Introduction: Hand Made Album Covers

By Visit my site
About: Self-employed YouTuber, creator and maker working from studio at home. Running craft workshops and making instructional videos for YouTube. Also manufacturer of craft tools and templates.

Hello and welcome to my instructable about how to make quick, easy and beautiful album covers that you can go on to bind into scrap books, sketch books or whatever kind of album you would like.

These are the things you will need:

  • Two boards of equal size to create the covers
  • Some high quality paper covering
  • some heavy-duty double-sided tape such as carpet tape
  • A wide 12 inch ruler
  • A scalpel or craft knife
  • A metal ruler for cutting against
  • A brayer
  • A cutting mat

Step 1: Select Two Boards of Equal Size

For this album, I used recycled grey board cut to 8.25inches x 6 inches by the paper company I purchased it from. But you can use any good quality card or board. Clean, empty food boxes such as cereal boxes work well too.

Step 2: Cover With Double-sided Tape

Cover the entire front surface of each board with double-sided tape and trim as needed. Carpet tape is very strong and works better for me than glue of craft tape. There is no waiting for glue to dry or warped boards.

Step 3: Select Your Album Covering

For this album, I used a high-end designer wall covering that I bought in a department store. I normally use my own hand-painted papers by they take weeks to create. If I want to make pretty albums quickly, I now look for really high quality wall papers such as this which was a joy to work with. Cheaper wall papers don't work so well for me.

Step 4: Position Your Cover

Take one of the boards and position it over the part of the design you want to use. In this case, I wanted John Lennon's face to be the main feature.

Step 5: Mark Out and Cut

Take a wide ruler - usually 1.5 inches - and draw a border around the cover to give the overlap which you will fold over.

Step 6: Cut Using Metal Ruler and Scalpel or Craft Knife

Carefully cut out your front cover paper.

Step 7: Cover the Inside Edges With Double-sided Tape

Place strips of double-sided tape all around the inside of the front cover.

Step 8: Position Cover on Paper

Place the cover centrally on the back of the paper and draw around it.

Step 9: Mark the Corners and Cut

Mark off and cut across the corners so they fold neatly when you turn them over.

Step 10: Remove Tape Backing

Remove the sticky tape backing ready to place centrally on your cut paper.

Step 11: Line Up and Fold

Carefully line up the cover on the paper and press into place. Turn it over and use a clean brayer to ensure the cover is evenly pressed down.

Step 12: Fold Over and Stick Down

Turn the cover over again and remove the sticky tape backing round the inside edges. Pull the borders tightly over the edge while pressing firmly down.

Step 13: Mark Out an Image on the Paper to Go on Inside of Front Cover

Take a piece of card slightly smaller than the covers and use as a template to mark out an attractive image from your paper. The image will go inside the front cover.

Step 14: Finish the Inside of the Front Cover

Cut the image out out, cover the back with double sided sticky tape, peel the backing off and place over the exposed area inside the front cover. Press down well with the brayer. Your front cover is now complete. Repeat the whole process to create your back cover.

Step 15: Ready for Binding

Your album is now ready to bind into whatever kind of album you wish to create. This one I have made is a sketch book. The paper I used for this is a high quality Fabriano and could be used as a photo album, scrap book or journal. The way I have bound the album means it opens out flat for ease of use when sketching. I have also added some gold hearts on waxed lined thread to finish it off. For more info on binding or where to get the paper I used, visit my blog at www.anythingexcepthousework.co.uk .