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 sixth collaboration between Cat Bennett and Bari Zaki. Our inspiration for this one was Cat’s observation that “I often learn things as I move through life, and in the moment I mutter to myself ‘Note to self!’“ about things she wants to remember and to fold into her daily outlook, things like: Look for the good in all things! or Find beauty everywhere! We all have these simple insights that are well worth recording, by illustrating them in a beautiful bound book (rather than a series of phone photos).

What you’ll make: A triple-signature booklet with woven paper lacings, measuring 8½" x 11½". This landscape format provides a luxurious, expansive surface (8½" x 22") for your notes to self: paintings, collages, and musings. It will lay flat when open, and when closed, the spine’s decorative detail will delight.

Workshop #1 (3-ish hours) – You will fold 12 sheets (8½ x 22) of Stonehenge drawing paper to create your four 6-page signatures (a total of 48 serendipitous sides) leaving the natural deckle on the foredge. 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 lengthwise half sheet (12 x 30) of luscious Saint-Armand handmade paper, creating an envelope/pocket for both the inside front & back covers. You will then prepare the paper laces and spine for stitching. For the finale, you will secure your paper laces to the inside covers, then add one Stonehenge folio to each of the inside covers before sealing the flaps. Voilà!

Workshops #2, #3 & #4 (each is 3-ish hours) – In the next 3 sessions, Cat leads you in exercises to create bold images with brief captions, aspirations, and inspirations. You’ll use drawing, painting and painted paper collage to make your images. And, as you’ll see, your images don’t need to be literal or figurative. You’ll want to have coloured pencils, crayons, black marker pens, watercolor paint, scissors, and a glue stick. And your notes to self!

Workshop fee includes all the materials (but not the tools) to make one elegant triple-signature booklet with woven paper lacings:

12 sheets of Stonehenge, Cat’s new favourite drawing paper (8½" x 22")

1 sheet of Saint-Armand 100% cotton paper (12" x 30")

3 strips of Saint-Armand 100% cotton paper (1" x 12")

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

6 strips of double-adhesive tape

Tools needed: bonefolder, lightweight awl, needle, glue stick, washi-tape, 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 three palettes as shown here (left to right) are Mineral Green with Terra Cotta lacings, Country Red with Khaki lacings, and Charcoal with Mint Green lacings. Please order from the dropdown menu below. 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 $145 per additional set, with no shipping fee if you order at the same time as your workshop purchase. To order, please e me and and tell me which palette(s) you’d like, I will be in touch extremely promptly. And I will be sure that you don’t receive duplicate sets for making your triple-signature booklet with woven paper lacings (unless you want to).

Cat and I look forward to sharing our love of paper, bookbinding, drawing, painting, colour—and musing—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