Paper Craft Workshop: Altered Books-Prep Ideas

Preparing your book starts with the choice of your book. You need to be sure that the book you use will stand up to the techniques and alterations that you will do.

Using old books is a perfect recycling idea for junk journals as well as art journals. The first thing to consider when altering and prepping an old book is the spine. You want to use a book that has a sewn spine rather than a glued spine. Look for the sewn sections (or signatures. The more stitches the better the book will hold up to the things you will add to it.

This is a deal-breaker for me. The spine must be sewn. Because you will be removing pages from the book and adding all kinds of, embellishments, the book must be sturdy. It has been my experience that glued books do not hold up under the stress of the alteration steps and procedures.

The book needs to have sections (called signatures) that are sewn. To check the construction of the book, hold the book up so you can see the inner part of the spine where the pages touch it. If you can see the page sections clearly then it was stitched.

Another way to see if a spine is sewn.

When you are planning to add paper, collage, pictures, am\nd more, you will find that a glued book will not stand up to the added weight.

As you start ripping pages from your book, other pages will start falling off in a glued book. You want a book that will hold together in the long term.

Start with any dust that may be on your book. Wipe the book down with a clean cloth.

To get the pages and the book moving a bit, open the book and flex some of the pages.

Removing Pages From The Book

You will want to remove some of the pages from your book. That will give you room for the thickness of the pages that you are going to create.

Before you start removing pages, look through your book. You may find some illustrations that you may want to keep. Mark those pages with a paper clip or a post-it note.

Minimally, you are going to remove at least half of your pages.

You add a lot, so you need to remove pages

You will need a lead pencil and a small craft knife for the next step.

Select 4 pages from your book.
Use paper clips to hold the pages together, that are going to be glued as you go.
The middle two pages will be cut close to the spine leaving about 1/2 " of the page (1.5 cm)
The two outer pages are marked with a "g" with your pencil.
These two pages will be glued.
Move through the book, removing additional pages, and marking the others with the "G"

Hang onto the removed pages. They can be used later for all kinds of embellishments. For the time being, set them aside.

Adhesives You Can Use

Besides PVA glue there are other adhesives that you can use to hold pages together

A wet glue: I used a matte finish glaze medium [by Daler Rowney] because I like how it isn't overly tacky [when I inevitably get my fingers all 'clarity' with it!]. Plus, as it's matte, when it dries on top of the paper it doesn't leave a shine.
However, if you're not clarty-prone, or you don't mind shine, then PVA or any other paper glue would work just as well.
A glue stick - to stick your pages together [quicker and easier than spreading glue / cheaper than double-sided tape].

Gluing The Pages

Gluing some of the pages will give you a more solid base for your pages. You can use a gel medium for this part of the process. It sticks well, but it takes some time to dry. So, you need some patience. Some folks like to use glue sticks to glue pages together. In my experience, over the long haul, glue stick glue dries up and eventually, the glue will not last. I recommend white PVA glue for this project.

Brush the glue along the middle of the two pages that you marked with the "G"
Then ease the two pages together.
Then coat the outside of the stumps and one whole page that is to be stuck together.
Carefully ease the second page up, starting from the spine out
Work from the middle out removing bubbles as you go

Remember that the pages must be stuck on right angles to the spine. That way the book will close properly.

Repeat the process with one or two more sets of pages.
Then close the book and place it on a flat surface.
Sit something heavy on it and allow it to dry.
You may need to open the pages and allow it to dry.

Tip-You can use parchment or waxed paper between pages while they are drying to keep them from sticking to each other.

Adding Gesso To The Pages

Gesso is a medium that adds strength to your pages. In the case of altered books, it helps make the print on your pages go white. It also comes in black and clear. It is especially good as a basic layer under acrylic paints. It will help with other mediums too. You will want to choose a medium thickness of Gesso for general use.