Tag Archives: feature

2D Art

Handmade Artist Books with Watercolor Pages

I’m so excited to share one of my all-time favorite art class projects: handmade artist books. I love using handmade artist books in my classes because they provide a way to practice techniques and address new concepts in my class throughout the year. They also are works of art in their own right, and I find that students take greater ownership of artist book assignments than they do with sketch book assignments. All in all, handmade artist books provide a great way to frame each of our art projects and to get greater engagement out of my students, and what teacher wouldn’t want that?

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From the standpoint of a busy teacher who preps for five different classes, artist books also allow me to start the year with a little more wiggle room in terms of planning time. We start our books off by creating watercolor washes on all of the pages and that usually takes up three to four class periods right at the start of the semester. This allows me to have more time to prep and plan for our larger projects while students are painting. Students also enjoy this time as it allows them to ease into the year with a fun and low-pressure art activity.

In terms of teacher prep time for this project, it’s quite minimal. I cut the railroad board to size and then I show the students how to fold and rip 18 inch x 24 inch pieces of watercolor paper so that they get 10 sheets of 9 inch x 12 inch paper (they have to split their last large sheet with another student). I then show them how to create a watercolor wash on their paper and let them loose. The more challenging part comes when students need to prep their covers and complete their binding. Luckily for you, I’ve created a tutorial video that will walk them and you through this process, which I’ve included at the end of this post.

You do need some specific supplies to create these books but you can change up some of the materials to save money. For instance, instead of railroad board use old cereal boxes. You can also substitute high-end watercolor paper with a cheaper version or even drawing or construction paper. You can also skip the ribbon altogether or substitute it with a braided yarn. The standard supplies for this project are:

Book making supplies. Supplies to make artist books.

Check out the video below to learn how to bind the pages and finish off the covers to create your own handmade artist book.

Downloads, Photography, Printables, Resources

Photography Cheat Sheet – How to Shoot in Manual Mode

In this point-and-click world you might think that there’s no need for manual DSLR photography, but a DSLR really does open up so many more photographic possibilities. Mastering manual mode can be tough for the beginner though. There’s quite a bit of new terminology and a lot of moving parts that can throw you off track. That said, if you focus on the basics (and have a photography cheat sheet nearby) you can master it all with a little patience.

 

Free photography cheat sheet download.
Click the link at the end of this post to download a free PDF of this photography cheat sheet.

Beginning Photography Vocabulary

Before you start working in manual mode, you have to have a good understanding of photography terminology, so let’s review some common terms.

DSLR – Digital Single Lens Reflex. A type of camera that uses mirrors to reflect the image through the lens and back to the viewfinder. These cameras have larger sensors than most point-and-click cameras so they can create a much higher image quality, even with the same pixel size.

Aperture – The hole that lets light into your camera. It can be adjusted to various widths that are known as f-stops.

Shutter – The apparatus that opens and closes to let light into your camera. It can be set to different speeds.

Film Speed (ISO) – This used to be the rating of an individual roll of film. In a digital camera, it refers to your camera’s sensitivity to light.

Light Meter – A scale that measures the amount of light that is currently being let into your camera. It will tell you if you have too much, too little, or just enough light.

Depth of Field – How much space in the photo is in focus. If the background, middle ground and foreground are in focus, it is a wide depth of field. If only one slice of space is in focus, it is a narrow depth of field (also known as selective focus). Depth of field is controlled by the aperture.

Photo Noise – This refers to a loss of smoothness and crispness in a photo as you raise the ISO.

Learning to Shoot in Manual Mode

The video below will walk you through all of the basics to learn how to shoot in manual mode. You will learn how to set your aperture and shutter speed to get different effects, all while using your light meter to keep your photos properly exposed.

I’ve also included a free download of a photography cheat sheet that will help you navigate your camera as you start out. It’s also a coloring sheet just for some added fun.

Free Photography Cheat Sheet Download

Click on the link below to download a printable PDF of the Photography Cheat Sheet.

photography cheat sheet

I hope these tools will help you as you start down the path of DSLR photography. Start slow and practice every day, and you’ll soon be taking great shots without a second thought. Good Luck!