Draw and Discover: Making Your Own Sketchbook

The Makings of a Sketchbook

The Makings of a Sketchbook

SAAM Staff
Blog Editor
October 5, 2010

Katherine Rand was never happy with store-bought sketchbooks so she spent a great deal of time scouring the Internet and local craft stores for a better solution. At the beginning of the Luce Center's latest Draw and Discover sketching workshop she gave us this advice as she demonstrated how she constructs her customized notebooks. One tip: use small button-like discs as binding clips. This will allow you to easily remove and replace your sketchbook's paper. Nice!

Cutting up and reusing old colorful folders (see photo) for the sketchbook covers Katherine then uses her specialized hole punch to stamp out notches so the binding “buttons” will slip right in. Genius. Suddenly I thought, "I finally have a use for my old college folders piled up at home!"

For our sketching challenge Katherine showed us book examples ranging from a mini-book that fits in your pocket to something that was more suitable for your living-room coffee table. Everyone was impressed. One adult sketcher said, “You put my organizational skills to shame! I want to be you when I grow up.”

For your own sketching epiphany sign up for our next Draw and Discover program. The workshop runs every Tuesday from 3-4:30pm in the Luce Foundation Center, third floor. Check the online calendar for special workshops like this one.

Mary Tait, from our Luce Foundation Center, wrote this post.

 

Categories

Recent Posts

Detail of Phoebe Kline. She is sitting in front of orchids and smiling.
Docent Phoebe Kline began at SAAM in 1974 and she's still going strong
A photograph of a woman in front of artwork
More visitors and new exhibitions highlight a season of change.
 Stephanie Stebich, SAAM's Margaret and Terry Stent Direction in the museum's Lincoln Gallery. Photo by Gene Young. 
Stephanie Stebich
The Margaret and Terry Stent Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum and Renwick Gallery
Marian Anderson and symbols that surround her life
William H. Johnson portrayed the singer in multiple paintings, including in his Fighters for Freedom series.