Dear Everyone ~
We are delighted to announce our October theme for Club Artful: A Booklet of Good Things. The good thing we will make is a single-signature booklet, which we will fill full of line drawings made with brush and pen. We will convene Sunday, October 5, and Cat & I are thrilled to present our next low-prep, high-charm project.
The slim booklet we will make measures 5⅞" x 7⅝" x ¼", and its single signature is flush at top and bottom. Our materials list will include instructions for folding down the sheet of whatever paper you choose for your signature, and exercising your bonefolder and shipping clerk’s knife to make a delightful deckle all the way around. Your front and back inside covers will each have an envelope/pocket, perfect for tucking in bits & bobs of ephemera, creative fodder for the project, from stamps to scraps to pix to snax. We will stitch the cover & signature together using the loopy-link stitch.
Cat’s and my intention for our artful convenings is that what you make in each session can be adapted for future projects, adding to your crafty repertoire. For example, in September, students learned to hand-fold an envelope without a template. We filled our envelopes with whimsical botanical postcards we had made under Cat’s expert tutelage. Sooo, you could hand-fold an envelope to enclose your booklet, whether to actually mail it, or to perch at a place setting or on a pillow.
Cat shares her inspiration for the October theme: “Drawing is the foundation of all the art we make. When we learn to simplify our drawing with a focus on line (contour drawing) we can easily make observational or imaginative drawings that are full of life. The key is finding confidence in our hand. An assured line comes with practice and from keeping our eyes ahead of our hand—a practice we’ll dive into in this session. We’ll also discover good ideas for how to vary our drawings as we fill a beautiful book with images that will continue to brighten our days. Our book will be a very good thing!”
We gently remind Everyone: you do not need a specific kit of materials for the Club Artful projects. This is an opportunity to use papers you’ve collected and art supplies you have on hand. We will provide a list (right after you register) detailing exactly what you will need paperwise, including dimensions, and what supplies and tools we will use during the session.
As you might imagine, however, we have assembled a Perfect Project Packet, should you wish: an ensemble of pre-trimmed papers for your covers and signatures in a range of weights, from light (100gsm) to heavy (250gsm). Papers are from all over the planet: Paper Mirchi (India), Art Angels (UK), St-Armand handmade paper (Canada), Carta Varese (Italy), Cockerell hand-marbled papers (UK), and Cambridge Imprint (UK). You can read more about our Perfect Project Packet here.
We look forward to creating an abundance of joyful energy & beautiful booklets, with you!
Club Artful October
XO, Bari & Cat