How To Make Your Own Watercolor Sketchbook (5 Easy Steps)

In this video I show you how I make a home-made watercolor sketchbook in less than 15 minutes, in 5 easy steps! This is the same watercolor sketchbook that I use in my studio. The pages are sewn together using my handy 5-hole guide, which is shown in the video. To see this sketchbook in action, check out some of the other videos on my channel, including my recent Watercolor Sketchbook Tour.
Supplies:
Watercolor paper (I use Fabriano Artistico, 100% cotton, cold press - sometimes you can find it as part of a 5-pack, 16 x 20 inches in size) - Blick link: www.anrdoezrs.net/click-10068...
Scissors (to cut the thread) - Blick link: www.kqzyfj.com/click-10068608...
Sewing needle (to sew the binding - I use a "Singer" heavy-fabric needle, size 3, available from Amazon, sold as part of a 7 needle pack)
Waxed thread (available on Amazon - I use the leather sewing waxed thread for bookbinding, 284 yards, off white color)
Thumb tack (to punch the holes for sewing the pages together) - Blick link: www.dpbolvw.net/click-1006860...
Affiliate Links: where possible, I use affiliate links as a way to support my channel. Purchasing a product through an affiliate link does not cost you more, but earns me a small commission. Win win!
morrison watercolors is proud to be an affiliate of Blick Art Materials.
#pleinairpainting
#worldwatercolormonth

[@user-zg8yh1ig2y]

Finally someone with a simple way to make the inside of the sketchbook. Thank you!

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Thanks, I did want to keep things simple! :)

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Update: there are now 2 different sketchbook tours posted on my channel, featuring this very sketchbook in action. :)

[@toobad41]

I take one more step. Purchase or find an old hard cover book and tear out the pages. Simply use Elmers all purpose glue to your binding to the newly made watercolor book. Thus you have a hard cover sketchbook of your own making.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

This is a great idea, especially if you prefer a hard bound cover. Awesome! :)

[@dorothyatchison1825]

I love these books and make mine just the same only using Arches paper instead …. Nice, simple book ❤ thank you

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Another kindred spirit! Like you, I love the simplicity of these books, and the ability to choose your own paper and make it the size you want is just too good to pass up on. Love my DIY sketchbooks! Thanks for posting a comment and happy painting! :)

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Time stamps: 0:20 Supplies 0:43 Step #1 - Fold along crease line 1:42 Step #2 - Tear the paper 3:00 Step #3 - Fold paper once 3:53 Step #4 - Mark and poke holes 5:18 Step #5 - Sew the binding 6:50 Sewing Guide

[@sexylolamedusa]

Great video. Clear & simple instructions. Thank you for sharing. 😊

[@bcarithers22]

Thanks! Great Idea!

[@sylphae4932]

Excellent tutorial! Thank you.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Glad you liked it, thank you for watching! :)

[@MrsLympha]

I love this idea! 👏

[@morrisonwatercolors]

So glad! Making your own sketchbook is the best! :)

[@jdschneider5858]

Another clear presentation! I've been wanting to make my own watercolor book for years but was intimidated. I find it helps to make a good fold if I use a spoon to press down on the fold. I also use a ruler beside the fold to make it easier to tear and less likely to rip into the paper.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Great tips! Using a spoon to help with the fold is not something you would think about doing, but it is a great idea. And using a ruler to help with the tear is something I usually do but left it out of this video. Thank you for watching and posting a comment!

[@jaquelinedeponce5251]

Thank you! 😊

[@sonjavilliger9878]

Ach ich schlafe ein bei deinem video ccchr

[@lyndapierce2333]

Many 😊 thanks

[@joanpringle-canning2834]

🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@gayleselby1665]

I stitch my sketchbooks this way with 5 holes. It’s easier if you use binder clips at the top and bottom of the fold to keep it together as you stitch. I’m curious how you stitch together the signatures to make a sketchbook with more pages and how you add a cover.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Hi Gayle. Thank you for watching and for posting a comment. To stitch the signatures together and to add a cover, I would recommend checking out some videos from Following the White Rabbit on KZbin. The channel creator, Anne-Laure, has several DIY Journal videos on this topic. Good luck!

[@waleezeart4295]

You obviously know what you're doing so I'm curious as to why you put that knot on the end of your needle making it a struggle to pull it through each hole rather than just threading the needle in the usual way. Am I missing something?

[@morrisonwatercolors]

You are right, usually I don’t knot the needle but it kept coming loose without the knot because of the type of thread I was using. Good catch!

[@a.humphries8678]

How many watercolor pages can you reasonably use like this, before it starts getting wonky? Thanks for this tutorial.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Probably not much more than 6 sheets (12 pages front and back). You can always combine the signatures into one larger book. But that may make it unwieldy.

[@francinetjones1814]

Have you ever combined several signatures to create a larger book?

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Hi Francine! I haven’t done that but there is a video about how to do it on the Following the White Rabbit channel.

[@johndufford4986]

Is there a reason you tore the paper and didn’t use scissors or one of those guillotine type paper cutters?

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Yeah, I was going for the torn edge look to try to match the deckled edge on some of the sheets. And I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. But you are right, you can just as easily use a paper cutter or scissors if you have some handy. Thanks for posting a comment and take care. :)

[@johndufford4986]

@@morrisonwatercolors thanks, I am new this watercolor stuff, and I loved this idea of making your own book, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t gonna screw anything up by taking a shortcut.

[@creativecolours2022]

Great tutorial but you make your life harder with this kind if stitching. Try the leather saddle stitching the next time for which you will need to open only three holes on the spine of the signature. There are tutorials on youtube on how to do the saddle stitching and this kind of stitching is very strong because you actually make an knot on each stitch. So three stitches on the whole length of the spine are more than enough. You start from the bottom you go to the top and at the end you double/ triple knot the waxed thread. The only difference from a regular book binding stitching is that you are going to need two needles. But is faster, stronger and easier to make.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Good suggestion about the leather saddle stitching, will need to check it out! :)

[@creativecolours2022]

@@morrisonwatercolors Check it out if you are into stitching sketchbooks. Less holes less stitches. I make another type of binding that is even easier. I make hard covers with a hard spine, made of cardboard, that I decorate with fabrics or whatever else I have available ( like wrapping papers etc)and in the spine I twirl up to six times a waxed thread creating this way strings that I can insert there my cut to size papers. It is even easier to make and the advantage of this method is that you can remove the papers if you want to frame them for example or replenish the paper into the sketchbook. You just slide the cut into the appropriate size paper into the hard cover with the strings.

[@sherrywoods4630]

Thank you - It looks pretty easy to do. I’ll try it.

[@badams1376]

@@creativecolours2022 I would love to see how you do some of these!! :)

[@kelliborges712]

Easier to tear against a ruler

[@135Damain]

wear light gloves as you work so the natural oils from your skin don't got on the paper and cause a resist to watercolor.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

Good tip!

[@AlyslynnLemke]

This is a great video and I'm sure I'll use your instructions, but who in the world would tie a thread to a needle? You are then trying to pull a knot through a hole and tearing the paper and would have to have something to grab the needle, too. Ask anyone who sews how to do it right, pull it through the needle, pull a lot extra through and leave a short end hanging.

[@morrisonwatercolors]

You are right, you shouldn’t usually tie the needle. But I did it here because the wax on the needle kept causing the thread to come loose. Thanks for posting a comment and take care! :)