My New Studio and an Altered Book Swap with Angie Ledbetter

Angie Ledbetter and I recently decided to do an altered book swap. I wrote previously on this blog about altered book projects:

• Altered Book from a Board Book
• Altered Book, Part 2 
• ATC (Artist Trading Card) Sketchbook from an Altered Book 
• Creative Ideas for Collage, ATCs, Altered Books, and Scrapbooking

A Collaboration, a Swap!


Angie, who lives in Louisiana, is a writer (co-author of Seeds of Faith: An Inspirational Almanac: Seasonal Essays, Recipes and Tips), editor (at Rose and Thorn Journal), and recipe dispenser (at the GumboWriter blog). She is also a wonderful "doodler" and shares her colorful sketches with friends on Facebook and also in a FB group for those who love to draw and doodle. And that's not all, Angie is also a thoughtful photographer who captures beautiful images and shares them with inspirational messages on Facebook. 


I am a writer, book designer, and illustrator by profession, and an amateur photographer. I also love making altered books and seeing the work of others as well and was happy to have the opportunity to do a trade with Angie. I love her postings on Facebook, her photographs, descriptions of delicious Louisiana cooking, and the wonderful Rose and Thorn Journal.


We agreed to create two altered books from children's board books. At first we considered each decorating every other page, then swapping, and finishing the books, then mailing them back. But, in the end we decided to simply each create a book for the other person. 

Angie has also posted a blog today on her altered book project for me! It is at angie-ledbetter.blogspot.com. So, be sure to stop by her site and see the photos of her project!

I like the fact that there are only a few pages in small board books, they are also sturdy and can stand on their own or on a plate stand (I like the simple wire stands available in hobby stores). They also come in interesting shapes. I like that they can be stored or shipped in hat boxes (also available at stores like Hobby Lobby at a very low price, the one I used to ship Angie's book cost $2).


Here is a photo of the three books I considered using for my project:

Back story...


My husband, Mark, and I moved to Harbor Springs, MI (from OH) in April and while my art room was set up, I hadn't really used it yet. So, Angie's book will forever be the first creative endeavor undertaken in my Harbor Springs studio!


Here are some photos of the space. I've needed to accommodate many of my interests, and was happy to have the use of two tables previously found in our kitchen in Athens. A kitchen island (made by the Amish and purchased online) and Mark's mother's beautiful card table. I wanted space for my scrap booking and altered book supplies; a table where I could work on "messy things" standing up; a place for my easel and my sewing machine; and a relatively clean area for working on clients' illustrations as well as the drawings I am doing for my work-in-progress, Finding Pletonia.

The making of my altered book for Angie...

I decided to use the book Funny Bones, which I'd picked up at the Goodwill store in Athens, Ohio, for 25 cents. I liked the shape of the book and also the two holes in the front cover. I knew I could do something with them.

During the time I worked on Angie's book there was a lot going on in my family and work, so having a place to set up the supplies and project and work on it, then walk away, then return and do something else, then go take care of responsibilities, then come back and check on the drying of varnish or glue or add an embellishment or two... well it was an easy process to meld into my workday. Here is the work in progress at the beginning. In fact, all I've done at this point is the cover. You can see the bookbinder's glue and the metallic paints as well as an old copy of Roget's Thesaurus which provided some background paper. A drawing of the elusive "poplyn" (an imaginary bird from my fantasy book in progress) is on the cork board I affixed to the wall. The cork board and the holders underneath containing my pens came from Lowes. You can also see my hole punch and electric pencil sharpener (one of my favorite things).

Here is a closeup of the Lumiere paints. They are wonderful! You can purchase them at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts.

Pages and Process...

I'll show, below, the various pages in the finished altered book and explain briefly the process. First up is the cover. I started out by gluing on pages from an old book. I added in the year, 2012, with press-on letters from my scrapbooking supplies. These particular letters were purchased at Walmart. 

The circular holes were already in the cover. I pasted a sheet of paper behind the holes, then painted Lumiere gold metallic paint in the circles. I also added other shades and then spiced it up with some flecks of real gold from a gold leaf kit.

I love to punch holes in paper, but the board of this book was too thick to punch, so I had to be content with pushing holes in the cover, along the top, with an awl. But then what? I found some brass paper fasteners and inserted them in the small holes. (I then covered the backs of the fasteners on the inside front cover with a piece of paper.) 

I took some pieces of foam and cut them into small rectangular shapes and glued them between the brass fasteners. I then painted Lumiere on the cover, in two shades of gold, and made sure I applied paint to the grass fasteners and foam rectangles as well. For a final touch, I glued rhinestones onto the cover in the circles. Glittery bits to catch the light. Also, I wrote "shelter ideal purposes" on the cover. This phrase is found inside the book as well...

The photographs at left and below show the inside front cover and first page. (At left you can see the original book's first page). For the inside front cover, I pasted paper from a set of papers about 4 x 6 inches, sold for scrapbooking. The paper is flocked and reminded me of New Orleans. Angie doesn't live in NOLA, but I've been there and so in my mind she lives "near New Orleans" a place I love very much.

A few small things were added to the inside front cover. Some labels I'd stained with tea, a note identifying the book, and a strip of thin, white paper (which provides the white swirls you see), and a picture of a bicycle.


On the facing page, I used more scrapbooking paper for the lower 2/3rds. I used the hole puncher to punch holes in the paper and black paper, glued underneath, shows through. I pasted a flower which I'd cut from Veranda magazine.

The page shown at left was created using a sheet of blue paper that was purchased in a set of such papers and said to be handmade. I don't think it really was handmade, but it looks like handmade paper, as it is rough. I took the paper and applied green and gold and other colors of paint and use these decorated sheets in various things. So, I glued it to the board book's page and then added in a picture of a window from a magazine, a picture of a sailboat, a statue, and some words from an old book. The writing says: "Wyatt nowadays was more silent than usual, being preoccupied with thoughts of Kate pregnant, alone, and all but penniless." Lastly, I added in some trees which I drew with a Micron .005 pen and a penny for Kate. On the facing page, I pasted some paper for the background and then glued a pretty ship in the center, for Wyatt, who was away on a ship, according to the page I'd cut the type from. I then added circular scribbles and the little pointing hand.

Below you can see another set of pages. They were simple to do. I glued black paper (punching holds in it beforehand) on the back of the left page and more flocked scrapbooking paper to the page on the right. I then affixed a flower arrangement cut from a magazine and a little photo of three dogs in a suitcase.  On the right-hand page, I used black and red markers to decorate the paper and also used metallic paints.

In the photo below, you can see another page with tree images. I cut strips of cardboard (some sort of waffled paper used in packing) and glued them like tree trunks, drawing lines on them with the Micron pen. I liked the baby with the leaf (from a magazine advertisement) and found the circular shape and the baby carriage amongst my scrapbooking images. 

On the facing page, I pasted an image of three dogs and a parrot.  Until January, Mark and I were the guardians of three dogs and a parrot. There is glare on the red flower I've pasted here. There is a different background paper on top than on the bottom and I have drawn in small flowers with red centers within each diamond shape on the top half.


On the next pair of facing pages, for the left side, I pasted another page from the same book (used on the cover and on the page with the ship). I have circled the words "shelter ideal purposes on this garden of an island." I've woven strips from a painting found in a magazine through the book pages.


On the facing page I glued a card I had with a dog on it; but I didn't know what to do then, so painted around it with blue, white, and black acrylic paint.

The last set of pages features a woman's face from a magazine and I have given her gold hair and surrounded her with the roles and titles of female persons, as well as a few lines from the thesaurus. 

The facing page was made by taking sheets of paper that I had treated long ago with something that caused images to transfer onto the paper, in a faded way. I cut triangular shapes from these papers and glued them like quilt pieces to the background, along with a small bit of that cardboard mentioned earlier and two paper tags I'd stained with tea. I chose three quotes:

"Life obliges me to do something, so I paint." - Rene Magritte

"I like the fact that in ancient Chinese art the great painters always included a deliberate flaw in their work: human creation is never perfect." - Madeleine L'Engle

"Create!" JPW

I also glued on an image of paints, taken from a magazine. (Note: the book is sitting on top of the $2 hat box I mentioned earlier.)

For the back cover, I pasted pieces of pages from the thesaurus and then on top of those pressed violets from our yard. I also sprinkled distress powder on the back cover. Each page was covered at least once with a clear, glossy coat of acrylic varnish. 

The spine was challenging as now the book was larger than previously and the original spine cover was glossy and the paint was not adhering to it well. I stripped it off and then glued a wide ribbon over the spine, then covered it with gold paint. As a last touch, I glued a piece of oriental-style faux ivory (or perhaps real, who knows!) to the front cover. This was from an old pin I'd had for many years from a second hand shop. The clasp had broken, but I'd saved the important part as I knew one day I would find the perfect place for it. And, the cover looks better with three large shapes rather than two. My mother taught me that when you arrange flowers, always have an odd number. I've found that rule works well in many situations.

I ran a pad of brown ink over the edges of the book's pages; they were too white. I let the book sit under the warmth of my desk lamp for a whole day, and then it was time to place the book into the hatbox and mail it to Angie! 


In the last photograph, you can see the altered book inside the hatbox. I put bubble wrap (we have tons left over from our move) between each set of pages, and then placed all inside a cardboard box. And off it went to Louisiana! I just love sending and receiving mail! 

It might sound like this project took a lot of time, but actually it did not. By doing a little bit here and there, it went quite quickly. If you want to try something similar, set up a table where you can leave your project and be comfortable with working on it in short bits of time. That way the glue and paint and varnish will have time to dry and, like a good book being read, the fun of creating will last for several days.


~Janice Phelps Williams

PS: Angie's altered book gift to me arrived just hours after I wrote this post on Friday. It is absolutely wonderful...a thoughtfully considered, artfully constructed treasure that means so much to me to have alongside the books I've made and the artist trading cards I've collected from around the country (and world). It was uncanny how many elements I incorporated into the book for Angie were also featured in her book to me! Read her post at the link below and you'll see what I mean. Thank you, Angie, for doing this fun and precious trade with me!

A Reminder: Angie has also posted a blog today on her altered book project for me! It is at angie-ledbetter.blogspot.com. So, be sure to stop by her site and see the photos of her project!

© 2012 by Janice Phelps Williams. All rights reserved.

ATC sketchbook from an altered book

In earlier posts I've written about ATCs (Artist Trading Cards). Check this link. I've also posted about Altered Books. Check this link. And this for Altered Books Part II.

The photo at left shows a little treasure I made from an old book and the desire to be able to easily carry blank ATCs cards and a favorite pen.

I used materials already at hand. The book was a small gift-type book that I'd bought at Goodwill for 25 cents and tore out the inner pages (it was one of those "It's your birthday...." type books, nothing special to me).

For the inside, I used a hard board painted silver...it had two holes already punched in it (this board was something I'd gotten when buying a bunch of ephemera/scrapbooking supplies on ebay, so I didn't create it or paint it, just had it in a box of recyclables). I also used papers from a pack of decorative papers purchased at Crafts 2000 in Parkersburg, WV, and strips of handmade-type paper I had on hand and some music score from my scrap drawer. Same thing with the silver cored that I put between the holes in the hard silver board. Those strings can hold the ATC if it is windy when you are drawing outside.

I had some cool cloth ribbon in my ribbon box (yep, I save everything) and I used clear plastic (the kind that bedding comes in, or you can use scraps from a plain shower curtain liner (a few dollars for a whole curtain!). This plasticcreated pockets for the pen and the cards. I also pasted a photo I took (and cropped) of a tree in winter; the colors seemed to match with the rest of the project.

The back is shown below. This ATC sketchbook fits nicely in a purse. I think I will try it out "in the field" and see how it works on a practical basis. This was a fun Saturday project using materials I already had on hand.

Great Creativity and Craft Books

The following list was created for Altered Book Workshop's given in Athens, Ohio. These books are available at the Athens Library. You can also search for them in your local library or online at Amazon.com.

Altered Books / Rubber Stamping / Scrapbooking / Collage

See www.janicephelps.com/ATCbooks.htm for links to books available new and used on Amazon.

Bookworks by Mary Maguire (686.3 Ma)
Altered Book Workshop by Bev Brazelton (702.81 Br)
Altered Book Collage by Barbara Matthiessen (702.81 Ma)
Altered Books, Collaborative Journals, and Other Adventures in Bookmaking by Holly Harrison (702.81 Ha)
Mixed Media Collage by Holly Harrison (702.81 Ha)
Kaleidoscope: ideas + projects to spark your creativity by Suzanne Simanaitis (702.8 Si)
Pockets, Pullouts & Hiding Places…interactive elements for altered books… by Jennifer Mason
Altered Art for the First Time by Madeline Arendt
Altered Art: Techniques for Creating Altered Books, Boxes, Cards & More by Terry Taylor
Collage Discovery Workshop by Claudine Hellmuth
Urgent 2nd Class: Creating curious collage, dubious documents, and other art from ephemera by Nick Bantock
The Art of Handmade Paper and Collage: transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary by Cheryl Stevenson
Collage Sourcebook: Exploring the art and techniques of collage by Jennifer L. Atkinson
Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming found objects into art by Michael DeMeng
The Art and Craft of Handmade Books by Shereen LaPlantz
The Handmade Book by Angela James
Papermaking Techniques Book: Over 50 Techniques for Making and Embellishing Handmade Paper by John Plowman
The Essential Guide to Making Handmade Books by Gabrielle Fox
Creating Handmade Books by Alisa J. Golden
Designing with Texture: Over 150 ways to use textures for scrapbooking, card making, gifts and more by Erin Trimble
Rubber Stamping: Beyond the Basics by Michele Abel 761 Ab
The Complete Guide to Rubber Stamping: Design and decorate gifts and keepsakes simply and beautifully with rubber stamps by Grace Taormina 745.594 Ta
Artistry with Rubber Stamps: Embossing, colouring, masking, positioning and backgrounds for cards, stationary, clothes, furnishings, toys and decorations by Ellen Eadie 745.594 Ea
The Ultimate Rubber Stamping Technique Book by Gail Green 745.5 Gr
The Decorative Stamping Sourcebook: 200+ designs for making stamps to decorate your home by Juliet Bawden 681 Ba
Stamping Tricks for Scrapbooks: A Guide for enhancing your pages with stamps by Betty Auth 745.593 Au 745.593 Au
The Great Rubber Stamp Book: Designing, Making, Using by Dee Gruenig 745.594 Gr
All You Need to Know about Rubber Stamping by Maggie Wright 745.594 Wr
The Art of Rubber Stamping by Suze Weinberg 761 We
Creative Rubber Stamping Techniques by MaryJo McGraw 761 Mc
Scrapbook storytelling: Save family stories and memories with photos, journaling and your own creativity by Joanna Slan
Making Scrapbooks: Complete guide to preserving your treasured memories by Venessa-Ann 771 Va
The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, projects, inspiration by Annie Cicale 745.6 Ci
Stamping with Style: Sensational ways to decorate paper, fabric, polymer clay and more by Katharine Duncan-Aimone 761 Du
Creative Stamping in Polymer Clay by Barbara A. McGuire 731.42 Mc

Bubble Wrap

I am not surprised to find that Monday, January 28th, is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (http://www.fast-pack.com/bubblewrapappreciation.html).

Stay tuned for a post this week showing an altered book featuring bubble wrap. It's a great little gift idea for the stressed-out person in your life.

Postscript: see here for photos of this book and directions.

Altered Book - part 2

More musings on Altered Books.

(If you missed the first posting, here is the link to part one.)



*** I had wanted to try creating an altered book for a long time and last year finally got to it. Moving to Athens and setting up my new studio room (small but lots of wonderful built-in bookshelves... "thank you previous owner") has given me a place to organize all the tiny pieces of things that ATC and altered art crafters treasure... That I have always treasured and felt a bit ashamed of, such a "pack-rat" am I. In fact, let's just ban that term right now. The Pack-Rats of the past are today creators of "Art Reborn." Or "Reincarnated Miscellany." Or something other term...I'm sure there is one out there already.


*** I guess the difference between a pack-rat and an altered art artist is a good set of storage bins and a way to keep everything straight, and then use it to create artwork that 1) creates a sense of peace and bliss during the creation of it and 2) looks pretty darn good when all that unrelated "stuff" comes together (with the help of the right glue) and is forever transformed into something that can, yes, be called art. Maybe it's folk art, outsider art, reclaimed art, recycled art, collage art. But it does become art after our hands touch it, treasure it, and place it. That sounds pretty miraculous, doesn't it?

*** My first altered art book, shown on the article link mentioned above, was a reflection on my life last summer and all the blessings in the 2007-2008 year. My second altered book was a small board book (about 3 x 3 inches) that I painted, then antiqued over the white acrylic paint with a red wash, then decorated with collage for a friend. I loved how it turned out, and the small size of it.


*** My third altered book was a bit larger, about 4 x 4 and again built on a child's board book (Goodwill, State Street, Athens, 99 cents). I covered the pages with nice maroon and grey scrapbook paper, kept it simple and added in personal photographs (sized for the book) and other momentos. This was a gift for my son, Jesse, for Christmas. I found a small picture stand easel (I think it was from a Drugmart, in the photography section, made to hold small school photographs)...and the board book sits nicely on it. (It doesn't close like a book because there is too much stuff pasted on the pages.)

*** Now, I'm exploring other techniques with the altered books and have a box of all sorts of old books, board books, odd boxes... Fat books, thin stapled advertising books... oh, the closet is gettin' full!

*** Here you can see where I'm at with my latest altered book. It is magical how the various pieces come together.




*** This color of paper with this shell, with this certain rock or bead and this perfect quote. I love creating the windows and have overcome my long-standing fear issue with Xacto knives (after a bad mat-cutting experience in college).


*** The photos here are of a work-in-progress. More to come... Along with a really long list of links to Altered Book, Collage, and ATC websites.

*** Remember, too, you can find lists of my favorite craft books at this link: http://www.janicephelps.com/ATCbooks.htm

Post-Christmas Hush

Listen. Can you hear it? The sound of silence--the post-Christmas hush that's descended on one and all. It's the absence of advertising. The opposite of Jingle Bells, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and Silver Bells 24/7. The fudge is gone, the sugar cookies too. The wrapping paper has been recycled, stored, or thrown away. Beloved guests and family members have returned to their homes. Neighbors are back to doing whatever they do. The dogs have lowered the alert level to blue, realizing there are no more huge rawhide bones stuffed with fake bacon wrapped and resting under the tree.

This Christmas brought a bevy of handmade gifts...my son, Jesse, gave me two cool paintings. One very light, pink, Oriental looking with flowers and bird-like shapes--lots of layering and careful thought. And, another smaller painting with blues, pinks, greys, and kitchen objects. I will treasure these forever!

My son, Bryce, made a paper nativity set which miraculously made its way through the mail without a fold or dent. I never tire of the outsider-type art he sends to me, and the decorations and writing along the outside of his boxes always grab the positive attention of the postal staff. Bryce made me a bracelet as well--the plastic laces, woven kind, that takes oodles of patience to create; by a guy who's learned patience the hard way.

My sister, Joan, gave me a wonderful bag to hold yarn projects: it's called a "Knit Knack Sack"! And it came with a holder for needles.


Just before Christmas I visited my mother in Florida and returned with the knitting needles (and one large crochet hook) that belonged to my grandmother. These were used from 1920 to 1970, approximately, and are in a variety of colors and sizes arranged in a handmade corduroy holder. I left some duplicates with my sister, Joyce, and gave thanks that TSA now allows knitting needles in carry-ons.

How great it is to have these needles that were used to create so many treasured things? Unfortunately, the only needlework of Grandma's I still have is a slightly shrunken Granny Square afghan, which is now more like a well-worn lap blanket.

I do have knitted lace made by my great-grandmother and table-cloth and runner made by her as well. Along with a very old quilt. But that's another blog article...

What I learned this Christmas in the gifts I created for others (hats and scarves):

• A different type of yarn, a different size of needle--can make a huge difference in the way a project turns out.
• I've can add ear flaps, trim and all sorts of extras to personalize any hat pattern! That was fun!
• It would be helpful if I measured the recipients' heads. I ended up doing a lot of adjustment or redoing...I never realized head sizes differ so much.
• Handmade gifts, given and received, and gifts that support hobbies and do-it-yourselfedness are wonderful!

Now, it's the new year....Time for resolutions both fun and serious. I am busy making altered books as samples for the altered book workshop I'll be leading January 18th in Athens, Ohio. You can learn more at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53802055335

Happy New Year!

Creative Ideas for Collage, ATCs, Altered Books, and Scrapbooking

The following are some ideas to play with when you have artist’s block or just need a starting off point.

• Think of a favorite song—what images, colors, word phrases, remind you of that song? You could do the same with a poem.
  “I love about you…” Create an ATC for someone you love
• Discovery: Ever make a find that changed your life? Ever learn something that turned your life in a new direction? Every been surprised? How could you capture this on an ATC?
• Acrostic Journaling: Select one word, then write a phrase or sentence using the letters in the word. For example “LOVE”: Live in Love; One Family; View the Future; Evolve Together. Since these would be a lot to put on a 3.5 x 2.5 inch ATC card, I would try making four cards that capture each phrase and then, perhaps, frame them together. Whenever you have an idea that is bigger than what you can fit on an ATC, break it down into steps, phases, or basic ideas—and use more than one card, create a set.
• Use a favorite quote as a starting off point.
• Have a favorite color? Make a card with nothing but that color, in all its various shades (black added) and tints (white added).
• Celebrate your pet.
• Do a memorial-type ATC for a person or pet who is no longer with you.
• Secret message: Embed a single word or phrase within your ATC. Use code. Or, use a paragraph from an old book and underline certain words in the paragraph to create a new sentence.
• Celebrate a hobby
• Create birthday cards; you’ll need them all year long. Purchase blank greeting cards (see my resources list) and affix the ATC to the front of the card with a glue stick. Now you are ready for birthday cards.
• Forget the e-cards—everyone would rather have a “real” card!
• Do the above, but make thank you cards.

If you run into a block with your creative efforts, remember the following:

1. It doesn’t matter if you cannot draw. Being creative is not about being able to draw. Drawing is a technique. It is not the only skill needed to be creative or considered artistic. Put drawing out of your mind, and you will have more fun and be able to benefit from creative endeavors without self-consciousness hanging over your head, spoiling the fun.
   Feel free to use images you find all around you. If you want to sell your creations, become informed about copyright law (easy to research on the web, in relation to collage and art). I recommend Dover books, which are sold at JoAnn fabric and online. They have many beautiful images and come with CDs too, so that you can have the images in your computer. Dover allows the unrestricted use of 10 images from each book, even in work that is sold (check with them if there is any question, though, as I am not a lawyer).
2. When getting things realistic feels “too hard,” explore and enjoy color, technique, and process. It is from doing, doing, and doing some more—shutting off your inner critic—realizing this time is for you and WHATEVER you create will be beautiful and worthwhile—this is how you benefit from exploring the creative.
3. Money is tight for many people. Art materials can be costly. Explore recycled materials. When you begin looking at everything you throw away with new eyes—“Hey, this could be useful!”—you’ll soon have a box or bag full of stuff. Magazines, boxes, paper, ribbons—all of it can be used to make ATCs.
4. Say Yes more than you say No.

Special Effects for Collage Using Photo-altering Software #1

Today, I salute the wonderful worlds of photographs and technology. How great is it that we can not only scan, enlarge, restore, share, create, and alter photographs old and new, but we can also share them by phone / computer/ websites /blogs / iPod / CD / DVD / flash drive. Sometimes I think this is all so wonderful that I hardly know what fun and creative technique to try next.

Of course it is one thing to work in Photoshop on a project for a client; quite another to "futz" around (or is it "phutz") and lose two hours of the day altering a photograph of your aunt and uncle so they now have the legs of the family dog and the ears of Mickey Mouse.

As a book designer I've given perfect skin, thin thighs, whiter teeth, younger eyes and thinner upper arms to many authors whose photos were about to grace a back cover. But I also like to use photographs, old and new, to create altered books, artist trading cards, collages, and whatever the heck pops into my mind. Technology has given us access to a pandora's box of visual treasures.

If someone had told me when I graduated from college that I'd use a phone, without a cord, to take photographs of my artwork to place on a computer that others would visit, I would have shook my head in bewilderment. Kind of like I do now when my younger son, a web developer/IT person, explains new software to me.

Anyway... today I was assembling things for an altered book. I decided to unify the many photographs by making the colors all a bit faded and "old-timey" looking. (see three photos at top of this article). This was accomplished by opening the photos in Photoshop, then going to IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > HUE/SATURATION and changing SATURATION to 50%. In some cases, I also used IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > PHOTO FILTER > SEPIA 50% to give a warm tone to the photographs. The roses above, for instance, were beautiful, deep pinks, yellows, etc., but for the project I wanted to use this photo for, I needed something more muted. I didn't want pastels, but just less saturation of color.

By doing this, the project which incorporates many pieces from a variety of sources, will hold together better visually. I used Photoshop, but any photo altering software will have the same capability, though the terms may be slightly different. At the left, you can see an example of the various effects you can get with photo-altering software.


In the first photo, nothing was altered...it's just as the photo was taken (this is Mark and me on our wedding day last year...yes, we had lunch at Smith and Wollensky's).
>In photo 2, I've put a "cool" filter on the photo.

>In photo 3, I've reduced "saturation" to 50%. I love this effect!

>In photo 4, I've gone crazy...The saturation is increased to full effect...100%.

>In photo 5, I've done something but don't remember what. Oh yes, I used "film grain" which is an "artistic" filter in Photoshop.

>In photo 6, I've "posterized" it using a filter in Photoshop as well.


This is a lot of fun and, depending on the original photograph, you'll get a variety of results. It's best to use photos that are simple, have few elements, or are close-ups.

I print my photos out on Epson Premium Presentation Paper, matte, 40 lb, to use in collages, atcs and altered art. For photographs to share or put in an album, I use Epson Photo Paper, glossy, at 4 x 6 inch size.

Happy creating!
Janice

Altered Book - from a board book

I design books for a living, and in doing that all the attention is on the details, but someone else's details. What I like about altered books is the deconstruction of a book no longer useful in its original form... I like incorporating other things into it, cast off things, recycled things... taking one thing or several things and by rearranging and gathering, making something new.

I bought a children's board book at a thrift store. It was the story of Beauty and the Beast, not one of my favorites, the girl being married off to a beast and all... So, I was happy to change it into something else.

I gathered images that I liked, glue stick and archival glue in a bottle...sissors that cut interesting edges, a sharp knife, and some permanent pens. I don't consider it done, but almost a sketch. In doing this, I learned more about what looks good and what might be done to improve.

The cover is really not done yet. I've glued two photos and two images from magazines. I found the magazine images, using them in the book, was not ideal as they wrinkled. Next time I will copy them onto something else by scanning or by transfer using a gel medium.

Page one features a chicken by Chagall, taken from a photograph I took at the Cincinnati art museum. She says "The sky is not falling and I am not little." This sums up my philosophy today. Also, "Diamonds are not a girl's best friend, but they are pretty" as the little drawn chicken in the corner states.

Chagall is one of my favorite painters and when I first met my husband, Mark, and he had a Chagall print in his living room, I knew we would hit it off. We ended up going to Cincinnati to the Art Museum on one of our first dates, and he says we went down there on a date and came back as a couple, that's when we knew we would make a good team. So, I've got a soft spot for Chagall. Moving on to page two...




On page two, I wanted to leave some of the type showing through from the original book. The traveler (on an alligator) the three doors, all relate to the traveling and finding shelter theme of this page. There is another Chagall figure at the top.

On pages 3 and 4 there is a theme, but I'm not sure what it is! Angels, Snow White, a bird in the hand, dancers--these are all part of my life in some way. On Snow White's chest it says "A dream is a wish that your heart makes...."

On pages 5 and 6...

On the left I have a list of things worth taking a photo of. There's an image of hands cut out of a magazine. The hands are holding a camera. The ring worn on the hands is similar to a ring my husband gave me when we were married. On the right side I have again left the words from the book "Please marry me, and stay with me forever." At the top, I have written personal notes related to love.

On the last two pages, I have placed an image of a bird, taken from a Dover book "Birds and Butterflies." I like the way the feathers on the bird's head remind me of the branches on the tree in the photograph above it, which I took. On the opposite page I have an image of a girl and a woman.

On the back cover, I glued grass-like shapes and mosaic-like squares from colored foam. I used a photograph I took of three gravemarkers and a photograph I cut from a magazine of three naked women standing at a bar. Like the three doors on page 2, I am referencing the three daughters in my family. And, this page is about how we will one day all be memories to those who love us.There is a woman sleeping, but I was thinking of the "final sleep" when I pasted it in. (And this references back to the earlier page on a dream is a wish that your heart makes. Because our lives are the embodiment of what we dreamed into reality. Or, how we turned reality into something worth dreaming about. Or...)

Working on this book was not about creating a beautiful art piece that someone will buy. That is another process, another mindset. It was about using visual prompts to go down a mental path and then seeing where that path would go and how these seemingly unrelated images would come together to make a whole. Kind of like life.

The good news is that anyone could feel comfortable using this technique and it would be a good project for teens and children too (though you might want to photocopy magazine images onto sturdier paper, 24 lb or 28 lb).

Finishing touches:
I think to finish this book, so that I can feel it is done and put it away... I will varnish the pages and also I may add some three-dimensional embellishments to the front cover, which still is too plain for my taste. Stay tuned...

Postscript: Since posting this I have continued to work on the front cover, adding an image of a feather and some gold embellishments. I've also applied an acrylic finish (decoupage transfer medium) over each page to further adhere things. I then had to score the gutter (inside edge) of pages slightly so they would open and not tear. It's a process.

I went on Ebay and found you can buy LOADS of kids board books really inexpensively. Then I went to my local Goodwill and purchased three for $1. Various sizes. You can also buy blank board books and other scrapbooking and craft supplies at CT Publishing. (Thanks, Dina!)

Here are some great sites for Altered Book Artists:

http://www.alteredbookartists.com/
http://karenswhimsy.com/altered-books/

http://www.alteredbookstudio.com/

http://www.ebsqart.com/artMagazine/za_271.htm

http://www.altered-book.com/

Here is a book arts group with 162 members on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/bookart/