Getting rid of old books is hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! If you have old books lying around that are slightly damaged or maybe you got an updated edition – don’t throw them away. Turn them into art! We love repurposing old books here at the library and below we have listed all the supplies and instructions you need to turn your old books into a masterpiece.
Supplies:
- Canvas – we used 11×17
- Modge Podge
- Brushes – Foam brushes work best for Modge Podge
- Old books – I used old romance novels
- Paint
- Cup of water
- Paper towels
- Silhouettes – I picked my favorite iconic couple or you can print these animals
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Optional – Blow dryer or heat gun
Instructions:
- Tear out the pages you would like to use for your background. I left mine whole and layered them, but you could cut/tear them into cool shapes.
- Arrange them on your canvas. I made sure to have some overlap so I could cover the sides.
- Once you have your pages arranged, brush the Modge Podge on the back of the pages. Do this until all of your pages are stuck down. Be careful to use thin layers of Modge Podge because if it is too soupy your pages may get bubbly.
- Then paint a layer of Modge Podge on the pages you stuck down.
- Allow to air dry overnight or use a blow dryer or heat gun to speed up the process.
- Cut out your desired silhouette or you can free hand.
- Place the silhouette and trace around it with a pencil.
- Then fill in your stencil with paint. You can use black for a classic look or different colors like I did. There was no way I wouldn’t make Miss Piggy pink – she knows karate!
