How to Cut Artwork from a Book

Have you ever spotted a beautiful book and thought to yourself “If only that could be my wall art!” It’s an incredibly affordable idea, considering that an entire book would probably cost you around $10-$30 {depending on the size} and a single Art Print can easily cost you $15+.

This isn’t a new idea by any means. However, as I’ve gazed at these lovely books I’ve been stumped as to how to get the pages out without ruining them.

For Christmas, I bought Erica this cute little book — so cute, that I went on and bought one for myself, too! Included within it’s pages are approximately 200, 4 inch x 4 inch, Art Prints filled with fun quotes, bright colors and hand-lettering.

I’ve been working on a new project, which is nearly finished, and I hope to share it so soon…

{Yes, I know I still need to show you more of the dining room, as well. My projects are just all over the place right now… and maybe I’m easily distracted, ha.}

… anyhow, this space seemed like the perfect spot for some of this happy art. So, it was time to figure out how to tear a page out of a book, without ruining that page or the surrounding pages.

I’ve actually owned this Martha Stewart Craft Knife for several years; but it had never occurred to me how perfect it would be for this task.

I had considered a regular utility knife before; but was afraid that it would be too big and bulky — and so sharp that it would go through several pages at once. After all,we’ve used our standard utility knives to cut everything from cardboard, to thin wood, wires and more.

In contrast, a Craft Knife is designed for maximum control — like a pen or pencil — and designed for detail cuts through thinner materials.

Use a ruler to hold your page in place and then run the craft knife along the edge. You don’t need to press very hard to cut through the paper.

If you’d like, stick a sheet of cardstock behind the art in order to protect the next page. I didn’t actually do this, but obviously the thickness of your specific book pages would affect the importance of this step.

Here’s a peak of the room with a couple more 4 inch by 4 inch pieces of art from my little book. Maybe you can guess which room I’m decorating?

If you are interested in some book suggestions that would be great to turn into art, check out these recommendations from Emily A. Clark.