The Big 20/20 Event: Day 16: Making Your Own Art Journal Part 2

Welcome back to “The Big 20/20 Event” - I am so glad you’re joining us! We will be sharing 20 fantastic tutorials from a host of awesome contributors, for 20 days.  If you missed the previous tutorials in the 20/20 series, just click on 20/20 icon over on the side bar and it will take you to all tutorials, without having to scroll through all my blog posts!
Or, you could just sign up for my newsletter, as all my newsletter subscribers will receive a beautiful PDF eBook at the end of the event, showcasing all 20 tutorial projects to keep and peruse at your leisure!

Here we go with our Day 16 tutorial, by the fantastic Lisa Scott! Part 1 of this tutorial can be found here, in case you missed it.

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Making Your Own Art Journal Part 2

 

 

Supplies:

• Awl - Sketch Book (I used Canson Watercolor 140lb 9"X12")
• Bone Folder (a ruler will work or even the handle of a spatula)
• Waxed Thread (for the tutorial I used Sinew but for the book I just used embroidery thread. But waxed is best!)
• Large Needle
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Pattern Paper

Sponge (I used a Magic Erasure. You can use anything including an old rag. It is to just back the paper when you punch holes through it.

Now I know I already talked about some of this in the 'Making the Book Cover' part, but just for in case there are those who just wanting to do the book I want to go over a couple of thing. So bear with me if I repeat something.

 

Start by pulling the Sketch Book apart. Pull out all the pages and remove the glue. Then separate the front cover from the back. The back is a thick cardboard and this will serve as your book covers.

 

 

You will find the center of the Card Board and cut it in half.

For a 9"X12" the center was 6" from the edge. Cut it to make 2 equal sides. The easiest way is to use a paper-cutter. You can also use a utility knife ran down the side of a straight edge like a ruler. And then there is always scissors.

 

 

If you already decorated your cover you will follow these steps to just do the back side of the front cover and the back cover. If you did not do art on your book just repeat what is done to the back cover to both pieces to have a basic cover.

 

Starting with the back cover you will cut paper out that will hang over all four edges of your cover piece about 3/4". Completely cover one side of the cardboard with glue using the glue stick. Press the paper on centered and with the bone folder (or ruler) slide it across the entire piece to push out any air bubbles.

 

 

Next you are going to cut a moon shaped arch from each corner being sure to leave 2mm of paper of paper from the tip of the corner.

 

 

Using the glue stick glue down the edges on the other side.

Then you are going to cut out 2 pieces of pattern paper. These are going to go on the inside of the covers. You will want to measure your book cover then subtract 1/4 inch from each side. Using the Sketch book I bought the book covers are 6" X 9". So my inside pieces are 5 1/2" X 8 1/2".

 

Using the Glue Stick completely cover the pieces and glue them centered on the inside part of the book, one on the front cover and one on the back. Run a Bone folder (or ruler) over to push out any bubbles.

 

 

Now we are going to start on the inside of the book. You should have all your papers that you pulled out of your Sketch Pad ready. You will take each sheet and fold it in half. Then using your bone folder run it along the edge to press it flat.

 

 

After folding all the pages you are going to group the pages into what is called Signatures. Now now the Watercolor Paper is really thick. I only put 3 papers per signature. But on anything thinner do 4.

 

 

Now there are two ways to measure out the holes. One is you can take one of your folded sheets and mark them out and then use it as a template slipping it into each signature which in this case is what I have done. Or you can mark out the top signature and then line a ruler up along the edge of all the signature when they are stacked and mark them all at the same time.

 

 

Either way you will want to mark them starting from the edge every 1/2" for three marks. Then one in the center. (see picture below) Of course if you are doing a bigger book you will want to increase the measurement up to an inch.

 

 

Next you will take each signature and make sure they are all lined up. If you need you can use a paper clip or clothes pin on them to have them not move. You lay a sponge under each marked area and using the awl punch a hole through all three pieces.

 

 

Once all the holes are punched take one of the signatures and place it 1/4" away from the edge of the cover. You are going to mark where each hole has been marked in the signature. A detail to pay attention to here is to have the outside of the book facing up. When you push the awl through each hole it will blow out the other side a bit. You will want that hidden on the inside of the book. (wink)

 

 

This is how everything should look at this point. Now for tutorial purposes I am going to use a blank cover so you can see everything. AND I am using Sinew which is a huge thick waxed string for doing leather. But I think it works good so you can see things clearly. Alright! Lets get started with the sewing!

 

Cover and 1st Signature

Starting at one end of the signature you will push the needle through the hole closest to the end starting from inside the signature.

 

 

Loop around to the back side of the cover and through the first hole closest to the edge.

 

 

Pull it tight and then loop it around and thread it through the stitch.

 

 

Now stick it back through the hole in the signature.

 

 

***Go to the next hole over and thread the needle through.

 

 

***Loop it around to the back side and through the next hole.

 

 

***Loop it around and through the stitch.

 

 

***Then stick it back in the signature.

 

Follow the above steps until you are at you last hole. (I placed stars alongside the steps that need to be repeated)

 

Once you are at the end of this signature instead of putting the thread back into the signature you have been sewing, you are going to add a new signature and place the thread in the first hole of the new signature closest to the edge.

 

 

Middle of Book

You will go to the next hole from inside the signature and thread the needle through. Then you will go one under the signature that is below the signature you are working on. You will loop the thread around the stitch already there. I find it easiest to stick the needle through then open the book to where the needle is to then stick it back through the other side of the stitch.

 

 

Here is another view of the looping process.

 

 

Then you will stick it back into the hole on the signature.

 

 

You are going to repeat all the steps above in this section for the rest of the book leaving out ONE signature. Once you have one signature left continue on to the "Cover of Book" step

 

Running out of Thread

If you run out of thread it is not a big deal. You simply will tie it off, rethread your needle, tie it off at the end and start in the next hole. Then take the ends that are dangling around and tuck them in to make it look neat.

 

 

Cover of Book

To finish off the book you are going to take the last signature and the book cover and work on them both at the same time. To start this you are going to thread your needle through the top of the cover then loop it around the stitch as shown below in the picture.

 

 

You then will thread the needle back into the signature and out through the next hole.

 

 

***Now you will run your needle behind the stitch from the previous signature.

 

 

***Now return to the top of the cover and run the needle through

 

 

***You will want to pull the thread all the way through. Try to keep everything a little tight, not too tight but enough to where the gap is the same throughout the book.

 

 

***You will then loop around and through the stitch, pulling it all the way through.

 

 

***Then go back into the signature and on to the next hole.

 

 

You will repeat these above steps all the way through doing even the last hole. (I placed stars alongside the steps that need to be repeated)

 

You should now have everything done and be on the inside of the signature. You going to tie it off in a knot, cut the thread, and tuck it in.

 

 

VIOLA! You are now officially a book maker! (wink) Pat yourself on the back! Here are some finished images of my book. Here is the texture! I LOOOOVE TEXTURE! (wink)

 

 

Here is the back of the book. My daughter helped pick out all the pages. She loves butterflies!

 

 

This is the inside of the back cover.

 

 

Here is a close up of the thread. It is so pretty when it changed colors like this! hee hee

 

 

Here is a closeup of the flowers!

 

 

If you want to share yours please feel free to email me your pictures. I would LOOOOVE to see them! floppinflower(at)gmail.com

 

Have an awesome day! (wink)

 

 

Lisa's Bio:

Hello! I am so excited to be apart of the BIG 20/20 Event! Let me introduce myself. My name is Lisa Scott aka Floppin Flower. I have been blogging since 2011. I started out basically just doing it for fun to see what it was about. And through the years it has changed right along with me. About a year ago I decided to take some art classes. Painting was one thing I was never able to understand or do. Now it is my love! Especially once I found the world of Mixed Media where there are no rules, you can mix things up the way you want to create a wonderful outcome of colors and textures!! (wink) You can visit me over on my blog www.floppinflower.com

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The Big 20/20 Event: Day 14: Making An Art Journal Part 1

Welcome back to “The Big 20/20 Event” - I am so glad you’re joining us! We will be sharing 20 fantastic tutorials from a host of awesome contributors, for 20 days.
If you enjoy the tutorials, make sure you sign up for my newsletter, as all my newsletter subscribers will receive a beautiful PDF eBook at the end of the event, showcasing all 20 tutorial projects to keep and peruse at their leisure!
Here we go with our Day 14 tutorial.

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Making An Art Journal, Part 1

 

 

Today's tutorial is brought to you by the lovely Lisa.

 

For my tutorial I would like to show you how to make your own art journal!

 

This is such an awesome thing to do for many reasons.

I myself became interested in it because I was not being able to find a journal to carry around that had the type of paper in it that I wanted. Now I love them because the process is fun, the outcome is rewarding, they make such neat things to carry around AND to give to others as gifts.

 

 

I am going to break this down into 2 parts. The first part will be decorating the covers. Of course you can cover your book any way you choose. And with any materials from cloth to paint. It is your book. I am just going to share how I did it. The cover needs to be done before the book is sewn together. And of course the second part will cover all the details of making the book. Happy Creating!

 

Part 1 - Making the Book Cover

 

Supplies:

- Paper with Patterns and images to cut

- Mod Podge

- Tissue paper....I actually used old paper from a torn up bible (don't hate me, I think using it versus tossing it is awesome!)

- Gesso

- Ink pad (I used Adirondack due to it does not smear)

- White Paint Pen

- Black Permanent Pens of different sizes. (I used Faber Castells)

- Aqua Markers

- Water color crayons (I used Neocolors)

- Embellishments (Mine was a little paper cut that had the words "This is your special Day")

- Texture ... You can use Molding Paste, Gesso, or I used Joint Compound from the hardware store.)

- Acrylic paint (I used Tim Holtz's Distress Paint Dabber)

- Stencil (I used a paper doily for cupcakes)

- Heat Gun (This is optional but helps with things go faster)

- Drawing Pad or Sketch Pad (I used Canson Watercolor Paper 140lb 9X12")

 

Before I start I wanted to let you know all the above supplies are suggestions of what I used and things can be changed to what you have.

 

An example would be to use only acrylic paint instead of any watercolor markers. Just add water on it to dilute it a bit.

Also I have people say to me all the time how they can not match colors up as well when it comes to the papers and such.

You can buy the papers in a pack that all coordinate with each other.

 

And lastly the biggest thing I want to tell you is KEEP GOING!

 

Don't let not having the right supplies or any other negative thought stop you! There are many times when I am doing something and I come to a point that I hate it! Even doing this book cover I hit a part where I thought WHAT???

 

This would be the spot where mine was at a point where I wanted to toss it out....

 

 

I had thought doing a yellow background would be like the sun......It didn't quite turn out. (wink) I then slapped Gesso over it and went in a different direction. (wink) So just KEEP GOING!

 

OK let's get started.

 

The first thing you need to do is take apart the sketch book. Pull all the pages out carefully and remove any glue off the ends. Then carefully separate the front cover from the thick cardboard back.

 

 

Your book cover is going to be made out of the back of the sketch pad. Measure your pad to find the center. For mine that was 6" between both sides. You need to cut down the center to make 2 pieces. The easiest way is to use a paper-cutter as shown below. You can also use a large straight edge such as a ruler and run a utility knife down the side. You can also use scissors.

 

 

Cut up or tear the tissue paper and glue it down using the Mod Podge. Use a paint brush to layer on a thin layer of the Mod Podge then lay a piece of paper on it.

 

Use more Mod Podge on your brush to push it down then layer another piece of paper beside it overlapping each piece. (Note: Tissue paper is crinkly this IS the effect you are going for.

 

You will want to have the paper hang off the edge at least 3/4th an inch. (see picture below)

 

 

Once your Book Cover is covered turn it over. You will be cutting the corners to fold the tissue paper over as shown in the image below. Be sure to not cut all the way to the corner. You want to leave around 2mm at the tip.

 

 

On the back side of the cover glue along the edge and fold the paper over.

 

 

Once glued, set it aside and start cutting petals and 2 circles out of the patterned paper.

 

 

Take the Ink Pad and slide the edge of each petal across it to give each one an outline. Don't worry if it smears a bit here and there and is not perfect. Those little accidents make for a lot of beautiful texture!

 

 

NOW here is what I did and then changed it. (wink)

You can follow me exactly or skip to the Gesso.....ha ha

 

Using my Distress Dabber I covered the whole thing yellow. Added green and blue to the edges with Distressed Ink Pads.

Then I glued down the petals and flower using the Mod Podge.

Stepped back and realized I did NOT like the color at all, so I covered all the background and was careful to get between all the petals with Gesso.

 

To do it over I would have taken the cover and covered it with just Gesso then glued down the flowers and just went from there. The blues and Greens don't even show up in the end so all is not needed.

 

 

Once you have the flowers in place put a thin layer of Mod Podge over them and let them dry. (This is when a heat gun can come in handy.)

Once dry use different color Aqua Markers to place highlights on one side of each petal. While the marker's ink is still wet use your finger to smear it around. You can use a brush if you want. I just like to finger paint! (wink)

 

 

I did not get the next step on film BUT it is not hard. I took the Aqua Marker and went around the edge of each flower and smeared the color just as I had done with the petals. Then I decided I wanted more of a defined outline so I took a marker and outlined the flowers and the leaf.

 

Now for some fun! (wink) I took a doily and placed it at the top left corner where the sun goes.

 

 

Then you can use Molding paste OR what I like to use is Joint Compound from the hardware store. It is sooo thick!!

I have some left over that has a bit of blue acrylic paint mixed in it. The color doesn't matter because I am going to paint it, but it does come white.

 

Now an easy way to do this is to apply some on the edge of a credit card and then apply it to the back side of the doily. Then lift the doily straight up and VIOLA!

 

 

Let this completely dry....again....this would be an awesome time for a heat gun! (wink) I am so impatient I love mine! ha ha Next I pulled my lovely Distress Dabber again. I love this thing! NO MESS! I brushed on my sun then added a bit of water to mute it down a bit.

 

 

Now comes the finishing touches that just bring your personality in. You can with the pens write words, add XXXXs down the side of a stem, doodle in odd spots, outline everything again, and glue on embellishments.

 

And then take the ink pad and go all around the edge of the edges to frame it all in. When you are finished doodling and adding stuff go back over it with Mod Podge to seal it all on.

 

Here is mine finished before I added it to the book.

 

 

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If you want to share yours please feel free to email me your pictures. I would LOOOOVE to see them! floppinflower(at)gmail.com

 

Have an awesome day! (wink)

 

Lisa's Bio:

Hello! I am so excited to be apart of the BIG 20/20 Event! Let me introduce myself. My name is Lisa Scott aka Floppin Flower. I have been blogging since 2011. I started out basically just doing it for fun to see what it was about. And through the years it has changed right along with me. About a year ago I decided to take some art classes. Painting was one thing I was never able to understand or do. Now it is my love! Especially once I found the world of Mixed Media where there are no rules, you can mix things up the way you want to create a wonderful outcome of colors and textures!! (wink) You can visit me over on my blog www.floppinflower.com

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