How to make "mock" books in 1/6 scale (Barbie sized)
You can download all the files you need for all the covers in one zip file to save time - Right mouse click, "save link as" THIS FILE (11.5megs). Or, you can grab them one by one below...
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How to make "mock" books in 1/6 scale (Barbie sized)
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1) Print out and cut up the covers:
Print all at the very best quality possible - Make sure you are printing the files at 100% size. Use a nice quality laser printer paper for the hardcover dust jackets - The small paperbacks, trade paperbacks, and large softcovers are sized to be printed out on card stock (they measure a bit larger than finished measurements to compensate for the bends at the spine, printing these out on regular paper will leave them a bit large when you go to glue them.)
The files:
All softcovers:
Lg Hardback dustjackets:
Reg Hardback dustjackets:
Cut everything very precisely.
2) Cut out wood pieces:
Use Bass Wood, not Balsa for sharper edges - You can usually find it at most art and/or craft stores (sometimes hardware stores have it too.) Cut everything very precisely.
Regular Hardbacks and large softcovers: Use 1" width by 1/4" thick strips, cut into 1 3/8" lengths.
Large Hardbacks: Glue together two 1" wide by 3/16" thick strips (along the 1" sides,) cut into 1 3/8" lengths.
Paperbacks: Use 1/2" wide by 1/4" thick strip, cut into 7/8" lengths.
Trade Paperbacks: Glue together a 1/2" wide x 1/4" thick strip and a 1/4" by 1/4" strip (along the 1/4" sides,) cut into 1" lengths.
3) I went the extra step for the Hardbacks and scored one long side with a small craft chisel before painting to make it look more like the rough page ends you see on hardback books.
Paint all pieces white on three sides (the sides that will be exposed after completion.
4) Cut out the endpages for the hardbacks and the trade paperbacks - use a nice bond paper:
Hardbacks: Cut 2" by 1 3/8" pieces - fold in half.
Trade paperbacks: Cut 1" by 3/4" pieces.
5) Cut out "covers" for the hardbacks from several colors of card stock (I pillaged worn out file folders and used scraps of card stock left over from other things) - Cut as precisely as possible:
Regular Hardbacks: Cut 1 7/16" by 2 7/16" pieces.
Large Hardbacks: Cut 1 7/16" by 2 9/16" pieces.
6) Glue everything together:
Hardbacks:
Fold the "covers" of the hardbacks and glue them onto the wood (along the spine only.)
Glue in the endpages - Half against the wood, half against the cover.
Trade paperbacks (and large softcovers):
Glue the endpages onto the trade paperback wood.
Then glue on the cover (along the spine only.)
Paperbacks:
Glue the covers onto the paperbacks on all sides.
7) Fold all the dustcovers, put them on the hardbacks, and voila!
