Altering Composition Books

For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to browse the web and see the vast amount of artists altering composition books (some of these artists even sell them), I give you this article.

So, you want to make a book that's all your own but you either (a) don't have time to make a book or (b) don't know how to make a book . . . or a slightly depressing (c) you've tried 100 times to make a book, which has come out all wrong each time and you're nursing your paper cuts.

Fear not paper cut wonder, there's numerous ways to make a book that isn't really a made book, but it still is. Confused? Well, so I am to be honest. Let's cut to the chase: buy yourself a school composition book. Yes, one of those black and white marbled cover (some are color now!) books with the wide ruled pages.

Why? You'll see. Be patient or I'll throw another confusing sentence. I have it waiting here in copy/paste mode, so be warned. Onward!

Next, head to the craft department of your local super center or, better yet, go to a craft and hobby store. They're fabulous and you'll be completely overwhelmed and over stimulated by the experience. I promise. That's a good thing, though, so don't worry.

You'll need the following to complete this project:

1: light grit sand paper
2: gel medium
3: sponge brushes
4: patterned scrapbook paper (there are some wonderful selections, both with a specific theme and without)
5: embellishments to match your patterned scrapbook paper
6: glue sticks
7: newspaper
8: small dish of water
9: scissors
10: paper towels

Before you being this project, it's important to think about theme you're going after. This will also help during the buying process. If you're interested in creating a collage type look, then you may not need to buy anything at all - use magazine clippings, pieces from junk mail, found objects, game pieces and other forms of ephemera. In the past, I've also created wonderful covers using nothing but old book pages and walnut ink. It all depends on how you want to make this book all your own.

In my experience, the choice is up to if you want to alter the inside cover the same time you're doing the outside. In the past, I've worked this project both ways - leaving the inside cover alone and giving it a liner page. Typically, I like to have the inside cover embellished so I can add sign in spots if it's for a round robin or so I can add a pocket if it's an art journal reserved for found object works.

What's the light grit sandpaper for? Good question! You get an A! Wait, we're not in class. Never-mind. Anyway, the light grit sandpaper is to "rough up" the cover slightly and give the gel medium some extra grab when you're affixing the patterned papers. I've had issues with peeling and had to rework the entire cover. This also remedies a lot of the problems occurring with bubbling and creasing of the paper.

It's also my suggestion to seal the entire cover over with gel medium once you have everything on there that you want. This will give it some extra staying power and your cover will be more sturdy if you drop it . . . however, if it gets run over or trampled by your family pet, gel medium won't solve this problem.