Introduction:
I began this Bullet Journal project for the simple reason that I am left-handed. As a left-hander I find that spiral bound notebooks, three-ring binders, and stitched journals are difficult for me to use because of where my writing hand falls on the page. My writing hand always right on top of the spiral wire, binder rings, or on the raised area of the stitching.
Because of this I prefer a top-bound notebook or journal or loose pages that are later added to a three-ring binder. This places the binding area of the journal out-of-the-way of my hand.
Instead of buying a Bullet Journal that I would never use because it would be uncomfortable, I decided to make my own leather, top-bound journal. Making my own meant that I also had the fun of working a pyrography pattern on the front cover.
The journal is bound with a very simple lacing pattern that can be opened to remove and refill the journal cover for long-term use. The paper pages, printed using my home computer printer, are laced to the back cover only, which allows the front cover to be fully opened and even rolled over to the back of the journal during use.
My finished journal is a small-sized booklet, measuring 6 1/2” wide by 8 1/2” high, perfect to fit into the outside pocket of my purse. Now that this one if finished I plan to have fun creating a full-sized journal for my desk.
Supplies:
2 pc – 6 1/2” x 8”, 7 to 8 ounce, vegetable dyed leather
1 pc – 6 1/2” x 3”, 7 to 8 ounce vegetable dyed leather
Self-healing cutting mat
Rotary cutter
large, transparent quilting ruler
Pan of clean water
Clean kitchen-style sponge
Leather edge beveler
3/16” leather hole punch
dark brown synthetic leather sewing thread
waxed linen rug thread
2 – 1/8” bamboo kitchen skewers
Graphite tracing paper
Variable temperature wood burning unit
Loop-tip or ball-tip pen
Spear shading pen
Sharp-point, curved shading pen
White artist eraser
Fine-grit emery cloth or honing strop
Artist quality colored pencils – titanium white, carbon black, medium cadmium yellow, pale rust, medium cadmium orange, yellow-green medium, olive-green
Assorted nail polish – several shades of pink, red, or rust
Matte acrylic spray sealer
Bullet journal papers – 6” x 7 1/2”
Click on any image for a full-sized, large photo.
Preparation Steps:
Use vegetable-tanned leather only for your pyrography projects. Dyed leathers and synthetic leathers contain chemicals that may be harmful during the burning process.
I used 7 – 8 ounce leather for my journal cover. You can use thinner leathers, as 4 – 5 ounce. To give your journal extra strength when using thinner leathers you may wish to add a cardboard chipboard layer behind your printed pages, cut to fit the size of the pages.
1. Measure and cut two leather pieces, measuring 6 1/2” wide by 8” long – one for the front and one for the back covers. For easy and accurate cutting use a self-healing mat board, a quilting rotary cutter, and a transparent ruler.
2. Cut one leather piece 6 1/2” wide by 3” high for the top cover joining piece.
3. On the raw hide side, reverse side, of the leather front, measure 1/2” from the top edge and mark a pencil line. Measure 3/4” from one side of the cover, along the previous line, and mark with a dot. Measure 3/4” from the opposites side and mark a dot. Measure 3 1/4” from one side, and mark a dot.
4. Use a 3/16” or 1/4” leather hole punch and wood mallet, and working from the raw hide side, punch one at each marked point along the top edge line. This creates your three lacing holes in your leather front.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to create lacing holes on the top edge of the back cover and on both edges of the 3” joining piece.
Tracing the Pattern:
Print a copy of the Greenman pattern, found on the last page of this free Lora S. Irish pyrography tutorial project.
Center the pattern to the left, right, and bottom edge of your leather cover. This allows excess space at the top of the cover for your bamboo skewer and waxed thread lacing. Use a small piece of painter’s tape to secure the pattern onto the leather.
Using graphite paper under your pattern, trace along the pattern lines using a light to medium pressure. Remove the graphite paper and pattern.
Outline the Pattern:
Using a loop-tip or ball-tip pen, and a medium heat setting, outline the pattern lines of the design.
A ball-tip pen will create an extremely even, uniform line that does not vary in thickness as you move through the curves of your pattern. The loop-tip creates a thick and thin effect that can add interest to a simple outline burning.
Remove the Graphite Lines:
Using a white artist’s eraser, remove all of the graphite lines from the front of your leather cover. With a dry, clean cloth remove the eraser dust.
Note: School and office erasers are often dyed with bright colors. That dye can transfer to your work, whether you are burning leather, wood, or paper. Using a white, un-dyed, eraser avoids the chance of dye transfer.
Dark Fill the Open Spaces:
On a medium-high temperature setting, and using either your loop-tip or ball-tip pen, fill in the open spaces inside of the design. This includes the holes surrounding the leaves, the eye pupils, and the nostrils.
Shading the Background:
With a soft #4 to #8 pencil and a ruler, mark a guideline 1/2” from both sides and the bottom of your leather cover. Use a very gentle pressure.
Turn down the temperature setting on your burning unit to a medium heat. Using either the loop-tip or ball-tip pen and a tight scrubbie stroke fill in the background areas of the design. Lighten your burning strokes as you near the guidelines.
Stop the scrubbie strokes at the guidelines to allow a border of unburned leather around your Greenman.
Second Layer of Background Fill:
Work a second layer of background scrubbie stroke to give your burning a richly toned gradient. Use the same temperature setting and pen tip as you used in step 5, allowing the coloring to develop with the increase in burned lines.
Detailing the Mustache and Beard:
Using a crisp-edged pen tip, as a curved or straight shading tip, and a medium-hot temperature setting, add the detailing to the facial hair, eyebrows, and the soft downy feather areas. Work this step using the crisp, sharp edge of the pen. Allow the pen to create both medium and dark tones as you pull each line.
Tonal values can be changed and controlled by how long you allow the pen tip to touch an area of your burning. When burning a hair strand you can hesitate for just a moment before pulling through the line. This will cause the beginning of the line, the point of hesitation, to burn darker than the rest of the line.
Adding Eye Coloration:
Using the side of the shader pen, and a very light touch to the leather, fill in the iris areas of the eye to a pale-medium tonal value.
Use the edge of the shader pen to darkly strengthen the lines surrounding the eyes, the top of the mustache and beard, and the lower half of the eyebrows.
Shading the Face:
Turn your burning unit’s temperature setting down slightly to a medium heat. Using the side of the shader pen add the shading to the face with long, slow pulled strokes.
The shading falls along both sides and the bottom of the nose, on the inside corners – nearest the nose – of the cheeks, and along the bottom of the eye pad under the eyebrows. You can also add shading to the top of the mustache and beard.
Shading the Leaves in a Pale Tone:
Following the photo below, shade in the background leaves with a pale-medium tonal value, using the side of the shader pen. Make the areas that are deeply tucked under the face or under another leaf fairly solid in tonal fill. Allow some un-burned areas in each leaf as it reaches the outer edges of the pattern.
You can use either a scrubbie stroke or cross-hatching stroke for this step.
Second Leaf Shading Layer:
Turn your temperature setting up slightly and repeat step 10 to give further color depth to the leaves.
Using your shader on the crisp edge, burn in the leaf vein lines. Outline with the shader pen along the leaf edges where necessary to visually separate one leaf from another. Do not completely re-outline the entire leaf. Only work those areas that need strengthening.
Detailing the Feathers:
Using a medium temperature setting and a shader tip, worked on the crisp edge, burn thin, tightly packed lines in the feathers.
Final Detailing:
On a high temperature setting and using the pen tip that gives you the greatest control over your line work, detail any pattern lines that need strengthening. Do not completely re-burn the outlines. Instead add extra dark line accents where ever the design is not clear or could use more emphasis.
Check you Burning:
Take time to view your burning as one complete finished design. Re-work any area that seems weak or may need just a bit more attention. The burning steps are complete and if you do not intend to add color to your work, give your leather cover two to three very light coats of brush-on stain leather sealer. Allow to dry before going to the lacing steps.
If you have enjoyed creating your own leather pyrography bullet journal and looking for more great ideas, please check out our E-Project at ArtDesignsStudio.com.
Colored Pencil Portraits, Adult Coloring
Adding Red Colored Pencil:
Sharpen a medium red or brick-red artist quality colored pencil. Using light pressure work several layers of red to a few of the background leaves. Follow the photo for placement.
You want even, but light coverage. You can always add more colored pencil work to intensify an area as the overall coloring develops.
Working with Cadmium Yellow Colored Pencil:
Use a medium cadmium yellow pencil to the remaining areas in the leaves. Work several light coats to create an even coverage.
Working the Leaves with Olive Green:
Add two or three light coats of light or medium olive-green colored pencil over all of the leaves. This will blend the red and yellow areas into an even transition throughout the leaf.
Add several light coats of olive-green the to face of your Greenman.
Adding Red to the Eyes and Mouth:
Return to your medium red and work several light coats to the lower eye lids and the lip of your Greenman.
During this step I added several more coats of medium red to the leaves where they touch the face or are tucked deeply behind other leaves.
If you have enjoyed creating your own leather pyrography bullet journal and looking for more great ideas, please check out our Adult Coloring, Pyrography, and Carving Patterns Package at ArtDesignsStudio.com.
Titanium White Colored Pencil:
Use a titanium white colored pencil to bright the outer edges of the feathers, the eyebrows, and the tips of the mustache and beard. Whiten the eye area outside of the pupil.
Using either acrylic craft paint or nail polish, and a toothpick, create a few clusters of small berries throughout the design. Place a small puddle of each color on a piece of tin foil. Dip the end of the toothpick in the color, then touch the toothpick to the leather. Work one color at a time. Allow these colors to dry thoroughly.
Brush two to three light coats of satin leather sealer to your leather cover.
Lacing Your Leather Bullet Journal:
Introduction:
This journal uses three leather pieces to create the entire journal cover.
The front, pyro-burned, cover is laced to the center 3” wide joining leather piece.
The back and the printer journal pages are joined to the opposite side of the 3” wide joining piece.
A bamboo skewer is used on both sides of the lacing to add strength to joined areas.
These style of lacing allows you to fully open the cover to have easy access to the journal pages.
Supplies for Lacing the Cover:
To join the front cover to the leather joining piece you will need one bamboo skewer cut to the width of the leather cover and about 2 yards of waxed linen thread. You can also use thin twine, 1/8” leather cording, or heavy weight crochet cotton.
Working the Threading Pattern:
Place one side of the joining piece under the top of the front cover, as shown below, with both pieces tanned side up.
Fold the waxed linen thread in half and place the center fold over the center of the bamboo skewer. Wrap one side of the thread over the skewer two times. This will give you three wraps – loops – over the skewer.
Thread both ends of the waxed linen thread through both center holes of the two leather pieces. Both threads will be on the back side of the leather.
Work one side of the waxed thread at a time. Bring one end of one of the threads from the back through one side hole in both leather pieces to the front of the cover.
Wrap this thread three times over the bamboo skewer. Pull the thread tight to secure the skewer against the leather cover.
Lace the end of the waxed thread back through the side hole of both leather pieces, returning the thread to the back side of the leather.
Repeat this process for the second, unworked, waxed linen thread on the opposite side of the leather journal.
Tying the Lacing Bow:
Bring both waxed linen thread ends to the front by lacing them through the center hole. Lace one above the bamboo skewer and one below. Use a simple shoe string bow to tie the threads together. Clip the excess waxed thread to about 3” long.
Lacing the Back Cover:
Print and crop your paper journal pages. Cut the holes using a paper hole punch.
Position your stack of journal pages on top of the inside of the back cover, aligning the holes in the paper with the holes in the back cover.
Repeat the lacing steps to secure the back cover to the joining piece. As you lace the back cover to the journal work through all three layers – the center top joining piece, the back cover, and the journal pages stack.
When you are ready for a new stack of journal pages simply untie your waxed linen threads and remove them from journal back. Add your new pages and re-lace using the same waxed linen thread.
Printing your Pattern and Bullet Journal Pages:
Click on the images below. Each image will open in a new browser tab at full size.
Place your mouse over the image and right-hand click. A menu will pop-up. Select “save” or “save as” from the menu. Save the images to your desktop where they will be easy to find later.
Full Sized Pyrography Pattern
Small Bullet Journal Printable Page
Large Bullet Journal Printable Page
Visit Amazon.com for your copy of Lora S. Irish’s
Art of Leather Burning
