Wanderings in the Labyrinth

A Maker’s Grimoire

The purpose of A Maker’s Grimoire is to provide a set of easy links to simple projects and ideas for projects that I can do (or that you, the reader, can do) to help people become makers and creators of things.

The idea is that the projects in the Grimoire are listed in the order that I’ve done them, or at least thought about them; and there are going to be four sections of it — the projects I’ve done, personally; the projects I’ve done with students individually; projects for groups of students; and the projects that other people have done that I think warrant inclusion in the Maker’s Grimoire.

The idea comes from the word Grimoire, meaning a magical textbook, which itself comes from the word “grammar” meaning an explanation of the basics, which comes from the Greek word “Γραμμα”, meaning ‘line’, as in a drawn line, or a shaping.  And it seems to me that gradually building up a grimoire of ‘spells’ or activities that gradually enchant students into being makers and creators is a useful way to build up the repertoire of design lab activities….

Part One: Personal Projects

• The Cardboard Codex — how to make a cardboard-covered book in fifteen minutes.
• The Ancient Fortress - how to draw and design a medieval fortress. (Available Oct. 3, 2012)
• Visual Journaling — How to set up journals for improving drawing & illustration skills (Available October 10, 2012)
• The Astrolabes — Links to four different astrolabes I built, for understanding navigation in the Age of Exploration (c. 1492 ± 20 yrs)

One of four astrolabes

Part Two: Student Projects

• The Playground Furnishings — available after October 14, 2012, and I’ve had a chance to write it up.
• The John Alden Inventory project — Create a mini-museum exhibit with objects and writing contributed by student families, to approximate the inventory taken at the death of a prominent early American.

Part Three: The Work of Others

• Include your project here — Want to be listed here with a real design project?  Please Contact Me in comments.  I read all of them, even if I don’t post all of them.