Free Octopus & Squid Ephemera – Printable Vintage Cephalopods for Journals & Collage
Dive into Vintage Cephalopods: Free Printable Squid & Octopus Ephemera for Journaling
Quick Look
Complimentary 2″ × 3″ journal card sheet featuring detailed vintage octopus, squid, and cuttlefish illustrations
Perfect for junk journaling, mixed media, bullet journaling, collage, and ocean-themed art
Uses antique engravings from a 19th-century marine biology text, ready to print and cut
Explore the Strange and Beautiful World of Cephalopods
These 2″ × 3″ journal cards deliver a mesmerizing collection of antique cephalopod engravings: octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish from late-19th-century North American oceanography. Every detail is preserved in high resolution, with a warm-toned background.
Whether you're into ocean journaling, coastal collages, or nautical themes, these images are designed to spark curiosity and add a touch of undersea wonder to your creative projects.
What’s Included on the Free Printable Sheet
A single sheet of nine 2″ × 3″ cards, easily printable as JPG or PDF
Carefully selected engravings from historical marine studies
Each image presented on a uniform tan background for visual cohesiveness
Clean, high-contrast details enable crisp cutting, gluing, or stamping in art journals
Creative Uses for Your Cephalopod Tags
Ocean-themed junk journal spreads: tuck, layer, or anchor images across your art
Bullet journal trackers: use one small cephalopod as a whimsical habit or mood tracker icon
Mini ATCs or pocket cards: friendly-sized tags ready for mailing or trading
Mixed media mysticism: pair with shell or seaweed illustrations to evoke symbolic ocean alchemy
Gift enclosures or bookplates: these tags also make atmospheric bookmarks or small note inserts
The classic illustrations feel at home in both educational and fantastical composition styles.
Why These Ephemera Pieces Are Special
Marine biology illustrations of octopus and squid from the 1800s carry a strange allure, part scientific, part surreal spectacle. Their fluid lines and mysterious anatomy lend natural elegance to collage while still feeling slightly uncanny, perfect for journal spreads invoking transformation, curiosity, or the deep unknown.
These are a subtle departure from seashell or fish imagery. They are more evocative, more unexpected, and visually arresting.
More Oceanic & Inspirational Printables
If you’re enchanted by marine life, explore these related free ephemera:
Whales Printable Ephemera – Graceful 19th-century engravings of whales
Seashell Collage Sheets – Detailed shell studies for elegant nautical spreads
Sea Creature Images – Coral, crabs, and other ocean dwellers from antique sources
Explore the full Collage Sheets Collection for more free ephemera to elevate your creative projects.
2” x 3” Journal Tags
Here is an example of an art journal page I created using one of the octopus collage images. I created the page in an upcycled book with an acrylic paint background, painted collage papers, paint pen, and the octopus illustration.
You may also enjoy these free collage sheets.
Terms of use:
Free to use for personal or commercial projects. You may print the collage sheets as many times as you wish for your personal crafts or in your projects to sell, including: scrapbooks, junk journals, collage art, etc. You may not redistribute or sell the collage sheets “as is" in either print or digital form.
If you wish to share the files on your own website, please do not make the files available for download directly from your site. Instead, include an image with a link back to this site. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated!
To the best of my knowledge, these are all royalty free images that are in the Public Domain in the US. However, you should always do your own research if you plan to use them commercially.
