We are delighted to offer this unique, collaborative online bookbinding and sketching course.
 
Two Arienas artists - bookbinder Cass Barron of Bookbinding with Cass, and sketcher Mark Kirkham known locally as the Edinburgh Sketcher - join forces for this collaborative online course that will equip you with the skills to make a series of hand-bound sketchbooks, and inspire you to start using them straight away.
 
During lockdown Cass and Mark came to appreciate the everyday, particularly their house plants and the nature on their doorstep. If you're not able to attend in-person workshops, or prefer working from home at your own pace, this online course will encourage you to work with what’s around you and get creative in your own space, in your own time.
 
Cass will guide you through making a handy book case with book-cloth spine and pen/paintbrush holder, ideal for sketching on the go, with the added benefit of being multi-use - the inserts are interchangeable so you can re-jig the inside depending on what you want to sketch on that day. Once your book case is complete, Cass will show you how to make a fold and cut concertina book to fit inside, as well as a single signature stitched sketchbook made up of different types of paper to add colour and texture to your sketching. She will share a nifty technique that can be used to stitch your sketchbooks together once they have been filled – a great way to collate your work and keep it in one place!
 
Mark shares tips and ideas for adding a personal touch to your inside book covers as well as demonstrating some creative ways to add watercolour washes to your paper before turning it into books – a great way to take a way that blank page fear in preparation for sketching. Once your books are complete Mark will take you through a number of drawing exercises that will focus mainly on pot plants you have in and around your house. This will involve working with an ink pen and watercolour set, exploring tone, light and shading to discover your own style and create sketches full of character.
 
How the course runs
 
This course takes place online in the form of a series of pre-recorded videos which take you through the process step-by-step – much like we do at our face-to-face workshops, but with the added bonus of being able to pause, rewind and come back to the workshop as works best for you. You will have life-long access to the online course so can complete it in your own time, and return to it again and again. 
 
What's included
 
The price includes life-time access to Cass and Mark's online tutorials, plus all the kit you will need for this workshop including: Mark’s recommended watercolour set, fine liner and water brush; paper, card, leather, glue and fastenings to make a refillable A6 book case; paper already cut to size (enough to make 1 x A6 concertina book and 4 x A6 single signature stitched sketchbooks); high quality bookbinding tools – so you can continue making your own sketchbooks at home. 
 
The kit will be sent out by first class post, or can be collected in person from The Arienas Collective by arrangement. The link and password to access the online course will be sent to you by email.
 
*Please note: for kits purchased in 2023/24, the green leather-look cover material shown in the photo of the example book has been replaced with a heavy duty blue wallpaper with gold fleck effect (shown in kit photo). You are also welcome to sub-in another heavyweight decorative paper of your choice for the cover of your book.