Folding Hard Cover for Handmade Sketchbooks!

I recently switched from using hard-covered watercolour field sketchbooks to making my own flip sketchbooks out of watercolour paper (how-to video here).  I love the books, but the one drawback was that, without a hard cover, the books weren't protected and would get a little beat up with use.  The other challenge was that I no longer had a hard surface under my paper to work against.  So... I made this cool cover!  The folding sketchbooks just slide in under an elastic on the spine.

When I finish one, I can take it out of the cover and pop another one in.

Both sides have flip-out panels, so no matter which way the paper folds out, there's a panel underneath it.  There's a silver elastic down the centre spine to hold it in, and a white ribbon to hold the whole thing closed in my bag.

This fabric was a dress I bought (cheap) for a French themed dinner party.  I never really wore it in real life.  Looking at it now, it's kind of funny how much the sketches look like Yogi and me.  They are even the kind of outfits that I wear (when I'm not in paint covered sweats).  The dress looks much better on a sketchbook cover than on a person.
I learned a few things that I'd do differently next time, but overall I'm totally happy with it.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Wells!  The camper van is packed full of art supplies and fun toys (guitar, good books and music).  I've prepped a ton of canvi.  Ten days of sketching/painting/yogaing/camping.  Beam me up!

Sketchbook Adventure Journals!

 

I've been on a journal-making binge.  I love these little ones.  They are:

• 7 1/2 inches square
• 140 lb watercolour paper
• hand stitched with fine hemp twine
• double folded closing flap to create a spine on the front edge
• 18 pages (counting both sides and flaps)
• several pages fold out to create a 22" landscape 

They're just the right size to fit in my paint bag.  I love the fold-outs, allowing some more ambitious landscape moments if I need them, but keeping the book size small.  The spine on the closure will allow me to do up fun titles for them when they're complete that'll be readable when they're lined up on the shelf.  

Can't wait to see how this will look all painted up!

I made a bunch of them yesterday, using blue, purple, wine and wheat coloured hemp, then filling the journal letters in to match.  I'm heading back to Opus to get some sheets of drawing paper too, so I can pack some up with boxes of crayons and give them as gifts.  Just spreadin' the journal bug :-)

Yogi update for those of you who've been reading - He's doing Ok.  We went in this morning and laid on the floor of the animal hospital for awhile, sticking our heads in his big plastic cone so we could whisper nice things to him while we scratched his ears.  Every time he tried to wag his big tail the blanket thumped up and down.   It was pretty cute.  I saw the X-ray today.  He broke a bone clear through, and very close to the joint.  Looks like we'll probably have to go the surgery route.  They haven't been able to splint it, and can't cast it either since his skin is too roughed up to be encased in plaster.  I've a feeling he's about to become a very expensive dog.