Level: Beginner Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 6.3 Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 72.2 Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1-8 Pages and 18 Illustrations Make a Storage Portfolio Follow illustrated instructions to make a unique folder for the storage and preservation of two-dimensional artworks Supplies: roll of wide tape such as duct tape; strong and sharp utility knife; straight edge or long metal-edge ruler; tool for punching a hole in cardboard or matboard; strong string, thin rope or shoelaces (enough to tie the portfolio closed in three places); acid-free cardboard or matboard (usually available in a wide selection of colors at framing and art supply stores); drawing or painting supplies for decorating (optional) This tutorial has four sections: Choose a Portfolio Size Option 1: Use One Large Sheet of Board Option 2: Use Two Sheets of Board Add Ties and Final Touches Choose a Portfolio Size ArtSpeak Storage portfolio: A hard-sided, foldable case in which artists store drawings and sheets of drawing paper to protect them from damage. Portfolio: A hard-sided case in which artists transport and store paintings, drawings, sheets of drawing paper, and/or a collection of their artworks. Acid-free: An archival quality, longlasting paper product that has had the acid removed from the pulp in the paper making process. Your first task is to decide on a size for your portfolio. The finished size needs to be a little larger than your largest sheet of drawing paper. Suggested portfolio sizes (and corresponding cardboard/matboard sizes) include: 20 by 16 in (51 by 41cm): one sheet at least 32 by 20 in (81 by 51 cm) or two pieces at 20 by 16 in (51 by 41cm) each. 30 by 20 in (76 by 51cm): one sheet at least 40 by 30 in (102 by 76 cm) or two pieces at 30 by 20 in (76 by 51cm) each.
2 Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1: Make a Storage Portfolio ArtSpeak As an Aside Tip! Charcoal: A drawing medium made from a burnt organic material such as wood. Charcoal comes in various grades and is available in pencils, powder, and sticks. Collage: An artwork created by affixing a selection of objects (such as photographs, ribbons, and/ or colored papers) to paper, board, or canvas. Duct tape: (also called duck tape) A strong, flexible, fabric-backed sticky tape used for a vast range of artistic, professional, and creative applications. Score: To cut slightly but not sever. Cardboard or matboard should be scored less than halfway into its total thickness. Spray fixative: A transparent aerosol coating that is sprayed onto an artwork to help prevent smudging. This type of portfolio is ideal for storing completed drawings indoors, but not intended for outdoor drawing excursions especially on rainy or snowy days (unless you put it inside a large plastic bag). Option 1: Use One Large Sheet of Board When folded, a large sheet of board makes a slightly stronger portfolio than two small pieces - especially along the bottom. 1. Place your large sheet of board on a level surface with the colored side facing up. If your large sheet of board is too big, you can trim it to 32 by 20 in (81 by 51 cm) or 40 by 30 in (102 by 76 cm). Keep in mind that it needs to be folded in half. 2. Measure the board (colored side up) and mark the center points on the longer sides. Figure 1: If your board is 32 by 20 in (81 by 51 cm), the center points are at 16 in (41 cm). Figure 1 Tip! Certain boards, such as matboard, are colored on one side and white on the other. The colored side that s facing outward in the following illustrations is gray. (If your board is the same color on both sides, ignore any of the following references to color.)
Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1: Make a Storage Portfolio 3 Figure 2: If your board is 40 by 30 in (102 by 76 cm), the center points are at 20 in (51 cm). Figure 2 3. Use a long ruler or straight edge to draw a straight line between the points (Figure 1 and 2). This line down the center of the board will become the bottom of the finished portfolio, and indicates where you will later score the board. 4. Fold wide tape over the edges of all four sides of the large board to add strength (Figure 3). Figure 3 5. Measure and mark small dots at the halfway points of the front and back sides of the portfolio (Figure 4). The dots mark the spots where the ties attach. Each dot needs to be approximately an inch (2.5 cm) in from the edge of the board. Figure 4 Add a dot at the center point of each of the two: top (T) sections. side (1) sections. side (2) sections. Don t mark dots along the line drawn down the center of the board (B). After folding the board, this becomes the bottom of the portfolio.
4 Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1: Make a Storage Portfolio 6. Use a sharp tool to punch small holes where each of the six dots is marked (Figure 5). Figure 5 7. With your knife and a straight edge, cut very slightly along the straight line on the colored side of the board. Be careful not to cut too deeply into the board or you ll have two pieces instead of one scored piece. If you accidentally end up with two pieces, simply skip ahead to Option 2 and follow the instructions for working with two pieces instead of one. Figure 6 8. Turn over the large sheet of board so the colored side is face-down (Figure 6). Figure 7 9. Gently fold the large sheet of board inward along the scored line (Figure 7). The colored side should now be on the outside. 10. Open the portfolio and tape right over the inside center seam. To make this seam super strong, use two strips of tape.
Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1: Make a Storage Portfolio 5 Figure 8 11. With the portfolio closed, fold tape along the scored seam at the bottom to make it stronger (Figure 8). 12. Continue to the Adding Ties and Final Touches section. Option 2: Use Two Sheets of Board 2. Place the boards colored side up so that the two wide, not-taped edges (the bottom of the portfolio) are close together. 1. Reinforce one long edge and both short edges of each board with wide tape (Figure 9). Figure 9 3. Measure, and then mark dots at the halfway distances of the sides and top of each piece of board. These dots show you where to punch holes for the ties. (Don t mark dots on the bottom.) 4. Use a sharp tool to punch holes where the dots are marked. You should end up with three holes on each piece of board. 5. Turn both pieces over so the inside is facing up (Figure 10). Tip! Use a spray fixative to protect artworks rendered with soft mediums (such as charcoal) before you add them to your portfolio. No matter what the medium, you should also place a sheet of inexpensive acid-free paper between each artwork.
6 Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1: Make a Storage Portfolio 6. Place the bottoms of each piece of board tightly together on a flat surface. Figure 10 7. Tape both pieces together on the inside. To make the seam super strong, use two strips of tape. The bottom edges of the boards are now reinforced. 8. Fold the portfolio so the colored sides are on the outside. The holes for ties should line up on the top and sides (Figure 11). Figure 11 Use at least two strips of wide tape to reinforce the bottom edge on the outside. The portfolio is ready for final touches. Tip! Decorating your portfolio and adding ties is totally optional. Before you decide, think about how you plan to use and/or store your portfolio. Keep in mind that portfolios without ties usually lay flat enough to stack on top of one another on a flat surface such as a large shelf. Figure 12 Add Ties and Final Touches Technically, your portfolio is ready to use. However, you may prefer to call on your inner artist to finish off your portfolio by adding ties and decorating either one side or both. 9. Tie a knot on one end of each tie (Figure 12).
Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1: Make a Storage Portfolio 7 Each tie should be approximately 12 to 16 in (30 to 41 cm) long. If you use very long shoelaces, you may get away with using a half for each tie. Figure 13 Plan the cut end of a shoelace to be on the inside of the portfolio to lessen the likelihood of fraying. 10. Thread the unknotted end of a tie through each of the six holes from the inside toward the outside (Figure 13). Figure 14 The knot should be on the inside of the portfolio. If the hole is bigger than the knot, you can tie additional knots on top of the first (so the end won t escape through the hole). 11. Use wide tape to secure the knotted ends of the ties to the inside (Figure 14). Figure 15 12. Close the portfolio. Now this fully-constructed portfolio awaits a spiffy design (Figure 15). Caution! Use a separate portfolio for artworks of different mediums to prevent cross-contamination of media particles. For instance, charcoal drawings and graphite drawings should never be stored together. And remember to always store portfolios flat to lessen the likelihood of particles of medium spreading to other drawings. 13. Add a design or drawing to one or both sides of your portfolio. You can probably think of oodles of ideas: stripes, a detailed design, a drawing, a collage, or a painting of your choice. Refer to Figures 16 to 18 to jump-start your creativity!
8 Drawspace Curriculum 1.1.A1: Make a Storage Portfolio Figure 16 Figure 17 Figure 18