Altered Book Techniques: Tip-Ins

Tip-In: Transparency & Double-Stick Tape

Tip-ins are a lovely way to add interest to your altered book spreads. Here I am showing you three examples. These spreads are color and materials charts that I created for my students to become familiar with different types of media you can use in book alteration, and how each one is affected by the surface paper. One side of the book page is gessoed, the other is plain. I draw horizontal lines and then within each space use a different type of media (acrylic, fluid acrylic, watercolor pastels, etc.). In the tip-in above, I used a transparency print out of a photo I took in London (it was a poster on a Metro wall). I applied double-stick tape to the page first running the tape right up against the gutter, and then pressed down the edge of the transparency. The transparency can be lifted up to view the media sample beneath it. Transparencies are cool to use because they allow you to see the text and the color underneath it.

Tip-In: Greeting Card & Masking Tape (Front Side)

Tip-In: Using Masking Tape (Back of Card)

In this second example, I tipped in a colorful greeting card by running Japanese masking tape along both sides of the card. The masking tape overlaps onto the page (close to the gutter as possible). On the back of the card I added a photo of my cat Angelina and me -- kind of a similar feeling and color palette the greeting card. This is a very crude way of making a tip-in -- but it works! Just make sure to stick part of the masking tape onto the book page.

Tip-In: Between Two Ripped Pages (Front)

Tip-In: Greeting Card Between Two Ripped Book Pages (Back)

The third tip-in example is done by ripping out two book pages, but leaving each one at least one inch wide. You tip-in your picture, card, photo, or tag by gluing your chosen item between the two torn pages. This was a greeting card that seemed to work with my mermaid theme.