Grab & Go Activity with the Art Base: Bookmaking

Try your hand at bookmaking with these different kinds of homemade books! Then create your very own comic book, picture book, or story! We would love to see your masterpieces, take pictures and email to info@theartbase.org or Caroline Cares, caroline@basaltlibrary.org.

Eight Page Mini-Comic 

Supplies included in your kit: 

• Simple book template
• Blank 11 x 17 paper

Supplies needed from home:

• ​Scissors
• Writing/drawing tools of your choice

​Instructions: 

1. Find the simple book template. You will need this to organize the pages of your comic.
2. Now find the 11 x 17 large piece of paper. Fold paper in eighths. To do this fold in half. Then fold in half again. And one more time. Unfold the paper to make it flat. Now you have 8 sections. 
3. Fold the paper in half and make a cut on the dotted line. Make sure to cut no more than the dotted line. Unfold and fold the paper the ‘long way.’ Push the two ends together and you will see a hole in the shape of a diamond. Push this together and then make the last fold. 
4. Now you have an eight-page book. 
5. Design a comic with a cover and back page! ​

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Small Hardcover Accordion Book

Supplies included in Kit:

• One 2” long strip of paper
• glue
• 2 cardboard pieces
• decorative paper
• string
• embellishments
• q-tip

Supplies needed from home: 

• Scissors 
• Writing/drawing tools

Instructions:

1. Find one of 2” long piece of paper and use the accordion fold. To do this, fold the strip in half, fold the top flap in half again. Flip the paper over and do the same on the other side. You can repeat this direction until you have the number of pages you want in your accordion book. 
2. Now you will make the front and back cover of the book using the 2 cardboard squares. To do this, find the decorative paper and make sure it is a little larger than your cardboard squares. Glue the cardboard into the center of the decorative paper. Use the q-tip to dab your glue.
3. Cut off the corner of your decorative paper. Fold down the flaps of excess paper and glue them into place.
4. If you want to add any embellishments that wrap around the cover, or that stick up from behind it, add these now. You might want to add a string in order to tie your book shut. 
5. Glue the front and back covers to each end of the accordion. You will want to press the book underneath something heavy to keep flat for a few minutes. ​

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Small Flutter Book

Supplies included in Kit: 

• Small folded cover
• one 2” long strip of paper
• glue

Supplies needed from home: ​

• Writing/drawing tools

Instructions:

1. Find the small, folded cover and open. 
2. Next, make the pages to go into the book. Do this by folding the long strip of paper the accordion way.
3. Now, glue the first page into the front of the cover and the last page into the back. 
4. Set to dry and now you have a flutter book.

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Large Journal ​

Supplies included in Kit: 

• Paste Paper Cover
• 6-page signatures (inside pages)
• wax linen thread

Supplies needed from home: 

• Pushpin
  
• Scissors
  
• Writing/drawing tools

Instructions:

1. Find the long colorful cover in your bag and the 6 white ‘inside pages’ to go with the cover.
2. Your cover and pages already have 2 holes for binding the book together. If you choose to have more holes, you can do this by using a pushpin. You will need to line up the holes to match the cover and inside pages. 
3. Take the wax linen thread and use your pushpin to help the thread through the holes to bind pages and cover together. Make sure you thread so the ends are on the outside of the book.
4. Tie a shoelace knot or bow to finish the bind. 
5. Have fun using this journal for writing or observing your surroundings through art. ​