So many coloring books are thrown week after week needlessly. These books are easily turned into a number of mixed-media art projects, such as an artist’s book. Artist’s books have many uses including:
- Art journaling
- Painting
- Writing
- Illustrated recipe books
- Memory books
- Scrapbooks
The list goes on and on. Because this is a relatively simple project, children are able to embrace the importance of recycling through the creation of these artist’s books.
Materials:
- 3-4 heavy-duty glue sticks
- Bone folder (or the edge of scissors works just fine)
- Paper cutter (scissors and a steady hand is just fine)
- Paper from the recycling bin (printer duds, photo-copy duds, etc.)
- Brown paper bag
Instructions:
- Fold each page of the coloring book, including the front and back cover length-wise so the outer edge of the page meets the inside of the book.
- Use the heavy-duty glue sticks to glue the folded pages together so they do no come un-folded. Burnish the pages down using the bone folder or the edge of a pair of scissors.
- Glue every other folded page together to create sturdy “board book” type pages. Again, burnish the folded pages together using the bone folder or the edge of your scissors.
- Fold paper from the recycling bin in half length wise with the white side facing out, and glue them to the folded pages so they wrap around (see picture). Trimming with the paper cutter or scissors may be necessary prior to gluing.
- Continue this process throughout the entire coloring book until all of the pages are covered over.
- Cut open the paper bag, and trim it to the size of the book’s length. Wrap the paper bag around the cover so the bag is on the inside and outside of each flap. Glue the paper bag down to the inside and outside of the book’s cover.
As gluing takes place, and as paper is added to this project, the book will begin to bow out and become chunky. Consider wrapping two or three rubber bands around the coloring book, and allowing it to dry for several hours prior to working on any of the pages or the cover.
Variations:
- Use pieces of junk mail to cover over the coloring book pages, including brochures, magazines, flyers, and circulars.
- Paint each page using gesso or acrylics, rather than covering them over using paper.
- Paint the cover (after roughing it up a little using fine-grit sandpaper), rather than covering it with a paper bag.
- Cut the pages in half length wise, rather then folding them into each other. Reserve the scaps for other projects such as painting, paper making, small book binding, and collages.
Attempting to keep all the materials for this project 100% recycled is not impossible, but is a challenge. For example, use coffee or tea to stain the pages instead of painting them. There are also ways to make paste, rather than using glue sticks. Do some research, use imagination, and don’t be afraid to experiment.
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