Beautiful books and engaging workshops
to ignite your artistic journey.

Studio Pienza is operated by solo artist and designer, Alyssa Lang in Monrovia, California, a quaint suburb of Los Angeles. With the support of my husband John, our young son, and two corgi interns, my goal is to bring you high-quality handmade books for developing your visual and written ideas. Want to learn how to make your own books or other art techniques? I can teach you. Meet me here!

Pienza, Italy is a small, beautiful village in Tuscany, and I was enchanted by its artisans, natural beauty, and human scale of this "ideal city of the Renaissance" on a recent visit. Pienza is world-renowned for their pecorino cheese, but also, pastas, wine, spices, textiles, wood-crafted items, and gelato. Everything about the place is thoughtfully designed, from the food and wares the town produces, to the car-less city itself.

I am a graphic design professor and have been making books by hand for over 20 years. As an educator it brings me great satisfaction to give students the tools they need to succeed, whether it is resources and materials, or instruction and encouragement. A key to my success as an educator, design professional, and mom, is that I write everything down. It helps me to feel organized when I am swimming with ideas, and a place to refer when I am having a creative drought. Check out my Etsy shop here!

It is with this spirit of intentionality and supplying what you need to reach your artistic vision that I bring you Studio Pienza. Working from my California studio, I make handmade books for all of your art, sketching, and idea explorations. And when you’re ready to learn more about a new technique or medium, we can work together to build a workshop for you or your group.

I use high-quality, acid-free, and sustainably-sourced materials so my books will withstand many years of use if treated with reasonable care. I minimize waste wherever possible in production and shipping. And finally, the most sustainable idea of all is to create objects people want, use, and keep. I hope you feel that way about your Studio Pienza sketchbook.

Be sure to check out my process section (with videos!) and my online book shop where you can purchase your own custom sketchbooks. Workshop inquiries can be submitted via a form on the Workshop page. Thanks for bringing Studio Pienza along for the ride!