I have recently become enthralled with book art. This trend is all over Pinterest and last month was featured in the weekly art night at the Cedar City Library. At first, I had hesitations. I didn’t have any books that I wanted to turn into art, nor did I want to buy a book just to destroy it. As it turns out, the library has lots of old books that are ready to be made into art. You can get these books by asking at the Cedar City Library if they have any you can have, or buying some of their $1 hardcover books for sale, or by checking the SUU library for cheap books on sale. This book art is the first thing I made and I find it to be a great introduction.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 hot glue gun
3 hot glue sticks
1 wood pencil
1 book
Optional:
1 bottle craft paint
1 sponge paint brush
I started by painting the edges of my book with a golden yellow by sliding my pages in between the cover and the pages and dabbing on the paint. I let that dry by laying the book on it’s spine so the pages could fan out and then flipping through the pages when the paint wasn’t sticky. This step is optional.
Find the center of the book by looking at the last page number and dividing by two. Take the left two and right two pages, so you are holding five pages, and lay the pencil on one side of the bundle. On the opposite side of the pencil, begin the design by taking five pages and bending them back into the book, skipping four pages, then bending five into the book and so on.
I did this for a couple loops on each side using objects to mark the center.
Create an equal amount of loops on each side until you have the desired look. Do not turn the entire book into loops. There will not be enough room to finish the project. Then, make sure the ends of the folded pages are aligned evenly with the other pages of the book and glue into place using the hot glue gun.
Next, take a group of four pages next to the center five and split them into two groups. The two pages closest to the center will roll toward the middle and the other two will roll away. Wrap them around the pencil making sure to wrap the ends of the pages tightly. Then, release and use the hot glue gun to attach them to the opposing groups of pages.
I found this easiest by rolling all of the “away” pages and then turning the book around and rolling the opposite pages. Here is what it looks like when it is done in one direction.
Once you have glued all of the curls into place, wipe away any glue strings and you are finished! Congratulations: you have created a sunrise in a book!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Share your book art and any other creations you have with us on Instagram by tagging @suu_news and the hashtag #accent.
