Discover the Beauty of Folded Book Art with Our Selection of 85 Photos, Plus Tips and Tutorials

Interiors 3-1-2018 Archzine 3736

We live in an era of overconsumption, constantly bombarded with advertisements prompting us to buy more and more items that we don’t necessarily need. One way to reject this norm and opt for a more environmentally friendly existence is by engaging in DIY projects, and finding ways to reuse household items. Transforming old objects into art is an especially fun and satisfying activity. It used to be a very popular pastime several decades ago, but with the onset of the digital era people began losing interest in crafting and giving new life to used items. Luckily, some DIY activities are coming back in style. Such is the case with folded book art – a delicate form of artistic expression, which transforms unwanted tomes into beautiful decorative objects.

Books can convey much more meaning and emotion than any other manmade object. The text they hold is meant to educate and inspire, and should ideally be preserved for future generations. Because of this, some people argue that folded book art destroys the significance of books as sources of information. We do not believe this is the case, however – transforming your favorite tomes into art pieces doest ruin them – rather, it makes them into new, unique objects that have a twofold significance. They preserve the essence of the books they were made from, while adding a second layer of meaning to them.

If you would like to master the skills needed to create folded book art, you must, above all, be very patient and have a great eye for detail. While it is not necessarily as difficult as it appears, it nevertheless takes some practicing and a lot of spare time. The upside is that you can create amazing shapes, and the only instruments necessary are your hands. You can buy intricate and beautiful folded book art patterns on websites such as etsy.com or even request a custom-made pattern featuring any shape you like. If you are looking for inspirational and imaginative suggestions or would simply like to see some gorgeous examples of folded book art, our article is a great place to start! We have selected 85 amazing images that offer an insightful look into the delicate and beautiful world of folded book art. We have also included a video tutorial that will hopefully enable you to create your own paper masterpieces. Enjoy!

This beautiful starfish is a great example of folded book art

folded book art, opened book with black and white hard covers, containing starfish shape, made from folded pages

Heart-shaped art piece decorated with paper flowers and pearl beads – the perfect wedding gift!

folded book art, heart shape made from folded pages, decorated with white pearly beads, and paper flowers, inside an opened book, with hard covers

You can even create numbers! A clever gift idea for Harry Potter fans.

folded book art, book with hard red covers, decorated with red ribbon, and opened to display the numbers 9 3/4, made from folded pages

Inspire others to read with a simple, yet beautiful message

folded book art, closed book with hard purple covers, folded pages spelling the word inspire, in fancy writing

A sweet paper flower

folded book art, flower made from folded pages, inside an open book, with hard black covers, tied with blue ribbon, and decorated with blue paper flowers

This video tutorial explains the basic principles of book folding

Create your own magical art pieces

folded book art, a unicorn shape with three stars, and the sentence I believe in unicorns, carved into the pages of a closed book

You can make longer, more elaborate messages, provided you choose a book with the right thickness

folded book art, thick closed book, with light brown hard covers, and a long message carved into its pages, along with a feather and some small bird shapes

A cute R2D2 book sculpture is sure to bring a smile to the face of any Star Wars fan!

We love this gorgeous, perfectly symmetrical butterfly art!

book folding, symmetrical butterfly shape, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with black and white hard covers

Decorate your library with a beautiful, inspiring message

book folding, opened book with grey and black hard covers, containing the word read in fancy writing, created from folded pages

Hearts remain one of the most popular decorative shapes. Discover how to easily make one yourself in the video below this image

book folding, book with black hard covers, opened to reveal heart shape, made from cut and folded pages

book folding, apple shape made from folded pages, inside an open book, with dark grey and black hard covers

book folding, turkey decoration made from open book, with folded pages, decorated with paper cutouts, and twisted paper cones

book folding, open book with red hard covers, featuring a grey and white pattern, displaying pages folded into a geometric, lantern-like shape

You can even opt for a humorous message

book folding, closed book with dark hard covers, with a long message, and a wine-glass shape, carved into its pages

book folding patterns, book with red and pale green covers, decorated with santa claus image, and other festive details, opened to reveal the words ho ho ho, made from folded pages

book folding patterns, two snail decorations, made from cut and folded book pages, placed on a black background

book folding patterns, angel shape made from cut and folded book pages, decorated with lace and pearl beads, with a round wooden head, and a faux flower crown

book folding patterns, opened book with black covers, tied with a sheer red ribbon, showing a smiling snowman's head, made from folded pages

Even if a book is poorly written, it can still be useful, once it has been transformed into an art piece!

book folding patterns, semi-opened book, with hard brown covers, an elk-head shape carved into its pages

book folding patterns, small cat ornament, made from cut and folded book pages, decorated with round black plastic buttons, wire whiskers and a red collar

Here is a great example of a folded book art that can be put to practical use

Adorable paw prints – the perfect gift for a cat lover!

book folding patterns, two paw prints, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with hard dark covers, held by hand

folded book art patterns, opened book containing the message bless this mess, and a heart shape, made from folded book pages

folded book art patterns, two sets of small baby foot prints, inside a heart shape, made from folded pages, inside an open book

folded book art patterns, book with black hard covers, opened to display a cat shape, made from folded yellowy pages

folded book art patterns, small Christmas tree, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with hard green covers, and pine tree pattern, more similar books nearby

folded book art patterns, closed book with hard dark blue covers, and a snowflake shape, carved into its pages

folded book art patterns, rabbit shape made from folded yellowy pages, inside an open book with dark blue hard covers, tied with a green ribbon

folded book art patterns, three musical notes, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with dark hard covers

folded book art patterns, book with dark blue hard covers, opened to reveal the word sister, made from many folded pages

You can order almost any pattern you like online…

folded book patterns, the word hope, spelled in fancy writing, cerated by folded pages, inside a small opened book, with hard black covers

folded book patterns, a church shape, made from folded pages, inside a thin open book, with hard covers

…or you can learn how to make them yourself!

folded book patterns, book with hard black and white patterned covers, opened to reveal a cat shape, with little heart inside, made from many folded pages

Quick and easy cat folded book art

folded book patterns, the word love, with the o replaced by a paw print, made from many folded pages, inside an open book

folded book patterns, simple angel shape, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with red hard covers

folded book patterns, two cat shapes, with tails forming a heart, made from folded pages, inside a book with hard black covers, held by a hand

folded book patterns, a vase with flowers, all made from cut and folded book pages, decorated with a purple ribbon

How about a cute hedgehog?

folded book patterns, book with black hard covers, opened to reveal a hedgehog shape, made from folded pages, decorated with black marker, and a stick-on googly eye

bookfolding, open book with red hard covers, containing eye glasses, made from folded pages

bookfolding, butterfly shape made from folded pages, inside an open book, with dark blue hard covers

bookfolding, artwork made from two open books, stuck on a canvas, with folded pages, and two human figures made from cracked white stone, placed between the books' covers

bookfolding, 3D image of two hands, holding a heart shape, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with hard yellow covers

bookfolding, closed thick book, with red hard covers, and a cartoon image of santa claus, carved into its pages

bookfolding, the word read, made from folded pages, inside a book with grey and black hard covers, tied with a chequered ribbon

bookfolding, bride and groom holding hands, made from folded pages, decorated with small white flower and tiny black bowtie, inside an open book with hard red covers, tied with white ribbon

book folding art, heart shape with paw print, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with dark red hard covers

Use your imagination to make this adorable hedgehog couple!

book folding art, two hearts made from folded pages, and painted red, inside an open book with black hard covers

book folding art, a dinosaur shape, made from cut and folded pages, inside a vintage book, with green and white patterned hard covers

book folding art, book with red and white hard covers, opened to reveal a vase shape, made from folded pages, with paper flowers, made from more cut and folded pages, painted red and green

book folding art, giant paw print, made from folded pages, inside an open vintage book, with dark hard covers

book folding art, closed thick book, with dark hard covers, pages carved with an image of a couple holding hands, and the message on your wedding day

book folding art, cat figure made from cut and folded book pages, decorated with paper eyes and nose, and felt whiskers

opened book with blue hard covers, containing two baby footprints, made from folded pages, placed on green mossy stone

opened book with blue hard covers, containing many pages, ornately cut and folded into wavy curled shapes

vintage book with red hard covers, placed on a pile of vintage books, and opened to reveal geometrical pattern, created from many folded pages

the word friend, created from folded pages, inside an open book, with hard green and white covers

owl ornament decorated with felt cutouts and metal buttons, made from folded pages, inside an open book with dark hard covers, and butterfly-shaped cutouts

closed book with hard blue covers, a butterfly made from geometric shapes, carved into its pages

A fun idea for Christmas

smiling reindeer head, created from folded pages, with red nose made, from round piece of paper, inside an open book, with black and green hard covers

anchor shape created from folded pages, inside an open book, with hard black covers

the letter m, made from folded pages, inside an opened book, with hard off-white covers

a heart shape with several musical notes, carved into the pages of a thick closed book, with shiny black hard covers

christmas tree shape made from folded pages, inside an open vintage book, with yellowy pages, and brown hard covers

opened book with brown hard covers, containing paper art, made from folded pages, shaped into a swirling round pattern

treble clef shape, made from folded pages, inside a book with hard black covers and golden edges, containing musical notes, and decorated with sheer black ribbon

Another great suggestion for a wedding or anniversary gift

two heart shapes, with the inscription you and me, made from folded pages, inside a vintage book, with black hard covers

book with red hard covers, opened to reveal pages, folded to make several circles, with a heart shape in the middle

three hearts and a musical note, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with dark blue hard covers

heart shape made from folded vintage pages, inside an open book, with pink and black hard covers

Inspirational quotes are a very popular choice

thick closed book, with dark cover, the phrase always look forward to the next chapter, carved into the pages, above the shape of an open book

sun shape made from folded pages, inside an open book, with dark hard covers

A beautiful flower bouquet to decorate your living room

opened book, containing three flowers made from its pages, several other pages with rolled edges

deer and elk shapes, made from folded pages, inside a vintage book, with yellowy pages, and black hard covers

paper art, created from cut and folded vintage book pages, stuck to one of the book's covers, decorated with realistic bird ornament

vintage book with black hard covers, opened to reveal two intercepting wedding bands, created from folded yellowy pages

a unicorn head, made from folded pages, inside an open book, with dark hard covers

an image of a van, created from folded yellowy pages, inside an open book, with black and blue hard covers, decorated with blue ribbon with white polka dots, and a paper flower