A Custom Set of Watercolor Books

I was recently commissioned by Holly to create a set of five custom watercolor books. I always love when friends, family, or followers reach out for custom work. It’s the ultimate pleasure to make somebody’s idea come to life.

Making Watercolor Books

For this custom set, Holly and I first discussed what she was looking for—a necessary first step with any custom endeavor. She was clear she wanted five books, all with watercolor paper, but gave me a lot of leeway to choose what type of cover papers to use. I always aim to please, so with some more input from Holly, I selected a set of cohesive printed papers that fell in line with the color scheme Holly was aiming for—lots of pinks, blues, and purples.

*Faux deckled edges, created by tearing apart the watercolor paper.*

I love using watercolor paper in my bookbinding practice. It’s thick and rigid, which makes for a sturdy book that also feels hefty in your hands. More than that, I am obsessed with how beautiful the edges of torn watercolor paper look. All of the watercolor books I’ve made have included a soft deckled edge, because I just can’t resist. Deckled edges offer character and intrigue to a book and, in my opinion, makes a book look timeless.

This set of five watercolor books was no different. I started by first making the deckled edges, then cutting down the paper to the proper size. Next I collated the watercolor paper into signatures. Since watercolor paper is rather thick, I usually only fit one or two watercolor papers per signature, which means watercolor books tend to have an overall lower page count than the writing journals I make. (If you’re interested in learning more about how to make a faux deckled edge, check out this video on my Youtube channel.)

Final Watercolor Book Results

I loved seeing the final watercolor books all lined up together—and so did Holly! There’s something so satisfying about seeing the exposed coptic stitch spines peaking out from a bookshelf. And facing the other way are the soft deckled edges. Check them out below. Of course, if you want your own custom watercolor book, don’t hesitate to reach out!