Five Minute Artist Book

Here are instructions to make a tiny book with a found poem inside – quick, brilliant and effective.

Have fun chopping and choosing!

You’ll need:

Page torn from an old novel (found in a charity shop or in the sale box of your local library.)

Scissors

Coloured pencil or crayon

Instructions:

Fold page in half widthways, make a good crease with your thumb, a bone folder or the back of a spoon, and open out.

Fold page in half lengthways and open out.

Fold one of the short sides in to the centre crease and fold out again. Repeat with the other short side. You’ve divided the page into eight, with no measuring, no hassle.

From the long side, cut into the middle, and out to each side.

Start folding forwards and backwards to create a concertina. Whenever you reach a corner, remember to fold away from what you have already done.

You’ll end up with a beautiful book form which has two secret compartments!

Choose one word from each page, and draw round it with a coloured pencil. The one on the front will be the title. Think about creating a clear image or emotion, without worrying too much about making sense…

Once you’re ‘found’ all the words, fill the rest of each page with solid colour.

Admire your splendid fiction, showing it off from all angles.

Show us what you’ve made!

Tag @paperhazell and @thetravellingbookbinder

The example poem reads:

Breathing

love

pleased

needing

nothing

her

perfume

silence

memory

the end