A “Wallpaper” Sketchbook – Enabling Drawing by Getting Rid of the White page

By Paula Briggs

I have always enjoyed making sketchbooks and when Andrea Butler dropped off some lovely wallpaper sample books it seemed like a good sketchbook-making opportunity. As part of the process of making the sketchbooks I overlaid the patterned paper with acrylic paint, both to tone down some of the wallpaper and also to create a surface upon which pens and pencils would work easily, however the original patterns still show through, making each page of the sketchbook unique and getting rid of that horrible “white page” syndrome. Instead each new sketchbook page inspires with its texture and colour.

These small sketchbooks are also very tactile, both to hold and to work in. This resources shares the process to make the books.

I enourage every art teacher to make one as a gift to themselves!

Wallpaper Sketchbooks

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Using Sketchbooks to Take Ownership of Ideas

Making Elastic Band Sketchbooks with Pupils at Philip Southcote School

Mayan Tabletop Eraser Printing Project

“Heart-Work” – A series of ‘Arts on Prescription’ style workshops for young people at Cambourne Village College with Arts and Minds; Led by Sheila Ceccarelli (Artist) and Yael Pilowsky Bankirer (Psychotherapist)

Arts and Minds: Time to Introduce Ourselves – A Sculpture Challenge

We kicked off the programme with a quick making challenge which would act as an ice-breaker and introduce students to an array of materials.

Arts and Minds: Asemic Writing and Invented Text

Students were given the opportunity to further explore expressive mark making as a tool for self-expression and a vehicle for communication.

Arts and Minds: Expressive Monoprinting on a Big Scale

Students enjoyed monoprinting on a large scale by rolling printing ink and acrylic paint directly onto the table and experimenting with ways to take prints.

Constructing the World with Collage

Students were invited to use their previously created monoprints to construct large scale collages inspired by the landscape surrounding the college.

Manipulating Clay with Water

In this session teenagers had an abundance of clay and the freedom to play and manipulate form.

With Special Thanks To:

And to Pink Pig sketchbooks for their continued support of AccessArt and providing young people with beautiful books for this project.

Building to the Limit

In this session students were given the challenge of making building blocks out of mixed media and using them to build a sculpture. They were encouraged to experiment with balancing different elements together and setting themselves the challenge of seeing how far they could build before their constructions collapsed.

Drawing for Mindfulness

Students were guided on drawing exercises designed to explore drawing as a tool for seeing and being in the here and now.

Feeling Through Drawing

Students were led on a guided drawing experience of drawing through touch.

Arts and Minds: A ‘Heart-Work’ Conversation

Teenagers were introduced to graphite, charcoal, masking tape and acrylic paint as mediums for communal expressive mark making. A collective drawing was produced, whereby students were encouraged to work in collaboration and in response to each other.

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Landscape Painting: A Collection of Resources by Hester Berry

Introduction to Landscape by Hester Berry

This introduction to landscape painting is an exercise in looking and discovering, browsing and daydreaming.

Landscape Painting: Tone in the Landscape

In this post Hester Berry explores tone as a crucial aspect of landscape drawing and painting.

Landscape Painting: Plein Air Painting

Plein Air painting is the practice of painting outside, normally in front of one’s subject.

Landscape Painting: Colour in the Landscape

Hester Berry shows how working with colour can be broken down, simplified and approached in a pragmatic way.

landscape Painting: Expressive mark Making

Practice and hone technical skills, use of tone and colour, observation and time spent in the landscape.

Sketchbook Exercise: Drawing Brushes with Charcoal

Filling a Sketchbook: Sketchbook Exercises

What is a Canvas?

Making drawings which compete with the background

Making a Charcoal Animation

Inspired by the animations of William Kentridge

Making Ruler Drawings

Using 2 grades of pencil and only straight lines

Drawing Brushes with Charcoal

Using varied marks to capture the qualities of brushes

Many thanks to Pink Pig International for the sketchbooks

Making Sketchbooks at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Teachers Explore ‘Line and Shape’ at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge with AccessArt

See all the blog posts from AccessArt’s InSET in collaboration with the Fitzwilliam Museum. Find top Museum Education practice with practical, hands on learning in Fine Art disciplines including: drawing, printmaking, sketchbooks, collage and sculpture.