Wednesday, May 27, 2009

How to make a sketchbook?

Did you know I am really terrible at drawing? I am!
But sometimes, there are so many ideas in my head that I just need to scribble them down somewhere. I really wish I could draw better but hey, I've got other qualities I suppose... Anyway, I needed a little sketchbook at a certain size and decided to quickly make myself one.
And while I did that, I took some pictures so I could share this with you.

Here is what you need:
A cutting mat, a cutting liner, a cutting tool, a scoring tool, a pencil and eraser, paper, cardboard, book screws and a hole puncher.
I wanted a sketchbook in the size of a square of 15cm by 15cm or 5,91" by 5,91" so I could scribble my wall art ideas in there.
I cut my paper larger because I will make folds in them: 15cm by 19cm or 5,91" by 7,48"
From the cardboard I made a template of 15cm by 17cm or 5,91" by 6,69"
Put the template on top of the paper and make a scoring line.
Fold the paper back on the scoring line and go with your scoring tool over the paper.
Use the template to cut out the cover of the sketchbook. Make it a tiny bit larger then the paper. That way, it will cover the paper that is not folded or cut nicely. You won't see it on the outside.
Tip: I go to home decoration stores and ask for wallpaperbooks that they are going to throw away. In those books, there usually are some very cool designs paper which are a much heavier quality then the wallpaper. You can use them perfectly for little projects like these. Fun and free!
Mark on the template where you want the holes to be. I did this 2,5cm or 0,98" from the side.Then punch a hole in the template and put the template on the folded paper. Trace the hole.
Now you can clearly see where to punch the holes.
Take your hole puncher and take the back part off so you can see where to punch.
Put a bunch of papers in between and punch the holes.
Make sure to do the same with the front cover of the sketchbook and also add a scoring line.
For the front cover, you also need to score over the paper to make it easy to open up your sketchbook.
Now you have everything ready to assemble.
Take the bookscrew and put it through the holes.
Close it up on the back of the book.
An now it's ready for me to draw. :)
Thank goodness I made this babushka stamp so it saves me to draw that shape each time! I just stamp it in the sketchbook. :)
I made numerous guestbooks and picture albums this way. Instead of using the cardboard cover, I used a thick piece of felt for it to make it prettier.
This kind of bookmaking is an easy way to add more pages later on as you can buy larger book screws.

29 comments:

  1. What a lovely idea! and so easy! :D I also had (threw them away) some old wallpaperbooks ;)

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  2. Wonderful tutorial again Mitsy!
    You are such a versatile crafter, it's amazing :)

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  3. Such a fun thing to do, I am terrible at drawing too. Even if I tried drawing it I would later never be able to make heads not tails of it :-D

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  4. Nice tutorial...not sure I would be able to make that though...but I'll give it a try!

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  5. great tutorial ! I think I am going to try this.

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  6. Mitsy you are an encyclopedia of knowledge! thanks again for sharing!

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  7. Great tutorial, thanks for sharing, Mitsy!

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  8. what a nice book! I just made one today, funnily enough, because I had too many doodles laying around. I just put them together in a much more..."rustic" version of a sketchbook!
    I will be sure to try this one, looks great!

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  9. Hi Mitsy - very nice tutorial :)
    I've never tried using that technique but I will now ! Funny, notebook making must be in the air just now as I've been making a whole heap of teeny tiny ones and have a half prepared tutorial on how to make them :)

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  10. I looove your tutorialsMitsy, they are all so usefull, en dan hoef ik ook niet naar de Banier om al die dingen te leren, maar kan ik lekker thuis uitproberen :-)))
    wel, als ik ergens een gaatje vind...

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  11. Mitsy, you amaze me every time with your endless talents. And the concept of “captured to be loud” is absolutely brilliant!

    Jenya

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  12. Really useful tutorial!
    Have to try!
    Thanks for sharing it!

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  13. neat idea! thanks for sharing this cool project :)

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  14. Awesome tutorial (as always!) You have so many tutorials I want to try, and I am going to add this one to the list! :)

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  15. Wow, thanks so much for shariang. That would be a gret project to try sometime!
    ~emily xx

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  16. Wow, a great tutorial! This is another one I can try with my kids!

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  17. ah, brilliant! thanks for sharing :)

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  18. oh this is a good one Mitsy!! just adore how you are so generous in sharing these types of things with others. A truly wonderful idea indeed :D

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  19. ...well done - I enjoy the comprehensiveness and clarity of your tutorials :)

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  20. Great tutorial; thanks for sharing! I used to ask stores for leftovers in the US, but have always been too scared to do it here. Well, if you can do it, that means I can too. ;)

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  21. Ooh, babuska stamp!!!
    But more importantly, how cool is this tutorial. Your pics are so beautifully clear, there's no way I could stuff this one up... (she says, hopefully).

    I'm always on the search for the perfect sized sketch or notebook, but they just don't seem to exist. So this is right up my alley.

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  22. You are just so creative! : ) Thanks for sharing!

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  23. Thank you ! I love your tutorials!

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  24. Thanks for the instructions! I will have to make one for my daughter.
    ~Renee

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  25. Hello,
    I love the look of this book - great job! Where can I purchase book screws? Is there something at a hardware store that would be similar?
    Thank you!

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  26. You can google 'book screws' and find lots of places online where you can purchase from. I buy 'em in our local craft supply shop.

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  27. Thanks a lot it has been a fantastic guide, now to make a sketchbook? is definitely simple and easy with the help of your guidance. Thank you

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  28. Thank you so much for this tutorial Mitsy! I'd been wondering how to make a book like this :)

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