Artists’ Books and New Zine Format
The Stillwater River at dusk © 2026 by Ann Cooper
Moving to Maine demanded all my energy earlier this month, so I’m late in posting this exploration of artists’ books. I’ve gathered links to some beautiful collections to browse online and a handful of the many tutorials and videos out there for making our own. I hope you’ll like them! If you make artists’ books and want to share, please get in touch!
Also, my zines are now available to flip through digitally at Heyzine. I’m trying out the free tier, which allows me to upload five flipbooks. I’d love to hear from you about the zines, the digital format, or the blog in general.
Collections of Artists’ Books
For inspiration or just fun browsing:
The University of Puget Sound Artists’ Books Collection
The collection page is on JSTOR, which anyone can sign up to use for free.
Clark Library Artists’ Books Collection
I particularly like these:
“Still Water” by Roni Horn
“ABC of Bugs and Plants in a Northern Garden” by Judy Sgantas
Cynthia Sears Artists’ Books Collection at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
They have a video series on artists’ books!
Artists’ Books at the Cleveland Institute of Art
Artists’ Books from the Letterform Archive, a wealth of information and inspiration
More Inspiration & Instruction
Kim Herringe has lots of posts about her art books and great videos of them
A tutorial on bookbinding techniques from the Bookmakers Collective
Another tutorial from the Bookmakers Collective on making your own bookbinding tools
Special binding techniques and tutorials for making boxes for your artist books are collected in this libguide from the Columbus College of Art & Design
YouTube “How to Make Artist Books” playlist by Camille Riner
YouTube video showcasing art book techniques with Rebecca Lord Gardiner: “Most Elegant Artist Books with Printmaking & Book Arts Techniques”