SleepyOni: Books - Werewolf-And-Illustration-Edition!

 

SleepyOni: Books! - Painted Skull

DIY Travel Notebook

Travel Notebook vid on the Youtube

Youtube? Youtube.

I'm putting some stuff on Youtube under SleepyOni.  Playing around with video as distraction from real-world shit.


https://youtu.be/ZW67y9_I7fs

How I make sketchbooks.

skulls

I was going through my last couple sketch-and-note-books, and realized that I, ummm, I draw a lot of skulls.   Weird.

More books...

So the way my brain functions, after learning how to roughly construct a sketchbook I launched immediately into making covers wholly of my own design.  Which led to this:

...because I can't stop my brain.  This then turned into THIS-

-so now there's a limited run of 7 copies(+ my initial, slightly misprinted prototype).  3 are already spoken for, but that leaves 4 of them to sell on Etsy(maybe).  240-page blank sketch- or notebooks.  I like the idea of doing small, limited runs of these.  We'll see.  Also mocked up a different style of faux-retro cover:

  I keep thinking that someday my brain will learn how to quiet down, but apparently that day is not today.

sketchbookin'

...and by "sketchbookin'", I mean actually making sketch-and-notebooks from scratch.

I've been having some personal challenges emerge lately, just life stuff.  One of the ways I claw my out is through making stuff, in this case learning how to make notebooks.  I could always use 'em, and learning this skill has sparked some interesting ideas.

So this was attempt #1, made over the course of an afternoon.  160 pages (ten 16-page signatures) stitched together, covers made from scrap plastic board and a big piece of scrap leather.  Cover was glued up with Barge adhesive.   Made a skull stencil on a whim, because me.  This one went into immediate and rough use...want to test its limits, see what needs to be corrected going forward.  Pages have already been ripped out, it's overstuffed with extra paper shoved in the back, etc.  Roughly 9"x6".

Trying something different...this was #5, I think.  After figuring out the arrangement of 90-some pages into book signatures (which was interesting), printed out smaller-size pages from my current fave gaming-related nerdery, Ken Writes About Stuff and put 'em into a book.  About 9 months of the first year, at any rate.  Machine-cut a stencil for the cover text.  Cover made from a cheap red fabric.  Kind of mixed results on this one.

Okay, this was #6.  By this point I had ordered and received actual book-making supplies, so this one was made proper.  312 5.5x8.5" pages, bookboard cover & spine, proper bookcloth covering, better pva glue used.  Charcoal endpapers.  I consider this a sucess.   Has the best stitching of the bunch.

Most recent one, #7.  Used the correct materials, but used a cheap green fabric I'd found for the cover material.  Has a fun texture and took the glue really well.  Cream endpapers,  168 pages, roughly 5.5"x8.5".  I really dig these last two.  The look and feel like "real" books to me, which I'm quite enjoying.

Also:  made a similar-sized notebook covered with a black vinyl material (questionable results with the vinyl; my daughter liked it so it's hers), and made a refillable sketchbook with full 8.5x11" pages and a cover that folds over and around the book...i love the utility of top-spiral-bound sketchbooks, except for the spiral part.  Always gets mashed & difficult to use, so I'm also stress-testing my design to see how it holds up.  More book stuff incoming soonish.