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The following directions offer a simple way to make a sketchbook. The pages for the sketchbook shown are 6-by-9 inches and are made by cutting 12-by-18 inch white drawing paper in half longways and then folding each page over.
The cardboard is cut slightly larger than the paper (6.5-by-18.5 inches) with the corrugation running longways across the board. While you may make your sketchbook a different size, the basic directions shown here are the same.
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Step One: Gather your materials including a 12- or 18-inch metal ruler, a right-angle, a x-acto or mat knife, a pencil, a stapler, five sheets of 6-by-18 inch paper, and a 7-by-19 inch sheet of corrugated cardboard. -
Step Two: Using a ruler and pencil, make a light mark at the halfway point on one side of the cardboard (9.50 in) and then mark a half-inch on both sides of the center (at 9 and 10 inches). -
Step Three: Using the right angle and knife, score a line along each side of the center of the cardboard using the marks previously made as quides. (Align your right angle with each mark and the long edge of the cardboard.) -
Step Four: Bend the cardboard along the scored lines until it "pops." (If the board doesn't easily bend, you may need to score the lines slightly deeper. Do not cut through the board!) -
Step Five: Carefully tear out the one-inch section, leaving the thin paper (or spine) holding the two sections of the cardboard together. -
Step Six: Fold the cardboard over and crease along the spine. (The spine should be on the inside of the book.) -
Step Seven: Carefully fold over each sheet of 6-by-18 inch paper, put the corners together, crease the middle of the other side and then to each edge. (Folding five sheets will make10 pages in your sketchbook.) -
Step Eight: Insert the folded pages inside one another and then into the cardboard binder. -
Step Nine: Place 3 to 4 staples along the spine to secure the pages inside. -
Step Ten: Your sketchbook is ready for use. Happy sketching!
