Aug 06, 2011 steampunk altered book cover i started by collaging papers on the cover and adding leather to the spine. Here are some of my favorite techniques to use in an altered book. I disliked the look of the authors altered books used for the projects, which were filled with dated, dark colors and struck me as kind of depressing and onenote. Preparing your altered book if your chosen book is dusty, it is worth wiping it down with a cloth to remove most of the dust.
In the previous article we discussed what an altered book is and its history, what to look for when choosing an altered book and where you may be able to find them to recap on choosing a book. Make sure it sells out by creating an awesome cover design. See more ideas about art journal techniques, art journal inspiration and art journal tutorial. Oct 22, 2017 explore rosekrolls board altered book cover ideas, followed by 105. Books are discussed as an art canvas on which to provide stimulation. Dec 31, 2015 it has a great hard cover, which was perfect for my altered book cover tutorial. It is often easier for people to take inspiration from the text on the page than to create their own poems from scratch. Steampunk altered book cover i started by collaging papers on the cover and adding leather to the. This is a fabulous book to add to any artists collection whether you are into altered books or your focus lies in creating different mixed mediaaltered art projects. In the cover example above, it was done with the oilpastelgesso background, added touches of duct tape in black, and was coated in several layers. Vintage plannerjournal tutorial using an old book to make a planner can also remove spine, line up pages with cover, use drill bit to make holes through all. Typically, the artist will take the original book and alter it through the use of various techniques, from collage to stamping. Dec 18, 2012 with a popup mechanism, the act of opening pages can trigger an engaging response for the reader. Standing guard above is a chipboard dragon coated with egg shells.
I created this one april during my 22 days of recycling. Turn old books into personalized works of art with altered books workshop. One of the easiest methods for making an altered book is using a selected theme or topic. Dover publications sells books and cds of royaltyfree art from the public domain, which work well for personal projects you intend to display or sell without seeking additional permission for ed images.
To check the construction of the book, hold the book up so you can see the inner part of the spine and where. They can be rebound, painted, cut, burned, folded, added to, collaged in, goldleafed, rubber stamped, drilled, or otherwise adorned. The background art work was done right on the book pages. Making an altered journal cover by violette using altered art techniques, learn how to make your own funky journal cover using a foam core base. It has a great hard cover, which was perfect for my altered book cover tutorial. Youve done the hard work and created an amazing book. I painted with acrylics, inks, and watercolor crayons and pencils, stamped with acrylic paints and inks, and drew with colored pencils to create the background scenery. Altered book art techniques my top five tips hands up all my impatient and often lazy artists.
One of the best things about them is that you can apply any technique you already know from other creative areas to the bookbut if youre in the mood to try some new things, here are a few lessons. The fewer pages there are, the quicker the book will. This is particularly important if your book is brand new and hasnt been worn in. I find them easy to work with and yummy to look through. All pages and the cover are intact, but shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set case may be missing. Presents 101 illustrated design ideas with tips and instructions.
Check out my etsy shop, where you can purchase my handmade books and journals. These are photos of my last finished art journalaltered book project. To warm the book up, open it gently, somewhere in the middle and carefully flex or open and close the book to get it moving. Mixed media tutorials, mixed media techniques, art techniques, altered. Altered book cover with latex lace and rust effects youtube.
I typically will use a heavy duty glue stick for this step when i make an altered book. These are photos of my last finished art journal altered book project. See more ideas about art journal techniques, art journal inspiration and. Live studio altered books by eliza metz art articles about mixed media and collage. Canvas free book cover maker is ridiculously easy to use even for the novice or notsotechsavvy writer. This blue is the back side of the same paper shown in the previous photo. This old book came from a thrift shop and cost 25 cents. I used several altered book techniques on these two double page spreads.
Depending on the paper weight of the pages in your book, you will probably want to glue some of the pages together to make for a stronger and heavier page. Double sided placemat is now an altered compostion book cover. Two shades of solid blue paper for the inside and a fancier blue and gold paper for the outside cover. Its a project ive been wanting to try for quite some time, a mixed media diy vintage french altered book journal. Altered books are an old way of recycling 11th century italian monks recycled old manuscripts 19th century old books used as scrap books, family albums, even containing recipes select a book with sewn stitched signatures, they are stronger to work with old, worn books are great for this project choose a theme. See more ideas about book cover page, altered art and mixed media canvas. How to make an altered purse by violette books arent the only thing you can make altered art from. This 2004 book has some good tutorials on various altered book techniques, especially for someone new to altered books. An altered book is a unique piece of artwork created from another book. Finally we embellished the cover of our altered board book by sticking on a small length of gold rickrack braid, an antique gold coloured sand dollar charm, and some gold microbeads. An altered book is an old book, often no longer needed in its original form or for its original content, that has been turned into a work of art.
Mar 01, 2004 give books new life filled with creative expression. Accenting the cover are collaged celestial embellishments. Pages may include limited notes, highlighting, or minor water damage but the text is readable. However, for this book we will be covering the gessoed pages with decorative paper using the same techniques we use to collage.
To make an altered book is to take an old book and give it new life as a personalized piece of art. Using freebies, recyclables, and trash in an altered book or journal page. Altered book art techniques my top five lazy tips youtube. My very first altered book made using a variety of lauriemarie jenkins techniques as seen on her youtube channel. I will show you a few easy and fun techniques that i tried, but please consider this tutorial just as a starting point for your own journey. Once the inside is complete, the cover can be altered to complement the new piece. Find books for altering at library sales, thrift shops, garage sales, flea markets, and from family and friends. This is because its kind of hard to work on the inside pages if youre worried about scuffing the book. Altered book techniques dreams and delights karens whimsy. Techniques for creating altered books, boxes, cards and more by terry taylor 2004, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Artfully musing is a blog dedicated to sharing art and the techniques and products used. Dover publications sells books and cds of royaltyfree art from the public domain, which work well for personal projects you intend to display or sell without seeking additional.
Altered book collage is a good resource whether it describes a lot of great basic techniques like layering, creating backgrounds, collaging, decoupage, various methods of transferring image and creating embellishments. I added gesso to the cover and decoupaged roses all over the front piece. The fewer pages there are, the quicker the book will be finished. According to the international society of altered book artists alteredbookartists. When i choose a book to alter, i am most often guided by the title of the book. Altered board book ideas how to make altered board books. Is it just me or does prepping things for forever just put you right off getting started. See more ideas about altered books, book binding and book art. In the center of the book is a vintage mailbox door. This might seem obvious but its important that you find a book. Using paint or glazes and fabric with your collographic plate. Oftentimes, its simply more fun to allow the book itself to inspire creativity by using the books title, text, and illustrations as a guide. Mixed media altered book covers say something crafty.
The author herself a wellknown altered book artist takes the reader from very basic ideas and explanations, to much more advanced information. Available with seamless streaming across your devices. An altered book is a form of mixed media artwork that changes a book from its original form into a different form, altering its appearance andor meaning an altered book artist takes a book old, new, recycled or multiple and cuts, tears, glues, burns, folds, paints, adds to, collages, rebinds, goldleafs, creates popups, rubberstamps, drills, bolts, andor beribbons it. Inside youll find a variety of altered books ranging from those that started as childrens board books, to other sewnbinding books that have been used as the basis for painting, collage work, and found poetry. The texture on the cover is created by applying paper clay stamped with an alchemy themed rubber stamp and egg shells. Altered books bring together a variety of mixed media and papercrafting techniques including collage, journaling, rubber stamping, embellishing and scrapbooking. An altered book is a mixed media artwork that is intended to change the book from its original form to a creative outlet for selfexpression. I had a few altered book journals and i followed many. I disliked the look of the authors altered books used for the projects, which were filled with dated, dark colors and struck me. The process of altering can involve cutting, painting, pasting, folding, stitching, sewing.
With a popup mechanism, the act of opening pages can trigger an engaging response for the reader. Altered book mixed media using lorriemarie techniques pt 1. Barbara matthiessen describes techniques in cutting, pasting, sewing, beading, stenciling and decoupaging involved with creating altered collage books. Live studio altered books from mixed media and collage. Ill be showcasing collage, altered and mixed media art as well as miniature. I felt like this scripture was a perfect choice for linking my altered book cover. Jul 06, 2015 the second altered book is an alchemist workshop. Altered books are popular with mixed media artists. How to make altered books free altered book projects. Going over everything you can do while altering a book would be just about impossible in a single, short session, so instead, i thought id give you the quickstart method for doing a simple altered book in a short period of time. I think it looks very shabby chick in these picture. In these two examples we have looked briefly at some of the techniques that you may find useful when you are making an altered board book, and perhaps given you. This is a great project because it allows students to upcycle something that may have gone into the trash and transform it into into a beautiful piece of sculptural art. Many mixed media art techniques can be used to create this artwork, from painting, stamping, journalling and collage.
Canvas book cover maker makes designing book covers amazingly simple even for nondesigners. This was for one of the words i created in my alphanumeric altered book i made for the year long craft barn challenge. It is designed to embody transformation of the explicit use of a book by means of implementing ones own narrative into an existing story that suits the creator. Get started on your creative journey with the best in creative education taught by worldclass instructors. Im diana from dreams factory and im happy to be joining you again with another diy project that im hoping you will really love. You are welcome to read more about books ive altered and used as art journals on my blog. But after a while with pink roses i felt this cover was too stylish, a bit too romantic for the messy content of my.
Altered book art techniques my top five lazy artist tips. Youll learn how to use book covers from old books, how to create a. An altered book is a published book that has been changed into a new work of visual art through various art. Design book covers with canvas free book cover maker.
An altered book is a book that artists alter or change using various art and craft techniques to create an object of art. Altered books are an old way of recycling 11th century italian monks recycled old manuscripts 19th century old books used as scrap books, family albums, even containing recipes select a book with sewn stitched signatures, they are stronger to work with old, worn books are great for this project choose a. Using a steel forming block to make an altered book. How to prepare an old book for altering or art journaling. An altered book is a published book that has been changed into a new work of visual art through various art processes such as painting, drawing, collage, writing, and embellishment.
This will give you so much room for further exploring, adding your personal touches, getting creative and making. This article examines how altered books can be used in art therapy with adolescents. Heres a list of items used to create this altered book cover. Or, improvise this project onto a book cover to make an altered journal book. I believe everyones diy vintage french altered book journal should be different and unique. Book boxes are a classic way to store small treasures, and making boxes is great way to upcycle old books. Altered book cover tutorial bible art journaling challenge. Apr 15, 20 depending on the paper weight of the pages in your book, you will probably want to glue some of the pages together to make for a stronger and heavier page. It talks all about the word being god and today, i wanted to create a cover which would not only invite me to open its cover, but also remind me of god as my friend, father. Feb 14, 2004 this 2004 book has some good tutorials on various altered book techniques, especially for someone new to altered books. Altered books is taking existing books and reworking them into works of art. Be sure to put a little extra on the corners as that is where they are most likely to come apart at. These poems are common in alteredbook journals see here.