Talented Artist Recycles Old Books Into Works of Art

Many people give away old books, but a talented artist turns them into masterpieces. Meet Alejandro Gil, a skilled book sculptor, musician, nature lover, and artist from Barcelona, ​​Spain. A complete guy, he’s happiest when he creates intricate sculptures from old books and watches his ideas take shape.

Here’s how you got into this exciting field of art and what it takes to make impressive works of art.

Consummate artist transforms old books into beautiful sculptures

Alejandro describes himself as a book carver, not a typical job title by any means. For him, an ordinary work day involves hours and hours of sculpting books using just a few tools. In the video, it appears that he is carving the books using only a ruler, a utility knife, a cutting mat, a pencil, and glue.

Of course, first draw the picture you want to carve on the book. The outline makes it easy to cut out the design and add intricate details. He also uses computer programs to help him visualize the image he wants to create.

To date, he has carved some pretty impressive works of art from old books. This type of art requires a lot of patience, as it sometimes requires carving hundreds of pages. For Alexander, however, it is worth turning old books into something beautiful.

Some of the notable carvings he has created so far include:

• a carved T-rex fossil head
• the Sagrada Familia, a huge unfinished Roman Catholic basilica in Barcelona
• faces of people
• a wolf
• the bulldog
• a giant Fender guitar with three old books
• an ancient Roman bridge in Asturias
• a surfer riding a giant wave in Hawaii
• a mountain landscape
• an amphitheater
• a desert landscape complete with canyons, caves and natural landscapes waterways
• the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, one of the most famous monuments in Paris

It’s unclear how long it takes you to create the book carvings, but we’d assume at least a couple of weeks. It seems that book carvings are more of a hobby for him, but he has started selling some of them to interested customers. Alejandro’s story is another that shows how passion for something can eventually turn into a viable career or at least a side job.

This is how Alexander began to turn ancient books into art:

“Right at that moment, my grandfather and my grandparents were moving, so they had a lot of old yellow pages and old tour guides from years gone by,” says Alejandro. “So, I started doing my sculptures like Egyptian tombs and weird topographies with little people and stuff.”

At first, he was left with landscapes, crypts and tombs. These still required quite a bit of detail, but they weren’t as complicated as sculpting people. However, he wanted to challenge himself and try turning old books into faces next.

He thought:

“What if I like a face and a face shape? And I just drew a face on the cover of a book and then started carving. “

To some people, it may seem silly to have outdated books lying around. Usually when people finish reading books, they sit in a dusty old corner, completely forgotten. Or they are given to charity, which at least makes them useful to someone.

However, unfortunately, many of them are thrown away once people finish reading them. However, Alexander had a different idea.

“Why throw this away? It’s going to get wet and all that, ”he said. “Let’s give it as a new value, you know? So that’s what inspires me. “

As they say, “one man’s trash is another’s treasure.” Many artists around the world create works of art from recycled or used materials. Whether it’s plastic on the beach, recycled tires, or old books, people are constantly finding new uses for discarded items. After all, it is better to reuse garbage than to have it in a landfill somewhere.

If you’re not a sculptor, don’t worry, there are still plenty of other ways to repurpose old books.

Here are some ideas we found:

1. Create a book wreath.

Most people think of crowns as a classic Christmas decoration, but you can use them at any time of the year! They are an excellent addition to any room in your home. To make one, roll up old book pages and glue them onto a piece of cardboard. The finished product will resemble a giant flower made from recycled books. To learn more about how to create one, follow this tutorial.

2. Make a secret stash box.

Are you worried about thieves breaking into your home and stealing essential items? Then you will love this DIY safe. To do this, take a wooden box, cut the spines from the old books, and secure them to the front of the box. Here is a detailed description of how to carry out this project.

3. Turn a book cover into a picture frame.

If you I don’t want to spend money on the photo frames, you can make them yourself! Cut the cover off an old book with a knife. Next, put a photo inside a plastic protector and tape it inside the cover.

4. Create a bookshelf.

We know that bookshelves should hold books, but why not make a shelf out of them while you do it? Make sure to use books that are the same width, so that the shelf is even. Here is a tutorial on how to make one.

Final thoughts on the artist who creates works of art from old books.

Alejandro Gil does not believe in throwing away books, so he creates fascinating works of art from them. Using only simple tools, transform discarded books into beautiful carvings that look astonishingly real. He has created huge basilicas, towering mountain landscapes, and a huge guitar, to name a few of his pieces.

It certainly is talentedBut of course, not everyone shares his love for carving old books. If you want to reuse old books but need some ideas, maybe the ones listed above will pique your interest.