The Book of Petals: A Handmade Book & Mixed Media Art Class
Taught by Wendy Solganik
who specializes in mixed media art, watercolor and handmade books
What is the Book of Petals?
The Book of Petals is a richly layered mixed media bookmaking class that begins with watercolor, mark making, and a little creative freedom—and ends with a handmade book that feels completely your own.
We’ll begin by painting and making marks on watercolor paper, creating loose, abstract layers without worrying about where any individual page is headed. Then comes the magic: we’ll cut those paintings down into pages, discovering beautiful little compositions and unexpected moments along the way.
From there, we’ll bring in fabric and transform those painted pages into a handmade book. You can construct yours with glue, a sewing machine, or simple hand stitching—whatever feels most comfortable and enjoyable to you.
Finally, we’ll add the details that make these books especially irresistible: words, imagery, beads, bits of vintage jewelry, and other small treasures tucked into the pages and binding.
The result is part book, part painting, part textile piece, and part tiny treasure chest—a tactile, beautifully imperfect object made slowly, layer by layer, with your own two hands.
Make Space for Creativity
No rules. No perfect pages. No need to know where you're going.
Paint. Make marks. Cut things apart. Stitch them back together. Add the treasures you've been saving.
The Book of Petals is an invitation to follow your curiosity and see where it takes you.
There is no “right” way for your book to turn out—and that's exactly the point.
ONE-TIME PAYMENT ($57 USD + tax)
What You’ll Learn in The Book of Petals
The Book of Petals is a step-by-step online workshop that takes you through the entire process of creating your own one-of-a-kind mixed media book—from the very first watercolor marks to the final bead, stitch, and bit of sparkle.
Along the way, you’ll learn how to:
Create loose, abstract watercolor paintings filled with color, marks, and texture
Turn larger painted papers into beautiful, unexpected book pages
Combine watercolor paper and fabric to build your book
Choose between gluing, machine stitching, or hand stitching your pages and signatures
Incorporate beads, vintage jewelry, and other collected treasures
Bring all of those individual elements together into a finished book that feels cohesive, tactile, and completely personal
Who is the Book of Petals for?
You don’t need bookmaking experience, sewing expertise, or a perfectly coordinated collection of supplies. I’ll show you exactly how I approach each stage while leaving plenty of room for you to make different choices and follow your own creative instincts.
By the end, you won’t just understand how I made my Book of Petals—you’ll have created a book that could only have been made by you.
Everything Waiting for You!
Over 90 minutes of step-by-step video instruction, taking you from your first painted papers all the way through assembling and embellishing your finished Book of Petals
A complete supply list so you’ll know exactly what I’m using—and where you can easily substitute materials you already hav
Watercolor, mark making, bookmaking, fabric, and stitching instruction brought together in one beautifully layered project
Options for every comfort level, including ways to construct your book with glue, a sewing machine, or hand stitching
A project you can return to again and again. Once you understand the process, you can make another Book of Petals in completely different colors, fabrics, papers, and collected treasures
Lifetime access to the complete course, so you can watch at your own pace and return whenever inspiration strikes
Lifetime access refers to the lifespan of Willa Workshops and the continued availability of the technology used to deliver the course.
Paint First. Figure It Out Later.
This is where the Book of Petals begins—with color, water, marks, and absolutely no pressure to make a “page.”
We’ll start with larger sheets of watercolor paper and simply play. You’ll layer watercolor, make marks, respond to what’s happening on the page, and build up surfaces filled with color, movement, texture, and beautiful little surprises.
And here’s the best part: you don’t have to worry about creating perfect compositions. These paintings are going to be cut apart.
Once we break those larger paintings down into the pages of our books, something wonderful happens. Tiny compositions emerge that we never could have planned. A brushstroke becomes the edge of a page. A mark suddenly feels important. Colors meet in unexpected ways.
It’s loose. It’s playful. And it’s a wonderful way to make art without needing to know exactly where you’re going.
Learn the Structure. Then Make It Your Own.
Once you learn this ingenious handmade book structure, you may find it hard to stop making them.
The structure at the heart of The Book of Petals was innovated by DJ Pettit, an OG handmade book artist whose creative approach to bookmaking has inspired artists for decades. Once I learned it, I was completely smitten—and I think you will be, too.
What makes this structure so wonderful is that it’s not really one book. It’s a framework for making endlessly different books.
Change the size. Change the paper. Change the palette. Swap watercolor for collage, drawing, printing, or whatever kind of marks you love to make. Reach into your fabric stash. Add stitching—or don’t. Embellish with beads, buttons, charms, vintage jewelry, ribbon, found objects, or those tiny treasures you’ve been saving because you knew someday they would belong somewhere.
Make it quiet and earthy. Make it wildly colorful. Make it tiny and precious or big and exuberant.
Once you understand how the structure comes together, the design possibilities are almost limitless.
The Book of Petals gives you one beautiful way into this form. What you make with it next is entirely up to you.
Same Handmade Book Structure, Different Book Looks!
Ready to Make Your Book of Petals?
Start with a blank sheet of watercolor paper. End with a book you’ll treasure.
Paint it. Cut it. Layer it. Stitch it. Embellish it. Make it completely your own.
I’ll take you through the entire process, step by step—and you can come back to the course whenever you’re ready to make another.
ONE-TIME PAYMENT ($57 USD + tax)
Willa Workshops General FAQs
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There are no refunds on online courses
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You will have “Lifetime” Access to all classes unless otherwise mentioned—"Lifetime" is relevant to the lifespan of the Willa Workshops business (I don't plan on leaving anytime soon!) or the longevity of the technology.
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This class includes captions in English and multiple international languages. If you would like captions in a language not currently provided, please email evan@willawanders.com with your requested language and specific course.
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All Willa Workshops lesson content is prerecorded video. Once your purchase is complete, you will have instant access to the classroom, and are free to work through the content at your own pace
You can access Teachable and watch the lessons in your browser (PC, Mac, Android) or the Teachable app for iOS (recommended for iPhone and iPad)
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No, at least not available as local downloads to your device. The Teachable app for iOS may allow you to download lessons for offline playback.
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No. One student per registration. This is an honor system that if violated will result in your removal from the course with no refund.
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Please do! Always tag @willa.wanders and mention the course in your post description
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Yes! Please keep them for yourself, give them as a gift, or sell them.
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That's a hard no.
There's an endless amount of incredible art tutorial content in every Willa Workshops course. For some creatives, it's tempting to want to use these videos as a well of inspiration for their own creative enterprise, YouTube channel, brand, etc.
Willa Workshops Courses are not sold with permission for anyone to use it in this way--specifically, as a source of inspiration for any one's free how-to social media tutorial content, whether that be on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or any other social media platform.
If you are a creative who loves to share your work with the world, that's wonderful! I love it when participants share their finished projects in photos and videos on social media. Please tag me @willa.wanders, I'd love to support you!
But making how-to videos of yourself while creating from the lesson content or obviously inspired and derivative of Willa Workshops course content, and then posting those tutorials on any free social media platform, will get you banned from Willa Workshops with no refund issued.