How To Make A Wire Bound Art Journal From An Old Book Tutorial

I like making art journals from old books so here are directions on how to do it. I wanted one with black paper but I usually use acid free drawing paper or watercolor paper. Carefully cut the front and back cover off with a razor blade.































Trim the covers with a paper cutter. You don't want to cut through the thickest part, only cut along it.
















Measure the trimmed book cover. This one is 8.5" x 5 3/8".
















The paper should be smaller than the cover and life is easier if the bound edge of the paper is cut to the closest 1/2". Cutting the paper in half inch increments simplifies putting the holes in since you don't need to do any crazy adjusting. I cut the paper 8" x 5".
















Don't try cutting too many sheets at one time on the paper cutter since you want a nice, crisp line.
















What it looks like stacked up.
















Punch holes using a book binding machine. You can find them online and there is a craft version called Cinch that does a very nice job. The Cinch is strong enough to punch through a book cover but do it slowly since it's a lot for a craft machine to do.
















Now you need to make the holes in the cover. Adjust the binding machine to take into account the book cover being longer. It's a good idea to test the settings with a scrap piece of paper since you don't want to have to toss the cover because it was punched incorrectly.
















You need to punch the back cover so that the end papers are facing up. If you try punching the holes with the back cover facing up it's likely that the front and back cover will not match up. It would be a good idea to test this one as well with scrap paper to ensure a proper fit.
















Count the number of punched holes and trim the wire to the desired length; cutting where shown.
















Put the sheets of paper onto the wire.
















Place the cover on top, facing up.
















Put the back cover on top of the other layers. The end paper needs to be facing up to ensure the closed wire edge is on the inside of the back cover. You'll flip the book to the correct position after the wire is crimped.
















Shift the paper to the center of the wire binding.
















Slowly crimp the binding wire using the binding machine. I like to flip the book after crimping and do it again on the other side. I have a tendency to push harder on one side than the other and this ensures a nice even crimp. Make sure the center of the binding wire remains in the center of the press or it will become lopsided. You might want to practice with a wire scrap.

Flip the book covers to the normal position and if you did everything correctly the crimped edge is next to the inside of the back cover.






















Voila, you are ready to journal.

3 More Recycled Book Art Journals

Bad Hugh has a pretty woman wearing a straw hat with pink flowers.






















Around the World in St Paul is another local book destined for the trash that I upscaled.






















Farm Ballads has a pretty rural scene inset on the cover.

Art Journals Made From Movie VHS Box

I scavenged the boxes for Twister, Mrs Doubtfire, The Fugitive, and True Lies and made them into art journals. Each book is acid free and contains 65 pound drawing paper. I have more journals, the library received some movies, and I cleared some more unused items from my home; it's a total win.

Upcycled Video Box Book Made From The Rock

I've been making journals with vintage books using the covers and some of the interior pages but today I repurposed some old VHS boxes. I used the cardboard sleeve from the VHS copy of the movie, The Rock.

The cover would have made the pages so skinny they would be impractical for use so I included the spine and backed the cover on acid free cardboard. The cardboard reinforces the VHS seam and makes the flimsy cover more stable. You can find acid free cardboard at comic book stores, it's sold as backing board to protect comic books. I keep art journals in my purse and that's a challenging environment for a thin cover.

The paper inside is 65 pound, acid free sketching paper that I cut to size with a paper cutter.

3 More Recycled Book Art Journals

Milton's Mulberry Tree

























Blondie and Dagwood Adventure in Magic

Kleenex Box Book

I look the cardboard from a box of Kleenex, backed it with acid free comic book backing board for comic books, then bound it into a art journal.

Handmade Art Journal From The Book The Winged Horse

Found this lovely vintage book, The Winged Horse, and turned it into a new art journal. The end papers are green toned mythical scenes. It's nice to find a use for some of the art tablets have sitting around. 50 pound paper would not be a first choice for a serious drawing but it works well for a journal.

3 More Recycled Book Art Journals

I debated turning this old book into a journal but I loved the gold paw print despite the ring mark on the cover.

























They couldn't sell this old Gregg Shorthand Book since it had so many ripped out pages and the numerous notes written inside. It's nice to find a use for misfit books.

























The Red Badge Detective has a wonderful graphic that speaks to the designer in me; the funny part is is the name is red badge but the color is actually purple.

Recycled Art Journal With A Sailboat Cover

This book was written by Minnesotan who wanted to sail across the Atlantic now it sails across my shelf. The book had lovely endpapers that add a lot to my new art journal. I filled it with recycled vacation themed printed paper that is also acid free.

Rootin Tootin Art Journal

What can I say, I'm on a journal making roll. My father is always reading a Western so I thought I'd give him one he doesn't have.

Upcycled Video Box Book

I've been making journals with vintage books using the covers and some of the interior pages but today I repurposed some old VHS boxes. The Nightmare Before Christmas book was from the interior sheet that was inside a plastic VHS box. The sheet was only heavy paper so I backed it on acid free cardboard. The Benny and Joon book was too thin so I included the spine and was also backed on acid free cardboard since it wasn't as heavy as I prefer. I keep art journals in my purse and that's a challenging environment for a thin cover.

























The paper inside is acid free sketching paper that came in a back to school bundle from Blick. I used a paper cutter to cut the paper to size.