Wet Paint Weekly Workouts

I've been participating in a 12-week painting challenge called "Wet Paint Weekly Workouts." It is a Facebook group, and like other similar groups I've been in, it is proving to be very inspiring and great fun. I decided to post my weekly contributions here.

Week one's challenge was to choose or make a sketchbook and decorate the cover in a way that would make me want to pick it up and use it. I decided to construct my own book, using Arc binder disks from Staples. I made slip-on covers using some basic bookbinding techniques. The image on the front is my monogram, printed in color on Kraft scrapbooking paper. The floral letters are my design. I sell them individually as prints in my Etsy shop. For this project, I embellished the color copy with opaque gel markers to make the image "pop." The white "lace" edge is drawn with white acrylic ink using a dip pen. After adhering the image to the front cover, I sealed it with several coats of acrylic sealer.

I filled the book with mixed media paper, cut to fit and punched to snap onto the disks. I left out the middle disk so that I could include a long piece of coordinating ribbon to tie the book closed. This project was so enjoyable, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. Stay tuned for the rest of the Weekly Workout challenges.

Wet Paint Weekly Workout book

WPWW book inside