Single Sheet DIY Sketchbooks - Three Methods - My Thoughts and Process!
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- čas přidán 6. 05. 2018
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So, which method do you think you'd like best? Have you tried any of these DIY sketchbook methods? Let me know in the comments!
NOTE: I used chipboard, usually from the back of an old, filled sketchbook or empty watercolor pads for the covers of these sketchbooks, with the exception of the one using the packing envelope.
TUTORIALS:
1. Perfect Bound Sketchbook: • DIY Perfect Bookbindin...
2. Japanese Binding Sketchbook: • 4-Hole Japanese Bookbi...
3. "Single Sheet" Stitched Sketchbook: • DIY Single Sheet Bookb...
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Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper: amzn.to/2CjzgBE
Arteza Watercolor Paper: amzn.to/2pvXTa6
Canson XL Sketch Paper: amzn.to/2IOYnQq
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I used Sea Lemon's kettle stitch method on Canson XL watercolour paper sheets folded in half. It's a hefty sketchbook, but as my first ever bound book it was a blast to make and surprisingly therapeutic. lol
OMG I DID THE EXACT SAME THING 2 DAYS AGO😂😂 Even the paper is the same, I folded a4 canson xl papers in half so I would have an a5 watercolor sketchbook and did the kettle stitch. And yup, it is therapeutic, I'm also super duper proud of it and very happy that I made it myself instead of buying from a store. It feels so good to paint in it or even just hold it in my hands ❤😂 The reason was that I couldn't find a sketchbook suitable for my needs sold in my country and if I ordered it from overseas, the shipping cost DOUBLED the price😭 But this endavour made me realize MAKING MY OWN SKETCHBOOKS FEELS SO MUCH BETTER❤❤ Sorry for the rant btw, I couldn't stop writing once I started, I'm just too excited about my first handmade book lol😂
Single sheet books are super handy for those of us that tend to grab single/loose pages to make our art and later want a place to put them so they’re not just floating randomly around the house!
I’m planning on making a book press based off of sea lemon’s method and then using that perfect binding method to make some fun little secret projects. :D it’ll be in a video eventually but that’s all I’m saying for now.
The second one you did makes me think of the one time I did like 100 Japanese Stab binding books because I hand made a tiny little promo comic that I adore and weirdly hoarde. I’ve got two different sized awls specifically because I always put a larger hole in my hard covers. Sadly, Japanese stab bindings can’t really be done more flat because of the nature of the bind, but you could make the gap between the holes and the spine smaller to give you access to more pages.
That third one.....i know I’ve seen it but I can’t remember what it’s called.
Please, we need to have a bookbinding date for real. There’s a paper shop near that “bodega” and you’d probably go just as nuts as I do over the cover papers they have.
Coptic stitch is usually my go-to because it’s easy, durable, and lays flat. I only know maybe a dozen or so binding methods, especially by name, but this is one of those things that.....I will never know enough about no matter how much I learn. It’s just too fun!
Meow Meow Kapow ahhhh that's right! You guys are close to each other. I'm so jelly 😭
In Liquid Color you’ve got Jennifer on your coast!! Besides, some day we’re going to have some kind of mysterious friendship retreat so it’ll be jusssssst fine. :D
J
One tip I'd have for the perfect bound method you're using in the beginning would be to "curl up" the pages so that you expose more of the spine's surface while applying your glue. If you clip the outside edge of your pages together and bend your pages horizontally to expose the spine side, you'll see that the pages separate a little from each other which would make it easier for you to apply glue on the pages that weren't cut the exact same way as the others. You can curl it up on the other side to expose even more of that spine too!
Not sure if anyone ever commented this but your FIL loves you, you asked for two boards to hold the pages and he cut beautiful wood to size and *rounded all the edges* so it is nicer to handle. It is small things like this that show care.
Spirited Away???? Howl's Moving Castle??? Princess Mononoke??? Nausicaa???... I LOVE YOU
Me too! I saw those books and!!Whoa!
I want those books!
I have these books and they’re beautiful and great references!
You can remove glue from paper covers with a damp paper towel - while the glue is still wet. Be gentle! Also, the second binding is called Japanese stab binding. Use binder clips to keep the pages corralled. It’s hard to imagine buying a sketchbook once you’ve figured out how to make them, isn’t it?
I agree, its much more cost effective to buy a large sheet of paper and cut it. I wanted to try making my own watercolor block, I don't like stretching paper, its my least favorite thing to do while working with watercolor. I got some pretty pictures in my head on how I could decorate the cover of the Japanese bound sketch book.
Your 'perfect bound' sketchbook could be made a bit more reliable with a couple of easy steps. Saw or cut some troughs along the spine. Glue thread or string into the grooves. Add a piece of fabric to the edge over the threads and spine. The thread kind of ties all the pages together. Nik the Booksmith (CZcams) taught me this book block technique. It does not rely on only glue to hold the pages.
Big commercial perfect binding machines also rough up the edges, so your theory is actually a common practice.
sand paper!
Very informative video ! I doubt your paper was A2 size, though, that would be huge. The A series size that is closest to US letter is A4, I think that is what you used. A3 is the size of two A4 sheets long side by long side together, and A2 is twice as big as A3. It is a little counter intuitive, but A0 is the big one, and then the number corresponds to how many times you have to fold it in two/cut it by half to reach the current size (A1 has been folded once, A2 twice, etc.), the bigger numbers correspond to smaller sheets of paper.
Just what I needed. Now I can keep all my random pages of art together~
Thank you 🤗
Making sketchbooks is really interesting and I’m glad that you showed three different ways of making them.
If you'd like, it'd be fun if you continued making videos about sketchbook binding and sketchbook tours! I love seeing these from you. They're always so interesting!
What a fun video! My favorite is the third one, because I'm a fan of visible stitches and love how it opens flat. I once made a coptic-stitched folded page book, and those nice curved needles would have made the process a TON easier! I know you don't like the "squishiness" of this 3rd one, but the space between pages would be perfect for people who do a lot of textured mixed media and collage on their pages, or scrapbookers with photos and embellies, etc. Regarding the glue smudges on the blue book -- of course if they really bother you, you could just paint the cover with acrylics, or glue on decorative strips of coordinating paper :-D
It's so nice to have your own self made sketchbook 😊
I have never even considered creating my own watercolor sketchbook but now you got me completely hooked on making one with glued edges. Thanks for a great video 🤗👍👌
For perfect bindingI'll snitch your 'score before glueing' idea. One or two tips from my technique: 1) I use a d.i.y. 'workmate' to hold the edge of the papers so that the glue is going down vertically 2) Glue with about a half inch of the book projecting so that the part the glue is going into is not tightly clamped (and less glue on the gripping boards, and you can clean the exces glue from the faces with a damp tissue or sponge). 3) Use a stiff brush and dab rather than smearing -- stencil rather than painting technique. 4) Then, when the glue is non-tacky but not hard, push back into the gripping boards and clamp real tight to firm the glue. 5) To prevent the workpiece sticking to clamping boards &c., old laminated posters from an outside bulletin board are good. trips cut from these are also good for applying an area of glue with a clean, straight edge.
My only concern with the perfect bound book is that PVA and other bookbinding glues are designed to be water soluble. So if you do any heavy wet on wet painting and the glue between the pages gets wet, it could cause the pages loosen or fall out. It's not an issue stitch binding because the glue is only used to adhere the cover. No matter how wet you get the pages, they will remain bound. Worst case, you weaken the glue holding the cover and it falls off. All you gotta do is glue it back on as opposed to having to re-bind the entire book. Just my opinion. :)
bastet469 buut as far as I know, you can get waterproog PVA easily :) at least here in Germany, not sure if that applies to other countries
Mine is also water soluble but I taped down the spine of the sketchbook with some masking tape
Get original. Not school use.
To "hanna" I definately think water proof glue is a good idea. I intend for my book to stay in as good a condition as possible for a very long time...hidden in its own stone chamber.
in that case you could just make a new book with the finished pieces that fell out or just reattach them with the glue.
I saw a tip on folding watercolor paper in a coptic binding video. They placed a piece of paper over the fold before creasing with the bone folder. She said it was to prevent flattening the texture of the watercolor paper. She just laid it on top of the fold draped over the folded edge. I don't recall the weight of paper she used but I'd be inclined to try cardstock not just copy paper. I'm planning to make some miniature watercolor books to go with the mini pallet and mini mixing plate/bowl. The book will be the last step and then I can get to painting 😀
Thanks for this video. I think it was a great help and am not disappointed that it wasn't exactly a tutorial. Your video has given me the general idea of how to dyi binding and supplies needed for each; along with your commentary on the different methods I now feel prepared to plunge right into making my own sketchbook! (Normally I over-research various methods and multiple tutorials on each before deciding what to do. But your video is helping me take the "just do it leap".
Fan your pages top, both sides and bottom after you've str8in them and jog it again on the table you'll have perfect str8 edge for binding learned that from a class years ago.
This was SO super interesting, thank you for sharing your experience making these three sketchbooks. The glued one is the one I haven't seen the results of before so it's great to see that it works well. You must have a patience of a saint to complete the last one!
The 2nd method of binding is similar the the Japanese way of binding. It's easy plus to me it's just a beautiful technique.
I was skeptical about this video until you kept those Miyazaki books! That's the precise moment I hit the like button!😊
For this kind of glueing, I recommend bending the pages a little when gluing them (fan apart gluing method) so that even shorter pages can get coated and sort of stick together. :) In graphic arts (back in high school) I spent HOURS gluing these paper pads together using this method with a giant press. It was agonizing but now I know what to do!
I am in the process of making sketchbooks for myself. Thank you so much for this video!
Love single sheet binding... I use watercolor... a they're already cut to the size I need so this is perfect ....glad i could see how you do yours
Thanks for these different binding. An added maneuver to the perfect bound sketchbook is called the fan method. When you put you first layer of glue, have the pages sticking out of the press about one inch. Push the pages back, fanning then out slightly, so that the glue reaches every page. You can do it in the opposite direction too. After that first layer of glue dries you won’t be able to fan the pages. Also, I’ve added a thin layer of cheese cloth to the second layer to reinforce it. You can cut off the excess after you take it out of the press.
5:54 wait there are books of Princess Mononoke and Howls Moving Castle?!????????
It is the ghibli art books for each film containing concept art etc from the making of the film.
Howl's Moving Castle is based on a book though
That succulent is a String of Pearls, right? I've always loved those, they're so beautiful!
Yes and they are super easy to propagate for creating more beauties for your space or sharing!
I've looked for acrylic, watercolor and all sort of skecthbooks so long now and have become totally frustrated. So I am so thankfull fro this video. I don't know why I haven't thought of makinh my own s.book. Now I am totally going to making few...glued ones and maybe just for fun the 3. stitched book. 😎🥰
I really enjoy your videos, I am in the process of doing a Bible that came 2 me in pieces, I repaired the pages with packing tape and will drill holes 2 sew with leather wax thread, I will then recover with leather that I have carved. U have given me great ideas. Thank you.✝️⚾🙃
Oh my goodness thank you for this video!! I can finally make my own watercolor sketchbooks with hot pressed paper in the size I want without paying an arm and a leg THANK YOUUUU
I also have a swatch book... I use it to put down all my watercolours that I get.. mix colours and practice colour theory and come up with colour schemes and pallets.
excellent video - and GORGEOUS succulent plant!
Thanks for the video and the links, It's super helpful. Great sketch books! I wish you to enjoy them ☺
So fun! I took a book binding workshop a couple years ago and have all the things needed for folded pages but have never done a single page book - which is especially helpful for watercolor! Thanks so much for sharing :)
That succulent *is* adorable. And this is an awesome video, I am definitely making my next sketchbook thanks to you! Also, I have a bunch of loose sketches laying around that I could totally glue together using your first method into a mini portfolio book sort of thing! Thanks for the inspiration :)
I feel like there's a new method for bookbinding every time I watch your videos! :) You could use a clip to keep the pages of the second one open during your painting sessions. The glued one I like the most, I think. Until now, I just used the coptic stitch (?) and a ringbinding machine myself to make sketchbooks. But your experiments and techniques are fun to watch - also your patience is admirable!
Yes very helpful as I bind my granddaughter’s book I made for her with flat sketch pages.
Those hayao miyazaki books
I'm trying to combine the glued method with the last (individually) stitched method. I think those two would create the strongest AND most accessible pages.
Glueing the spine is a good option if one doesn't want to stitch. I glue the spine most of the time when I make hardcover diaries and sketchbook. I make four deep grooves and about 5-7 layers of glue plus a small sheet on top again.
Thank you for the video it was really helpful. And one more thing i reaaally love the plant and the miyazaki collection😍😍
thank you for this i made 7 books this week somw glued some stitched i used old books and gutted them.all had some issues but i think i like your glued on i used gel medium and it opens up nice ,i used mixed media paper it curls so i made most books with cardstock
That last one ist so friggin beautiful
With the 2nd sketchbook, you could use a binder clip to hold the pages to the front cover when working in the sketchbook.
Well done on all three of them. 😊
Ooo time to diy entire watercolor blocks using the first method!
Eleine Sun use rubber cement or similar - PVA is water soluble so not a great idea for creating watercolor blocks 🤷♀️
Regarding the Japanese stab bound journal - you could work it from the back forward like a left-handed person once you get to where the pages won't turn. It seems to me this technique is better fit for a finished portfolio rather than a as a working book. Nice video, Sorry for not reading other comments, too many at this point.
I definitely love the last one but woah wee that's got to take FOR EVER
Thank you for so much information achievable with simple tools.
I like the first and last one too!
I made a book once similar to the 2nd method and had the same issues with bending the pages (and they were more like card stock not watercolor).
Helpful information and tutorial. Nice voice over.
I have made a few handmade sketchbooks, now I want to make more!
SarahPlans make a factory😂
LOOOOVED your video!! I'll sound eccentric to ask a question totally unrelated to diy sketchbooks, but here I go anyway because I so want to know: "What is the name of the succulent your sweety gave you?" Can you find out somehow? Maybe google lens it?
I think it is the most beautiful plant and anyone who has one probably can't help but smile whenever they look at it!
I am so happy that the skill, the art of bookbinding, is still being done today. I will definitely try it!
Thank you so much!
To make folds in Arches w/c paper without breaking the edges along the fold, try wetting it along the fold first.So, score where you want the fold, use a brush and clean water along it, then fold. Let it dry folded. Not more broken edges!
Whoa whoa whoa loveee it!💖
I'm gonna try the last one
I love them! I've been slowly gathering materials to make my own sketchbooks. But I think I want to try a kettle stitch to make my text block and then glue to reinforce. I wonder how well that would work with single sheet signatures like this.. Because I have a very specific size paper in mind. (I think measurements would put it just a little larger than an a5)
to get rid of wedged spaces on the last one: stick them btwn your two boards (clamped) and glue the spine👍
I usually do that with stitch binding, but the combination of the thicker thread and the way it's wrapped makes it very difficult to compress any more, even when clamped! Thanks so much for the tip. :]
Ditto on your plant! Have you seen or have a BURROS TAIL? It is a hanging plant, too! My mom grows them like no other! They are allows even and also 5’ long! She transported it for me and everything was going great. Yup…had it almost in the door and my moms dog tackled her at the door. She spoils him and will not make him behave around her…😏 he broke off half of the vines flowing down. It went 60 miles with not one scratch. Oh, well!
I never seen that kind of plant, it is beautiful!
For the japanese style sketch book binding I found that more limp and thin paper (I used toned) it lied flat with thinner paper :D
For non water soluble glue you could try fabritac!
Omg those books
If you cut your cover material corners off at 45 degrees but 2-3mm away from the actual corners of the board, (depending on board thickness) you will have enough to crease the excess around the thickness of the board and completely cover your corners. A slight overlap of covering inside the mitres is preferable to board peeping through?
I really liked the first one but I'm not sure if my pages will stay intact with my glue. I will go for the third one. It looks painful. But it gives good feels. I will be trying that... 😊😊
I'm an artist and I make my own journals and sketchbooks as well
I am an artist as well, she inspired me to make my own jounarls as well!!!
I was looking for a video like this ❤️👍
For the second sketchbook, you could glue an elastic on the bottoms front so that it can hold your paper
Elastic? Do you mean as in the kinds of elastic one can find in sewing and fabric stores? This just might be a great idea...when one desires a lot of flexibility. Have you worked with sewing elastics in relation to book binding?
And here I was, thinking I'm crazy, because since watercolor sketchbooks cost really a lot wherebI live I decided to make my own. Thanks, this video really helps, as soon as I get my hands on some new paper I'm gonna try this method.
This is the BEST!!!
Wonderful.
Wow, what a cool video! Do you cut your paper with a paper trimmer or with a ruler/by hand?
I love string of pearls. My mom gave them out as wedding favours last year and now mine is getting huge. I just gave out 3 cuttings.
Jogging pages prior to leaf attachment is best done on a very flat, vibration-free surface. Also, blowing gently from the side opposite the binding edge introduces an air separation between too-cohesive papers, allowing them to slide into the flattest possible spine short of a guillotined edge.
PVA glued backs, whether double-fans or perfect binds, particularly on heavy stock, can be strengthened by careful dampening of the spine before gluing. Not too much, clearly, but the glue will be drawn into paper fibers a little more.
Lastly, thin books are easy to "mass-produce" if they are ganged together -- perhaps separated by a pair of waste sheets between which a parting-knife is used when dry. Paper or light fabric over the spine would give it a less raw look without impairing the lay-flat-ability too much!
Good video thank you for sharing. I would like to add my experience in single sheet binding. To avoid sticking to the tablets I apply a strip of scothc tape along the margins of the tablets in contact with the paper to be glued, this will avoid the glue to adhere to wood giving you the chance to apply, if necessary a thicker layer with no problems. Another tip, for anyone scared about PVA glue soluability in water (in order to not have problems with watercolour) is to use aliphatic resin. it looks like PVA glue but when dryied it is fully waterproof, and maybe stronger than PVA. An example of commercial product, easy tyo find on DIY stores or on most common e-commerce platforms, is Titebond (trade mark).
gurl, A2 is huge, I think you should look up sizes of A-size paper as this is not the first video that I see you making this mistake. Otherwise it's a good vid :)
Yep, I meant A4. :] The cover piece, twice the size, was probably what I was thinking of. Definitely won't be making that mistake again. ♥
arleebean nope, twice the size of A4 would be A3. A2 is twice an A3
A0 is exactly 1 m2. A1 is half, A2 quarter, A3 1/8 etc.
Hi. :) On the stab binding book, I saw on a different video that if you use paper that’s not as thick, it will open better with that binding method.
I love that last one you made but much too labor intensive for me, I have limited use of my left hand not just too lazy haha. I make note pads, for myself, using the glued binding, super easy and you can tear off the top sheet easily as well.
So so helpful. I don’t have clamps so the Perfect Bound is not an option. I just need to buy 5 more curved needles and I’m going to try that one.
Can I just say "Thank you!"?
I've started this huge crazy project with drawings, and decided to stick them in a book (also using two different kinds of paper).
Now since I'm really, really impatient, I've been starting on a sort of fake-leather cover before all the pages were done (I need to print half of them next week)...
So when I started looking up book-binding tutorials to see how to make the whole thing stick together, I started having this sinking feeling in my stomach. Every last one of them (until your video) was about stitching signatures before putting on the cover!
Having only single sheets, you can imagine how that felt =(
So.. While I don't 100% like any of these methods, you've shown me 2 things:
1. It can be done with single sheets!
2. I can MacGyver something based on the methods you show here.
Maybe next time I'll learn to plan the project ahead of time - but this wasn't really supposed to be such a big thing. So thank you! You've saved my project! :D
I just love how one of my fave TV shows has become so popular that it's used as a verb - to MacGyver a solution!
@@nuvoclassic Same here ;) Which is why I use it as a verb
Nik The Booksmith has many great tutorials. 🙂
Japanese stab binding I believe.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have begun studying to learn the "best way" to bind my 500 page book.
A question if you will: Is it done to "glue bind" and "stitch"? To achieve more durability?
Comment: I think your "six string" stitching method is a very good idea, because if one stitch breaks the other ones are still holding. though I do think I would go to more stitches on copy paper size pages.
So when your thinking of glue think of a every day book thats how those are bound
Stitching is stronger but it takes a load longer
My journal tutorial was suppose to be the signature method but i forgot and made singular sheets hahahahah :') so thank you very much for saving my butt
Plant- string of pearls.
I've seen some bindings that are punched with holes like a ring binding - would that work?
I love your handmade sketchbook videos! I love the look and feel of the stitched sketchbook. The Japanese binding sketchbook is gorgeous but I see your issue. Would using binder clips to keep the pages open help?
Could you do a decorative stitch pattern (like the Japanese tortoise binding, for example) on just the cover/spine of the perfect bound pad or would that look cheesy?
This is what i did in my bookbinging classes in college. It was the best way to get the decorative look of the cover without losing the "flat" of the perfect bound pagesThere was a secondary trick that went with this (in regards to attaching the cover to the block) that I hope I can remember and comment about later :)
I remember! Perfect bind the cover TO the block.(Use endsheets!)
@@elena9112 oh, is there a name to this especific tecnic?
Prepped canvas makes a cost effective book cover material...glue on the finished side, unfinished canvas facing out. The finished side keeps the glue from soaking through the fabric, and the unfinished side has a nice natural look.
I want to try to bind my watercolor paper now. Seems more cost efficient (without sales)
Yesssss i want to do that too i have a watercolour pad but I basically have to like glue them into my sketch book
The sketchbook that took the longest time reminds me of a sandwich by how squishy it is☺️ I would try it but it looks sooo complicated
Nice video❤
Did you concider grain direction?
Binder clips on the Japanese binding would have made it a lot easier. Nice video! (Love the baby's tears :) )
Beautyful!!♥️🌷
It is A 4 ! A 2 is very big, like the full imperial size.
Marita Krüger I believe that she meant a2 because of the full size of the paper, obviously when she folds the paper it turns into a4.
She meant a3, as that folded in half is a4
For the first technique, is it truly necessary to use huge clamps and wood? Jumbo paper clamps won't do the job? Thanks for showing us this video, it is important to make our own sketchbooks!
Would you recommend combining the 1st and 3rd methods?
Love the thought of self made sketch books. How are you today?????
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼✨💖❣️😃 thank you for sharing ❣️❣️