I finished the first of two (or possibly three) books I’m working on while reviewing Live & Learn: Real Life Journals by Gwen Diehn and thus far I’m really enjoying the bookmaking process, the design process as laid out in Real Life Journals and the results! Here are a few photos of Book Number One.

Specs:

• Flat-Style Australian Reversed Piano Hinge binding with a hard, paper-covered cover
• 8′ x 8′ x approx 1′ thick
• Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Paper and Arches Cold-Press 300lb watercolour paper
• 24 sheets (48 pages, if you count both sides) of Drawing Paper, 4 sheets of watercolour (again, 8 pages if both sides are counted), 2 half-sheets watercolour paper (4 if both sides) – Sixty pages total.
• one 8″x8″ pocket is near the end, for odds and sods.
• I used a concertina made from the drawing paper and the hinge pins are of the same.

Things I love about this book:

• the paper is nice and heavy and will take ink, pens, pencil and even light acrylic usage.
• it is unlined and therefore open to anything
• the pages can be removed and replaced without any damage to the book
• it has a pocket for Things
• it has watercolour sheets for sketches. These can be removed without a problem if the sketch is good.
• I could conceivably add a few pages if I needed to.
• the cover is plain. I can decorate it as I choose.
• it is the perfect size for me.