in this Instructable ill show you how to make a cover for a school book, or a diary etc..

this is my first time... so please be gentle...

Step 1: Get the Stuff

materials/tools

you will need some pencils or pens or a computer running something like paint

some paper big enough to cover the book, or just to cover the front of the book

some old magazines (I suggest glossy but any will work) or you could print your favourite font on some glossy photo paper, that will work too (this is to write your name on the front because it would be covered up by the paper)

some scissors

some glue, pritstick, pva etc...

shapes to draw around like a bowl, tin or money.
this clear sticky back plastics (picture will explain it all)

Step 2: Draw Your Design

in the first photo this is basically just a black, blue and red biro scribbled all over an A3 piece of paper (11.69 x 16.54 inches) and stuck on my English exercise book.

on my art books I did something slightly different, i went crazy drawing circles and coloured them in, thats the third and fourth picture

on the fifth onwards i basically the same but i used different shapes and i have to stick the letters on it.

I'm going to be drawing a really small one as a demonstration. oh yeah draw with a light pencil, that way the pencil wont show if you get it wrong.

Step 3: Colour in Your Design

now you colour in your design, I used felt tip pens but you can use whatever you want. i found that if you overlap the shapes you can draw the overlap a random colour- it looks very different like that.

Step 4: Outline in Black Pen

the title is self explanatory, outline all the shapes in a black pen, it makes the bright colours contrast more and jump out

Step 5: Get Messy

now you can cut out letters from glossy magazines and stick them on your cover, first however work out where the letters will go, you don't want to waste all your hard work!
by the way, using different fonts makes the letters look cool.

now, the magazines are my mums... really... they are.

Step 6: Arange and Stick

now you have all your letters in a small heap arrange them on your sheet of paper and stick them on in the design you want,

Step 7: Clear Sticky Back Plasticy Thingy Time!!

now you have to put the sticky back plastic on the book, this is easier said than done, if it sticks to anything made of paper, it sticks full stop so you have to be really careful. the pictures will show you how to do this although you probably already know how, some don't and its hard to explain, it's almost worth making an Instructable just for putting the plastic on!!

Step 8: I Lied

OK for those who actually did this, unless you have the terminator v3.0 of sticky back plastic you will know I lied about the it sticks to anything paper, but thats just because everything it touches it picks up dirt and makes it look bad.(even in the air)

so, please comment on my first Instructable, i want to know how to improve.

:-)