Paint Chip Bookmarks

Flying fast and high on our ideas from Pinterest, we tried to make bookmarks out of old paint sample chips. This was a great idea to make a quick work of original art.  Some people feel pressured by a large blank canvas.  This was a simple way to illiminate the pressure. We could make intimate works of a small size that are perfect for gifts.  These should take you about 20 minutes each.

Free Tutorial

1. Don't Use Pencil:  I dove right in, drawing with pencil on the paint chips first....Don't do that.  The pencil does NOT erase from the paint chip. Start on scrap paper if you have to plan out your drawing.
2. Punch Hole First: I was so excited after my drawing was finished, I immediately hole punched and riveted it.  And SCREWED it up.  I squeezed too hard, punching through the paper.  I was mad that my drawing was useless, but I'll give that one to my kids. Lesson #2. Always draw the image AFTER you make the rivet. So I punched 10 paint chips and added the rivet first, getting them ready for drawings.  I have a rivet tool and rivets (or eyelets), mostly used in scrapbooking, that we used for the hole to put the ribbon in.

crop-a-dile brand hole punch and rivet maker

Don't draw the image first! (this one has no rivet)

3. Smeary Markers: Test your markers on an ugly paint chip for smears.  We used acid free markers, but Sharpies worked well and didn't smear.
4. Color Theory: Similiar colors work well together, blues and purples, reds and oranges.  I use black and white, too.  I also put green on green.  Test your colors on a scrap paint chip.  Some of your marker colors will look bad with the paint chips, so keep testing.  Keep in mind, your choice of paint chips are extreme, but you probably only have 10 colors of markers.
5. Too Busy: Busy designs take forever and are not conducive to my 20 minute theory.  But make a complicated one for a special friend or yourself.

Complicated as heck, took 30 minutes just to draw

6.  Easy Designs: Florals and organic shapes work very well for these.  It is harder to make a mistake and the designs come out great.
7.  Patterns: Use repeating patterns to create a design.  'Copy' a design you see everyday.  I look for patterns in strange places: fabric, woodgrain, house plants, cereal boxes, junk mail ads...

Ideas for patterns

Handmade Coil Notebooks (Free tutorial)

During our morning Art Club, we used my RubiCoil hole punch to make handmade books.  It is really fun and gratifying to make a book out of scraps. 

Jen had a pile of what I would call idea scraps, leftover paint chips from a forgotten color, color chips that were meant to be a bathroom color, exotic colors, and home decoration ideas she loves.

I just brought a pile of leftover, scrap, ugly paper. BUT, I had gotten the RubiCoil for my birthday recently and couldn't wait to try it. How long does it take to make a book? Only a few minutes, I told Jen.....4 hours later, we had made 4 books.  

To be fair, it technically takes a few minutes to cut the inside paper, punch the holes, insert the coil, and cut the ends. I have an industrial paper cutter at home, like the ones teachers use, and cutting the inside paper takes a second.  Also, we were chatting through the morning, so it took longer.

Here is all the tools and supplies we used. ( We were kind of messy! )
Tape measure, leftover notebook paper and graph paper, pencil, scissors, paper cutter, paint chips

Jen and her 3 year old are making him a book too.  It is easy to pull the lever and punch the holes in the paper. We pre-cut the inside paper for him.

This is the paper being hole punched, about 10 sheets at a time.  I was making a mistake here.  Do you see it?  The last hole on the right is half-way off the page.  I learned to center the paper on the hole diagram.  We are cutting custom sheets, so we have to be careful where we hole punch

This is the book with the coil spun completely in...

This is the needle-nosed plier and wire cutter I used to bend and cut the sharp ends.

This is two paint chips from Home Depot and some scrap graph paper ready to be punched.

Small notebook, ready to go

This was the 3 year olds book, all finished

Finished books, all from scrap paper inside and paint chips outside covers

 I got creative when Jen pulled out this photo from her idea scrap pile.  I wanted the door to open...

I bound the sides and cut down the center.  Both sides open, good for a lefty...

Here is a book from scraps, the inside of a tea box

Classic Still Life (Free Tutorial)

A still life is a classic art form.  It is an image of  commonplace objects which may be either natural (veggies, flowers, plants, branches, or fruit) or man-made (glasses, books, baskets, mugs, vases).  Doing a still life drawing is a simple and effective way to improve your artistic skills.    It is can be made from objects you already have and they can stay still for weeks and months.

Still Life Tutorial

Objects for beginners to choose from:
simple mugs (one color with no printing)
vases (not clear glass)
fruit and veggies
bowls and dishes (not clear glass, one color)
plain mugs

Objects for intermediate artists:
fruit and veggies
bowls and dishes with multi color (no clear glass)
silverware
hairbrushes, combs
fancy mugs

Start with one or two items on the table.  Place a neutral colored cloth or board as a backdrop.  We had a white stiff piece of paper. There is now a distinct line of the table and the backdrop that will help you to draw.  Use untextured paper and a regular school pencil.  Computer paper works pretty good for a simple sketch (it's not acid free).  Make sure your table is smooth and clean.


Work lightly with pencil, trying not to erase.  Leave your little 'mistakes'. We are just trying to get the major shapes together, not the details. Don't worry about each curve or each little line you make. Keep looking at the objects on the table every 10 seconds or so.

Drawing from life (Free Tutorial)

Drawing from life is the best way to learn to draw and observe the objects around us.  During this art club day, we drew these beautiful flowers from life. When you are drawing flowers, you have more room to make mistakes.  The flowers are organic objects. Each tiny curve of each tiny petal does not have to be perfect!