Let the Easter holiday come to life in your art studio when you create this Easter Theme Altered Book project. There are number of ways to approach this mixed media art project, but we are going to focus on one that implements simple techniques and materials. That way, novices can experiment and young children can be involved.
For this project, you will need the following materials:
- An old board book, preferably one that is small and one that is damaged (that way, you are turning trash to treasure).
- Heavy-duty glue stick or decoupage medium.
- Pastel colored craft paper.
- Scissors with decorative edges.
- Easter themed clip art, rubber stamps, embellishments, and stickers.
- Craft knife
Follow these steps to complete this mixed media art project:
- Gather all of your supplies and set up your work area. If you are working with a group, set out one altered book per space in addition to a glue stick, and several pieces of paper. Place all the Easter-themed items in the center of the worktable to share.
- Select a different color piece of paper for each page spread of the book. Apply adhesive to the entire surface of the book, and then flatten the paper over the page spread. Using the craft knife (children: you must have adult supervision), cut along the edge of the book and remove excess paper. Use the scissors to flatten out any air bubbles.
- Add the Easter-themed embellishments to each page spread using the heavy-duty glue stick. Use the scissors with the decorative edges to create interest and movement in the pages. Allow each page spread to dry completely before moving on to the next. This will prevent bubbling and curling.
- Add paper and embellishments to the cover of the book. Close the book and set it under a heavy stack of books.
There are ways to make this project more complex, so seasoned mixed-media artists will have fun bringing their own creative twists to this art project. Use these ideas as a jumping-off point for creativity. If you are rubber-stamping, consider using embossing medium. Add distress ink on the corners and edges of each page spread to added interest. You may also wish to add quotations, poetry, and journal entries to various page spreads throughout the book.
Use this altered book as a gift for teachers, parents, grandparents, daycare providers, and so on. This is also good book to add to your own collections. There is no limit to what can be done with these altered books.
