**UPDATE: IT'S DONE!!! I have the endpapers in, and that means it's finished (with the exception of corners still)! There was one unfortunate issue involving water, but it worked out for the best, I think.**
YAY!! I'm so excited! I finally, mostly finished the giant hand-bound sketchbook I've been putting off!
I say mostly because I still need endpapers, and I have nickel corner protectors coming too.
This book is meant to be a sketchbook. I love art and I love to sketch, but I often find myself forgoing my designated 'sketchbook' to draw on loose paper or the sides of my homework. I feel that there are two reasons for this:
1. I easily get bored with the same blank white paper all the time. I find it hard to get inspired unless I already have an idea.
2. I tend to get cheaper sketchbooks because I know I'll carry them with me everywhere and they're going to get beat up. It's a bit backwards because a better quality book would hold up longer, but I'm so afraid of 'ruining' a nice one
For a sketchbook, it's pretty darn big. The text block is 81/2" x 11" (the size of regular printer paper) and is about an inch thick. Here is some math for you:
12 signatures
4 papers per signature
When folded, that is
8 pages per signature
If I used both sides (which I will), I get
16 pages per signature
Multiply to get
192Subtract
two, because I glued the outside face of the last page of the first and last signatures to the cover
That's
190 pages!!!!
6 of the signatures are a mix:
Two different weights of watercolor paper (some of the lighter weight has rainbow edges)
Cream drawing paper
White drawing paper
Vellum
Black paper (not construction, something else)
Some strange smooth white poster paper my teacher had
The other half is 98 lb mixed media paper. I staggered one in between each signature of mixed paper. I thought that way I could solve the boredom problem, but I would also have a majority of 'regular' paper in case I wanted to do my normal art.
I stitched them together with some random stitch I don't know the name of. Here is a diagram I made, if someone can tell me what it is it would be much appreciated! I used waxed brown thread made for leather.
This is the pattern it made:
I then glued the spine. True bookbinders might kill me, but I used hot glue, because it was the only kind I had that dried flexible. It's working out pretty good so far. Then I added a piece of canvas to the spine.
I made headbands from silver and blue embroidery thread for visual interest.
I used deerhide dyed with acorn brown Ecoflo leather dye and illustration board for the cover. I sewed on a nickle buckle to hold it all shut, then used Ecoflo leather glue to glue it all together. When I added the textblock, I used the leather glue to attach the canvas flaps, then the first and last page of the outside signatures, just to make it stronger. I still need to marble some endpapers, and I have ordered some nickel corner protectors to cover the bad joins at the corners.
Now that I've bored you all to death, here are the pics!
(before headband)
My favorite weird page is a layer of vellum over a rainbow watercolor page. I think I'll have lots of fun with this one!
More in-progress pictures if you're interested:
**UPDATED PICS**
Here are the endpapers. I bought this wonderful paper at Ben Franklin in Oconomowoc while we were there for my aunt's surprise 50th b-day party. It was too delicate to stand alone, though, so I glued them to the first page for some support. The gold is very iridescent, I love it
Front cover:
Back cover:
Views when closed:
I also had to do another coat of dye. My mom's water bottle leaked all over the cover on the way home and the dye ran, making this splotchy yellow spot and a dark watermark. Everyone seems to think it gives it character, though I miss the old look, personally
Oh well. What can you do?
C&C is welcome and appreciated! I'm very happy with how this bookbinding attempt went, but I'd love some tips from more experienced binders. I definitely don't know everything
Thanks!
Sadie
