Handmade Books

Here at Cloth Paper Scissors, we love handmade books! See how expert mixed-media artists come up with altered book ideas and learn bookmaking techniques with these inspiring articles.

Tutorial: Make an Awesome Bingo Planner

A new year calls for a new planner, and this tutorial from Erin Zamrzla will show you how to create your own — mixed-media style, of course! Originally featured in our winter 2015 edition of Pages magazine, the cover of this custom weekly planner is made from vintage bingo card designs. The unique exposed binding is…

Make a Fabric Collage Book

There’s something about winter that makes me so eager to create fabric collages. Must be the cold weather and long nights that compel me to rummage through my fabric scraps and get into the rhythmic calm of hand stitching. For a recent project I decided to create a fabric collage with something practical in mind—a…

How to Make a Handmade Book Cover

Looking for a great gift to make this holiday season? Try Mandy Russell’s felted Bubble Book. This book cover is easy to create and fun to give. Here’s Mandy’s tutorial, as featured in our November/December 2016 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine! Bubble Books by Mandy Russell I am enamored with these little felted books; they are one…

The 5 Best Places to Find Ephemera

Please welcome our guest blogger, book artist Rachel Hazell, aka The Travelling Bookbinder. Rachel, who is based in the U.K., creates stunning books with compelling narratives that often incorporate lovely ephemera: book text and illustration, vintage postcards and photographs, and timeworn maps. Don’t miss Rachel’s upcoming book project in the January/February 2018 issue of Cloth…

Seth Apter’s Guide to Making an Inspiration Journal

When we think of mixed-media artists we admire, Seth Apter definitely comes to mind. His innovative artwork never fails to inspire, and we’re thrilled that he now has two brand new Creative Workshop videos: 10 Techniques for Mixed Media Artists, and 10 Techniques for Painting Layers, each filled to the brim with techniques and ideas.…

A Tutorial for Paper Art Lovers

For those of us who love paper—I mean really love paper—too much is never enough. With that in mind, we’ve put together a fantastic bundle of magazines and a book that are all about—take a deep breath—paper art. The Paper Lover’s Ultimate Collection will keep you in paper heaven for a long time, with projects that…

Tutorial: Make Fun Folded Books, No Stitching Required!

Making books by hand is one of the most creatively satisfying things. There are tons of fun books you can make without having to sew a stitch. Folded books are beautiful, functional, and can be made quickly, so you can move on to filling the pages with your unique artwork. I’d love to show you…

Studio Saturday: Travel Journal Pages

The July/August 2017 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine is here, and I could not be more excited. The theme is travel and adventure, and the magazine is packed with ideas for travel journals and travel journal pages, paintings based on maps, watercolor postcards, studios on the go—I want to show it to everyone I meet.…

Studio Saturdays: Storytelling With Art

Storytelling with art is one of the most satisfying aspects of creating. Mixed-media artists reveal their narratives so many different ways–through collage, abstracts, portraits, assemblage, and textile art. I love telling stories through my artwork, and today I’m going to tell you about a great mixed-media storytelling project that you can be part of, starting…

The Elements of Handmade Books

What others throw away, artists see as creative gold. In The Elemental Journal: Composing Artful Expressions From Items Cast Aside, author Tammy Kushnir takes old clothes, twigs, cardboard boxes, and more, and turns them into stunning handmade books that hold thoughts, secrets, desires, and dreams. In this excerpt, learn how to turn plain acrylic sheets into…