Transform an Old Book into an Art Journal

Watercolor over thin white gesso layer, calligraphy marker

For many years, at least a portion of my sketches have been done in old books that I've repurposed as sketchbooks. A lot of friends have been asking me about my process for reusing old books as art journals, so this post is for you....and anybody else who wants to know!

The images in this post are from a 9x12" old hardbound music book, so the two page spread gives me a 12x18" painting surface. This size is a bit cumbersome to take out on location, so I have also collaged in some paintings/sketches done on location, or on other types of paper that I wanted to experiment with.

These two facing pages were lightly sized with white gesso. A small plein air painting was collaged 
onto the left side. Watercolor and gouache were used to paint the Red-winged blackbirds from photos 
I took at the scene, and capture the feel of the marshy location. 

I generally start with a well-constructed, stitch-bound book that can open completely flat. I like books that are more than just text, contain some kind of graphic content, some blank areas, and do not have glossy paper. Although it's nice if the pages are thick, they don't have to be. The book can be hardcover or softcover. You can also use these steps to transform a traditional sketchbook into something that can accommodate heavy media use. So far I've used mostly hardcover books because I put them through a lot of abuse! Choose a size and format that will work for you. Is it for studio experimentation, or will you want to carry it around? Page size, book weight, paper thickness, content, and number of pages are all critical factors.

Watercolor, applied directly onto the pages (no sizing)

You might have some great, old books lying around the house. If none match exactly what you're
looking for, keep looking. It's easy and inexpensive to find great used books, so don't settle for a size/type/format you don't love. You'll be putting too much effort into your art journal for something you don't love! Our local library has an annual book sale. A few days later, they sell off what's left for $2 a bag. That's when I make my move! Most libraries have a used book sale section, where you might find the perfect thing.

Acrylic paint over light gesso layer

To figure out if the paper will work well for you, turn to the last few pages, and do some test swatches and experiments with the media you plan to use in your sketchbook. If you like what you see and how it feels, you're good to go!

A page in the back of the book, which I used to see if ink would feather on it or bleed through,
and to get a feel for how watercolor would respond directly on the pages.

Depending on the media you will use and the effects you want, you may want to size/prime the paper to knock the text back a layer or two, and give more stability to the paper. You can also glue pages together in pairs with matte medium to give them more body (if the paper is thin). Sometimes I use clear gesso or Golden Matte Medium (not Fluid Matte Medium) to size pages and give them more body without changing the appearance. Other times, I apply a very light coat of gesso with a squeegee, so that the text/graphics don't pop out too much, but still show through in a translucent manner, like this:

Light blue acrylic paint mixed with white gesso was used to lightly size this page

Those acrylic layers, plus whatever you paint or collage on top of it, create extra page thickness that can damage your binding, so you'll have to remove pages to make up for it. Go to the center of each signature, where you can see the stitches in the middle, and tear the two facing pages down the center. Remove each half from the stitching. Depending on how many pages there are per signature, and how you plan to use the book, removing one sheet per signature may or may not be enough. You can remove more of those center pages as needed, while you work your way through the book. Or you can remove them from several signatures at a time, and prep a lot of pages at once.

This image shows the center stitching of the signature, with the page partially torn for removal. Carefully
separate the two halves from the center stitching and take them out without damaging the thread.

Sometimes I really liked the effect of the music peeking through without restraint in this book. But other times, like on the painting below, I felt the music was too distracting for that particular scene. After painting this one directly on the unsized paper with watercolor, I painted some white gesso in a couple of areas like the path, where I found the contrast overwhelming.

Scene from Muscoot Farm, Dr. Ph Martin Hydrus Veneitan Brown watercolor,
and some white gesso where I needed to limit the graphic content of the music.

I got a Cricut Maker machine last spring, and designed a number of masks and stencils from my sketches. I could then resize those files however I wished, and the machine did the cutting for me! This was way too much fun to be legal. I went on a Great Blue Heron kick, and had it cut them in a number of different poses and sizes. I used them as stencils, or painted them and collaged them into sketchbooks. It's a bit cumbersome to convert a sketch to a usable format, but once I got the files created, the possibilities were endless.

The first inside pages of the book, with painted masks, stencils, collage, acrylic paint,
Pilot Parallel calligraphy fountain pen

Because watercolor wants to react directly with paper, you may not be thrilled with the results of using watercolor on a sized surface, and prefer to use the paper unsized. It's always fun to try new things though. You might be surprised!

Watercolor painted directly on a page that had no graphic/text content.
(Dr. Ph Martin Hydrus Burnt Umber)

These old, repurposed books serve as an experimental playground for me. Inside one of the page spreads, I created a textured brick wall with graffiti.

Hand designed stencil, light moulding paste, and acrylic paint were used to create this 3D graffiti wall in the book.

That was so much fun that I designed a stencil for a stone wall also, and used the same process on a couple more pages.

Stone wall effect done with a stencil I made, light moulding paste, and acrylic paint.

These "playground" books have become a great way to break out those supplies that have been lying dormant in my studio for ages, and experiment with their potential, or to use old materials in new ways. You never know what you might discover in that play zone!

My studio mascot, Coconut. You can see the music poking through some white gesso. I
also used black gesso and red acrylic paint for this sketch.

These books are where I test drive new ideas for future paintings, and work on developing process. Sometimes, I just want to let loose, have fun, and free my creative spirit to explore. It's harder to do that when you're trying to produce work that is for sale, that you want to show, or for somebody else to like, or commission pieces. My art journals are the places where I can be free to be me!

If you'd like to be sure not to miss a post, you can subscribe via email in the box on the upper right sidebar of the page. You'll then receive an email when a new post is published. I do not share email addresses.

Some of my upcoming posts in progress:

• Lightfastness results for some of the Mt. Vision pastels.
• Lightfastness results for Conte Pastel Pencils.
• More Project Megasketch posts.
• My sketches from the NYC Urban Sketchers trip to Mystic CT
• Favorite Art Supplies of the past year!