I love pretty blank journals, but it seems like whenever I find one, it’s filled with paper that won’t hold up to mixed-media work, or bound in a way that makes it hard to work in. I started making my own blank journals from pads of my favorite watercolor paper, and when I started sending them around in collaborative projects, they got raves from the other artists. So, I decided that everyone should know how to make them.

In this class, you’ll learn how to turn a pad of your favorite art paper into a lovely, handmade journal, with absolutely no special tools or supplies. This is a construction method that anyone can master. Even if you’ve never made a book before, your very first one of these journals will look great and feel great when you work in it.

This class is also different from most of my other classes, in that it comes with a commercial license to make and sell as many of these books as you can—because I want everyone to have a lovely book filled with art paper.

This is a self-paced class. Before registering, please read How Classes Work.

What’s so great about these journals? Besides being filled with your idea of the perfect paper, and being covered in a way that is visually appealing to you and your project—they lay flat when you open them. There’s no wrestling with the binding to get the pages to lay open while you work.

Materials List
A complete materials list will be available on the classroom message board. Here are the basics:

• A pad of art paper. I use tape-bound, 140lb cold press watercolor paper pads by Canson or Strathmore.
• Glue. I use two glues: Avery Permanent Glue Stic, and Scotch Quick-Drying Tacky Glue from 3M.
• A craft or Xacto knife with fresh blades.
• A ruler with a metal edge, or a metal ruler.
• If you’d like a decorative paper cover, you’ll need a sheet of handmade paper, and a couple of bamboo skewers.
• If you’d like a painted cover, you’ll need some muslin, acrylic paint, and sealer. Also, a piece of dimensional, paintable wallpaper.

About Pricing

This is a Pay What You Want class. The class is well worth $50, but I realize that is out of the question for many folks, so please pay what you can, according to your means. The minimum price to take this class is $10, but you can pay $10-$50, as you wish. Pay what you think learning this technique is worth. Think of anything you pay over $10 as encouragement to offer more classes this way.