Peerless Watercolors Workbook Tutorial

Peerless Transparent Watercolors have been around since 1885 and we are loving rediscovering them.  Charles F. Nicholson developed the self-blending line of watercolors in sheet form.  After 122 years, they are still a favorite amoung professional colorists.  We love the way they are in a leaflet dry form and that they are transportable, cuttable and so beautiful in vibrancy.

Not too long ago we viewed a video where Jane Davenport illustrated how she has created a journal for travelling with her watercolors.  We thought that was a fantastic idea.  So using Jane's tutorial as the basis for our travel paint pallette, Janae put a few twists on it and below is the tutorial of Janae's Peerless Watercolor Travel Journal.

I fell in love with Graphic45's Bird Song Collection,
so that was my choice for a colorful  cover to my
Travel Peerless Pallet

You will need 3 pieces of 8.5" x 11"
Black Cardstock 

• Take 1 piece and score at 3/8" down each side turn your black paper to a 90 degree angle and score at 2", 2 5/8", 6 1/2", 7 1/8" and 10 1/2 " .

• Cut and remove the corner pieces where your score lines intersect and apply double stick tape.  
• Crease your paper on the 3 edge score lines and gently fold adhering them down.  Now I really burnish using my bone folder.  Do this on the inside, so you you won't mar the outside of the cover. 

You should now have your base piece and it should look something like this:

• Cut a piece of black cardstock 2 1/4" by 7" . (Saving the scrap for later)
• Using my score board, I scored at 3/8", 3/4", 1 1/8", 1 1/2", 1 7/8" and finally 2 1/4". 

• Cut this piece in two, leaving you with two scored pieces  3 1/2" by 2 1/4".  Fold in mountain, valley, mountain, valley, mountain.  Set these two pieces aside. 

Contructing the Peerless Watercolor Pocket

• Using your third piece of black card stock, cut at 9 3/4". Leaving you with a piece 8 1/2" by 9 3/4". Placing the long edge at the top of your score board, score at 1/2", 1", 8 3/4" and 9 1/4".

• Turn 90 degrees.With shorter edge across the top of the score board. Score at 1/2", 4", 4 1/2" and 8"Turn your paper 90 degrees. You should have two score lines going down either side with one score line across the top.

• On both sides cut away the side flaps, they should measure 1" wide by 4" tall.

Fold all score lines in.  

Fold down and tape the top and bottom edges and burnish well with bone folder. 

Then cut the other side of the tabs.

Apply tape to the 1" by 1/2" tabs and the 

side flaps (only on the most outer 1/2" edge). 

Remove liner from the 1" tabs and adhere them to the 

side panel, being careful to line everything up well.  

Then remove the liner from the side flaps and 

adhere them to the back of your pocket. 

You should have something that looks like this. 

• Take the scrap piece from earlier and cut it to 7 5/8" by 3 7/8".  Score the long edge at 1/2". Fold this and adhere down.  This will add a divider and strength to the expander pocket.  

• Also, you will need a scrap that measures 1" by 7 3/4".  Scored lengthwise.  (This will forevermore be called the "L" piece)

Ok!  Lets put this puppy together now!.  

• Collect your first "base" piece, the two side accordion shaped pieces, the divider and your "Peerless" pocket.  (And that long "L" piece)

Oooh, look at this nastiness!!

That is better!  Neatness counts!

   
Apply tape to the outer flaps on both accordian pieces. Adhere them as close to the outer edge and close to the bottom of the back panel.  Make sense??  ( if you count your horizontal score lines down from the top, you want these two side accordian pieces to sit just on top of score line #3.  This will leave about a 1/4" down from score line #2)



Now remove the liner tape and adhere in the middle divider of the accordian pieces, with the top fold towards the back and nestled down towards the bottom of the accordian piece. Press in place.  

Divider in place

Remove the two side liner pieces and place the "Peerless" pocket, lining up the edges.

This is where the "L" piece comes in.  Place your score tape in the track of the bottom edge score lines.  

• Place score tape on one edge of the "L" piece and with the fold towards the back, adhere this to to bottom of the "Peerless" pocket.  
• Now, remove the liner from the last piece of tape in the bottom track.  
• While holding the "L" piece folded against the bottom of the pocket, pivot the entire piece forward and tightly, adhering to the tape.  

And there you have it!.  Ready to embellish!  I added a pocket to the inside front flap and to the front of the pocket. 

I have designed this to allow for a blender pen to be stored in the top fold.  To be honest the ribbon seemed like a good idea, but it is a bit of a bear to get the pen in and out and not tear at the ribbon, you may come up with a better plan.  I have thought of another L piece, creating another pocket, but this may interfere with getting the Peerless Watercolor Book in and out.  

So let me know what you come up with and please any feed back and photos of your creations is welcomed.  Have fun. 

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Then I was thinking ...  These Peerless Watercolors can be even more portable!  Something to carry with us, or to hand out in church, to keep the little ones quiet, to color our doodles and Zentangles.  So here is another little book. 

Using the Cut Files
From Black Cardstock - using your Silhouette

• Cut the Window Frame  - 2
• Back of Window Frame - 2
• Pocket for inside of front/back cover - 2

From the White Cardstock (1 sheet)

• Print the  Window pane layout sheets and the Peerless Watercolor name plates
• Then cut out with the Silhouette

Also you will need to cut a piece of

• Black Cardstock - 6.5 x 5.5 (see scoring instructions below)
• and another piece of black cardstock 3/4" x 5.5

• Score the larger piece of black by placing the long edge (6.5) at the top horizontal edge of the score board
• Score at 1/4 of an inch then every 1/2" until you are left with 1/4"
• Score the long narrow piece at 3/8" down the length of the 5.5" 
• Cut one piece of Clear Acetate 4.5 x 5.5
• With 1/4" scor tape adhere the long narrow black strip to one edge of the clear acetate. Sandwiching the acetate. This isn't manditory, but adds a nice element of strength to the center page of our book. 

• Folding three edges of the back of our window pages.  Adhere these to the front 'window pane' of the card using the 1/4" scor tape. (Note: the bottom edge of the front of the card is a bit thicker than the top edge) These tabs on 3 sides are about 1/2 inch wide, so you could used the 1/2  scor tape, but I like to use 1/4" and position it about 1/16" from the folded edges. This gives a little expansion room inside the page. Which helps lessen the stress to the page over long term usage. 

• Fold all the scored lines on the hinge piece. Tape as shown in photo. Or if it would help, number your panels 1 thru 14.   Apply tape to 3 and 4, 7 and 8, 11 and 12.  These are the "grooves" that your pages will be adhered to.  Removing the tape from panel 4, line your first page with the window panes facing to the right (or to the middle of the book) Taking extra care to fit this page tightly into the fold line, but not covering the fold line.  Press in place, then remove the tape from panel 3 and secure this to the back of the page. 

• Next you will repeat this with the tape on panel 8 and position the acetate page, once again, taking extra care with the placement.  Once in place, remove the tape from panel 7.  Repeat for the third page 

• Now, you can tape the back side of the hinges with tape in each fold and press.  This is a good time to make sure everything lines up and is in proper placement.  Since this is only a 3 page book, any sloppiness would be glaring, so take your bone folder and really seal all taped joints and hinges.

• Cut two pieces of chip board at 5 inches by 6 inches and one piece at 3/4 of an inch by 6. 

• At this point you can cover your chip board pieces how ever you wish.  I will try to explain, in an abbreviated version. 

• I lay my cover stock face down in front of me.12" wide and 7 inches tall. Using my Score Pal, place my cover stock horizontally and score from the left edge at 1/2", 5 1/2", 5 5/8", 6 3/8", 6 1/2" and 11 1/2". Turn 90 degrees and from the top, score at 1/2" and 6 1/2".  Using my scor tape, I secure the center spine of the book using the 3/4" wide piece of chip board.  Then adhere the two pieces of chipboard for the front and back covers. 

• I use the scor tape pretty liberally, but prefer this method to any wet glue.  It just makes a secure bond without any buckling or rippling of the paper.  The only problem is once its down, it is down, so take your time. 

• Wrap the 1/2" edging around to the inside and miter those corners. Very gently I eased the creases on either side of the spine. Just gently back and forth with the side of my bone folder, trying to stretch the paper fibers and not cause a nasty rip, which just crushes me whenever this happens.  Usually because I get too excited to be nearing the final stage.  And closer to the embellishment time.  then the inside of the front and back cover I tape a coordinating cardstock (apx 5 3/4" tall by 4 3/4" wide) by and using tape around the edges AND down the middle too, if you are going to adhere pockets to the inside.  I then covered the inside of the spine with black cardstock measuring 2 1/2" by 6".  Once again I worked those creases down the sides of the spine with the side of my bone folder.  

• Adhere your page and hinge piece down with glue or scor tape and adhere your inside pockets.  

Embellish at will. :)

Apply Score tape to the inside of the top and
bottom edges.  Turn your work over.