Sticker And Collage Books That Make Art Journaling Easy (And Fun!)
Spark your creativity instantly. These 9 curated books deliver pre-designed images, vintage ephemera, and ready-to-use layouts for effortless creative flow.
Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
Key Takeaways
- Sticker books are best for quick pages. Peel, stick, and you have a main image in seconds. Collage books give you more variety but need scissors and glue.
- My top 3: John Derian Sticker Book, Extraordinary Things to Cut Out and Collage by Maria Rivans and Surreal: The Cut Out and Collage Book. Start with one of these if you’re buying your first book.
- Love both sides of a sticker sheet? Move the stickers onto wax paper or a plastic file folder, then use the back of the sheet in your journal.
- Mix different materials, including stickers, cut paper, and paint, to make personalized artistic expressions.
- Love both sides of a collage page? Photocopy the side you want to cut, and keep the original safe.
- Make your pages last. Glue all the way to the edges, and finish busy pages with a thin coat of gel medium.
Okay, friend, pull up a chair. I need to show you something you are going to love.
Here’s a little secret professional artists know: you don’t have to dream up every idea from scratch! Great art often starts with a little spark of inspiration, for example, a photo, a color, a shape, or something that simply catches your eye. Find inspiration that excites you, and suddenly creating feels easier and a whole lot more fun.
That’s exactly what sticker and collage books deliver. Pre-designed images, vintage ephemera, quirky illustrations ready to cut, peel, and layer into your journal pages. Use them as the focal point of your page or add them as the perfect finishing touch to bring everything together.
New to art journaling? Grab my free Art Journal Starter Kit. It explains the basic supplies and gives you a simple page recipe that never fails.
IF YOU ONLY WANT MY TOP THREE BOOKS
For stickers, I grab the John Derian Sticker Book more than anything else. For cutting and collaging, Extraordinary Things to Cut Out and Collage and Surreal: The Cut Out and Collage Book are my go to when I need a spark.
Here are the 9 books that make art journaling feel less like work and more like play.
The Sticker books I Can’t stop using
1-The Art Lover’s Sticker Book
This one is like carrying a tiny art museum around your bag. You get 350 stickers of famous artworks from all through art history, so a blank page can go painterly in about two seconds.
My favorite way to use it: pick one painting and stick it down as the star of the page. then build around it with some handwriting, a wash of paint, or a few doodle marks. Instantly you have a beautiful art journal page.
2-John Derian Sticker Book
Olay, this one is my absolute favorite. I reach for it more than any other book on my shelf.
Inside are over 500 stickers taken from 19th century prints. You get blooming flowers, sweet little critters, forest animals, and the kind of old fashioned details that look like they escaped from an antiques natural history cabinet Everything has that soft, aged look, so even a quick page feels like it has a story behind it.
When I want a page that feels dreamy and a little, bit magical this is the one Every single time.
3- John Derian Sticker Book 2
Yes, I needed the sequel. Of course I did.
This one came out in 2025 and it’s even bigger, with over 700 stickers. Think bright blossoms, birds, bugs, forest animals, and some wonderfully odd little curiosities. It has the same antique charm as the first book, just more of it.
I like grabbing this one when a page is almost done but something’s missing. Tuck a tiny beetle into a corner or a single flower behind a word, and suddenly the page feels complete.
My favorite books for cutting and collaging
This is where things get really fun.
Never made a collage before? Start with my beginner’s guide to collaging, then come back and pick your first book.
4- The Collage Compendium by Roomytown
If I could only keep one cut-and-collage book, this would be it. It’s packed with 2,000 vintage images, and 16 of the pages are printed with shimmery gold ink. The paper is lovely and sturdy too, so it cuts and glues without curling or tearing.
This is my happy place when I need a spark. Flip a few pages, and something always jumps out and says “use me.”
Want your other papers to match that vintage look? Try these easy ways to make paper look old.
5- Collage Kit vol. 2 by Free Period Press
Over 1,000 images in one book: nature, food, architecture, vintage photos, abstract patterns, and full backgrounds ready to glue down. It’s bright and modern, and it’s my go-to when I want a bold, graphic page fast.
What I didn’t expect when I opened it: before you even get to the images, there are 24 collage prompts to get you started. Then comes a page of gorgeous finished collages for inspiration, and a list of suggested collage supplies. So it’s not just a pile of pictures. It’s like a mini collage class tucked into the front of the book, which makes it perfect if you’re brand new and don’t know where to begin.
The backgrounds are the secret weapon here. First, glue one down, then add a single cutout on top, and you’ve got a page in ten minutes. It’s also great for vision boards and junk journals.
If you love the idea of a vision board in your journal, my Vision Mood Board mini workshop walks you through making one, step by step.
6- Extraordinary Things to Cut Out and Collage by Maria Rivans
Maria Rivans is a collage artist, and this book feels like she invited you into her studio.
It starts with inspiration, and she explains the ideas behind her pieces. Then she walks you through her tools and materials. After that come detailed step-by-step photos, so you can see exactly how each collage comes together, plus suggestions for making your own. Then you get hundreds of beautiful, quirky and plain silly images to cut out and play with.
It’s perfect for the days you want to learn something new and play without caring whether the page “makes sense.” (Spoiler: the best pages usually don’t.)
7- Magical Things to Cut and Collage
For the days you want to go full whimsy. There are 300+ images of fairies, gnomes, dragons, unicorns, wizards, crystals, mushrooms, woodland animals and flowers.
If you love whimsical art the way I do, this book is pure joy. Try a fairy-tale page: one big creature, a few mushrooms, and a little painted moon.
These fairy-tale cutouts look so sweet next to a face you draw yourself. Here’s how to draw whimsical faces step by step, and if you want my full process, it’s all in the Whimsical Faces workshop.
8- Amazing Things to Cut and Collage
This is the everyday-treasures book: 500+ images of people, animals, butterflies and bugs, botanicals, dishes and plates, vehicles, and little houses.
It’s the one to open when you need something specific to finish an idea, like a teacup for a cozy page or a tiny house for a “home” theme.
9- Surreal: The Cut Out and Collage Book
Things get delightfully strange here. It has 500+ odd, dreamy, surreal illustrations, plus faces, objects and backgrounds that beg to be mixed in ways that shouldn’t work.
Put a bird’s head on a teacup. Float a house in the clouds. This book gives you permission to get weird, and weird pages are some of my favorites to look back on.
Stuck on what to pair together? My 13 mixed media collage ideas are full of fun combinations to try.
I am sure there are many other great books out there, as a matter of fact, I use many other resources such as magazines and catalogues. But these 9 books are now on my art studio shelf and I use them all the time and I thought to share them with you.
How to use these books
Pick an “ooh” image. If it makes you pause, that’s the one. Let it be the star of your page.
Give it a cozy home. Make a simple background with a wash of watercolor or some torn paper.
Glue it down and layer. Add a few smaller images around it, overlapping the edges a little.
Make it yours. Add marks, words or outlines in your own handwriting.
Know when to stop. Leave some breathing room. A page doesn’t need to be full to be finished.
Stay curious. There’s no “right” image, and your page never has to be like anyone else’s.
Want to see these steps in action? Follow along with my easy collage idea for your art journal.
Pssst….. you don’t need all of them
Please don’t feel like you have to buy the whole shelf! As always start with what you have and only if you need something new start with just one that fits the pages you love making
Heads up, friend: this post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share books I own and use in my own journal. Read my full disclosure.
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
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1
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John Derian Sticker Book (John Derian) |
500+ vintage stickers of flowers, critters and forest animals from 19th-century prints. My #1 pick for dreamy, old-world pages. |
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2
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John Derian Sticker Book ii (John Derian) |
700+ stickers of bright blossoms, birds, bugs and odd little curiosities. All the antique charm of book one, just more of it. |
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3
|
The Art Lover’s Sticker Book |
350 stickers of famous artworks from across art history. Perfect when you want one painting as the star of your page. |
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4
|
The Collage Compendium |
2,000 vintage images on sturdy paper, including 16 gold-ink pages. If you only buy one collage book, make it this one. |
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5
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Collage Kit Vol. 2: |
1,000+ images and full-page backgrounds: nature, food, architecture, vintage photos and patterns. Great for quick pages and vision boards. |
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6
|
Extraordinary Things to Cut Out and Collage |
Hundreds of beautiful, quirky and plain silly images picked by collage artist Maria Rivans. Pure playtime. |
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7
|
The Cut Out And Collage Book |
300+ fairies, gnomes, dragons, unicorns, mushrooms and woodland animals. Made for whimsical, fairy-tale pages. |
|
|
8
|
The Cut Out And Collage Book |
500+ everyday treasures: people, animals, butterflies, botanicals, dishes, vehicles and little houses. Your go-to when you need something specific. |
|
|
9
|
Surreal Cut Out and Collage Book |
500+ strange and dreamlike images, faces, objects and backgrounds. For pages that don’t have to make sense. |
Sticker & Collage Books: My Favorite Tips & Tricks (Q&A)
Sticker books and collage books are some of my happiest creative tools. But they come with one tiny problem: what do you do when you love both sides of a page?
I’ve been there more times than I can count, scissors in hand, staring at a gorgeous sticker sheet and the picture hiding on the back of it. Which one do you sacrifice? (Spoiler: you don’t have to.)
So here are the real tricks I use in my own journal, plus a few extra ideas to help your pages hold up and stay fun to make.
Oh, this is my favorite little dilemma! Here’s my trick: gently peel off the stickers you want to keep and put them on a sheet of thick wax paper or a smooth plastic file folder. Now the back of the sheet is free to cut up and use in your journal. You get to enjoy both sides. Win-win.
Little tip: keep your wax paper clean and smooth so the sticky backs stay tidy. Trying it with a new book? Test one small sticker first to see how it behaves.
Wax paper works beautifully, and so does a smooth plastic document file. Anything clean and non-porous will do the job.
I like to keep a few sheets going: one for florals, one for animals, one for little words and labels. Think of them as your sticker palettes, all ready to go.
Photocopy it! I copy the side I want to cut from, then snip away at the copy and keep the original page safe for another day.
It takes away that “what if I regret this?” feeling. Cut, tear, layer, experiment. The original is still there waiting for you.
Go with the one that makes you pause. You don’t need the whole plan, just that little “ooh, I want to play with that” feeling. Let that image be the main character of your page.
Then pick two or three supporting pieces that share a color or a shape with it, or that simply make you smile. That’s plenty to get going.
Make a little “pull pile.” Choose just three to five images, set them next to your journal, and only work with those. Fewer choices means less overwhelm, and you’ll be surprised by the combinations you come up with.
Also, cut loosely at first. You can always trim closer later, but you can’t un-cut paper! Got a growing pile of leftover pieces? These collage organization ideas will keep them tidy and easy to find.
Give it something to lean on. A simple watercolor shape, a scrap of torn paper, a patch of paint, a pencil circle or a few scribbly lines behind it and on top of it. This will ground it right away.
You don’t need a fancy background. You’re just giving your sticker or cutout a cozy place to land. For more ideas, here’s how to add images to mixed-media art.
A thin coat of gel medium holds everything together and gives your page an extra layer of protection. I always do it when a page has lots of tiny pieces or delicate edges that love to lift.
Brush on a thin, even layer, then let it dry completely before you close your journal or add anything else.
Yes, it really does! Good glue saves you so much fixing later: no peeling corners, no bubbles, no pieces falling out of your journal a month from now.
Spread it all the way to the edges and smooth the piece down gently. For tiny bits, a small brush or a glue pen gets into the corners without a sticky mess. I share my favorites in best glue for collage (and how to avoid bubbles and wrinkles).
Honestly? This is the hardest one for me too! Step back and look at your page from a little distance. Can you still see your main image? Is there some breathing room? If yes, you might already be done.
Sometimes the best finishing touch is one small word, three paint dots, or nothing at all.
Sometimes I do. A light coat of gesso gives you a fresh surface. It’s great for softening a busy page, covering old writing, or making a matte background that loves paint.
Let it dry completely before you start gluing, and keep it thin, because too much can make your page stiff or wavy. If your pages still buckle under glue and gesso, the paper might be the culprit. Here are my picks for the best mixed media sketchbooks.
A gentle note before you close your journal where the magic happens:
mix stickers, cut paper, paint, add your own handwriting on the same page. Stickers can give you an instant focal point, cut paper brings texture and shape, paint adds color, and your words make the page feel personal.
If it starts to feel a little busy, try to cover parts of the art journal with one color. This will give the page room to breath.
And if you are having a low-energy day, keep it very simple: give yourself ten minutes, choose one sticker or cutout as the main character, add two supporting pieces, make one quick background shape with paint or torn paper, and finish with a word, tiny phrase, or a few favorite marks. No perfect composition. No pressure to fill a whole spread. Just ten minutes of playful making.
Before you put your journal away,
First take a minute to check that all of the paper edges are glued down,
Then, check if the page is dry before you close it, add a thin coat of gel medium would help protect the collage.
Finally, pause and ask yourself whether the page needs one last sticker, paint dot, or handwritten word or whether it is already finished just as it is.
Most of all, remember that your books are not too precious to use. They are there to spark ideas, help you begin, and bring a little more play into your creative time. Use the pages that call to you, save the pieces you love, protect your finished work with good materials, and let your journal be a place for experimenting. There is no right way to make a collage page only your way.
Magazines are a great free place to start. Here’s my guide to the best magazines for collage.
Okay, your turn!
Have you tried any of these? Is there a book you reach for again and again?
I’d love to know what’s on your creative shelf. Send me a note with your favorite book, or tell me what kind of imagery you love most in your journal: florals, vintage ephemera, animals, bold color, magical creatures, or something totally different.
Happy creating, friend!
Salwa
Artful Haven