Towards the end of last year, I was scrolling through Pinterest (surprise, surprise ;) ) and came across this girl who had beautifully painted her Bible cover. Then, I scrolled down to see more and more women who were painting their journaling Bibles. I thought this was such a fun and creative way to meaningfully customize the cover of a Bible!
So, I set off on the adventure of hunting down the best way to paint the cover of your Bible. I ordered my Bible, ordered the paints and paint primer all off of Amazon for their 2-day shipping... and then I ran into a few obstacles that I so wish someone would've told me.
Also, I used an ESV Single Column Journaling Bible with a white cover that I found on Amazon here:
Let's begin. Choose a surface that you will want to paint your Bible on. I recommend a surface that you can the leave the Bible on for a day or so, if necessary. Then, cover that surface with paper, a hand towel, etc.
Open your Bible to the the very middle, and then lay flat on the covered surface. Then, take two sheets of paper and place inside the fold of one cover. Repeat on the other side. This will keep paint from accidentally getting on the pages of your Bible.
This was a very imperative step for me, because my first go round I had painted my Bible upside down and backwards. It was crushing.
So, the next go round, I made sure to note which side was the front with a star on the paper, that was inside the fold of my Bible.
Again, please double check to make sure your Bible is right side up and you know which side is the front. :)
I recommend painting a good coat of primer, not to thick and not to thin, horizontally. Allow it to dry. Then, paint a good coat vertically. This time allow the paint primer to completely dry for a few hours.
The one I used can be found on Amazon here:
Honestly don't rush into this, take your time, scroll through Pinterest, pray about it, and think about something that is meaningful to you. Think of a design that will inspire you everyday that you look at your Bible.
But you don't need to feel pressured to have it perfectly planned out, just a loose design so you know where you're headed.
The best part of painting is that you can cover up most mistakes! Plus, God does say that we will never be perfect, so you can look at it as a great reminder. In all reality though, have fun painting your Bible and recognize that you're doing this for you, not to impress someone else.
Also, mixing your colors with a white paint makes for beautiful pastel backgrounds. I used this paint set found on Amazon here:
If you open a Bible, or any book for that matter, the small sides beside the spine of your Bible crease. Therefore, you really want to paint as little around those areas as possible, to keep the paint for chipping or cracking later down the road.
Once you have your base backgrounds colors painted on your Bible, this would be a good time to also lightly paint the outer side/edges of your Bible. Since you won't be seeing much of these sides, a good neutral color would work fine!
No blow drying, you impatient you. Yes, I am speaking to anyone like myself. This will cause your paint to crack. Once you love the way you've painted your Bible cover, set it aside and call it a day. It needs to completely dry on it's own time.
After your Bible is completely dried, it is time for the writing. I recommend using a sheet of paper, with no writing on it, as your alignment tool.
You're done! Almost! This is imperative. Use Mod Podge, whether it is glossy, or matte, and a mixture of both. It will not only give your Bible a finished look, but it will also keep your Bible from cracking and the colors from fading.
Now, you are done! Yay!
