Handmade Art Journal from Birgit Koopsen

Making a handmade art journal is quick and easy, and journals are easily customizable. In the article “Painted Image Transfers” in the May/June 2018 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, Birgit Koopsen shows a fun transfer image method that also incorporates monoprints on a gel printing plate. She creates her art in a handmade art journal that requires no sewing and just a few supplies. Here’s how to make it!

Materials:

• Heavyweight cardstock or watercolor paper, any size, folded in half to make book pages
• Tape runner, double sided and permanent
• Athletic tape, self-adhesive
• Gel medium
• Small paintbrush
• 2 pieces of cardstock for the front and back covers, cut to the height and width of the book

1. Cut cardstock to the desired size, keeping in mind that the pages will be folded in half to create the book. Make sure the cuts and folds are even; this will make for a neater book.

2. Apply the adhesive from the tape runner along all four edges of one side of 1 folded sheet, and add 1 or 2 strips of tape in the middle.

3. Hold the taped sheet upright with the fold facing up and the adhesive facing you. Place another folded sheet, oriented the same way, against the taped sheet. Wiggle the sheets with your fingers until they are aligned. Press together. Place the sheets on a flat surface and press again to make sure they’re adhered.

4. Continue gluing sheets together until the book is the desired size. With this method, you can make a fairly thick book.

5. Cut a piece of athletic tape to the length of the spine. If the tape has a liner sheet, remove it. Brush gel medium onto the book spine and along the edge of the front and back covers where the tape will be adhered.

Note: Athletic tape can be painted or stamped before being adhered to the spine.

6. Lay the tape on the table, sticky side up. The tape should be centered over the spine and overlap a little on the front and back covers. Position the book cover over the edge of the tape and adhere it.

7. Wrap the tape over the spine and adhere it to the back.

8. Adhere tape to the back of one cardstock piece (this will be the front or back cover), applying it along the 4 edges and placing 1 or 2 strips in the middle. Brush gel medium along the exposed tape on the corresponding book cover, avoiding the spine. Adhere the cardstock piece to the cover. Repeat for the other cover.

Try making this handmade art journal with pre-made monoprints or found papers. This technique is great for recycling practice sheets or art experiments. Create any size book that suits your needs!