How to Choose the Perfect (Altered) Book for Art Journaling
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- How to go about choosing the best book to alter (or use) for Art Journaling is actually super simple! Take a super quick trip with me to my local thrift store and see what I pick up!
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I found your Channel about a week ago I have been watching your videos like a madwoman I'm almost 60 years old and I've never drawn a human face other than when I was. In grade school.
I just wanted to thank you because not only have I drawn a face, but I've drawn seven of them now and although they're not as gorgeous as yours they are improving.
Thank you from Toronto Canada 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦❤️🙏✍️✏️🖌️🖍️🤗
This makes me so happy to hear, thank you Margaret and welcome!!!!
@@KarenCampbellArtist no thank you... You're such a great teacher!
🙏♥️✌️
Aw thank you! I live for this stuff!
I’ve found that for glossy surfaces like that cover you showed, I just use sand paper and sand off the “glossy” and then everything will stick to it! 🙌🏼😄
Awesome!! I'm on it!! THANKS!
oh my goodness Karen I love the Scrap Exchange! I do monthly runs there, live in Wilson.
It's so awesome! Yay for a fellow NC arty friend!
I have a horrible time defacing books! I love how altered books look and then cringe at doing it myself. I have collaged with book pages and really enjoyed the results. I love thar German book you got, but I don't think I could get myself to cover those illustrations. Can't wait to see how you use the peek-a-boo cover.
I know, there are a lot of people that feel like that. I just feel like I'm giving them a new life!! And poor things weren't wanted anymore anyways, but I do!!!!!
Karen Campbell, Artist I'm working on it and you do make a great argument for using them. XO
What about using magazines instead?
I love the idea of using one journal for a theme. I love to use old books or make my own journals but have never brought one yet :) thanks for sharing
Fab vid about finding the right book to alter. I love fossicking through old books for journalling. Thanks
OOOHhhh!!! Fossick may be my new favorite word! So glad you enjoyed it!
Yay glad to see that I was on the right track with book choosing. Although one I did buy was an old cookbook that is constructed in a more landscape style and perhaps has too many pages but I figured it's spine is a strong large ring bound one so I thought that perhaps it will be ok
I'm sure it will be totally fine! You can always pull out some (or glue some together) if it's too fat. And I only like skinny so I know I have a chance to actually fill them all up!! (ie. because I'm lazy........). i have a cookbook that I like to use as individual pages for watercoloring food on...random, but awesome!
Wow, the size of that store!!! I totally need to visit & go shopping with you girl! 👍🏼 tips too. Thanks Hun. Hope you are all enjoying your summer holidays x
Oh I KNOW! And I didn't even show the half of it!!! Thank you girl, having fun, mostly?! Hahahaa!
OMG, I was just out looking for books to alter. I agree, I like books without a cover. If I choose, I will add one, but like your FaceTime book, I love without covers. I bought recently a huge dictionary straight up for collage. It was a big dictionary and it had like the thin bible page papers. I have a couple of art books that were old art book, possibly a reference type or teaching type that I am going to use as a journal, but I will be removing more than have the pages I'm sure of that. Thanks for sharing this. I'm so glad you are starting a new one!! I'm looking forward to it! Thanks.
Oh yes I love to gather books I will use just for collage as well!!!! So nice to have another book shredderer in the group, ha!
I actually got quite a few music books on this run. I've been looking for them for so long and I can never find them. This time I got several for journals and a couple for collage.
Yay! Love this video so much! I can't wait to get to holland and go to the thriftstore and pick book to make another altered journal! Now i know i will make a better choice. As they dont really have thriftstores here, and the ones they have dont sell books, i had to do make with what i had, and it was a hardcover book about lace making, some fun pictures it had, but sooooo many pages, and it is still not full, so next time for sure i am looking for a thinner book, going to holland this sunday!
Oooh that's great Melanie!!! Welcome back home to you!!
I watched your flip through video last night but yet to comment (I did but deleted it, lol)....
Great to see you out shopping. I've always been a bit "I can't trash books, they are sacred!" However, since mixed media entered my life, I'm slowly letting that go. I can't wait to see how you use the hole on the front, inspiring right from the start! Thank you for taking time out of your holidays to share with us, appreciate it muchly! Made me a bit sad as reminded me of my trip to the U.S. (Colorado)..... I had such an amazing time!
Anyway, take care as always. Byeee👋😸🍃📚
Aw, thanks girly! Glad to know you're getting over your fear of book trashing..er...I mean, upcycling!!!
Karen Campbell, Artist 🤩🦋🐈🐈
I wish I had access to that store! Those second hand stamps and all those books! OMG I’d be in heaven lol.....and I’m a 63 baby and I’m not offended, I just love being called retro 😆😂🤪 Susie xxx💕
Queen Mabel and Doris hahahahaha GOOD!!
Oh my word!!!!!! I wish I could find a store like that!
I know, it is seriously a crazy awesome place!
Love those music books, they are definitely going to be great backgrounds for your work!
Oh me too! Thank you!!!
1969 Baby... 💖
Thank you SO much for ALL of your help! You are the BEST 💖
Aww, thanks Jamie!
Thanks Karen for the info on finding a book...I am going to a church rummage tomorrow, so I am going to look. The rummage was today and tomorrow, so there are so many books there, now I know what to look for tomorrow... :) Lets hope I can find one just right.. :)
Oh good!!! Nothing better than a good rummage!! Seriously! Keep me posted!
Hey Karen, I got 2 books that I think will be good. The ones I got were children books, and only about 20 pages...they were hardback though..I think I can work with them, but the best thing, I went then to Hobby Lobby to see what was there, .... oh my goodness, I lucked out..got a white and black Pitt pen (1-8mm) for only $ 1.74 each...they were marking more stuff down..also got a pack of 6 Pitt Pens in shades of grey for only $ 5.49...so check it out..there were Winsor Newton marker pens ( alcohol) marked down also...so get there and take a look..yippeeee....had a wonderful day :)
OMGosh!!! You ARE a lucky dog!!!! That is a REALLY good deal! Oh happy day!
Thanks for the great tips!
I think kids board books rock, the pages are heavy duty, there are not many in the book. And a quick sanding wil get them right ready for gesso. I love them.
Oh yep, this is on my list as well. I think my problem is that I love to work LARGE so it's rare to find a super large board book but YES!!!!
Could you spray paint the glossy cover just curious thank you kindly for sharing your wonderful ideas with us 🦋🎨🌴🐾🐾
You can pretty much spray paint anything!! Lol!
Thanks for your thoughts> Funny thing I recognized the music books you picked up from my childhood. Loved the store!
No way!!!! Ok that's cool!
I buy glamour magazine vogue for collage and you know them stiffer pages within the magazine ? i take them out along with the covers and bind them together to make art journals . I also alter old novel style books from what we call the charity shops here in uk.
Very cool, Sarah!!! Love these ideas!!!
As always, I love your videos. You're so inspiring!
That means the world! Thanks Terri!!!
Hello Karen,
mind if I ask if you glue pages together first to make them more solid in your art journals, or do you just use the existing pages.
love your work just ordered your Mixed Media Magic..youve hooked another one! lol
Linda from Canada
Great question!! And so ironic as well as today I went back to this same place and got another book to start on and glued my pages together!! BUT normally I wouldn't. I only did this because my pages are perforated and I am afraid they'll fall out if i dont shore them up a not better! You'll see that in a couple weeks when I post that video but no, normally i don't I just dive on in!! The accumulation of collage and paint creates enough support! I'm so happy you're enjoying the videos and books!!!!!!!!! 😘😘😘
WOW!! What a great shop!!!
Right?! I didn't even show the whole thing, it's HUUUUUUGE!!!
I miss the thrift stores in the USA. The ones here in Australia just don't seem to have the same stuff, probably because the cost of Art Supplies is so high most people use them all up. :) I do find some good books, but other art supplies are far and few between.
I do have to say it is not common to find actual art supplies in thrift stores here either tho, this giant place in Durham is quite unlike any thrift store I've ever been to!
Great ideas!
Hi Karen,
Why do you use a Strathmore journal when you can use an altered book? Also, is it easier for me to start with a paperback or a hardcover. I want easy peasy. I Have a medium sized Strathmore too, but I want to get some practice in before using it. What do you think about me starting with one hamburger page, but drawing something easy like a heart? I have to pull the trigger and get my feet wet because I'm stuck in the classrooms, but not sure which project to choose. I have done a project/lesson in the Acrylics class, but realized that I should jump to the Hamburger classroom. I have a white Posca, set of skin colour Pitt, Big Pitt pen in black, small set of gelatos, set of greyscale Tombows, the basic starter set of Tombows. I'm grappling with the water soluble materials in my stash. I need to buy more gelatos and wondering is there is an alternative that is more budget friendly so I can get a huge set ( Is there a gel crayon I can use or stick to Gelato)? Also, I want to buy a set of Posca or Pitt Pens, but can't decide between the two. From what I can see, you tend to use Pitt pens more than you do Posca when you want something other than white. I think you use Pitt in black for outlining the image at the end of the project. So, should I buy Pitt in a variety of colours or Posca? They are about the same price. Thanks Karen- you can email answer.
So actually I do art in both a journal and in loads of altered books! To answer all your questions please shoot me an email - I get so many UA-cam comments I don’t want yours to get lost in here! I also just posted the new Supplies Classroom in the Mixed Media Society (as of almost two weeks ago) and ALL the answers to your questions are in that first supplies video of that new classroom. Let me know if you need help finding it OR simply refer to the last Club email I sent out the last two Sundays. The direct link to that is right in there (also in the Latest Lessons classroom).
What store was that?!?! Omg. All the stamps!
I have a lovely book with amazing illustrations that I would love to use but the pages are all glossy. So I am guess it won’t work or is there a method that allows me to use it.
I would skip it! Also. If the illustrations are truly amazing you may want to keep them as is! I like to pick books that are tattered or a bit ugly and illustrations that would look better after I mess around with them!! Lol!! Glossy, in my opinion, isn’t worth the hassle (you. Can try sanding each page first but honestly, probably easier to keep looking!)
Looking forward to seeing what you do with the book with the hole on the color .... I was born in 54 !!!!!
Ann Ricci see?!? You're super young!!! 😊😘😘😘
Great video,as always. I want to go to that store you were in! =) Also wish I could find "Bob, Son of Battle" somewhere, as I recently bought a collie pup.
Francine Toni omgosh you really did?! That's so cool!! 🐶🐶🐕🐕
can you tell me just how you prep your pages before you paint on them???
Beverly I am editing a new video on this as we speak!! Long story short: shore up loose or torn edges with masking (or decorative) tape, and then brush on some Gesso (if painting) or Absorbent ground (if watercoloring). And go! Are you subscribed? I have a video coming up on this in September in more detail!
Hi! Im a newbie in art journaling and collage.. Sorry for the silly question but what is an 'altered' book?
An altered book is any regular book you make changes to in order to transform it into an art journal ❤️
Thank you!
K you are beautiful girl....I would steal that FaceTime journal lol thx K already scoping thrift stores love the effect of music notes in background adds a nizzz touch to say the least 👏👏👏😊
Yes! Music notes make the best backgrounds!!!
Wow they have all those stamps!
Crazy, right?!?!
You rock! 💕💜💕
Hahahah NO YOU ROCK!
I want to go to that store - I want to go through all those rubber stamps
Hahaha I know, right?!?!
have nothing like that in my area
I must start an art journal from an altered book. But first, learn mixed media. LOL
Hahaha just start dumping some supplies together...mixed media learned!! lol!
Karen Campbell, Artist Hahaha!!!! Touché
I'm just kidding girl!! I have loads of info in the new book PLUS you can take the Mixing the Media module any ole time (for free ya lucky chic!!). Go go go!
WOW I have never seen rubber stamps in a second hand store
michelle I know!! This store is crazy huge and very special!!
Thank you!