Instructors: Cat Bennett & Bari Zaki

This Bookful workshop, and its eleven Bookful brethren, was originally presented to a Zoom audience of students from far & wide. We’ve decided to make our full-length live recordings of each of these workshops available for purchase this summer. (The themes of the twelve workshops will never be repeated or reprised, as Cat Bennett & Bari Zaki will keep thinking of new subjects.)

Every recording (12-ish hours-ful) comes with the same kit of sumptuous materials as the original workshop, barring the occasional palette refreshment or replacement. Also included is my sincere invitation to contact me if you have questions or anxious moments whilst watching and making. Enticement: a 15% discount ($44.25!) on your second Bookful purchase, likewise on your third, and so on & so fourth.

This four-session workshop was the seventh collaboration between Cat Bennett and Bari Zaki. Our inspiration for this one was the clothes we wear or might like to wear. From sweaters, jackets, pants, leggings, dresses, socks, shoes, scarves, hats, bags, jewelry…and even things like fabric, buttons, and zippers—anything goes! This time you'll draw with coloured pencils and watercolor then shift into painting with opaque mediums such as gouache and acrylic with an emphasis on creating bold visual images. You can be as fanciful or as literal as you like. Who knows, you might even inspire yourself to create a new ensemble!

What you’ll make: An elegant triple-signature sketchbook measuring 8" x 11", with the intricate (and delicate) Mystery Bodice stitch on the spine. This portrait format lends itself to an entire outfit or a column of accessories. The book will lay flat, opening to 16 x 11, and, when closed, your decorative stitching on the spine will…mesmerize you.

Workshop #1 (3-ish hours) – You will score & fold 12 sheets of Stonehenge drawing paper to create four 6-page signatures (for a total of 48 serendipitous sides), keeping the natural deckle on the top, and hand-tearing edges on the fore-edge and bottom. The fourth signature will be used (in part) to reinforce the covers of your book, leaving one folio for your creative pleasure. You will measure, score and fold your cover from a luscious half sheet of Saint-Armand handmade paper, and fashion an envelope-pocket for both the inside front & back covers. You will then make a stitching template so that your Mystery Bodice stitches align beautifully on the spine. For the finale, you will wrap two Stonehenge folios with Cambridge Imprint paper to reinforce the front & back covers before sealing the flaps. Voilà!

Workshops #2, #3 & #4 (each is 3-ish hours) In the next 3 sessions, the emphasis will be on gaining assurance with line, tone & colour. Cat leads you with exercises that focus on drawing and painting the clothes you wear—or might like to wear! You’ll draw with coloured pencils and markers, and experiment with opaque paints such as gouache or acrylic to create bold, colourful images. 

Workshop fee includes all the materials (but not the tools) you’ll need to make one elegant triple-signature sketchbook with Mystery Bodice stitching:

12 sheets of Stonehenge, Cat’s new favourite drawing paper (11" x 15")

1 half-sheet of Saint-Armand 100% cotton paper (15" x 22")

2 matching pieces of Cambridge Imprint papers (11" x 15")

2 different colours of waxed-linen thread, wrapped on binders board

6 strips of double-adhesive tape

4 nickel-plated Italian paper clips

Tools needed: bonefolder, shipping clerk’s knife, lightweight awl, medium awl, two needles (You’ll be using them at the same time.), triangle ruler, metal ruler, Xacto knife, and a cutting mat. You will receive a 20% discount on all tools ordered for the workshop (via refund after your workshop purchase). You can purchase these tools individually here.

The materials shown here are an extensive wardrobe (or maybe an armoire) of Saint-Armand handmade papers & Cambridge Imprint papers. I will assemble each & every kit with a complementary combo. If a particular colour or pattern catches your fancy, please e me and I will do my best to accommodate.

If you’d like to purchase an additional set of materials, you certainly can. However, you cannot accomplish this in the dropdown menu (because one set of materials is included with the workshop fee). It’s $165 per additional set, with no shipping fee if you order at the same time as your workshop purchase. To order, please e me and I will be in touch extremely promptly. And I will be sure that you don’t receive duplicate sets for making your elegant triple-signature sketchbook (unless you want to).

Cat and I look forward to sharing our love of paper, bookbinding, drawing, painting, and colour, and the joys of personal adornment with you in this 4-session (12-ish hours-ful) live-recorded workshop!

About Cat: In her former life, she was a commercial illustrator for 25 years. All three of her wonderful books are available in our shop & online: The Confident Creative, Making Art a Practice, and The Drawing Club of Improbable Dreams. 

“I believe that drawing and painting create happiness. I love teaching because I get to see people discover their own creative genius!” – Cat Bennett