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.

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

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

Memory-Keepers - Drawing

What is a memory-keeper drawing? I like to think of it as a way to document events, memories, of things that happen to me in my life or that are important to me in some way.

If the professors in my art classes had talked about keeping a sketchbook as a way to document one's life, or make sense of the visual images bombarding us daily, or as a visual journal we can look back on thirty years down the road--well, I might have kept a more faithful journal. We were just told that "all artists should keep sketchbooks." Certainly practicing technique is important. Working out ideas before commiting them to more expensive materials is a good idea too. But how about forgetting about "doing your best," or "perfecting technique," and just getting down the images, feelings, memories? That is what I'm finding joy in now, as a "mature artist." My inner critic has been silenced, for the most part, and I can draw without evaluating the worthiness of my product. I can create art for art's sake, for my sake.

I was thinking recently about all the pets I'd cared for in my lifetime. Rather than write a list, I drew them. The ones who were with me briefly and went to live with others, are shown walking or flying off the edges of the paper. Those who stayed with me until they died, are shown with little halos. Quite a list when it was all compiled: Timmy the teddy bear hamster who liked to watch TV while sitting on my knee; Marcel, my first pet bird, a Gouldian finch; Joey my first dog, a dashhound; Bailey, the beloved cockatoo whose funny antics still bring a smile to my face.

As for the drawing; it's just OK. But it got me to thinking about other projects that could take off from this one. Actually, this drawing came to me after seeing a photo of Frida Kohla with parrots on her shoulder.

Whether using ATCs, AECOs, collage, paint, scrapbooks, or writing in a journal or drawing in a sketchbook--take time to document your life.

I have some sketches I did decades ago. I've been carting them around from place to place and they are getting rather raggedy. I think I will scan them into my computer and print them out on Epson presentation matte paper (my favorite) and assemble them in a binder.

Do you have any sketches or artwork done, not for the final product, but as a process for keeping memories?