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 fifth collaboration between Cat Bennett and Bari Zaki. Creating patterns & making marks are very calming & meditative art practices. They are also a gentle way to explore painting and drawing. Often, such pieces & patterns become integrated into—and even the centerpiece of—a page or complete composition. Despite not being 3-D, they are decorative, doodly, and bearers of delight.

What you’ll make: A traditional accordion book measuring 6" x 6", with two separate hard covers. You will glue Cambridge Imprint patterned papers to binders board, making a front & a back cover to sandwich your accordion panels. Your book can indeed lay flat when open, and it will also stand splendidly upright to display the panels in all their colourful combinations.

Workshop #1 (4-ish hours) – You will measure, score, and fold your 3 Stonehenge sheets (6" x 43¾") to create your three 7-panel accordions (6" x 6"). You will then hinge the panels together using strips of paper and a glue stick. Finally, you will glue your Cambridge Imprint patterned papers to the binders board, and then attach them to your first and last accordion panel. Voilà! 

Workshops #2, #3 & #4 (each is 3-ish hours) – In the next 3 sessions, Cat will lead you in exploring several different drawing & painting techniques. You will fill your book with colourful & playful patterns, abstract marks and simple icons. You’ll explore the use of colour and repetition to create both subtle and bold designs. You’ll also learn how to make templates for repeating patterns. You’ll look at artists from the past, from Picasso to Sonia Delaunay, for inspiration. With tips from Cat, you’ll hand-letter some favourite quotes and poems. (Cat will e you a pdf of simple pattern designs and quotes to get your creative juices simmering.) This will be a chance to play freely with opaque watercolour (or gouache if you prefer), crayons, coloured pencils and markers to appreciate their respective charms and their combinative possibilities. 

Workshop fee includes a doubly-deluxe kit of materials (but not the tools) you can use to make two accordion books, one in the workshop, and a sequel on your own.

6 sheets of Stonehenge (Bari’s favourite drawing paper) 6" x 40"

4 pieces of binders board (6" x 6")

4 pieces of Cambridge Imprint papers, 2 each of 2 patterns (8" x 8") 

10 strips of hinging paper, 2/book plus 6 extra for very good measure (6" x ¾")

1 corner spacer 

2 pieces of waxed paper (7" x 7")

Tools needed: bonefolder, P.V.A. glue, glue-brush, glue stick, 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.

Nota bene: In case you have the necessary tools but are in need of the glue & glue-brush, you’ll find them in a separate shop listing here.

The papers for your covers (previewed here) are from Cambridge Imprint’s Special Starry Papers boxed set (12 different designs). Each kit will include two cut-to-size pieces of two different designs. If a particular colour or pattern catches your fancy, please e me and I will do my best to accommodate your wishes.

If you’d like to purchase an additional set of materials (to make two more books), 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 $185 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 make sure you receive two different patterns from those in your first kit, natch. 

Cat and I look forward to sharing our love of paper, bookbinding, drawing, painting, colour and pattern-making 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