• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Prompts & Ideas
  • Canva
  • Resources
  • Shop

Digital Junk Journals

DIY collage & mixed media art-- on your computer!

How to find (digital) vintage book pages for junk journals

AZ Finch| Resources

(This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.)

Vintage papers are the backbone of any junk journal (digital or physical!) but finding good images to use can be tricky. This is especially true if you prefer using REAL vintage images (like I do) instead of paper made to look old. The extra authenticity of a real old paper in a digital collage or junk journal page just gives the whole piece an extra bit of oomph.

But where to find these fantastic, real, truly vintage digital papers?

From easiest to most difficult:

Table of Contents

  • 1. Buy some from my shop
  • 2. Check free online image websites
  • 3. Go hunting on digital archives
  • 4. Buy vintage books and scan them yourself

1. Buy some from my shop


I’ve already curated some excellent real old book papers and put them into picture packs on my Etsy store. If you don’t have time to go looking for some yourself, or just want an already-prepared selection of images to use, this can be a good way to go. 😉

>> Use code FRIENDSOFDJJ for 10% off your order at The Brass Mouse.

2. Check free online image websites

There’s some good options on the free image websites like Pixabay or Pexel. Try searching using keywords like “vintage paper,” “background paper” or “vintage letter.”

Here’s a list of the best websites for free images for digital collages, if you need somewhere to get started.

“Vintage paper” search results on Pixabay

The downside to this is a) a lot of the vintage paper options don’t look properly vintage, b) there’s not a ton of options (so you’ll end up using the same few papers as everybody else) and c) the image quality is sometimes lower than you should be using for digital artwork.

3. Go hunting on digital archives

This is the most time-confusing method, but it does lead to some really excellent finds.

Websites like the Library of Congress, Archive.org or Hathi Trust have millions of scanned book pages ready to use, if you know how to find them.

The trick is to not just search for “old book pages”– some good images might show up in the results, but you’ll get BETTER ones if you go a slightly different route.

Old book pages on LOC.gov!

First, pick a BOOK keyword to search.

Keywords like astronomy, botany, fairy tales, fashion catalogs, music sheets, and crafting books tend to have either good illustrations, interesting end pages, or worn-out book pages that can be good for junk journals. Pick one keyword to search and see what shows up!

Second, restrict your search results to a specific time period.

By which I mean filter the results to books published within a certain time period. Which period you filter for will depend on what kind of images you want.

Older books will have more damaged pages (and thus more unique textures and colors), while newer ones have better marbled end pages (due to being rebound by the library that bought them). Books from the early 20th century will have more vibrant color illustrations, while books from the 18th century will have more pastel colored ones.

Try searching for different decades to see what you like best! My own favorites tend to be from the late 1800s-1950s.

If you need help figuring out how to use filters on the Library of Congress, I’ve written a how-to post explaining how to do it. The filters on Archive.org and Hathi Trust work similarly.

Third, start checking book titles, one by one.

This is the most time-consuming part. You’ve gotta open and check dozens of scanned books to see what’s in there, and if there are any good pages to save. If you just want damaged and worn out paper then that can go pretty quick. However, if you’re looking for specific illustrations or marbled end pages, it can take much longer.

Be sure to double-check different versions of the same title. Sometimes multiple archives will scan their own copies of the same book, and often one or the other will have a better image selection.

Fourth, download IMAGES of the scanned pages.

You don’t need to download the entire book file, just the pages you specifically want. Be sure to select the highest quality image available to insure a high quality piece of art.

And there you go! Free images of old book pages, just waiting to be downloaded and used in a collage somewhere.

4. Buy vintage books and scan them yourself

This is always an option, especially if you already have a collection of old books or have access to thrift stores with lots of them available. It also requires the most equipment, as you’ll need a good scanner and a computer to process the scanned images, at the minimum.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend doing this as a first-time user as there’s a large learning curve, but it’s certainly a good tool to keep in your art arsenal.


If you found this post helpful, please share with a friend!

Related Posts:

  • Where to find free vintage photos and ephemera for junk journals
    Where to find free vintage photos and ephemera for junk…
  • How to find REAL vintage photos online for junk journals | Library of Congress search tips
    How to find REAL vintage photos online for junk journals |…
  • 100+ pieces of trash to upcycle into junk journals
    100+ pieces of trash to upcycle into junk journals
  • How to make digital junk journal backgrounds using Canva
    How to make digital junk journal backgrounds using Canva
← Previous Post
Next Post →

Share with a friend:

  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Hello there!

I'm Anastasia "AZ" Finch, an artist living in Southern California. I make digital mixed media collages using public domain images, hand-drawn elements, and things I find around my house. Wanna know more?

  • Instagram
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Go Shopping

Newest Posts

  • How to make custom color palettes
  • How to make printable inchies and twinchies using Canva
  • What is a Visual Journal?
  • How to fix blurry digital collages | What is DPI?
  • How to find REAL vintage photos online for junk journals | Library of Congress search tips

Visual Learning

Making Art

“Making art can feel dangerous and revealing. Making art is dangerous and revealing. Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might be.”

― David Bayles, Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

Footer

Find a Post

Search

Subscribe

Sign up below to subscribe to my newsletter and never miss a post!

Disclosure

This Site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 AZ Finch · Hosted on Dreamhost