If you search for book sculptures on the internet, you’ll come across some incredible creations, including one that stares right back at you – artist Hubertus Gojowczyk’s “Latest News.” With Halloween on the brain, I thought this would make the coolest, spooky prop for my favourite time of the year.
Materials
- book
- 2 eyeballs
- pencil
- utility knife
- white glue
- glue stick
Instructions
1. This project is strictly for Halloween happy adults, for the very obvious reason that it involves using a utility knife. Having said that, even adults need to be careful.
You may have an old book in your home just waiting to be recycled. If not, yard sales, thrift shops and used book stores are great places to find one. Eyeballs are a bit trickier. I first tried this project using the larger, white eyeballs shown in the above photo. They were from a dollar store, and while they will work, the look is not quite as effective as a nice pair of glass-like eyeballs. They can easily be found online, or try bead shops, where I lucked out and found the ones I ended up using. Another option is making your own resin eyeballs.
2. Open up the book around the halfway point, and flatten. With a pencil, sketch in the eyeball shapes on both sides. Begin carefully carving into the book along the pencil lines, to create an eyeball shape like the eyeballs you will be inserting. Every once in a while, lift up a section of pages, and hold the eyeball under the hole to make sure you are framing it properly. Adjust accordingly, and keep carving until the space is as deep as you want.
3. Determine the placement of the eyeballs, and glue them in position with white glue.
Place a heavy book on top and allow to dry. Using a glue stick, glue some of the pages together. If you have a great deal of patience, you may want to glue them all, or bribe the kids instead 🙂
ArtClubBlog 
This is one very cool project!! I love it!!
Thanks Danni!
Oooooh, I love this a lot! Now if the eye only blinked, that would be totally scary!
I was thinking of that too, and how it would freak people out! A bit like those moving portraits in Harry Potter.
That is creepy as all get out and I LOVE it! Kind of reminds me of the eye in the brain at the beginning of Stephen King’s “That Dark Half.” Well done!
Thanks Ann. It’s really the only time of year I can get away with this kind of stuff, without being considered seriously odd. Don’t know the Stephen King story, but perhaps I should look into it. It’ll be in good company with Poe at my bedside.
Great book. I could really spook my daughter with one of her books.
Thanks. That would be pretty funny to have eyeballs unexpectedly hiding inside one of her books!
This really is creepy – I LOVE it! Perfect to pass around the room after everyone’s had a nice glass of wine – or two – or three- or more! I’d say “I cannot believe she wrote this about me!” and then let it make its rounds!
Oooh yes, must have the wine! Maybe I should make a bunch of these, and discreetly slip them into bookcases when visiting friends. I first need to experiment with making my own eyeballs. That should be interesting.
creepy but fun! thank you for sharing. Hugs
Thanks for visiting, Katherine!
These are completely cool, fun and creepy all at the same time! It looks so real when the book is closed. wow. Visiting via ‘sweetsharingmonday’ link up from over at http://www.ritewhileucan.com where I have nothing nearly as goolish as this! 😉
Glad you liked it, and thanks for dropping by!
What a fun, but slightly disturbing project! Love it!
Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a fabulous week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
Thanks Jill. Disturbing is allowed this time of year 😉
Clever. Clever. Clever. Thank you for the tutorial!!!
Awwwww shucks, thank you!
This is such a cool idea! I need to try this:)
You should! Thanks for visiting Ginnie 🙂
Hi and how creative of you! This is a little scary but I love it. I saw it on I gotta create party!
Julie
Thanks Julie!
That is so creepy and cool at the same time!!
Love it!! Creepy!
How creative! This would be a great decoration or just fun to scare the kids with :)…
I’ve seen this post on a few link parties this week…I scroll down the page and hello, there’s a freaky eye ball looking at me. Good job!!!
That’s pretty funny. You’re right though, it is a little creepy. Thanks for visiting!
So creepy, I love it!
Thank you!
Love this! what an original (and eerie) idea for Halloween- I’ll be on the lookout for those eyeballs!
How fun and perfectly creepy!
Very cute and creepy, Love it!
Thank you Brenda. I wasn’t able to leave a comment on your blog, but your graveyard diorama is just amazing! Love it!
I have a library at work where nobody ever takes or leaves any books. They have been sitting there for over a year and are all dusty. I just went and grabbed a nice hardcover book to do this project with. I plan on antiquing the cover of the book too and making it look like a spells book that everybody is pinning right now too, This will just take it one step further and scare anybody who picks it up and flips through it. Thanks for sharing your idea. Now I just have to find some good eyeballs…
That sounds wonderful, especially taking the time to antique the cover. I hope you have an easier time finding eyeballs than I did. The only really good round, glass-like eyeballs seem to be available on the internet. I look forward to seeing your book!
So cool and slightly creepy! Great idea! Thanks for sharing at Submarine Sunday!
Congratulations you have been featured at my Pin Me Party at Diana Rambles this week. This has been pinned & tweeted!
Thanks so much Diana!
This is by far, one of the coolest Halloween projects I’ve seen to date on the interwebs…you are featured today at Our Sunday Best. I also shared this on both of my Pinterest accounts for my site and The Classroom Creative…
Thanks for sharing last week,
Nicolette
Thank you so much Nicolette! I did what I could with the eyeballs I found, but the artist, Hubertus Gojowczyk, worked magic with those two big round eyeballs! Maybe next year I’ll track some down.
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