Use colored canvas to give your handmade sketchbook a special touch.
The craft of bookbinding uses a wide range of techniques, from the simple to the complex. Some who bind their own books choose to create their own paper, pulping it themselves and spreading it on screens to dry. A canvas sketchbook is ideal for painting studies, allowing you to test small quantities of oils and acrylics before committing to a large framed canvas. It's easy and inexpensive to create your own cloth art journal from scratch.
Instructions
1. Decide on the size for your pages. Measure the correct length and width starting from the lower corner of your sheet of canvas. Mark your first page with tailor's chalk, and cut it out.
2. Lay your first sheet on top of the remaining bolt of canvas. Use it as a guide for cutting the additional sheets. Amanda Berens of Technique Speak recommends that you cut out twice as many sheets as you want in your book. If you want to smooth out the folds in the fabric, iron your pages.
3. Sew two squares together front to back for each page. If you prefer, you can use fabric glue or pins to hold the pages together before running them through your sewing machine. You can make your sewn "margins" as thick as you like. Leave the edges rough--you're not hemming, just providing stability to the pages.
4. Spread a sheet of newspaper on a flat surface, and lay your pages on top of it. Brush gesso on to one side of each page. Gesso is a primer that looks like paint--it will stiffen your canvas and keep your paint from soaking through. A sponge brush works well for applying an even coat with no streaks.
5. Allow the pages to dry for at least 1 hour and then turn the pages over. Gesso the other side. When both sides are dry, you can iron the pages again to flatten them out.
6. Stack your pages on top of each other, and use a grommet machine or hammer punch to insert grommets down the sides. If you're using a hammer punch tool, punch a hole in the fabric first and then pound the grommet into place with a rubber mallet. Make sure the hole goes through all of the pages before attempting to set the grommet.
7. Cut a piece of ribbon for each hole in the side of your book. Thread the ribbons through, and tie in a tight square knot. Get out your paints and let your creativity flow.
