"Every Spring my art students want to go outside to sketch. In anticipation of an outbreak of Spring fever this year, one class made their own journals to take outdoors and fill with impressions, observations, and daydreams."

Lesson Objectives

Goals:

1. To introduce students to the concept of books and journals as an art form.
2. To increase students' awareness and appreciation of the variations of art journals.
3. To develop students' skills in creating a book and handling tools necessary to make durable art.
4. To encourage students to personalize their journals that will be used for future assignments and displayed as an art form in its entirety.

Grade Levels

High School

Procedure

1. Determine the primary function of your journal. Drawing?Painting? Writing? Collage? Photography?
2. Determine personal preferences: page size, paper weight, colors, design, binding.
3. Create the cover: Wrap cardstock with Thai Unryu paper and paste with rubber cement or hot glue. Decorate with block print images or collage with personal photographs or sketches. Brush surface with Mod Podge to protect surface.
4. Select paper for inserts. If hand-sewing spine, fold paper in half (10-20 sheets). If using rings, cut paper slightly smaller than cover.
5. Use an awl or sewing machine to pre-punch holes into the spine of your book. Begin hand-sewing through the spine from the top and outside of the book, down to the bottom hole, then back up again to the top hole. Tie the two loose ends together. Add buttons or beads onto the loose ends of the thread for decoration.
6. Alternative method: When the covers are completed, punch holes for the rings into the two covers and pages of the book at equal distance from the edges. Add rings. (If you don't have rings, yarn and ribbon work fine.)
7. On the front cover, you can attach a large button or bead to serve as a clasp to hold the journal closed. Pre-punch a hole through the cover where you will sew the button or bead. On the back cover, you can attach either ribbon or thread. To close the journal, wrap the ribbon around the bead.

(enlarge)