Our next meeting will be held 2:00-4:00 PM on Monday, September 9, in the Cottonwood Room at the library. This will be the fourteenth and last meeting in which we work on our long-term project exploring watercolors and monoline lettering. I’ll be walking you through the steps to construct a portfolio to house the pages you’ve made. Here are some answers to questions you may have, especially if you missed the August meeting.
What paper should I choose for my cover?
The paper that I used for the sample I showed at the meeting was Strathmore Artagain colored paper that is 160 g/m2 (65 lb. cover stock). It is just heavy enough to make a nice portfolio at this size. Other options you might consider include Arches Cover (black, white, or buff), any heavier weight paper, or 65 lb. cover stock. Watercolor paper is generally not good because it tends to crack along the folds, but if you want to try it, I can give you some tips to minimize the problem as we work.
Any other ideas about my cover material?
Of course! You might want to use a piece of paper that you’ve decorated – either painted or drawn on. You might want to collage something onto the front flaps of your portfolio.
If the paper you want to use is too lightweight, consider laminating it to a heavier piece of paper; if you use glue to do this, make sure that the grain goes the same direction on both pieces and follow these steps:
- Lightly cover the wrong side of the heavier piece of paper with glue (I tape the corners down so it doesn’t curl out of control)
- Brayer and/or bone-fold the 2nd piece of paper on top, right side up (Start at one side and roll the paper down onto the glue-y surface)
- Sandwich the double-layered paper between 2 sheets of waxed paper
- Let dry under a drawing board or large flat surface weighted with a couple of books.
If you have any bookbinding experience, you can cover a couple of 6″ x 9″ boards with book cloth and add flaps to the fore-edge, head, and tail. You’ll need to bring, in addition to the supply list below:
- two 6″ x 9″ boards
- a piece of covering paper or book cloth at least 15″ x 10″
- two 6″ x 9″ lining papers
- three flap papers: two 5″ x 6″ and one 4″ x 9″
- paste or glue, glue brush, wax paper, waste paper
What size should my cover material be?
Assuming that your pages are the regulation 6″ x 9″, your cover material will need to be at least 18″ square for a one-piece portfolio. If the cover material you want to use is not that large, you can opt to make a two-piece portfolio. For a 2-piece version, you’ll need 2 pieces of cover material, one at least 6″ x 18″ and one at least 9″ x 12″.
Do I have to worry about grain?
- In the case of the one-piece version, no.
- In the case of the 2-piece version, it would be great if the 9″ x 12″ piece is grain short. (The underlined dimension indicates the grain direction, the material should fold more easily along that dimension.)
Here is the full list of supplies you’ll want to bring to the September meeting:
- your completed stack
- be sure to include enough blank pages to account for any more pages you plan to do
- a scrap of paper about 3″ square to use as a paper ruler
- your cover material: either
- pieces 18″ square or larger, or
- 2 pieces, one 6″ x 18″ + one 9″ x 12″
- craft knife
- cork-backed metal ruler at least 18″ if you have one
- pencil and eraser
- bone folder
- double-side tape dispenser or PVA glue and brush (or use my 3M, below)
I’ll bring the following for group use:
- a couple of large cutting mats
- a corner rounder
- straight pins (to mark our tab slits)
- 3M double-stick tape roller, for 2-piece covers
At the August meeting, I presented a variety of portfolios that are variations on the basic version we’ll make in September. I’ll bring those again next month as inspiration for making your own variations.
