More Sketchbook Goodness

My first two coptic stitched books!

I have yet another new addiction. I've admired handmade books for years, knowing that eventually I would get into it. Apparently, it's finally time and I have been overwhelmed with the need to make books!

I started with a simple book bound with duct tape, then made a larger art journal and a smaller one bound only by glue and paper. I wanted to move on to larger, more complex and beautiful bindings. I did some googling, spent a few hours on YouTube, and finally came up with a plan.

I called it Another Test because I wanted
to see how it holds up to every day use.

I started out with rather common supplies- white printer paper, glue sticks and cereal boxes. I used heavy thread to bind it, then realized I didn't like that and ripped it out to start over. Eventually I used rich brown embroidery thread to bind it, and liked the results (finally, after 3 tries!). I colored the covers with sharpie markers and called it done.

I'm really happy with this one. It opens flat so I can get all the way to the edges of the paper, which makes me very happy! I glued two sheets of cereal box together for each cover, then wrapped those in regular printer paper. They're nice and strong, and make fantastic drawing surfaces.

Overall, this is a fantastic travel journal! It's 4.25" x 5.5" and fits perfectly into my purse. It opens well, stays closed when I want it to, and is wonderful for jotting down things I need to buy, or ideas I want to try, or quick sketches. I'll definitely be making more of these!

So far I've used it lots for sketching. I've been trying to learn how to draw better hair. I want to be able to draw more varieties of hair, rather than just straight or wavy blowing-in-the-breeze. To help with this, I've found several artists that inspire me and have been copying their style. Once I'm comfortable with it, I'll work on incorporating it into my own drawings!

This book will be filled with things that make me happy!

This next book was a total spur-of-the-moment thing, although I absolutely love it! We were walking through the Dollar Tree (yes, the same trip where I bought the nail goodies!) when I found a pack of brightly-colored index cards! I've been seriously obsessed with bright colors for ages now, so when I saw those I knew they needed to become a tiny book!

This book is seriously small: it's 2.5" x 3". I've been adding lots of media to the pages- some have been painted, some have colored pencils as a base. Some have napkin scrapbook paper covering the whole page! So, I'm doodling my way through this one.

I did do a quick sketch in this one, experimenting with drawing curly hair my way. It's... somewhat less than successful, but I won't complain too much. :D

Overall, I'm having a wonderful time exploring this new hobby! But don't worry, I've got a new set of nail art experiments to share with you as soon as I can get them photographed!

Til next time!

There's something zen-like about stitching a book binding.

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