How to Make an Easy, Low-Cost Mini Sketchbook
Every artist and every creative keeps a sketchbook! Sketchbooks are so important for developing ideas, brainstorming, experimenting, practicing skills, and so much more! With young artists, it is our job to get students in the habit of working in a sketchbook first before starting on the final project. The problem is, not every art classroom has the budget or ability to purchase sketchbooks for their students. So in times of need, art teachers get creative!
Below you will find step-by-step instructions on how to not only create a MINI SKETCHBOOK that is EASY, ENGAGING and ECONOMICAL, but also how to BUBBLE PRINT!
Materials Needed
| To Make the Sketchbook: | To Create the Cover: |
|---|---|
| 8.5” x 11” Computer Paper –10 pieces per student (most economical option) or any type/ size of your choice. You can also do more than 10 pieces of paper, creating a larger book. | Dish Soap |
| 8.5” x 11” Cardstock– 1 piece per student (most economical option) or any heavy duty paper option. Another good option is to go a little larger, like 9”x12”, for the cover. | Straws – 1 per student |
| Rulers | Dye or food coloring (The color options I provided were Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, 2 Blues and a Purple) |
| Scissors | Bowls (I used 7) |
| Glue sticks | |
| Pencils | *Please note that this part is optional! You could absolutely just have students draw their own cover designs with whatever materials you have available: markers, colored pencils, etc. No need to Bubble Print! |
Teacher Preparation:
It’s always a good idea to be as prepared as possible before students walk in, to avoid confusion and behavioral issues. Here is what I would do to have the classroom set up and ready for students to come in and participate in the making of their MINI Sketchbooks:
- Create a BUBBLE Station
- Choose a space in your classroom to designate as the Bubble station. Cover the space with a table cloth or butcher paper (because there will be messes!).
- Have the bubble mixtures pre-made in bowls and set up on the bubble station. In each bowl add mostly water, a bit of dish soap, and dye or food coloring to your desired opacity. Stir. *Make sure to test each bowl, ensuring there is enough soap to make bubbles, and dye to leave a mark on your paper.
- Separate the computer paper into piles of 10 pieces, so you can easily hand out a stack of 10 to each student, without having to count right in front of them (which wastes time and leads to bored kids).
- Have baskets on the student desks that include all needed supplies: Rulers, gluesticks, scissors & pencils (1 per student). You may also want to have the 10 papers already set up on each student desk, along with a piece of cardstock (the cover).
You are now ready to TEACH!
Step 1: Class Discussion
- Spend some time discussing the importance of a sketchbook and the ways they will use their sketchbooks this year. I like to have a premade sketchbook ready to share with the students to “Hook” them and get them excited about what they are about to create.
- Next, hand out one straw to each student (They always like this part 🙂) and explain that they must take care of it because they will be putting their mouths on it and they only get one!
Step 2: Bubble Printing Demo
- I like to do a whole class demo. I have all students gather around the bubble station in a space where they can see me, and I show them the do’s and don’ts of creating their unique cover designs.
- I use my own straw to blow into the bowl color of my choice, creating a little “bubble hill” and then I dab my cardstock down onto the bubbles that were created. Do this a few times until you get the desired balance of color throughout the paper before moving on to the next color. You use the same straw each time, even as you switch colors. Remember to explain that they must “blow,” into the straw, and not suck up the dye water! → good luck with that discussion. (LOL!)
- Students can choose to use all of the colors, or just a few. They can have a very busy design, or a more minimalistic one, it’s completely up to them!
Step 3: Split the class up into 2 groups
- Group 1 will go straight to the bubble station to create their cover designs independently. Group 2 will follow along with you as you demo how to create the sketchbook pages.
Step 4: Sketchbook Demo
- Students fold all 10 pieces of computer paper in half and then split their 10 pieces of folded paper into 2 piles of 5. We will call them Stack 1 and Stack 2. Have the papers stacked into each other, like a book (for example: open one folded piece and place another paper into it, repeating the process).
- Take Stack 1 (5 pieces of paper) and on the spine, measure an inch up from bottom of the paper and make a mark. Do the same thing down from the top. Starting at the 1” mark, you will cut out a small sliver of the spine from 1” mark to 1” mark. *The paper will still be connected at the top and bottom of the spine, and just be missing the middle spine portion. (see image to the right)
- Take Stack 2 (5 pieces of paper) and on the spine, measure an inch and ½ up from the bottom of the paper and make a mark. Do the same thing down from the top. This time, you can open the folded paper and will cut on the spine line from the bottom of the paper UP TO the 1½” mark. *Don’t go past the mark! Do the same thing from the top of the paper, down to the 1½” mark on the opposite end of the paper. *You should now have a 1½” slit on the spine at the top and bottom of these 5 pieces of paper. (see image below)
- Here’s where the MAGIC happens! Open up Stack 1 (5 pieces of paper with the middle spine cut out). Lay it flat on your desk. Grab Stack 2 (5 pieces of paper with the slit cut on the spine at the top and bottom) and insert the first half through the missing spine of Stack 1 until the slits settle neatly over the spine of Stack 2.
You have now created a 40 page (if you work on the front and back of each page) sketchbook without having to glue, sew, bind, tape, staple or anything else! (MIND BLOWN!)
Step 5: The Two Groups Switch
- Group 1 will now follow along with your Sketchbook Demo at their tables, while Group 2 gets a chance to create their Sketchbook Covers using Bubble Printing Experimentation. Repeat the process.
Our classes are set up on a Block schedule, so we have about 2 hours to work per period. The Covers do not take long to dry at all… maybe 10 minutes? At this point, when all groups have finished their covers and sketchbooks, I would move on to connecting the covers to the sketchbook papers with glue. If you are not on a block schedule, you may be done for today, and save this next step for the next class period you see your students.
Step 6: Connecting the Covers to the Sketchbooks
- Have students follow along with you as you explain these next steps. Take the covers, with beautiful bubble designs, and fold the cardstock in half. With a glue stick, put glue all over the inside of the cover and place the sketchbook pages inside of the cover, connecting the first and last page of the sketchbook pages to the inside of the cover Design.
Your Sketchbook is now complete and functional!!! Congratulations!
Step 7: Optional Suggestions
- Students should write their names somewhere on their sketchbooks (inside or outside, it’s up to you!)
- I would have the students write page numbers on the bottom corners of each page.
- Use a Pen or sharpie to enhance the bubble design, creating a unique and bold cover! For example:
- Fill the shapes with zentangle patterns
- Trace all of the bubble marks with a black pen and see what’s created!
- Add Text (class name, student name, etc)
The possibilities are endless!
For more on Staying Organized with Sketchbooks → CLICK HERE
We hope you and your student enjoy this Fun, Engaging and Economical Sketchbook-Making Lesson! Please leave us a comment below and don’t forget to share your results! Tag us @artteacherfusion. We’d love to hear from you!
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