Hi everyone! It’s Jasmin, the art teacher from the Downtown clubhouse 🙂
I found a really cool way to make your very own sketchbook! Below are the step by step directions to make it. We miss you all so much! Hope to see you soon…
Sketchbooks are an essential item for most artists so I wanted to share a really simple way to make your own at home! Many of you can probably find these materials at home but you can always make substitutions if you need to
Materials needed:
- cardboard (2 pieces 8.5×5.5)
- hole punch
- blank paper (10 sheets)
- ruler
- string or ribbon
- paint, glue and magazines (to decorate cover)
Step 1: Gather your materials!
If your cardboard pieces are not cut to half-paper size (8.5×5.5), you can cut them now
Step 2: Decorate your cardboard pieces
Get creative and really make this sketchbook your own! I used cut out images from magazines and paint for mine but the possibilities are endless!
To keep things from getting too messy, it’s a good idea to put down some newspaper:
Step 3: Get your pages ready
You will need to let your cardboard covers dry. While you are doing this, you can fold your blank pieces of paper in half so they look like a book.
Then use a ruler to make marks for where the hole punches will go. I made mine one inch from the top of the page and a half inch from the folded edge.
Use a hole-puncher (or scissors with adult supervision) to punch holes where your marks are.
You will probably have to do half of the pages at a time.
Step 4: Punch Holes in your Cardboard Covers
Once your cardboard covers are dry, you can flip them over and repeat the measuring and hole-punching you did with the pages (make sure that you use the same measurements as with your paper pages!)
Step 5: Assemble your Sketchbook!
After you have hole-punched your cardboard and your pages, you are ready to assemble your sketchbook. Take the string or ribbon and thread it through the cover, pages and back cover. Tie it in a bow but make sure that the pages still have room to turn.
Congratulations!! You have completed your one-of-a-kind sketchbook! Now you can fill it with all sorts of wonderful drawings and designs 🙂
Sketchbook prompts:
- Close-up drawing of a plant
- Draw your favorite animal
- Draw your favorite fruit
- Draw a family member
- Create an imaginary creature
- Draw an object without looking at the paper (easier if you don’t pick up your pencil/pen)
- Draw your hand
- Close-up drawing of a household item
- Draw a tree
- Draw a superhero or comic book character
- Look out the window and draw something you see
- Design a birthday cake
- Draw a shape- now turn that shape into something
- Draw something in a magazine
- Draw yourself doing something you enjoy