Tag Archives: create

Book Review Monday: The Century of Artist’s Books: Johanna Drucker

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I've written about this book before it's a gem of a book about Artist's Books. It's one of my all time favorite books on artist's books and art books in general. On my copy the cover is a nondescript green with red lettering. Nothing about it's outside seems particularly interesting but it's what inside that counts. It is an art history book. I make no attempt to hide that. Some of the text is dry but it's a very detailed and informative account of artist's books.
The pages are filled with loads of images, sadly all are black and white, but that doesn't detract from the ideas that the books possess.

AS this was one of the first books I read on artist's books I was amazed and drawn into the concept that one could go about creating a book that was their own art, not just a book that contained their art. The concept floored me. It was one of those moments in an artist's life that is a defining moment, something critical to move them from their artistic rut.

This isn't a book that is going to TELL you how to make something or give you a diagram nor a description of precisely how the artist created their book but it will give you a description of the book and an idea of how it was made.

I give this book 5/5 binder needles and 2 paint covered thumbs up.

This is a book for inspiration in addition be being another great reference on artist's book.
See more of it here.

Hump Day Prompt #6: Artist Quality Acrylic Paints

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The prompt is open ended and deals only with the
material, subject and content are up to you, but the
material is dictated.

Artist Quality acrylic paints. There are lots of brands of
“artist quality” paints. I’m a fan of Grumbacher and liquitex. Grumbacher dries
flatter where liquitex dries shiny and plasticy. Acrylics don’t crack and
remain flexible forever. That flexibility over time is also a difficulty that
you’ll need to deal with as your pages will stick together if not treated
properly. At most craft stores you can find an inexpensive set of acrylic
paints with a variety of colors, these are great to get you started.

Prompt #6 Use “artist quality” acrylics to makes a
page.

Leave a comment with a link to your blog with pictures of what you’ve done!

(Note: after you finish a page with artist quality acrylic, particularly more expensive brands you’ll notice a slight taskiness left tot he page, weeks and even months later. This is a serious issue to addressw ith a block of wax or candle. I favor rubbing down a page with a 50/50 mix of paraffin and bee’s wax  and then burnishing it down with a soft piece of cloth. This will seal the page and keep it from sticking. You could also just slip a sheet of waxed paper between pages. Do this last because you won’t be able to stick more paint on top of the wax- most won’t stick.)

Hump Day Prompt #3- Reversable Water Based Media

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Hdprompt

The prompt is open ended and deals only with the
material, subject and content are up to you, but the
material is dictated.

The next item to add color is watercolor or gouache. Both
are a type of water based paint. I love both for different reasons. Watercolor
allows you to create beautiful rich layers of color that are vibrant and pop of
the page. It’s hard to use and difficult to master. But they can be found cheap
and allow you to add color over inky lines. Gouache on the other hand is
thicker opaque and works more like a water based oil color than watercolor,
though it can be thinned to use like watercolors. It’s great for putting in
thick layers of color, toning pages and creating flat designs. It can also be
used to beautifully render subjects.

Prompt #3 Use a water based reversible media, pick one
watercolor or gouache. Subject is up to you.

Leave a comment with a link to your blog with pictures of what you’ve done!

Christmas Wish List for a Begining Binder

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So you came to my blog looking for items to buy that
bookbinder on your Christmas list? Well here’s what I would get that person,
from a bookbinder to a bookbinder:

#1 A selection of fine Irish Linen threads. There are
several things to consider when buying thread, size and color. A good size to
go with if the person does bindings where you can see the thread (exposed spine
bindings) is 12/3 and wonderfully enough JohnNeilBooks.com has a great
selection of colors in that size. I’d go with the basics: natural, black and
red. It’s a good starter selection.

#2 A selection of knives, sounds odd under the Christmas
tree or wrapped for Chanukah but a nice knife will last a lifetime and get
hundreds of hours of use. I’m particular to a few knives myself- my Olfa brand
click knife. The body is steel wrapped in plastic. It’s comfortable and
strong. Next on my list is a simple box
cutter. You could decorate the body of the cutter with paint, fabric etc. These
are available at any home supply store or even Walgreens. Lets not leave out
the illustrious exacto knife. If you person has been crafting for any amount of
time they probably have one, but you could get them a new fancy handle or a box
of 100 blades.

#3. Bone folders. I’m not sure if this ranks up there with a
knife in terms of oddness under the tree but my bone folder has seen hours of
use and is one of the few things that I’ll search for and clean off my bench to
find. There are a bunch of different shapes out there but the basic 8 inch or 6
inch folder with one pointed end is the best.

#4 Instruction books. Often bookbinding books are hard to
find. Barnes and Noble has a notoriously crappy selection with Borders
following them up with a just slightly better selection. Check online for
better selections. Alisa Golden’s books are fantastic; Shareen Laplantz’s books
are also awesome. If the binder is more advanced go all out and get them some
Keith Smith, just be aware that the rest of the holidays will be spent intently
pouring over the books. (Keith Smith books are like pr0n for the active
binder.) I just purchased a new beginner’s book by Ester Smith. It’s a good
book to start with has great pictures and a lot of diagrams.