Hand-made Journal and Sketchbook

I finished these books quite a while ago, but I've been away from my blog for an extended period and haven't taken time to post anything new until today. I've been busy with school, and have wasted a load of time on computer games when I wasn't busy with homework and work. Here's a little bit about these two books: This first one is a sketchbook bound in denim and embellished with a keyhole plate and rivets. My Figure Drawing class had a requirement to fill up a sketchbook during the course of the class. About two weeks in I lost my sketchbook. I wasn't keen of having to start over, but even more I didn't want to have to buy another sketchbook. So I bound together a bunch of pages, had them trimmed, and made a cover with the denim from a ruined pair of jeans. I also ran across a 90% off sale at the local bookstore, and they had a few scrapbooking-type items, including this cool keyhole door-plate, which I thought would go great as a book cover detail. So I included it in the design.

This other one is a journal bound in real leather. I made a similar journal for a friend in 2009, and printed off far too many pages for the job. I had enough left over to make a second, slightly smaller journal. I put the pages together but neglected to have the edges trimmed for several months. Finally I got around to taking the book block to a print shop and having them cut a clean edge. Once that was done, I cut the leather, assembled the case, and finished constructing the book within a day. I would like to note that when making book covers you should always try to find a thin, pliable leather. The thicker and stiffer your leather, the harder it is to work with.