Ninth Wave Designs

Cutting Corners: Moleskine / Battlestar Galactica Hack

I made a customized Cahier for a friend who is off to college for the first time.  He was kind enough to lend me Battlestar Galactica Season One and Season 2.0 on DVD to watch, so I was inspired by the stylized effect of the books in the show to create this Moleskine / Battlestar Galactica hack.  It is quite literally a hack, in that all I did was cut off the corners of a pocket and large size black squared Cahier using an X- Acto knife.  I added a sticker I made from a promo image from the show featuring the BG logo.

The use of cut corners throughout the BSG world is an interesting stylistic effect, being employed for all forms of paper, print media, picture frames, computer screens - you name it.  My friend is studying computer game programming, so I thought this Moleskine hack would give him some extra geek cred among the other programmers at his school, or at least provide a conversation starter.  Hopefully he will think of me when Season 2.5 becomes available too!

UPDATE 9/27/06:  Someone has recommended this post on the Frak Party blog, for possible party favors for your BSG season 3 launch party.  The rollover in the blog banner is worth the visit alone, but also be sure to see how to host your own Frak Party on the main website HERE.

Update: Moleskine Large Sketchbook/Storyboard Hack

Dennis Leonardo (aka diong) creator of the blog Objects & Pixels has put the new NWD Large Moleskine Sketchbook/Storyboard Template to work. In his recent blog entry "No More Big Burrito Before Bedtime" he has posted images from his large Moleskine sketchbook where he used the storyboard template to create a sequence of drawings.  You can see the results of his work HERE in his mini-gallery that is part of his blog, or click on the image to the left.

Email me (using the link in the side bar) if you come across other examples of the NWD Storyboard Template hack in action.

Thanks Dennis!

Moleskine Hack: Turn a Large Sketchbook into a Storyboard Notebook.

I have a friend who recently began working on an animation project, so naturally I gave her a Moleskine Pocket sized Storyboard notebook.  Her immediate response was, "This is a fabulous idea, do they make them in the large size?"   I have been asked this many times by customers ever since Moleskine started offering the pocket size Storyboard Notebook, and for now it seems the answer is no.  Most of the page styles are available in both the large (5¼"x 8¼" / 13 x 21 CM) and the pocket (3½" x 5½" / 9 x 14 CM) sizes, but perhaps because the Storyboard format is so specialized it is only available in the pocket size.

I decided then that a template was in order, and so after constructing one in Adobe Illustrator I was able to transform a Large Moleskine Sketchbook into a Large Moleskine Storyboard notebook with very little effort.  My animator friend is happy now, with a larger cell size and page format to make more detailed storyboard sketches to work from.  I am making this template available as a PDF file through the Ninth Wave Designs blog, so you too can transform a large sketchbook into a large storyboard notebook, and be the envy of all your friends!

Here's what you will need:

1. One (or more) Large Moleskine Sketchbook - you can buy them online HERE (thank you very much!).
2. A printed version of the Moleskine Hack Template which you can access and print HERE.  You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to access this file.
3. A pair of sharp scissors, or even better, an X-acto knife and ruler to cut out the template.
4. A fine point pen of your choice - I recommend a Pigma Micron .005 or .01 point for a very fine line, or a fine point mechanical pencil (if you don't plan on erasing your storyboard sketch).

The Moleskine Hack Template: Click the image
to access the PDF file.

Once you get your template printed onto cardstock and cut out it is easy to add the storyboard cells to the sketchbook pages.  First you line up the template along the inside spine of the sketchbook and along the bottom of the page.  Hold it in place while drawing the outlines of the cells. Center lines are available on the template if you would like to mark them on your cells. You can add cells to as many or as few pages as you like, making for a customized storyboard notebook layout with the possibility of other full page drawings located throughout the notebook.  You can store the template inside the notebook between unused pages or inside the back cover and the elastic band around the notebook will ensure that it doesn't fall out between uses.  And if you do loose it or it gets bent or wears out  you can just as easily print out another one.

The storyboard format is handy for more than just planning animation or film layouts.  Print out one of these templates to keep on hand with your Moleskine Large Sketchbook or Classic Plain Notebook for whenever the mood strikes to make a series of sequential drawings, a comic strip, panel cartoons, or just tidy little boxes on the pages to fill with whatever imagery or information suits your needs.

Have fun with the template and let me know how it works for you.  Email or leave a comment if you have suggestions for improvements or additional template formats.

You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to access the template file.  You can download the newest version from the Adobe website HERE.

UPDATE: Be sure to also see this post HERE with examples of the hack template in action.

Technorati Tag: moleskine hacks