DIY Mini Book: In-depth Guide To Art Journaling 2021

This week’s article features another DIY craft that’s easy to make and a feast for the eyes. For this week, we will be making a DIY Mini Book. It’s perfect for journaling your thoughts and can even be used for drawing or even as a diary! The entire craft takes about 45 minutes to an hour to complete, depending on your level of expertise. 

Materials Needed:

  • Coloured Paper (120 gsm)
  • A4 size drawing block / Construction Paper x1
  • Coloured Markers
  • Permanent Markers
  • Decorative Paper
  • Ruler
  • Glue/Double Sided Tape
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • White Pen

Here are the steps to create your own DIY Mini Book:

Firstly, choose a bright coloured paper for the pages in the book. In this case, we will be using bright yellow for the pages. 

DIY mini book Step 1: Fold According To The Dotted Lines
Fold According To The Dotted Lines


Secondly, divide the coloured paper equally, taking reference to the image above.

Step 2: Cut Across the Red Lines
Cut Across the Red Lines

Thirdly, cut across the lines in red using a pair of scissors. (You may use the image above as a reference)

DIY Mini Book Step 3: Fold According To The Arrows
Fold According To The Arrows

Fourthly, fold the coloured paper according to the arrows. (see above image)

Each Rectangle Represents a 'Page'
Each Rectangle Represents a ‘Page’

Here, we fold the coloured paper according to the colour scheme above. Each rectangle represents a ‘page’ in the book.

Next, we use the drawing block to wrap around the coloured page. As the drawing block represents the cover page of the DIY Mini Book, we need to ensure that the size of the drawing block is bigger than the pages in the book. Our dimensions are 12 cm x 8.5 cm should you require it for your reference.

Here’s the time lapse if you need a video to guide you through the process.

DIY Mini Book Time lapse

After you’re done with the cover page, we proceed with designing the cover image for the mini book. In this case, we will be using boba tea as our cover image for the mini book.

How to Draw Cute Boba Tea

How to draw Cute Boba Step 1: Sketch Out The Dimensions
Step 1: Sketch Out The Dimensions

Start by drawing the cup. If you’re inexperienced, you may use a ruler for the rectangular edges and freehand for the circular base.

How to draw cute boba Step 2: Add A Layer and draw circles
Step 2: Add A Layer and Draw Circles

Next, we proceed with adding another cylindrical layer for the liquid (milk tea) and add circles to represent the bobas. Ensure that the circles are randomly spaced out before filling in the empty space with overlapping ‘pearls’. This will help stagger the boba and give it a more natural look.

How to Draw Cute Boba Step 3: Add Emoticons
Step 3: Add Emoticons

Add in a “>.<” emoticons for extra oomph and a hint of cuteness to your already aesthetically appealing drawing. 

When you’re satisfied with your cute boba tea drawing, add in the colours! Here, we use cream colour for the milk tea, black for the boba and pale light blue for the cup. Do remember to outline your drawing with permanent marker before adding in the colours!

We also added in a light grey border using the coloured marker and used the white pen to give your boba extra form (more 3D). After you’re done colouring the cute boba drawing, attach the drawing to the cover with glue.

Glue Top Left and Bottom Left Rectangle to Cover
Glue Top Left and Bottom Left Rectangle to Cover

Next, we attach the coloured paper (pages) to the cover page with glue. Should you need a guide, we apply the glue on the top left purple rectangle and the bottom left yellow rectangle.

After securing the pages to the cover, cut out a strip from your decorative paper, based on the dimensions of your boba drawing. This strip represents the ‘cap’ of your boba cup. Only apply glue to both ends of this strip as we want the ‘straw’ to pass through later.

Next, cut another longer decorative strip. This strip represents the straw for the boba drink.

Attach one end of the strip to the back cover of the book with glue while ensuring that the straw is long enough to pass through the cup.



DIY Mini Book Sample
Make A Diagonal Cut At The End

To add a little more realism, we make a diagonal cut across the straw.

For the pages, you can add in your own doodles or notes if you’re using it as a diary. For ours, we added our own food doodles to add our own unique layer of aesthetics. 

DIY Mini Book with Cute Boba Drawing Cover
DIY Mini Book (Cute Boba Drawing Cover)

Have fun with your DIY Mini Book and use it as an art journal!

If you like our works, do check out our article on the trending Squid Game Crafts or stay tuned to our socials for more updates!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *