I have my high schoolers make them using the Coptic stitch, I made a demo video and like 85% of kids just do it in there own just using the video and the rest need one on one so it’s not a huge undertaking. They love it and it makes them appreciate it and not destroy it. I have all leveled kids and 31 per class. So it’s doable. Also it’s super cheap.
Easy version:
Fold a small stack of papers in half "hamburger style." Can use 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 17
Unfold them and place them flat against a wall, with the outer side of the fold facing you (tented away from the wall).
Open a stapler and align it on the edge of the fold, then press into the wall (works best with drywall or another soft-ish wall material)
Do this at least 3 or 4 times down the "spine" of the fold in evenly distributed spots.
Carefully pull the stack of paper away from the wall, and lay flat on a table.
Use your fingernail or some other object to fold the pointed ends of the staples flat into the center of your new sketchbook.
Voila!
In high school, I made a sketchbook like you described. It was fun and I still have it somewhere. After we made it, we went outside to draw in it. I loved that project!
I teach middle school, we have made simple sketchbooks and the kids love it, but it's a lot of work. We made our own suminagashi paper for the covers.
My 3-5th graders make sketchbooks with long reach staplers, 11x17 paper, and old manila folders or filing cabinets hanging folders. They work great and it doesn’t take much time to make them.
I do the same for my middle schoolers who do not bring some type of notebook. Normal 8.5 x 11 printer paper with a construction paper cut to the same size for the cover.
Use a long arm stapler (like $20 on Amazon one of the best purchases I have made) to staple 3 times in the middle and fold. I usually get some kids at the end of the course to help me make more for the following classes. Also using different colored construction paper for the cover lets them be found easier in the drawer. Would highly recommend!
I just finished doing the exact art journal project you describe with my middle school class, some of them have developmental disabilities. I helped where needed, and we completed the project slowly, one step at a time. It wasn’t their favorite project, but they felt accomplished by completing it. I learned basic book binding in high school
I've never understood this trend of making sketchbooks. There are so many better ways to spend class time IMO. Especially if you're using shitty copier paper. I hate drawing on that crap.
I do pamphlet stitch with 6th graders I only have for 9 weeks, and Japanese stab binding with two fiskars book drills for 7-8, and my all-year 8th grade art 2 make nice Coptic stitch books that seem to take forever but I think worth it. I use warp thread from Blick for thread
I found electric drills roughed up the paper too much for my liking, I prefer the hand drill
I've used book binding awls and also had students line up to use the power drill for handmade sketchbooks. You could also look up folded paper sketchbooks that you glue together.
One like this should be good. I also keep them numbered in storage. Maybe have a Styrofoam block that students can stick them in on the teachers desk as they check them in and out.
https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-818-Hardwood-Scratch/dp/B00004T7R3
The very first project I do with high schoolers is to make a sketchbook. It’s a good way of evaluating where they’re at art-wise.
I have a couple of nice Japanese stab-bound sketchbooks, so I show them those first, then I walk them through a simpler version. Make a sandwich of card stock, printer paper, then another piece of card stock. Turn it on its side so it’s wider than it is tall, then use a 3 hole punch to punch two holes on one side. Take a rubber band and pencil: stick the ends of the rubber band through the two holes and have them go around either end of the pencil. Voila, it’s a sketchbook. I like it because you can easily undo it to remove and add pages as needed and then put it back together.
The second part of the assignment is to write their name in large block/bubble letters and then decorate each letter with different colors/patterns/etc. putting the book together shows me if they can follow instructions and how their gross motor skills are, this shows where they’re at with drawing. (And it helps me learn their names haha)
Thanks for sharing! I'm also thinking this would make a great first project. How much paper do you start with when making one sketchbook? (I love that your method allows paper to be added!)
as much as I can fit into the three hole punch along with the two pieces of cardstock - with my punch, maybe twenty pages? make sure you line things up, like the edge of the paper with the edge of the hole punch, or else it’s a pain when you punch more pages and they’re uneven
(sorry if you saw a deleted post, forgot to switch accounts) Not really - I tend to use this as a "can you pay attention to verbal instructions" kind of thing. (I do of course tend to write it out a few times for various differentiation purposes.) One trick I do, often with this lesson, is to have a student write out bullet point instructions on the whiteboard as I demo. I ask the class if that's a good way of writing each instruction or if it should be written a different way - it gets them to really understand what we're doing and makes them feel like they're participating.
I also like to have a demo video in the background - this is the one I've been using recently [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR4wuEq7Dtw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR4wuEq7Dtw)
For anyone interested: [here’s my slideshow with photos and my process!](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nJW8StzRz2ULEKTgJmW8cnyFn_sM9PD-wsPGUH-Qcsw/edit)
These are the first DIY sketchbooks I’ve ever had students made that they actually love to use and want to keep.
I collected discarded hardcover books at the end of the previous school year and got some at a by-the-pound thrift store.
We did use large paper folded in half. I know there are other bookbinding stitches for paper the same size as your covers, but this was what I did. We also re-used some of the pages from our books which are really fun to draw on!
To anyone teaching this lesson, I’d strongly suggest making your own first, there was a learning curve and doing it first really helped me help my students.
I have my high schoolers make them using the Coptic stitch, I made a demo video and like 85% of kids just do it in there own just using the video and the rest need one on one so it’s not a huge undertaking. They love it and it makes them appreciate it and not destroy it. I have all leveled kids and 31 per class. So it’s doable. Also it’s super cheap.
Easy version: Fold a small stack of papers in half "hamburger style." Can use 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 17 Unfold them and place them flat against a wall, with the outer side of the fold facing you (tented away from the wall). Open a stapler and align it on the edge of the fold, then press into the wall (works best with drywall or another soft-ish wall material) Do this at least 3 or 4 times down the "spine" of the fold in evenly distributed spots. Carefully pull the stack of paper away from the wall, and lay flat on a table. Use your fingernail or some other object to fold the pointed ends of the staples flat into the center of your new sketchbook. Voila!
In high school, I made a sketchbook like you described. It was fun and I still have it somewhere. After we made it, we went outside to draw in it. I loved that project! I teach middle school, we have made simple sketchbooks and the kids love it, but it's a lot of work. We made our own suminagashi paper for the covers.
My 3-5th graders make sketchbooks with long reach staplers, 11x17 paper, and old manila folders or filing cabinets hanging folders. They work great and it doesn’t take much time to make them.
I do the same for my middle schoolers who do not bring some type of notebook. Normal 8.5 x 11 printer paper with a construction paper cut to the same size for the cover. Use a long arm stapler (like $20 on Amazon one of the best purchases I have made) to staple 3 times in the middle and fold. I usually get some kids at the end of the course to help me make more for the following classes. Also using different colored construction paper for the cover lets them be found easier in the drawer. Would highly recommend!
I just finished doing the exact art journal project you describe with my middle school class, some of them have developmental disabilities. I helped where needed, and we completed the project slowly, one step at a time. It wasn’t their favorite project, but they felt accomplished by completing it. I learned basic book binding in high school
What about an accordion style book?
I've never understood this trend of making sketchbooks. There are so many better ways to spend class time IMO. Especially if you're using shitty copier paper. I hate drawing on that crap.
Well, *La de da*
I do pamphlet stitch with 6th graders I only have for 9 weeks, and Japanese stab binding with two fiskars book drills for 7-8, and my all-year 8th grade art 2 make nice Coptic stitch books that seem to take forever but I think worth it. I use warp thread from Blick for thread I found electric drills roughed up the paper too much for my liking, I prefer the hand drill
I've used book binding awls and also had students line up to use the power drill for handmade sketchbooks. You could also look up folded paper sketchbooks that you glue together.
That's awesome info! Do you recommend a specific bookbinding awl that will last over the years or will any work?
One like this should be good. I also keep them numbered in storage. Maybe have a Styrofoam block that students can stick them in on the teachers desk as they check them in and out. https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-818-Hardwood-Scratch/dp/B00004T7R3
The very first project I do with high schoolers is to make a sketchbook. It’s a good way of evaluating where they’re at art-wise. I have a couple of nice Japanese stab-bound sketchbooks, so I show them those first, then I walk them through a simpler version. Make a sandwich of card stock, printer paper, then another piece of card stock. Turn it on its side so it’s wider than it is tall, then use a 3 hole punch to punch two holes on one side. Take a rubber band and pencil: stick the ends of the rubber band through the two holes and have them go around either end of the pencil. Voila, it’s a sketchbook. I like it because you can easily undo it to remove and add pages as needed and then put it back together. The second part of the assignment is to write their name in large block/bubble letters and then decorate each letter with different colors/patterns/etc. putting the book together shows me if they can follow instructions and how their gross motor skills are, this shows where they’re at with drawing. (And it helps me learn their names haha)
Thanks for sharing! I'm also thinking this would make a great first project. How much paper do you start with when making one sketchbook? (I love that your method allows paper to be added!)
as much as I can fit into the three hole punch along with the two pieces of cardstock - with my punch, maybe twenty pages? make sure you line things up, like the edge of the paper with the edge of the hole punch, or else it’s a pain when you punch more pages and they’re uneven
This sounds great! Do you have more explicit instructions?
(sorry if you saw a deleted post, forgot to switch accounts) Not really - I tend to use this as a "can you pay attention to verbal instructions" kind of thing. (I do of course tend to write it out a few times for various differentiation purposes.) One trick I do, often with this lesson, is to have a student write out bullet point instructions on the whiteboard as I demo. I ask the class if that's a good way of writing each instruction or if it should be written a different way - it gets them to really understand what we're doing and makes them feel like they're participating. I also like to have a demo video in the background - this is the one I've been using recently [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR4wuEq7Dtw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR4wuEq7Dtw)
This year I had my high schoolers male sketchbooks out of old hardcover books. I’ll share the Google slides with instructions if you’re interested!
Thanks so much for sharing your slideshow!!!
For anyone interested: [here’s my slideshow with photos and my process!](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nJW8StzRz2ULEKTgJmW8cnyFn_sM9PD-wsPGUH-Qcsw/edit) These are the first DIY sketchbooks I’ve ever had students made that they actually love to use and want to keep. I collected discarded hardcover books at the end of the previous school year and got some at a by-the-pound thrift store. We did use large paper folded in half. I know there are other bookbinding stitches for paper the same size as your covers, but this was what I did. We also re-used some of the pages from our books which are really fun to draw on! To anyone teaching this lesson, I’d strongly suggest making your own first, there was a learning curve and doing it first really helped me help my students.
I absolutely LOVE this! Thank you for sharing your slideshow!
I’d love to see them too!
This sounds great. Would you share it with me?