If you've got a pile of paper scraps from other projects and a catalog sitting around waiting to be recycled, this tutorial is for you. I take the concept of a masterboard — that big, glued-up, mixed media sheet you normally cut apart for cards and tags and ATCs — and turn it into a book instead. The base is a catalog, and by the time you're done layering paper scraps, wrapping edges, and working glue into the spine, you end up with pages so thick and sturdy you'd never guess they started out as flimsy newsprint.
What we cover
This tutorial shows how to build a masterboard-style collage book from a catalog using PVA glue, paper scraps, and a few simple techniques for keeping the pages strong and flat. I walk through how to prep the catalog, how to work across the pages so the book stays balanced, and what the finished result can be used for — whether that's cutting it up like a traditional masterboard or keeping it intact as an art journal.
What you'll learn
How to turn a catalog into a collage book with thick, durable pages — starting from flimsy newsprint and building up layers until each page feels like solid cardstock. I've got one I made seven or eight years ago that's still completely intact.
How to mix and use a PVA glue solution for this kind of layering work — just white glue thinned with a little water so it's runny enough to soak into the paper and get into every groove.
How to work the spine and fold area so it doesn't fail under the weight of built-up pages, including:
- Getting glue deep into the grooves at the fold, which get deeper the more layers you add
- Using a bone folder to press down the fold and close the book before it dries so it sets in the right position
- Why covering the fold completely on every page is what keeps the whole thing from eventually pulling apart
How to wrap edges for strength and a clean finish — rather than letting pieces end close to an edge, you wrap the paper around to the other side. This prevents lifting and is the main thing that gives the pages their structural integrity at the edges. I also show how to get a tidy, finished corner with this method.
How to work across the whole book to keep it balanced, rather than finishing one spread and moving to the next:
- Doing a little on the front, a little on the back, a little in the middle
- Why front-loading all your gluing creates a warped, unbalanced spine
- How to leave the book open to dry (so pages don't stick together) while still pressing down the folds first
How to use large pieces strategically — starting with the biggest scraps to cover ground quickly, then filling in with smaller pieces. If you start with tiny bits, you'll be there forever.
How to decide on page count before you start, and what to do if your catalog is too thick — removing pages from the very middle to get down to a manageable number.
Why ripped edges work better than cut edges for this project — and when a straight edge is fine to leave. My tastes have shifted over the years; the journal I made early on has straight edges everywhere and it still holds up perfectly, it just looks different.
Two different finished uses for the same book, including:
- Keeping it as an art journal — a place to glue down small projects, sketches, images, ideas gathered from other people's tutorials, little things you made but weren't sure where to put
- Cutting it up as you would a traditional masterboard, for ATCs, tags, cards, and collage material
How to calm a page down for art journaling if the collage feels too busy — a thin layer of gesso over the finished collage lets the texture and color show through without being overwhelming, and gives you a surface you can actually work on top of.
Tips & gotchas
Don't go above 16 pages, especially if you plan to add dimensional embellishments. The pages build up thick with all those layers — more than 16 and the book becomes unwieldy. Fewer is fine. Ten pages makes a perfectly good book, and if you want just four, that works too.
Cover the fold completely, on every single page. This is the part people tend to shortcut, and it's where books fall apart. A little scrap glued to one side of the fold and another scrap glued to the other side leaves a gap in the middle with nothing reinforcing it. Get your paper into those grooves, press it down, and make sure no fold is left bare.
Wrap your edges rather than leaving them flush. Cut your piece with enough overlap to fold around the edge of the page and glue down on the other side. That wrapped edge is what makes the finished pages feel solid, and it prevents lifting as the layers dry and contract.
Work across the whole book a little at a time, don't complete one spread before moving to the next. Doing all your gluing on the front pages first means the spine warps on one side and the back stays flat — the book ends up completely unbalanced. A bit here, a bit at the back, a bit in the middle, then back to the front.
When you leave a spread to dry, press down the folds first, then leave the book open so wet pages don't stick to each other. Closing a freshly glued spread is a good way to end up with pages you have to peel apart.
Close the book and open it straight back up after gluing around the spine area, so it dries in the correct open position rather than setting stiff.
Warping is normal and expected when you're only working one side — don't let it stress you. Once you glue both sides and lay the finished pages under something heavy, they flatten back out beautifully.
Use your largest pieces first to cover the most ground quickly. Once the bulk of the page is covered, the small scraps fill in the gaps naturally. Starting with tiny pieces is how this project turns into a multi-week ordeal.
If the catalog is too thick to work with comfortably, remove pages from the very middle — that's where removing them causes the least disruption to how the book sits.
I use mine as a running collection — projects I've finished, tutorials I've watched and tried, small things I made that didn't have anywhere else to live. But there's nothing stopping you from cutting straight into it like a traditional masterboard and using all those beautiful layered pages for cards, collage sheets, or journal pages in other books. Either way, all those scraps that would otherwise pile up in a drawer end up somewhere that actually gets used.
