Hello again;
I recently met with a friend from my course. She told me she was planning on using her growing portfolio of drawings to make new sketchbooks. I said that was a brilliant idea, had she seen my posts about it?
Just in case I will be sending her my blog posts about making sketchbooks and about making recycled sketchbooks.
There are some details I forgot to mention on my posts and things that I learned later on.
For instance I found that having the ‘professional’ tools helped my disposition, and they weren’t expensive…
It is obvious, but… use a cutting mat and a sharp knife. They will help you keep your paper square. Like so:
After cutting the papers fold them neatly one by one with a bone folder. It will make a sharp crease that will help your book open flat (handy when you scan your images, or just to keep it wide open when drawing)
Use an awl to make the holes exactly on the crease lines. You don’t need to make lots of holes, three should be enough if they are spaced out. I use a cork mat underneath to make the piercing easier.
Use good quality thread. I used what I had handy but I admit that using white thread would have made my life easier (I now try to integrate the stitches onto the drawings I make, which adds a level of complication I could happily do without)
Make the holes large enough for the needle, otherwise you’ll need to put too much pressure and your needle may break.
Ah, the last bit of advice: have fun, experiment, wipe charcoal off old drawings or use it as part of the new sketches… all is permitted.
There you go, that’s my way to contribute to saving the planet and promoting the practice of art at the same time.
Thanks for reading this.