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Hand-Painted Notebooks — Craft, colour and character

Zoe Stallard, 17 July 202524 September 2025

End of year teacher notebooks

I recently finished a small batch of 9 custom painted notebooks — I love making these notebooks as I feel they bring together everything I love within my art: personalisation, colour, and the small details.

When I first started making these it was a little trial and error to find the nicest surface to paint on. Choosing a good quality blank notebook with smooth pages, ready to paint on without bleeding or warping. Then comes the fun bit: sketching designs out (on paper first) then transferring across to the notebook – as the notebooks have a vegan leather cover any mistakes in the design cannot be erased as it indents slightly so I found transferring the design across using transfer paper to be the best approach. I use acrylic paint to ensure bold, opaque colour; and in previous books I’ve used metallic paints for some finishing touches. I love how every notebook ends up with its own unique personality even if the basis on the design is very similar.

I’m now offering these in my shop — they make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves a little handmade magic in the things we use every day! Sketchbooks, dot page journals or other alternatives can be sourced if you have a specific idea in mind do get in touch — custom orders welcome!

Thank you for being part of the journey!

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