The Sketchbook Project!

Here it is - my very own contribution to the Sketchbook Project 2012 World Tour courtesy of my sister, who signed up last fall only to find she didn't have the time. We got together last weekend to see my brother perform in a play and she mentioned that the deadline was fast approaching and she hadn't even started, so probably wouldn't finish. She mailed it to me when she returned home, Priority Mail, and I received it Wednesday. It's 5.25" x 7.25", bound with two staples, and has 8 sheets of paper folded in half, 70# paper, very smooth. The paper feels like a decent quality copy paper, not quite thick enough to clog a machine, but better than the usual commercial grade.

The sketchbook cover is a simple brown card stock. Now if you are familiar with the project, you might already know that this book will be handled, possibly by many people. That means my first concern is durability so I pulled the staples and took it apart. Then I glued on sections of dog food bags made of woven recycled plastic, almost exactly like the grocery bags they sell in the store (the good ones, not the soft fabric style that rip easily if you put anything at all pokey in them.) 

 

When I was in grade school, we covered our textbooks with the brown paper grocery bags, and I loved having them for doodle space. They weren't glued on - I imagine that would've been frowned upon. On a side note, once when I was a kid, maybe eight, or so, I couldn't find tape to hang my posters and I thought glue was an even better idea - ha! My mom still tells that story. The people that own that house even today probably wonder why their wallpaper will never lay flat..

I added the duct tape for fun and extra durability. I contemplated changing out the paper, but decided to replace the original paper, trimmed slightly to compensate for the new reinforcement. We broke out the power stapler and reassembled. Ready to go! I will be drawing my dogs, most likely, and maybe a few of the plants they live with. Then off they go to be entered into the Brooklyn Art Library's permanent collection after the tour. 

Here are the first pages..

This is going to be fun, and in the mail by Tuesday...