I first discovered the idea of using books as an creative medium back in high school. I was in Ms. Madsen’s art class, and I still remember picking up and flipping through Bev Brazelton’s Altered Books Workshop and feeling the simultaneous excitement of and hesitancy about using paint and collage in a perfectly good book. It felt forbidden — how often have we been taught not to damage books but to treat them with utmost care? It seemed wasteful.
But Bev’s book.. it was a spark.
Since then, I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours reading books and blogs and scrolling social media accounts, seeing how others approach art journaling and testing out new ideas. I’ve filled dozens of books with my own art, art journals journals that I’ve made by hand and others that started as thrifted books. I’ve ripped out and burned pages, weighed them down with weavings and found objects, experimented with realism and abstract art and a household full of art supplies. I’m no longer afraid of a blank page.
Art is never a waste of materials.
Above is a selection of books about art journaling and creating that I’ve owned and loved over the past 15+ years (and a few I still have on my wishlist). Click through to see details. While these are all linked to Amazon, they’re not affiliate links, and I encourage you to consider buying these books from your local independent bookstore.
(Thanks, Ms. Madsen.)
