Art & Crafts : Altered Books and Other Altered Art
Getting Started with Altered Books and Other Altered Art
Transform old books into new works of art!
Altered book art combines several types of artistic techniques into one unique art form. Starting with a book base, the artist tears away pages and then adds their own creative expressions through rubber stamping, scrapping, collage, photomontage, and writing.
Within this collection of altered book resources you'll find several free altered book projects (such as Karen Hatzigeorgiou's Altered Board Book and Violette's Altered Journal Cover) plus additional Web resources that explain the altered book process, archiving suggestions, and others that share free projects, art tips, techniques, and tutorials for your creative altered book and other altered projects.
Featured Altered Art Project Tutorials
Create Your Own Altered Art in 60 Minutes!
By Tatiana Kuzyk
Learn how to create a beautiful altered art mixed media keepsake in just one hour!
How to Alter a Board Book
By Karen Hatzigeorgiou
Altered Board Books are a fun and easy way to get started into the art of creating altered books. This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to alter a small children's board book to display two pictures inside.
Making an Altered Journal Cover
Using altered art techniques, learn how to make your own funky journal cover using a foam core base. Or, improvise this project onto a book cover to make an altered journal book.
How to Make an Altered Purse
Books aren't the only thing you can make altered art from. Violette shows you the exciting process of transforming an old purse into a new creative work of art that you can still use!
Book Cover Collage
Try it! Tutorials
A segment in our "How to Collage" series explains how to apply collage to a blank (or existing) book cover as a primer into the world of altered book art.
More Altered Book Art How-to Sources
ArtellaLand: The Waltz of Words and Art
Love creative writing and art? Then this is the place for you! Beyond Artella the magazine, there's a variety of features that support the creative goals of artists and writers in their community. Site features creativity seeds and inspiration for writing, art, collage, and altered books.
Articles and instruction on creating altered books with photographs and design details. Features a section called Play, with ideas for creating decorative papers for art projects. Collage work is also on display with articles written for publications such as Artella, e-Artella, The Gleaner, and the ISABA (International Society of Altered Book Artists) journal.
Soul Food Cafe's Shoe-String Publishing
Breathe life into old books! Create an Album of Memories. Learn "how to transform old, long outdated, hard covered books, magazines and diaries into scrapbooks." Includes exercises to facilitate the process of transforming personal work into altered books.
Art e-Zine Altered Books
An online 'zine for those who are interested "in playing and having fun with paper, paints, inks and stamps, and any other exciting mediums." Warning! This site is Image-rich and inspiration intensive.
Moderngypsy: The Altered Page
"Save a book. Make it art." Learn what an altered book is; why would you alter a book; and how to alter a book. Plus tips and resources about this unique form of artistic self-expression.