Altering a vintage book as an art journal: gallery
In making art in books you already own, I mention that I’m altering a book to use as an art journal. I’ve never properly done this before, and it’s been surprisingly rewarding.
The book-as-art-journal is still in progress, with lots of pages to fill and spaces to dream in. The book itself was sent to me from Canada by an artist friend, so I figured this was the best way to honour that!
Today I’m sharing the main things I’ve learned from altering this vintage book to function as an art journal, and number one above all else is this: be prepared.
How to prepare an old book for art journaling
Before you alter a book or use it for art journaling, it’s soooooooooo important that you properly prepare it. Taking the time to do this properly and as thoroughly as you can is essential to ensure that your creative work is properly preserved and that you don't experience any unexpected problems down the road.
I know, it’s hard. You just want to dive in and start making art. But seriously. If I can hold back and do the prep, so can you. While it can take some patience and effort, the reward of completing this crucial preparation step is that it will save you a lot of ‘oh no my art journal is wrecked!’ heartache in the future.
Choose your book carefully. I always gravitate towards very old, extremely unsuitable books and end up with a mess and nothing to show for it. Antique books will more than probably need a little reinforcement by you, which results in more work (and possibly sewn bookbinding techniques).
Consider the book binding structure. Sewn bindings are better than glued because they’re sturdier and easier to break down and build back up. Check how dried out your paper is first - I didn’t do this, and I wish I had. As a result, the book I’m working in is actually kind of fragile, so I’m working both in it but also on separate pages that I can stick in it.
You can tear out pages or even sections of a book to make it slimmer and therefore less intimidating (fewer pages to fill with art!). Also a good idea if you’re working bulkier with lots of layers. Some people recommend tearing out at least half of the pages but I think personally that that’s a bit excessive.
Prep the pages. For this I use gesso. I love gesso. Is there nothing it can’t do? Clear gesso or white gesso are both good options - just spread a thin layer on a page to prep it for paint and anything else that might come. Gesso also gives the page texture a bit more tooth, which is always nice.
Some (ok, many) people I know would look at me in horror at the thought of ripping a book apart, or of underlining passages or dog-earing pages. To them I say: I like to mark my passage through this world, and I’m always respectful.
I think that the entire topic of book arts, altered books, and the ethics of destruction…is a philosophical one. Which is why I wrote a whole other article on it!
I hope you liked the gallery and the short steps to get you started on a book alteration adventure. I wish you much joy on your art journaling travels!