Find Book Covers and More

Today we're going to explore what you can do if you use Wikimedia Commons to find images for your junk journal. Wikimedia Commons is connected to Wikipedia, and is the repository of many of the images used there. Its main purpose is education, not graphic design, but you might be surprised by how many images you find there can be useful for your junk journal.  

A few remarks to begin: Images on Wikimedia can have various licenses. Most, if not all, may be reused in some way. Many require attribution, but there are many that are in the public domain and require no attribution to use. If you are looking for truly vintage images, most of the images you are looking for should fall into the last category, especially if you live in the United States. To make the image selection process easier, look at the top dashboard on the search page, click on the licenses, and select "No restrictions."  This option may not appear until you enter something in the search bar. 

Let's start with the title. If you can't find an old book to alter, printing out an old cover is a pretty good second option for your junk journal.  If you search for "book covers," you mainly find the front part of the cover. A few have the spine and the back cover. 

Let's try "book spine." This search yields, among other things, this lovely book cover with flowers on it. Both front and back show, although it doesn't have much of a spine. 

Next, let's try "bookbinding." The results are interesting, and could probably be used not only for covers but also for little folios. 

Now let's try another useful search: journal. 

Look at those ready-made spreads! So much handwriting!

When you find something you like,  click on it, check the license just to be sure, and download your preferred resolution. You generally need to drag and drop from your computer screen.