I have been developing a new box structure and just put the finishing touches on three of its kind. This box was developed in response to my desire to make a box with a drawer but haven’t for lack of a tutorial (if you know of one, I would love to see it!). Additionally, I had some students interested in taking a box workshop with me, who I had the pleasure of teaching during the 2015 Paper and Book Intensive workshop Box Making for Book Artists. Developing a class for this new box structure was a great way to explore the structure so thoroughly.

To avoid repeating variations on the same clamshell box structure every time, I wanted to create a box with a drawer that gave me more of a challenge. With my antennae always up for interesting structures, I saw one [on TV] that had a drawer and was very cute. It met all the requirements for a good box.

As usual, I created a model which allowed me to figure out how the various pieces needed to be cut, wrapped, and in what order. With my current knowledge of box structures, I didn’t have to make too many models before getting it right. What resulted was a box with a hinged lid. When opened, a front panel drops down to reveal a compartment that sits above a drawer, almost exactly the same as the box pictured above.

This structure could then be modified a number of ways: the top shelf within the box could have three walls, instead of four, allowing a book to lay above the drawer. Or, keep the four wall tray and divide it into compartments until your heart is content. Additionally, the underside of the top panel could have a space added for pens, pencils, and notes. Once the hinged components of the box have been figured out, it is easy to modify it to fit each project.

The workshop itself was a packed two days full of great conversations about method and process. We finished up our dense workshop with a trip to the Lilly Library reading room where we let our eyes play over beautiful items in the collection. With our short timeline, we managed to utilize every minute together.

With everyone’s collective experience, we were able to go beyond the main goal of the class and take some time to talk about modifications to the box interior. Needless to say, the time we spent together was wonderful, and I was lucky to have the opportunity to share my love for box making with them!