Folded Canvas Book: One Page Wonder aka Zine Fold

This tutorial will show you how to make a folded canvas book, otherwise known as a one page wonder or a zine folded book. It’s one sheet of paper or canvas or a paper bag that you fold into a book! This is a great way to turn old paintings that didn’t work out into a little book, or as this tutorial shows you, take a blank piece of paper and make it into something special. Enjoy!

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Scor-It Project of the Month

I did a little project for Scor-It in October 2009.  And I wanted to share it here as well!  Sign up for their newsletter to get fun new projects delivered each and every month! 

In case you don’t know what a Scor-It Board is, here’s a photo:

Basically, there’s a thin metal edge running up the center of the board.  The wooden tool has a groove in it, which the metal edge fits into.  You put your paper or transparency or whatever onto the metal edge and run the wooden tool over it, thus creating a perfect score.  You can see it in motion below:

I have to admit that I thought this tool was overkill at first.  Having used a bone folder and a piece of fun foam to make my creases for years, I thought it was silly to have this whole huge tool.  But, it really is awesome.  It creates a fold that doesn’t ever crack your cardstock and it really makes transparencies bend to your will.  I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many times I have taken my board out and used it since I got it about a year ago.

So, now let’s get to the project:

It’s a folded canvas book.  I used mine to write some thoughts on the act of creating.  Obviously, you can do whatever you’d like.  Here’s how it came together for me:

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Materials

These are the materials I used, but I always encourage you to use what you have on hand. Feel free to ask me about substitutions!

• Scor-it Board
• 12×12 Sticky Back Canvas from Ranger – 2026 ETA: This product is no longer made. Use a regular piece of cotton duck canvas and add your own adhesive, or simply use paper — no adhesive needed!
• Acrylic Paint
• Book Page
• Scissors
• Gel Medium
• Paintbrush and Water
• Gesso
• Watercolor Paints (I used Koi by Sakura)
• Box Cutter
• Glass Mat or Self-Healing Mat
• Adirondack Color Wash from Ranger
• Heat Gun
• Metal Edge Ruler 

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Step One: Score the Sticky Back Canvas

Using the Scor-it Board, score the Sticky Back Canvas at the 3, 6, and 9 inch marks.

Turn the Sticky Back Canvas 90º and score at the 6 inch mark.

Each of the sections will be a page in the finished book.

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Step Two: Decorate the Sticky Back Canvas

I chose to decorate my book with layers of paint and ink and book pages. You could use patterned paper or photographs or anything else you’d like. Here are the steps I took:

1. Paint each of the sections with acrylic paint.

Don’t worry about staying in the lines. Let the paint dry or dry with a heat gun.

2. Using a paintbrush, put some gesso on the end of an empty toilet paper tube.

Use that painted toilet paper tube as a stamp and add some circles to your canvas. Let the paint dry or dry with a heat gun.

3. Add some flecks and drops of gesso over the entire canvas.

Don’t be afraid of ruining it! We’re creating texture and layers and the end result will be fabulous! Trust the process. Let the paint dry or dry with a heat gun.

4. Cut shapes (I used hearts) and tear strips from a book page. Adhere these randomly using a thin coat of Gel Medium.

5. Spray the canvas with several colors of Adirondack Color Wash. Dry with a heat gun.

6. Add some more gesso randomly.

Again, we’re trying to create visual texture. Don’t be afraid of ruining it. Use a very thin coat, diluting with water if necessary. Let the paint dry or dry with a heat gun.

7. Using black acrylic paint, paint words or thoughts on each page of the book. Let the paint dry or dry with a heat gun.

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Step Three: Assemble the Book

If you’ve added a lot of layers, you may want to re-score the canvas using the Scor-It Board before you begin to assemble it.

1. Using a box cutter and a metal edge ruler, and working on a glass mat. Cut across the 6 inch score mark, between the 3 and 9 inch scores.

I have marked the photo in red to indicate the cut.

2. Remove the paper backing from the Sticky Back Canvas, exposing the adhesive.

3. Fold the canvas in half (along the 6-inch score) and pull the cut you made open.

This is the basic structure of your book.

4. Carefully begin to push the Sticky Back Canvas together to form four flat pages.

5. Gently coax the four pages around to create your book! If any of the adhesive from the Sticky Back Canvas is exposed, use a pair of scissors to trim it away.

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial!  I had a lot of fun making it.

Thanks for stopping by!