For the recent Urban Sketcher's Symposium in Chicago, I made two hand-bound sketchbooks to bring along - one in landscape format (Sketchbook 42) and one in portrait mode (Sketchbook 41). It was useful to have two sketchbooks with me to have the option of either orientation and to let one dry while working on the other. Since coming home from #uskchicago2017, I continued working on the sketchbook and just completed it. Here's a tour of the sketchbook (for a view of the individual pages, see the sketchbook here).
A tour of one of my USK Chicago Symposium Sketchbooks
Before I went to Chicago for this year's Urban Sketcher's Symposium, I made two coptic-bound sketchbooks (here is a great how to video if you want to learn how to make one) from my favorite watercolor paper - Fabriano Artistico in both 140 lb. soft- and cold-pressed finishes. While both were about 8" x 11" in dimension, I made one in landscape format and the other in portrait format. I think I generally prefer landscape format as this was the one I finished first after coming back home.
Here is a quick tour of the sketchbook with my sketches from the USK Symposium at the start - including sketches done on my own in Chicago, sketches from the group sketch crawls, and sketches from the workshops I took there with Marc Taro Holmes, LK Bing, Marion Rivolier, and Liz Steel.
I'd love to hear your thoughts! Stay tuned for more posts on the individual workshops I took in Chicago as well as the demo from Stephanie Bower on Watery Reflections.
Tour of Concertina Sketchbook no. 36
I created my first concertina sketchbook inspired by Lynne Chapman from her Sketchbook Skool Exploring klass. I made this using one full sheet of Saunders Waterford 140lb. cold press watercolor paper.
Here is a narrated tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick tour.
Your comments are appreciated and welcome! Thanks for watching!
Here's how I make a concertina sketchbook from a full sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. cold-pressed watercolor paper. 1. Fold and tear the sheet into their DS lengthwise; 2. Connect the sections together by folding the ends with a 1/4" overlap and glue together with Modge Podge suitable for paper; 3. While waiting for the glue to dry, tape the ends together with Washington tape that can be removed after the glue is dried; 4. I cut covers from the backing of a watercolor pad and used a cute Daiso panda envelope to cover the covers; 5. Glue the first and last pages to the covers; 6. Put heavy books on top to set - done!
Tours of Sketchbook No. 34
It seems as if all my blog posts are tours of my completed sketchbooks - but I am planning a major redesign of my website with plans of more frequent blog posts.
I just finished my sketchbook no. 34 - which is a handmade sketchbook from a single sheet of Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. soft press watercolor paper folded into 7.5" x 5.5" pages. Here is a narrated tour of the sketchbook, with a quick one to follow if you don't have the 8 minutes to watch the narrated version.
Please let me know your thoughts! I would love to hear if you like the narrated version, or if you only have time to watch the quick one. Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the artwork as well. Thanks for watching!
My First Narrated Sketchbook Tour
I posted another quick sketchbook tour on Instagram, but decided to add a narrated sketchbook tour as well. This was done all in one take and was obviously not practiced - but, I thought I'd give it a try. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! Here are both tours.
Another completed sketchbook - No. 31
Here are some tours of my completed sketchbook no. 31. This was a handbound sketchbook about 7" x 7" using Fabriano Artistico watercolor papers in rough and soft press finishes (both 140 lb. weight).
A quick tour and a more leisurely one to follow.
Sketchbook No. 29 Tour
Yesterday, I completed my hand-bound sketchbook no. 29 - which is a 7" x 7" square sketchbook comprised of various watercolor papers: Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. soft-press paper; Saunders 140 lb. rough-press paper; and Strathmore 140 lb. cold-press paper.
Here is a quick tour of the sketchbook with a slower tour below.
Completed Toned Paper Sketchbook (No. 26)
Here is a tour of my completed hand-bound sketchbook no. 26 with 13" x 10" Canson Mi Teintes toned papers.
And a quicker tour, if you don't have the time for the first one.
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Sketchbook No. 28 Tours
My last hand-bound sketchbook was a fairly slim one that I finished in record time (for me)! Here is a tour of the sketchbook followed by a quick version of the tour. Thanks for watching!
Completed Sketchbook No. 27
Here is a tour of my most recently completed sketchbook (no. 27) with artwork completed from 12/11/16 to 01/13/17. I hope you enjoy! I would appreciate any comments.
A quick tour of Sketchbook no. 27
A tour of my completed Sketchbook no. 27 with artwork done from 12/11/16 to 01/13/17.
Colmpleted Sketchbook #23
Here is a sketchbook I made from a sheet of Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper folded into an accordion sketchbook with 5.5" x 7.5" pages. The sketches were done between 10.20.16 and 10.31.16.
Here is a speedy look through the sketchbook with a slower one to follow.
Steep Ravine Sketchbook Tours
I combined the pages from our trip to Steep Ravine in September with the ones from our quick trip this week and bound the sketchbook with a slab stitch. Here is a quick tour:
Here is a more leisurely tour.
Latest Sketchbook tours
Here's a slower tour of my most recently completed sketchbook no. 15 with artwork from 08.23.16 to 10.02.16.
And a quick tour.
An Illustrated Nature Journal
A few days ago, I signed up for ANOTHER Craftsy class, Illustrated Nature Journalng with Gay Kraeger. I LOVED it. Gay starts out by having us tear a full sheet of watercolor paper into 16 5.5" x 7.5" sheets that we can later arrange and make into a finished journal. I usually work in handmade bound sketchbooks, but I know Marc Taro Holmes prefers using single sheets so that he can work on more than one at a time (especially useful while one has watercolor that needs drying before continuing).
Gay also stressed striving for imperfection and also using simple "machines" to create landscape elements like clouds, waves, rocks, grasses, and dirt. These "tricks" such as using salt, a cut flat brush, rolled up papery towel, and wax resist we're all things I had at the ready and were surprisingly effective.
Gay also taught us a bit about designing a page using borders, lettering, and color unity. She really opened up my eyes for subjects and pleasing pages! I highly recommend this class!! Especially during one of Craftsy's many sales - like its Labor Day half off all classes sale.
Here are my pages from my illustrated nature journal from my 3 day camping trip to Steep Ravine, one of my favorite places in the world. I posted a quick video of the sketchbook that I bound with a stab stitch at the end.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the artwork, the sketchbook, or the Craftsy class. Thanks!!
Tour of our Sketchbook 18 - Steep Ravine Camping Trip
I loved my latest Craftsy class - Illustrated Nature Journalling with Gay Kraeger. She gave me some great ideas for using her "landscape machines" for making clouds, rocks, trees, etc. I used a lot of her techniques in this sketchbook and even for making this sketchbook out of a single sheet of Fabriano Artistico cold press 140 lb. watercolor paper torn into 5.5" x 7.5" sheets, which I later stab stitch bound.
Here is a leisurely tour of the sketchbook.
And a quick tour.
What do you think of this type of sketchbook/illustrated nature journal?
Finished Sketchbook 13!
My homemade sketchbook no. 13 is complete! I created it with 140 lb. 6" x 9" watercolor paper and bound it by hand with Coptic stitching. I started it on July 8, 2016 and finished it today. 😊
Here is a quick view of the sketchbook tour.
Quick tour of Sketchbook #13
And a more leisurely tour.
Finished Moleskine Sketchbook!
I work on several sketchbooks at a time generally. This sketchbook was started back in January and I finally finished it today! I always love the feeling of completing a sketchbook!
Here is a quick view of the sketchbook.
And a slower tour of the same sketchbook.
Completed Sketchbook #19
Today, I completed another handmade sketchbook. Yay! This one was 11" x 7.5" and made with watercolor paper. Here is the quick tour:
And the full sketchbook tour at a more leisurely pace here: