book arts Archives - Page 5 of 10

Scraps collage – so much fun!

One way to get your creative juices flowing and quiet the inner critic is to work on several small pieces at once.

Another way to keep the creativity flowing to to layer and respond with minimal marks.

I did these scraps collages with bits and pieces of book pages and part in my online class, Books as ART Materials.

I approach the project with an attitude of playful discovery. I work up about 12 4″ square pieces in layers.

Sometimes a get a few striking collages. But I am always developing my design and composition skills.

Give it a try at the end of the day, gather the bits of waste from your work bench, add scribbles, text or coffee stains and see what happens.

If you would like to explore using Books as ART Materials, then join us in the upcoming class. Read all the details on the workshop page.

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Found Poems

artist book, book arts, collage / Linda Germain / March 10, 2021

I am getting ready for the Books as ART Materials class and having fun making found poems.

Books are mostly words and pages, so I like to find ways to use those elements in new art work.

I like to:

Cut words and phrases out of several different books, with different font sizes
Then rearrange the words into a 4 line poem
Some poems I really love
And some are just part of the process of making

I also use old book pages at scrap to catch excess glue from the glue stick.

Give this meditative poem making a try!

If you want to explore more ways to use old books, then join us in Books As ART Materials, the online class. Read the details here.

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Qualities of Books – as ART Materials

artist book, book arts, collage / Linda Germain / March 3, 2021

I wanted to share the qualities that I look for in books to be used as ART Materials.

When I use books as ART Materials I use:

Cover cloth – collage and journals
Book board – new books
Pages and text – poems and printmaking
Spine materials and bits – collage
pockets and old marks – collage

So if you are hunting and gathering books for re-use look at those parts closely.

It is fun to see books with new eyes for what is possible. Sometimes I just use pages as newsprint pickups when gelatin printing.

But then other times the bits and pieces can be worked into an abstract landscape collage.

I hope I have given you some new ways to look at old books that were headed for the recycling bin. Want to join us in the online class, Books as at Materials? Read the details and join us today.

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Books transport you

altered books, artist book, book arts / Linda Germain / June 16, 2020

Do you get deep into a book and feel transported to another time or space? Do books make you laugh, cry and feel?

Books give me:

hope
new ideas and
guidance

When I am using books as art material books can:

connect me to an unknown past
make me want to touch and discover
give me a place to begin

Working with book pages, covers and parts is a tactile process. It can be a bit sculptural. I love combining cloth, threads, words, pages and glue to create a new conversation.

I hope that the new abstract piece creates:

wonder
joy or
curiosity

Join me in the upcoming class, Books as Art Materials. Class starts soon. READ the details on the workshop page.

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12 collages at once

book arts, collage / Linda Germain / June 12, 2020

Thinking sometimes gets in the way of making. The fear of getting it wrong or making mistakes can stop us in our tracks.

I know that when I am just laying down marks and materials, and not analyzing too much, that is when the magic happens.

So in preparation for the online class, Books as ART Materials, I have been playing with paper and cloth scraps.

Torn scraps are fun to use because they often already have and interesting shape. This way I am responding to the existing materials and not really needing to create something new.

It is also a fun way to start or end a day of making art.

If this sounds interesting to you, then join us in the online class, Books as ART Materials. Class starts soon. Read the details on the workshop page.

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