Finally I managed to make my own 300GSM 100% cotton watercolor sketchbook just because of your straightforward video. Thank you so much. Such a great video.
There is also a right and wrong side to fold the paper. The paper will sort of tear if it’s the wrong direction and it will be a nice clean fold if you have done it the right way. So you might want to use a practice piece to determine the correct orientation of the paper. The next thing you want to be aware of is there is also a different texture on either side of a piece of paper. You want them all facing the same way. You can tell when looking at paper with light facing overtop a piece of paper. One side will have more texture than the other.
@@MrOtterArtStudio Were you able to experiment and see the difference? It's always fun hearing about the curiosity of other creatives. :) You're very welcome.
Such a great tutorial! I love coptic binding and it is my favorite way of making mixed paper sketchbooks. I can’t choose one, I usually put 2-3 different kinds of watercolor paper :)) and it’s a great way to explore- it’s way cheaper to buy big sheets and then cut/bind them, than to buy several sketchbooks.
this was a great tutorial and led me through my first bookbinding project and now i'm hooked. making your own sketchbook is so satisfying. using a curved needle was clutch. thank you!!!
Hi! I just finished my first ever sketchbook following this tutorial and I'm so so happy with the result :) I'm going to give it as an anniversary gift I'm really excited
Wonderful demonstration. I’ve made a Coptic binding before but struggled with the instructions in the book I used. Your procedure is so clear and the steps unmistakable. Thank you!
ive made like 6 books and never EVER have i thought to make all the marks at once how you did dragging the pencil down the side... i feel like i could have saved so much time LOOOL ive always done them all individually omg .. im watching this AFTER just making a watercolor book haha. i definitely agree about only using two folded sheets as a signature! three is too many.
Thank you! You are a great teacher. You seem to know exactly when I’m getting lost, then you slow down til I catch up! Unbelievable. I never was no fancy book learner... but I be a fancy book maker now😂
Thank you for your very instructive tutorial. I'll try this to make a watercolor travel journal with 100% cotton paper. I plan to use a leather book cover over the outer cover to better protect the book.
Man- that book you made is ambitious! That book is fat! I usually only do 12 signatures of two watercolor pages at once. I love making these but its hard on my hands.
Yes I prefer to only have 10 or 14 sheets per book too, so I can carry one everywhere as a mixed media journal without giving myself a hernia 😂. I’m also experimenting with using cutting mats as temporary covers by binding them to the page block with separate thread- handy for impromptu collage. But I’m finding they’re a bit too heavy, so maybe I’ll just try one as a back cover or something and hopefully find a lighter alternative. All suggestions welcome!
This is such a great video, thank you. I have tried this with maybe 2 signatures, but I would call what I did survival binding. I will refer to this again and try a sketchbook with more signatures. Thanks again!
Thanks..have just made my first Coptic stitch watercolour sketchbook.....but wish had seen your tutorial before..as I found it really tricky attaching the top cover and last signature..your video made it all look much easier.
amazing! I've done my own set before but the papers were bad. now I'm moving forward with cotton watercolor papers, and I want to make a small sketchbook for my favorite colors. thank you!
You explained and demonstrated this beautifully. Personally I always hated sewing and now nerve damage prevents me.(doesn't break my heart lol). So I just make blocks using hot glue as the binding medium and pop my finished pictures in a archival inexpensive portfolio. Great tutorial though.😁👍💜
Thanks for the tutorial! I’m new to watercolor painting but wanted to make my own sketchbook. I fish everyday to I think I’m gonna sue a fishing Uni knot to attach additional thread when I need it so it looks continuous lol combing my love of art and fishing
Hello. I just happened upon your channel and am now subbed. I have been interested in book binding almost my entire life. But it is just now that I am finally setting myself up to actually do it! I have been through several videos and channels all over UA-cam. Realizing now how many options of binding there is. So I will keep studying and looking around for all the amazing ways to book bind.I feel this is definitely a great way to bind for sketch books and will keep this in my playlist. I am looking for the best way, for me, to bind notebook/ journals that can lay as flat as possible when writing in them. I think I have found my way on Four Keys Book Arts YT channel. He does some seriously amazing stuff. Like Medieval book binding that is very intensive to say the least. But I am trying to make my own design for mid- soft cover notebook binding and cover materials that will be soft enough to bend when I place them in a leather notebook cover. But also stiff enough to hold its own when finished. You know how they have pockets you have to slide both ends of the book cover into the leather notebook cover? So they have to be able to do that, but I want them to look dignified and look good when each journal is filled and I put them up on my bookshelf as well. I like my things to look old world, old school, whatever it would be called. Like an old English library feel,if I can pull it off. So trying to figure that out is proving slightly difficult since I have yet to find all the possible ways. One, I seem to be having a difficult time finding material online for the mid- soft covered. Two, they also have to be acid free and Archival quality. They don’t make it easy. I have found linen material so that’s great but I what soft, yet a bit thicker, soft cover material? And it needs to be wide enough as well. I’m trying to figure out a way that I can make the front, back and spine out of the same piece of material without cutting it. But simply wrapping it, form it, and glue it into place. If you have any tips or tricks, or info on where to get that type of material in any length and width, acid free and Archival, I sure would appreciate it. I’m looking to make A5 size notebooks because I can make that size out for A4 paper and because I have some loose leaf sheets of Tomoe River paper A5 size, that I want to be able to bind as well as A4 Tomoe River paper. The OG stuff,I think. Or at least not the Sanzen new Tomoe River paper that is. If you’ve read all of this, I thank you and appreciate your attention in this matter. Best Regards!
I've made small little watercolor books...more like booklets, for myselfand some friendsand familyto go with the little watercolor tins I made for them, so I can't weight to make this large one for myself. I do wonder though what to buy for the hard board if I don't have the back cover available? Not sure what it would be called nor what thickness to even find out what to order. You give such awesome directions! I've watched a lot of tutorials but there's inevitably one of the most complicated loops or stitches that is shown fast and not explained...you've done such an amazing job!! Thank you SO much!!
So my thought is, when doing this would it be wise to wear gloves to avoid getting finger oils all throughout the sketch book? Because I can wash my hands super thoroughly and they'll STILL get oil marks on watercolor paper which makes it impossible to paint over.
This is wonderful! I love the patience in requires to get all the signatures bound together. I've also seen some folks apply a thin coat of glue along the spine for some extra durability, though I'm not sure if that was with the coptic binding method or not. Do you think it would make much of a difference, better or worse, with a coating of E6000 adhesive? (Or something equivalent)
Hi! I made two sketchbooks using the Coptic stitch binding, one with a spine coating and the other without. It doesn’t make too much of a difference; it makes it so that the pages don’t wiggle around from the spine (if you vary in tightened of the stitching which is bound to happen) but if you don’t care about that then eh. If you do choose to do it I would suggest making sure that the glue doesn’t leak into the cracks of the book so that it doesn’t make it hard to lay flat (since that’s the appeal of this method). You can prevent that by just clamping the ends really tight. If you don’t want to do all that you can always just put some glue over the threaded areas only, it does the same thing. I used regular liquid school glue. If you have any other questions I’d be glad to answer. Also if you want to see how it looks I can show you through Instagram or something.
Wait I just realized the question was durability, I would say if you applied two layers it would help more. Do the first layer, let it dry completely, and then the second. I mostly do this on kettle stitch binding but it makes sense that durability would carry over to different types of binding.
Waxed thread is stronger and wont tangle as easy as DMC floss, however, I don't see any reason why DMC floss wouldn't work. Ive never used it but I think it would work, good luck!!
Yes but I wouldn’t recommend it because it makes it thicker (harder to put the needle through) and if you want a seamless end you’ll have to trim more off the page. I’d say 5 pages in your signature should be your max.
hi, newbie here, literally. I have a question, what difference does the waxed thread makes? can't I use some other type of thread? I want to get done with a watercolor sketchbook asap. That's why I'm asking, cuz maybe I might have a good enough thread, idk!!
If you mean the knots at the end of the thread, I believe they are placed in the signature to keep the spine clean and the extra thread inside the book.
Would of loved this tutorial would of helped me. First did not get the length of the thread right so I could have enough to finish the second page. Second you skipped forward at one point working on the cover and first page and lost the flow of the work from pausing your video and press play again because your instruction were to fast. Rewind your video but now I am at the third hole to the second page and I am out of thread. My work looks like there is mistakes. So started over .😣
This is a total guess, in music the signature shows how many beats are in a bar, it contains a "group" of notes, a signature in book binding is a "group" of pages. Any other ideas???
Finally I managed to make my own 300GSM 100% cotton watercolor sketchbook just because of your straightforward video. Thank you so much. Such a great video.
Does a bone folder fold 300 gsm thick papers well?
It worked for me. I used Baohong Artist Watercolor Paper 300 GSM cold pressed.
There is also a right and wrong side to fold the paper. The paper will sort of tear if it’s the wrong direction and it will be a nice clean fold if you have done it the right way. So you might want to use a practice piece to determine the correct orientation of the paper.
The next thing you want to be aware of is there is also a different texture on either side of a piece of paper. You want them all facing the same way. You can tell when looking at paper with light facing overtop a piece of paper. One side will have more texture than the other.
Thank you so much for those tips!!! Very helpful:)
@@MrOtterArtStudio Were you able to experiment and see the difference? It's always fun hearing about the curiosity of other creatives. :) You're very welcome.
I watched this yesterday and I already made one, it looks cool ty, It takes a lot of time but its worth it
Such a great tutorial! I love coptic binding and it is my favorite way of making mixed paper sketchbooks. I can’t choose one, I usually put 2-3 different kinds of watercolor paper :)) and it’s a great way to explore- it’s way cheaper to buy big sheets and then cut/bind them, than to buy several sketchbooks.
I SO appreciate you showing the tear at the end and how you repaired it! Thank you.
Well presented and explained as usual. I am inspired to finally make my own watercolour sketchbook. This stitching always intimidated me.
this was a great tutorial and led me through my first bookbinding project and now i'm hooked. making your own sketchbook is so satisfying. using a curved needle was clutch. thank you!!!
You are very welcome!!
I have watched several Coptic binding tutorials and I found this to be the most helpful by far. Showing the repair was particularly helpful. Thank you
Hi! I just finished my first ever sketchbook following this tutorial and I'm so so happy with the result :) I'm going to give it as an anniversary gift I'm really excited
Wonderful demonstration. I’ve made a Coptic binding before but struggled with the instructions in the book I used. Your procedure is so clear and the steps unmistakable. Thank you!
Thank you, your welcome!
ive made like 6 books and never EVER have i thought to make all the marks at once how you did dragging the pencil down the side... i feel like i could have saved so much time LOOOL ive always done them all individually omg .. im watching this AFTER just making a watercolor book haha. i definitely agree about only using two folded sheets as a signature! three is too many.
Super helpful. One of the best and clearest instructions I can find. Love this!
Thank you! You are a great teacher. You seem to know exactly when I’m getting lost, then you slow down til I catch up! Unbelievable. I never was no fancy book learner... but I be a fancy book maker now😂
Thank you for your very instructive tutorial. I'll try this to make a watercolor travel journal with 100% cotton paper. I plan to use a leather book cover over the outer cover to better protect the book.
Super easy to learn, already made three, thank you. Easy Christmas presentz to make during lockdown here I come
THANK YOU SO MUCH, I have been looking to do that for so long, big fan from Egypt❤️
Looks beautiful and useful. Love it and will try it soon
What a great tutorial! Thank you so much, you've explained how to do this so well, you are a star!.
Man- that book you made is ambitious! That book is fat! I usually only do 12 signatures of two watercolor pages at once. I love making these but its hard on my hands.
Yes I prefer to only have 10 or 14 sheets per book too, so I can carry one everywhere as a mixed media journal without giving myself a hernia 😂. I’m also experimenting with using cutting mats as temporary covers by binding them to the page block with separate thread- handy for impromptu collage. But I’m finding they’re a bit too heavy, so maybe I’ll just try one as a back cover or something and hopefully find a lighter alternative. All suggestions welcome!
Thanks for the tutorial. Very clear and useful!!
Just finished my first little sketchbook!🙏🙏
I’m so glad! I love using my watercolor ones, I hope you enjoy yours and fill it with your creations!
thank you, this is the best binding tutorial available!
Glad it was helpful!
this is the best tutorial i've seen on book binding. I had no confusion, thank you so much :)
Best video on UA-cam 👍
This is such a great video, thank you. I have tried this with maybe 2 signatures, but I would call what I did survival binding. I will refer to this again and try a sketchbook with more signatures. Thanks again!
I love your videos. You've helped me get my start in several new mediums!
Wonderful! I am so glad, I cant stop learning, there are way too many interesting things in life!
Thanks..have just made my first Coptic stitch watercolour sketchbook.....but wish had seen your tutorial before..as I found it really tricky attaching the top cover and last signature..your video made it all look much easier.
Sorry this was too late for you, but I am so happy that you enjoyed coptic book binding, it is one of my favorites!
amazing! I've done my own set before but the papers were bad. now I'm moving forward with cotton watercolor papers, and I want to make a small sketchbook for my favorite colors. thank you!
Thank you! I’m so excited to create my own sketchbook.
Good luck!!
So helpful....and thanks for leaving in the mistake...it is good to know a possible fix :) Thank you for a great tutorial :)
This is great! Thank you for this great tutorial
I use a curved needle when stitching most of my books. it helps with the looping around in tight areas!
Mel Ann great tip! That would make binding much easier
Wow, this is fantastic. I think I'll give this a try, in the near future.
You explained and demonstrated this beautifully. Personally I always hated sewing and now nerve damage prevents me.(doesn't break my heart lol). So I just make blocks using hot glue as the binding medium and pop my finished pictures in a archival inexpensive portfolio. Great tutorial though.😁👍💜
Really cool! Lots of work, i bet you would have had to censor whatever you might have said when you tore the last stitch OMG! Lol
Excellent teaching thank you
This is such a great tutorial. Thank you so much! Tomorrow I have 2 girlfriends coming over and we are each going to attempt to make one 🤗
What a fun activity with friends! Good luck 🍀
Thanks for the tutorial! I’m new to watercolor painting but wanted to make my own sketchbook. I fish everyday to I think I’m gonna sue a fishing Uni knot to attach additional thread when I need it so it looks continuous lol combing my love of art and fishing
Art and fishing is a great combination! Your welcome, and good luck
Thank you for this! So helpful
Great tutorial.
Loving this tutorial! Thanks so much! So happy that I finally made one!❤
Hello. I just happened upon your channel and am now subbed. I have been interested in book binding almost my entire life. But it is just now that I am finally setting myself up to actually do it! I have been through several videos and channels all over UA-cam. Realizing now how many options of binding there is. So I will keep studying and looking around for all the amazing ways to book bind.I feel this is definitely a great way to bind for sketch books and will keep this in my playlist.
I am looking for the best way, for me, to bind notebook/ journals that can lay as flat as possible when writing in them. I think I have found my way on Four Keys Book Arts YT channel. He does some seriously amazing stuff. Like Medieval book binding that is very intensive to say the least.
But I am trying to make my own design for mid- soft cover notebook binding and cover materials that will be soft enough to bend when I place them in a leather notebook cover. But also stiff enough to hold its own when finished. You know how they have pockets you have to slide both ends of the book cover into the leather notebook cover? So they have to be able to do that, but I want them to look dignified and look good when each journal is filled and I put them up on my bookshelf as well.
I like my things to look old world, old school, whatever it would be called. Like an old English library feel,if I can pull it off. So trying to figure that out is proving slightly difficult since I have yet to find all the possible ways. One, I seem to be having a difficult time finding material online for the mid- soft covered. Two, they also have to be acid free and Archival quality. They don’t make it easy.
I have found linen material so that’s great but I what soft, yet a bit thicker, soft cover material? And it needs to be wide enough as well. I’m trying to figure out a way that I can make the front, back and spine out of the same piece of material without cutting it. But simply wrapping it, form it, and glue it into place.
If you have any tips or tricks, or info on where to get that type of material in any length and width, acid free and Archival, I sure would appreciate it. I’m looking to make A5 size notebooks because I can make that size out for A4 paper and because I have some loose leaf sheets of Tomoe River paper A5 size, that I want to be able to bind as well as A4 Tomoe River paper. The OG stuff,I think. Or at least not the Sanzen new Tomoe River paper that is.
If you’ve read all of this, I thank you and appreciate your attention in this matter. Best Regards!
I've made small little watercolor books...more like booklets, for myselfand some friendsand familyto go with the little watercolor tins I made for them, so I can't weight to make this large one for myself.
I do wonder though what to buy for the hard board if I don't have the back cover available? Not sure what it would be called nor what thickness to even find out what to order.
You give such awesome directions! I've watched a lot of tutorials but there's inevitably one of the most complicated loops or stitches that is shown fast and not explained...you've done such an amazing job!! Thank you SO much!!
So helpful thank you so much!
I mississ doing it I will reastart
Great video; music is still distracting.
So my thought is, when doing this would it be wise to wear gloves to avoid getting finger oils all throughout the sketch book? Because I can wash my hands super thoroughly and they'll STILL get oil marks on watercolor paper which makes it impossible to paint over.
AND I WANT THE ORANGE THE ONE
Why are my signatures never tight together when I pull sight while sewing
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
This is wonderful! I love the patience in requires to get all the signatures bound together. I've also seen some folks apply a thin coat of glue along the spine for some extra durability, though I'm not sure if that was with the coptic binding method or not. Do you think it would make much of a difference, better or worse, with a coating of E6000 adhesive? (Or something equivalent)
Hi! I made two sketchbooks using the Coptic stitch binding, one with a spine coating and the other without. It doesn’t make too much of a difference; it makes it so that the pages don’t wiggle around from the spine (if you vary in tightened of the stitching which is bound to happen) but if you don’t care about that then eh. If you do choose to do it I would suggest making sure that the glue doesn’t leak into the cracks of the book so that it doesn’t make it hard to lay flat (since that’s the appeal of this method). You can prevent that by just clamping the ends really tight. If you don’t want to do all that you can always just put some glue over the threaded areas only, it does the same thing. I used regular liquid school glue. If you have any other questions I’d be glad to answer. Also if you want to see how it looks I can show you through Instagram or something.
Wait I just realized the question was durability, I would say if you applied two layers it would help more. Do the first layer, let it dry completely, and then the second. I mostly do this on kettle stitch binding but it makes sense that durability would carry over to different types of binding.
GREAT Video! I've wanted to create a new book for the spring! Is there any reason I should not use DMC Floss instead of the waxed thread????
Waxed thread is stronger and wont tangle as easy as DMC floss, however, I don't see any reason why DMC floss wouldn't work. Ive never used it but I think it would work, good luck!!
@@MrOtterArtStudio Thanks --- I think I'll give it a try with the DMC floss.
Never learned to do a coptic stitch that way! And the corners on the cover didn't match up.
can we use random board paper to substitute the pad cover ? or do we have to use acid free paper for safety?
I would say yes, but this is a question I don't know the answer to. Sorry!!!
If I wanted to put single painted sheets into a bound cover how might I go about that?
Can you do that with more than four pages though?
Yes but I wouldn’t recommend it because it makes it thicker (harder to put the needle through) and if you want a seamless end you’ll have to trim more off the page. I’d say 5 pages in your signature should be your max.
hi, newbie here, literally. I have a question, what difference does the waxed thread makes? can't I use some other type of thread? I want to get done with a watercolor sketchbook asap. That's why I'm asking, cuz maybe I might have a good enough thread, idk!!
Sorry this is two weeks late, the waxes thread helps prevent tangles and also the paper from tearing
What/why is that a signature?
Does this channel have anything to do with the otters Aty and Ui?
I wish I knew them
I’m surprised that you place your knots INSIDE the signatures. Why not on the spine?
If you mean the knots at the end of the thread, I believe they are placed in the signature to keep the spine clean and the extra thread inside the book.
Ah of course. I was thinking that the spine would be covered! But not in this technique. Thanks for rapid reply 🙏
capisco il cavetto doppio al primo blocco, devi legare il cartoncino com,e copertina, ma gli altri secondo me vanno rilegati in maniera tradizionale
What if I don’t have waxed thread
You can just use regular thread! The wax makes it so it tangles less but as long as you’re patient it doesn’t actually matter
PleAsE SSSSSSSHHHHHHHIIIIIINNNNNNNEEEEEEEEE
What is the name of this paper ?
Please answer me ❤️
watercolor. paper
can you get your books you make and sell it in England
I will look into that, you should make one
Would of loved this tutorial would of helped me. First did not get the length of the thread right so I could have enough to finish the second page. Second you skipped forward at one point working on the cover and first page and lost the flow of the work from pausing your video and press play again because your instruction were to fast. Rewind your video but now I am at the third hole to the second page and I am out of thread. My work looks like there is mistakes. So started over .😣
The last signature and front cover are sped up and super hard to follow - I feel like we are missing steps!! Almost there....
stitches too fast
Why are the folded papers called signatures?
This is a total guess, in music the signature shows how many beats are in a bar, it contains a "group" of notes, a signature in book binding is a "group" of pages. Any other ideas???
This is Aty's music! You shouldn't steal Aty's music......