book arts Archives - Page 4 of 10

Slow down and do some meditative making

Lately, I have been doing black out poems, and folding cranes and boxes from book pages.

I noticed how meditative the process can be. I don’t need a lot of space or tools, and I can do the process almost anywhere.

I even combined the two, a black out page and then folded it into a tiny box. I ran a thread through several cranes and now have them floating above my work table. The folded crane is a symbol of success and good fortune, in the Japanese culture. I think everyone could use a little of that!

I encourage you to try out one of these meditative practices. FREE origami box tutorial here.

If you find you like working with book pages and parts, then join us in the online class, Books as Art Materials. Read all the details on the workshop page.

It is fun to hunt for old books and then take it apart to make new works of art. I think I love the hunt and deconstruction even more than the new making.

This is from the lesson, book as photo subject. Then I used the photo to cover a handmade book.

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Deconstructing a book – discovery process

altered books, artist book, book arts, collage, combined techniques / Linda Germain / February 21, 2022

I am getting ready for the Book as ART Materials class, and realizing how much I enjoy the deconstruction and discovery process of take an old book apart.

And I suggest that for this process it is okay to judge a book by its cover.

When using books as art materials, I think the older books have more surprises to offer. And they are a lot easier to take apart.

The magical parts are in the spine and the covers. The spine often has glue, mesh and other supportive materials that are great for collage.

Pages can be used for so many applications. Basically you can use them for any project that calls for paper:

origami
printmaking
painting
collage and more

I encourage you to find an old but not precious book and dissect it! Then see what you can make with the parts. And join us in the online class, Books as ART Materials. Read the details on the workshop page.

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Magazines and books – sources of inspiration

altered books, book arts, drawings, inspiration, mixed media printmaking / Linda Germain / September 28, 2021

Once or twice a year I get a stack of old magazines from a library or other recycling source.

It is a treat to feast on the pictures and text. I cut stencils and roll pages into mark making tools, make collages and more.

I go through the magazines several different times for collage and drawing projects.

cut up book pages for collage — cut out word poems

Parts of the magazine that inspire me:

Words – for found poems and collages
Fonts – for drawing
Photos for drawing references
Thumbnails of larger pictures – composition ides
Illustrations – for drawing ideas
Figures and silhouettes for stencil making

So go to your library or recycling center and get a stack of magazines and make stuff. The images and words that you find are a jumping off place for your own uniques expression. Twist, crop and rearrange the words and images to make something new.

Make some origami boxes – There is a free tutorial here.

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Just play for 20 minutes

book arts, combined techniques / Linda Germain / July 6, 2021

You could start your day with 20 minutes of art play and see what a difference it makes.

Of course it would:

need to be fun
need to be easy
could get messy

Somethings you could do to support your new art play practice:

Use just a few supplies
Set them up the day before
Use a 20 minute timer (time flies when you are having fun)

It has been said, “To stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for recognition.” (Albert Einstein)

If you would to join me in a bit of supported play, then check out the online workshops currently being offered.

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Mark up your sketchbook

artist book, book arts, fabric prints / Linda Germain / May 10, 2021

I recently made a sketchbook with some monoprinted book cloth.

I used a sewn tab binding. It is pretty sturdy. And it is small enough to take to the woods.

But first I am going to:

scribble with pencil
add relief stamp paptterns
glue in some flower prints
doodle with marker

You may think what would be left for sketching? And you maybe right. A lot of the pages will be marked up with information.

But it is my book. And what I have come to understand is that in my books the linear drawing may not be the star. So if the book is filled with words or printed marks, then that is okay.

I offer you this challenge to use your sketchbook in ways that support your art practice and to let go of any limiting ideas of what your sketchbook should be. I think you will experience more joy.

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