Guest Author - Lisa Shea

An altered book is just that - a real, purchased book that has been altered to turn into a work of art. You can replace the pages, use the words, and let your imagination soar.

Many people simply love books, and the new worlds each book can take you. We are like Belle in the Disney "Beauty in the Beast" movie, where we imagine a library to be the ultimate treasure trove the world can offer. Using a book we love to become a work of art can be the ultimate homage.

Imagine for example that you grew up reading Lord of the Rings. You grew up dreaming of Aragorn and Legolas. For you, an incredibly powerful work of art could involve a leather bound version of that book. You could open the book to your favorite part, add in drawings and decorations, and make it a meaningful artwork to display in your living room.

There are no rules in altering books. It's sort of like a scrapbook - but instead of a generic empty canvas, you're beginning with a literary work of art. You can use crayon or colored pencil to highlight words. You can paste in photos from other sources. You can tea stain the paper, or cut shapes into it.

Let your creativity guide you!