Definitely after I had seen a color theme emerge.

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing x

Love your simple cover. I personally will go crazy with images collage and many color when I decorated my covers. I probably will cover my book before I start using it.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much Fay 💙💙💙

How pretty! I love etchr sketchbooks but have never decorated mine before. Maybe I'll have to try it!

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you! ❤️❤️

i like to make my own sketch books they are not always perfect but i like it that way because I can choose what paper i put in them. So i love to decorate them before i put anything else inside.

lol! Like you, I’d decorate somewhere in the middle. ✨ Great process. 🤔 I have used gesso first but also if you find the cover to be too absorbent, you can first seal it with a product like ‘Golden Gac 100’, then a gesso. *also super key note - not all gesso’s are created equally, it took me a few to really find one I liked, I use one that’s called ‘Sluge’, love it so much😂 that it’s hard to use any other, it preps any surface to paint on that I want and you can easily add colour to it to tint it. (Oh🤔 I guess I’m only talking acrylic/oil/gesso. …watercolour you’d definitely want to use a ground for that… or a pastel ground, but what a mess pastels would make😅) 🙌fun video, cheers.

Interesting, thank you! I‘ve just researched how to do that! 😊 I think you can do that whenever you want to!

The blue with all the diff mediums and layers gives it a lovely depth. Love the white with the blue painting. Screams greek vibes to me

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

I have painted on my Etchr Everyday sketchbook cover. I used acrylic paint and then I believe I either sprayed it with Krylon fixative or brushed the Liquitex varnish on it. I'd have to re-watch that video to remember for sure. But it worked great! I love the blue on your cover. So pretty. ♥️

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing Miranda x x

I don’t have any Etcher sketchbooks but I recently made a watercolor sketchbook and covered it with a paintable canvas book cloth. So your video is inspiring me to. Thanks. Oh, and given that this was a sketchbook for a safari in Africa, I’m waiting to do more IN the book before I tackle (haha…choice of word) the cover.

I’m too nervous to touch my covers but I love how yours turned out!

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much Trinec x

I don't decorate my sketchbook but if I dud it would be before ❤love your shapely florals 😊

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you Deborah ❤️❤️❤️

Love how you did the cover!! 💙 I would paint the cover after I finished it 😁

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you Jess xx

Oooh it looks wonderful! These are my favourite sketchbooks and I have several, but trying to wait until they're finished because I tend to get them rather grubby toting them around. Really appreciate you trying all the different mediums with them! ♥

Love how the cover turned out!! I also *love* the white florals you did inside your sketchbook, but I agree, I probably wouldn’t add them to the cover. Like you, I prefer plain covers and don’t add stickers or anything to my books. I haven’t painted any of my Etchr sketchbooks yet, but I do have a couple that I’d like to try doing something with because the white attracts so much dirt or paint splatters.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much FaithAnn!!

ooh lovely blues 🥰 I cant start a sketch bookbefore either dedcorating it with stickers, wrapping paper or painting something on it lol

Happy Saturday my friend, Hope you are safe and warm. we are getting crazy snow right now. Thanks for sharing this..very creative and decorative too!! and happy I stopped by to show support. Have a great weekend LIKE #10

I agree with the person who said they would decorate the cover when it gets dirty.

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching ShadowGuard x

I literally just painted mine with payne’s grey watercolour. I don’t like stickers or busy patterns either. Love a simple sketchbook. Will probably paint the next one m. Graham sepia

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

That is awesome! I’m surprised it’s not Teal 🤣😂💙

cool video! I would attack the cover whenever the inspiration struck me 😊

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

😂😂😂

This was amazing! Will try on mine, never thought about it. Test Liquitex Matt medium for the cover. I suspect it might be what you are looking for (or gloss medium if you prefer it shiny!) It will not liquify the inks, as they are also acrylic and dry. Lovely colours too! I would decorate before starting, just as a warm up to get ready for the new sketchbook.

I’d decorate the cover whenever. I’m so glad you made this video because I tried with just watercolours on my first one and it was awful! The gesso seems like it makes all the difference! Definitely gonna go back and decorate the covers of ones I’ve completed cause the grotty white covers look so bad 😂 and while I’m at it; I’ll just do cover of the one I’m currently busy with! ❤

@SketchesnScrubs

Ай бұрын

I’m so glad you found it helpful! I know what you mean about just watercolour lol I did a part 2 testing out gesso, watercolour ground & plain covers with a range of different materials: How to decorate the Etchr Everyday Sketchbook - painting my sketchbook kzread.info/dash/bejne/mImcp8Vyo8aXnbg.html Hope that helps too x

Thank you, Sketches. I loved how your cover turned out! I used the Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground and while it gave a nice surface to paint on, it definitely isn’t like painting on any kind of watercolor paper. Because the Etchr sketchbook has a canvas texture, pigment particles especially from granulating pigments get stuck in the pits of the canvas and can give a dirty looking effect. Also, the paint (I used watercolor and Inktense) does not move at all. Wet in wet effects are difficult to achieve. The paint goes down and then stays where you put it. But also, it creeps or feathers along the grain of the canvas so you can’t get a straight edge to anything - it’s like pixelated paint 😂! I think acrylic paint is the way to go but it’s fun to experiment. The best thing is that you can always Gesso it again and start over. Thank you for the video.

Nice job, love it! If I had an etchr sketch book I’d do it before, I think it would be a great way to get over the starting book freeze. The cover getting grubby would drive me nuts.

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

That's a great idea! lol the cover getting messy is the only thing I can’t stand about the sketchbooks 😂 took me a while but I’m really glad I decorated it! No more mess x

@jeanettegillings7202

6 ай бұрын

Me too!

That looks gorgeous! I would decorate my sketchbook whenever I get around to it. But probably not after I finish it, because then I would have moved on to a new one! Well - I had gotten a bunch of Stilman & Birns because I wanted to test out the paper. And I did decorate all the covers with various characters like Totoro and Momo from Avatar. So I did that before I started any of the sketchbooks.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and sharing Rita x

Thanks for the Great video ! I will try to paint my cover too ! 😁😁😁

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you! Good luck! Xx

I loved how the white flowers looked with the blue, but I totally understand wanting a more simple cover! I don't really decorate my sketchbooks as of yet, but my planner/calendar is nicely decorated with green butterfly stickers 🦋💚

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

That sounds lovely Mia 💚💚💚🦋🦋🦋

I love this! I would decorate mine after I completed my sketch book. Love the blues! I have had success with using my acrylic inks. Thank you for this video

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much Michelle ❤️❤️❤️

I love how the pit pens work so well! When I did mine originally over a year ago (on my first of many etchr sketchbooks) I used watercolour, without gesso as a base, and it took soooo much wc to make it stay visible. Was not a fun time 😂. Wish this video existed before I attempted it, but this video has made me want to try again on the new etchrs I just got (which I got thanks to your video showing us the new square and pano formats 😍) Love how your covers look and that it’s blue 🤩 …the best colour ever!!!

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much Jma!! Oh no! I am going to try watercolours with the watercolour ground and see how that goes! Kinda excited to experiment some more ❤️❤️❤️

pretty cover. love it. thanks for the ideas!

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

You are so welcome! Thank you for watching Derwood ❤️❤️❤️

You could probably use a varnish after first applying a fixative. But the wax should work 🤞

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thanks Lola ❤️❤️

That turned out beautifully! I haven’t done mine yet but now I have a little more inspiration. 😊 I would probably do it when I’m done with the sketchbook but that may only be because I’ve finished 2 and have one left. That could change though. 😅 Thanks for sharing!

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much CharMac! Xx

I looove decorating sketchbook covers 🥰 I'll definitely try the watercolor ground with the etchr sketchbook but I don't have any kind if fixative so if anyone has a suggestion please share 😊

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing E4! 😂😂 it’s certainly something I hadn’t fully appreciated before x

I love the colors you used for the cover and the flowers on the inner pages are beautiful! I purchased two books - both hot and cold press - and I ended up decorating the cold press book (the one I use the most) in the middle of my sketches when I noticed it was getting dingy/dirty. Otherwise, I probably would have left it white. If I purchase the books again, I think I will definitely paint the covers first.

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching and your kind words Angela! I did the same but I am starting to lean towards the idea of painting them before I start next time x x

I got this sketchbook for the first time last year, as I was using it, being white fabric it was getting a little grubby and felt it needed decorating. I think being white fabric, you are supposed to paint it perhaps. I didn’t think to gesso it, I just painted straight onto the material. I also used acrylic inks as I thought it would go down easier than heavy body acrylics, and being acrylic, it wont ruin. For the design, I wet the fabric and bled different shades of yellow, greens and blues and let them all bleed into each other and I am happy with the results, it makes the sketchbook stand out and become more personal. I also didn’t seal it and several months later of regular use, the cover still looks great.

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing Kelly! It’s great to know you can get great results without gesso / varnish x

I decorated the cover of my etchr sketchbook. I got really brave and put 2 - 3 coats of gesso. I then put down a layer of acrylic paint. I drew my design on the front and back cover. I then used oil paints to paint my design. I am also putting 2-3 coats of gesso on each page and using oil paints. I also have the Perfect sketchbook that I am using oil paints in as well. These are my first attempts of using a sketchbook since I was a kid.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

That's a great idea! Super brave with the oils! How is it working out? I love the Etchr Sketchbooks and I’m an ambassador lol … that being said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that if you’re not after the 100% cotton paper finish, there are cheaper watercolour / mixed media sketchbooks that would hold up just as well as the Etchr with the coats of gesso ( Pink Pig, Seawhite of Brighton, Moleskine Hahnemuhle etc come to mind ) That being said if you enjoy the sketchbooks and they are working for you, that’s great xx

Thanks for the video, I soo want to do the cover of mine, just didn’t know where to start. Very helpful! Going to give it a go.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Good luck! Thank you for watching x

Loved watching this! I think i would probably do the cover after using the book for a few times. I loved the blue and the whire fliwers were gorgeous! Flowers are my thing too and i really want to get better at painting them! Thanks for a great video! Susan in Az❤️🏜️

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for watching and your kind words Susan! Good luck with the flower paintings x

Pva seals everything! They use it to seal walls before plastering walls lol and water sealing brickwork. Hehe don’t have an etchr sadly but thanks for the tips as I have another canvas covered one I haven’t done anything with yet.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Great point! Thank you Julianne x

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Good luck with your cover! Xx

I would have to decorate before I started the sketchbook! Thank you for sharing ❤😊

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

You are so welcome! Thank you for watching Jeanette x

Beautiful! I would probably try to decorate it but not set myself ant time limits (before, during or after). Looking forward to see how the watercolor ground/watercolor works as that would probably be what I would use. Thanks.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you! 😊 xx

The final result looks really good! Yeah I like it as is and without the flowers :P Actually since it’s a cloth cover…. I wonder how it’ll perform if you use fabric paint… With the grain from the cover definitely a thicker medium like acrylic would perform better! I think if you don’t mind the texture… Maybe alcohol inks or fabric dye would work great…. Perhaps a cloth sealant like fabric mod podge? But I’ve never tried it myself

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much The Messy Desk! Very good point! Perhaps without gesso the fabric paint would work, though I quite like the acrylics Modpodge is a great idea! Thank you x

I really hate how dirty the covers get so, I do it ahead of time. I just plop lots of watercolor on them and let it mix about and that's it. I've tried acrylic paint but, I'm not too fond of the plastic feel of acrylic and I don't want my sketchbook to be shiny either. I've never really had an issue with just watercolor and not sealing. It holds up great. I just ordered the 6" square. Thanks for the discount! I can't wait, it's the perfect little sketchbook.

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing Linna! It’s useful to know watercolour holds up well! Xx

Empty covers are good for expressing one's creative liberty, without the need to always do some fancy artwork on them, I find them stimulating creativity. Thank you for upload, pretty hair lady😊😊

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

I totally agree! Thanks John x

It came out soooo cool!! But yes wow I loved the white flowers, too. ❤❤❤

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thanks so much Maggie ❤️❤️❤️❤️ can I just say, I miss your videos x x 😊

@CreatingCuteArt

5 ай бұрын

@@SketchesnScrubs I miss YOU!!! I wish we could have a zoom catch up. Last time I got in trouble for laughing too loud in the office hallway! :)

Wow! New sketchbook, Etcher I’m not sure that’s the one I have. Amazing to see painting of cover, I would never thought of doing that! Will I try it, not sure! Do I need to purchase more??I would like to use what I have, and I have a Lot! White Gesso , acrylic ink and PVA glue , things I don’t have😵‍💫Love your classes and I’ve learned so much in the past two years! Karen Dirmish, learner! 9:08

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Hey Karen! It’s always so lovely to read your comments ❤️❤️❤️ I hope you enjoy decorating your own cover and are having a lovely creative week xx

this is stunning, I loved decorating my sketchbook ☺☺☺

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 😀 xx

Ok this is waay too late but I finally tried the watercolor ground on the cover, it's fun but I wouldn't recommended 😅 mostly because the ground on the canvas cover feels sooo much like when you touch a concrete, it doesn't really feel nice in comparison to the canvas cover

@SketchesnScrubs

5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the tip! Xx

Omg, I just did a search on YT for this topic yesterday! Cause I have the white one & its starting to look a little dingy 😅

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

I’m glad it came in handy Deeh! ❤️ I’ll experiment with watercolour too and see how that goes /what works x x

And I'd prefer to do the cover before, but i could see how the idea of doing it mid way through would happen to lol

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

😂😂 thank you for watching and for sharing Mishayx ❤️

I would decorate it before I started to help me break it in.

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

That’s a great idea Katie ❤️

Nice job! Do you think clear gesso could work as a sealant?

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

It should! Xx

I wonder if you do use a water collar ground , do you still have to use the gesso underneath?

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

I’m going to try it and make a part 2 x

I would not decorate the cover of my sketchbooks/journals. I like them as they are. Part of their charm and enticement is to look at the original cover. What was that wax that you mentioned?

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing. Dorlands Wax , protects water soluble mediums x

I may have missed this, but the sketchbook came with gesso already on it?

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

I don’t think there’s any gesso on the cover, it just feels like cotton canvas x

I did decorate the only one I have. I used Acrylic Inks. Did a few shapes. In all honesty, I did not care for that sketchbook.

Would decorate it the moment it got dirty

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

😂😂 guess that’s what I did 🤣😂😅

I cannot find the new square Etchr anywhere in the US yet.

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

I think they are only on the Etchr site for now. If you do get them from Etchrs site and use the code SKETCHES10 - you’ll get 10% off x

@ShariArts

6 ай бұрын

Thanks I got them there and used your code!

Hello. Does 230gsm handle big washes well please? I am considering getting the everyday ones rather than the perfect sketchbook because of the lower price but fear the everyday sketchbook will buckle… Also, is there a discount code of yours I can use on Jackson’s to buy an Etchr (UK based). Many thanks!

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

Hey Peter! Thank you for watching, they do take a good amount of water (though not as much as the 300gsm) without buckling. I share a quick flipthrough in this video at 21minutes and 25 seconds you can see some of the more water heavy paintings I did with light warping: kzread.info/dash/bejne/eZyC1NyzcqyTktI.htmlsi=nVT4fs0uqKbZR8d- In this video I paint with them again & show the pages close up: kzread.info/dash/bejne/hoSnl9t_eNm_fKg.htmlsi=PTI6vdNjupOEeURd I also tape the edges doown when doing big washes. Hope this helps. If you do buy them from Etchr & use the code SKETCHES10 you will get 10% off. 🎨 Etchr Lab Site bit.ly/3OLQ6lq 🎨 Etchr brand on Jackson’s : bit.ly/3Q2RiA1 (Currently on sale on Jackson's too so you have great timing) Hope this helps and that you have a wonderful time painting xx

Love the abstract blues! Which PVA did you use? I thought most PVA wasn't waterproof and could become sticky again if it got wet enough? 🫠

@SketchesnScrubs

6 ай бұрын

I just used a random brands from Amazon 👀😂 time will tell. I tried rewettkng it once dry and soo far it’s holding strong x