leather dopp kits blind-debossed with a rolled paint tube and TO THE CRIMP from The Working Proof collection.

And finally, the one we liked the most. Skill is measured in pencil miles, so we drew one unbroken line out of a sharpened pencil and let it wander and loop until it settles into the underline of the words. A journal is where the miles accrue.

Black-and-white PENCIL MILES die plate with a pencil and looping line for The Working Proof leather collection.

Looks absolutely gorgeous when stamped onto the leather – once in warm graphite gray, once in deep navy.

A country-gray leather journal blind-debossed with a pencil, looping line, and PENCIL MILES from The Working Proof collection.

A blueberry leather journal blind-debossed with a pencil, looping line, and PENCIL MILES from The Working Proof collection.

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 these made real, or anything here changed – say hello through our contact page.