I’m so excited about these printmaking-inspired accordion books. Even when teaching digital design, it’s a good idea to give students exposure to hands-on studio procedures and media. Because of this, I like to think of ways that students can move beyond digital and create products that bring in a mix of digital and traditional media. That’s why I was thrilled when I realized that Adobe Illustrator would be a great tool to replicate the feeling of the linoleum-block printmaking. I also loved the idea of printing them with a normal black and white printer on typing paper and then applying them to a heavier paper to make tiny accordion books. I loved the simplicity of tiny prints and the presentation mode of the book. I thought this would be a perfect way to challenge my students to explore different media and create a tactile product using largely-digital media. 

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MATERIALS FOR ACCORDION BOOKS

For this project, you will need:

• Access to Adobe Illustrator
• Heavy white paper cut into strips measuring 2.5 inches x 27.5 inches
• A black and white printer
• Scissors
• A ruler
• A pencil (and erasers)
• Decopage Paste (or equal parts PVA glue and water)
• Sponge Brushes
• Mat Board pieces (2 per book) cut into 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches
• Ribbon
• PVA glue (white glue)
• Hot glue gun and hot glue
• Scrap paper for sketching and planning

PLANNING THE BOOKS

This project requires students to have a clear plan for their whole book before starting. Because of this, I created planning sheets that helped them to hone their ideas. Students could choose people, places, animals, or objects. They then had to come up with lists of ten adjectives, ten verbs, and ten emotions. Finally, the students had to sketch out ideas for images based on their subject choice and one of the lists. They also needed to come up with a book title and design for the book cover. I did allow some students to deviate from the original list categories as long as I approved their ideas. 

When it came to the digital media, I allowed students to use copyright-free photos as source images, but I encouraged them to add embellishments that changed the original image. They needed to save each of their source photos in a folder for quick access before they started. This was the final step in the planning process before jumping into Adobe Illustrator. 

CREATING THE PRINTS

To create the feeling of printmaking using Adobe Illustrator, I had students work with white pencil strokes on a black background. Students started by creating a 2.5 inch x 2.5 inch document. They then created a 2.45 inch by 2.45 inch rounded rectangle with a black fill and no stroke, and aligned it in the center of their document using their alignment settings. It’s important that they make sure they choose “align to document” in the alignment window and then select the buttons to align to center both horizontally and vertically.

The source image should be placed on a layer above the rounded rectangle. In the transparency window, students should lower the opacity of the source image to between 40%-60% so that they can see through to the black background. Students should then lock both of the layers and create a new layer on top of the source image in which to draw their designs. 

Students should use their pencil tool with a white stroke and an organic or curvy width profile to get the best look. I encouraged them to work no larger than a 1-point width. Students needed to make sure that they created a clear image of the subject but I also encouraged them to look at ways they could add the feeling of texture and variety. On top of that, they could alter the images in ways to add more interest to the overall design. They also needed to think about how each composition was working individually and as a part of the larger book. Each image also needs to have a word associated with it. The word can be typed using a font that contributes to the printmaking feel or they could write the words using the pencil tool. 

Students should turn off the visibility of their source images before saving their document. They should then save each image in a folder when they are finished until they get ten images and a cover image that includes the book’s title. They can print these images (without scaling) to any normal black and white printer. They should then cut out the rounded rectangles very carefully to make sure they maintain the integrity of the shape.

MAKING ACCORDION BOOKS

Using the rulers, students needed to measure the length of their long strips of paper and mark every 2.5 inches. I had them make two marks, one on either end of the paper, so that they could lay a straight edge on both marks and draw a line across. It’s important that students make their marks as lightly as possible because they will need to erase after folding. 

Students should fold the paper, taking extreme care to make sure that the folds are straight and even. The folds should alternate back and forth creating the accordion look. This should result in 11 boxes that each measure 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches. If the book has been folded correctly, the student should then go back and erase any visible pencil marks.

Now it’s time to add the designs to the book. The first square of the accordion book should be left empty because the cover will eventually be attached to that part. Students should skip to the second square and use a sponge brush to paint a thin layer of Mod Podge on the paper. They should smooth their design onto the square and then apply a very thin layer of Mod Podge on top of the design. They should repeat this process with every following square until all of the designs, except the cover design, have been added to the book. Lay the book out after this process so that it can completely dry.

A design also has to be added to the book’s front cover. We used mat board to create our covers, but you could use card stock. Apply the cover design in the same way that the page designs were added, making sure to center the design on the cover. Allow the cover to completely dry before the next step.

Once the book and cover are dry, we can start to put all of the pieces together. First fold up the book into a tight accordion. Take two pieces of ribbon and lay them across the front and back of the book horizontally so that there is enough ribbon to tie on either side of the book. Use school glue (or a glue stick) to glue the ribbon down to the front and back of the paper book. Then use hot glue to glue the front cover to the front of the book, sandwiching the ribbon between the paper and the book cover. Do this on the back of the book as well. Once the glue has dried, students should be able to tie both ends of the book to keep it shut. They can also untie one side to flip through the designs or untie both sides to expand the book and display all of their designs.