A No-Sew Hardbound Sketchbook – Demo

Sketch 9 Finished closedFinished a new sketchbook tonight, and took a few pics. This is my ninth handmade sketchbook and fifth hardbound. The first hardbound book I made in Feb 2012 used a sewn binding that is closer to traditional bookbinding. Since then, I experimented with different options; all five books look quite alike standing together on a shelf, but the underpinnings differ – and some fared much better than others! The last one worked very well though. Except for a few scuffs and dings, it looks as good as the day I made it.

That one was much easier than the first book linked above, and yet held up to daily use and abuse for the 6-9 months it takes me to fill one of these up. It’s really Rosemarie Lütken’s idea done with fancier materials, and looks/feels like a professionally bound book when it’s done. Here’s how I did it.

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A Mint Tin Palette – Demo

finished-box-open Gum-PaletteI’ve wanted a mint tin palette for a long time, and finally decided to build one. The thing that tipped me over the edge (besides being unhappy with all my other travel palettes) was opening a pack of gum and finding this plastic carrier inside.

Looks like a mixing area to me! I’m forever dropping mixes at the sides of the palette, because the edges offer a place to wipe the brush and squeeze out more paint for the mix.

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Pebble Sand – Demo

CK_chicago-beach_09--98I’ve been digging through scads of old photos this weekend, scrounging for reference pics. Found a few winners, including this shot of some pebbles on the lakeshore in Chicago, taken on vacation in 1998.

I wanted to keep a limited palette and also explore the sand-creating possibilities of the best granulator I know: Daniel Smith Genuine Purpurite. This stuff is so granular it’s almost best not to really paint with it, as much as dab it on and let the water float it around.

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