Mixed Media Artist

I decided at the end of last year that I wanted to do one long-term project this year.  More or less this year.  I'm not going to stress about the time frame at all, just enjoy the process.  This is my Psalm journal.  In it, I'm devoting one page to each Psalm (150 of them), writing out the lines that particularly strike me, adding the Hebrew words and definitions when they seem important, and illustrating them as I choose.  Or as I don't choose :-) One of the simplest types of altered books that you can make involves cutting out all the pages from a book, leaving a tab of an inch or so.  These tabs can then be used in pairs to glue in whatever pages you wish, whether you use the original pages or create new ones from other papers.  I picked an old atlas with beautiful, but out-of-date maps for my journal.  I will end up with approximately half the number of pages as there were originally, which should leave some room for any collaged inclusi...

I'm  crazy about books, and always have been.  I especially love everything to do with handmade books, including altered books and handmade journals. I love making them, decorating them, filling them, and even reading them!  Altered books: waiting for the lightning to strike! How do I get started? Who can I talk with about altered books? Other book arts groups Books on collage, altered and handmade books, and mixed media Mixed media arts magazines Paper and string: the stuff you'll need for book arts Some fabulous book artists Assemblage and sculptural books Sorted books project Brian Sawyer's bookbinding links Design ideas for page layouts Online publishers for your artist books More book arts resources for your surfing pleasure Making a crocheted book How to make a scrapbook wrap A few tips for making altered book cover frames A found poem altered book page Stab-bound scrapbook or journal  Altered books tutorial series   Fabric books series Altoid tin book...

If you saw or owned the first volume of this treasure by Lark Books , you already know some of what awaits you...hours and hours of pleasure and awe, leafing through 500 Handmade Books volume 2 . If you enjoy making handmade books yourself, then you know how it is: you learn a new structure and you immediately MUST TRY IT OUT!!  But later, the trick is to make sure that the structure of your book matches the message in some way.  Even though I love learning new forms, I'm not a fan of alternate structures simply for their own sake.  While there may be some included in this volume that lack the cohesion I prefer, there probably aren't a lot.  I marked soooo many examples as I leafed through of form matching function matching message, that I just don't have time to share them all.  Here are a few to whet your appetite. Will Karp , 49 Masterpieces of Art, 2011 Accordian style Bettina Pauly , Cista Nova Bestiolarum, 2011 Tunnel style Ch...

Gwen Diehn , the book making and journaling maven, has a new release of her 2010 hardcover volume, Real Life Journals .  Re-released as Journal Your Way by Lark Books , Gwen's book remains one of my favorites for beginners who want to dive into practical book making.  And if you're an intermediate who hasn't already bought the original book, I think you'll enjoy this as well! Hands down, one of the most helpful features is Gwen's design inventory, found on pages 11 through 13.  Along with the reference insert, charmingly called "Choose your own bookbinding adventure", the inventory will help you make the proper choices about binding style, size, type of paper, etc, so that your journal truly fits what you want to use it for.  That is one of Gwen's main purposes: what good is a journal if it doesn't fit you and you don't use it? There are instructions for making 16 different styles of books, along with 10 styles of covers.  And, nine lu...

Margaret Couch Cogswell is a storyteller who loves to make books...books which support the story by their very form.  Being a slow reader as a child turned out to be a blessing in disguise for her: in her new Lark Books , Book Play , Margaret shows us how to play with books.  She writes, The idea that a books is an exciting three-dimensional object is what led me to create my own books and to push the concept of what defines a book.  It's an intuitive process for me, but the outcome usually renders a "book" that includes physical action, a story, and a spark for the viewer's imagination - plus a little humor thrown in for good measure, because I believe generating a smile or laugh is a worthwhile goal. Book Play  covers the tools, materials and techniques that book makers will need.  The "basics" include more than you'd expect.  Margaret covers not only the pure book basics, but also drawing, painting, collage, sewing, papier-mache, tin, and wi...

When my granddaughter Katherine's baby sister was born, she became obsessed with all things "baby".  Quite natural, I guess!  The first project we did together was to create a book out of an old brown grocery bag, and Katherine declared that it was going to be all about babies. We created one of the simplest book forms there is...you don't even need a pattern to get this one right!  Start with a rectangular or square piece of grocery bag and paint it as you please.  Katherine wanted to add lots of glitter paint, which took a bit longer to dry than if we'd just stuck with acrylics and crayons.  No problem!  We got the paper wet and colored all over it.  When it had dried overnight, we ironed it (using some parchment paper to save the iron). The next step is to fold it up: we folded it in thirds lengthwise and in quarters across, folding it in half two times instead of like a fan.  Keep the fold to the inside and use an awl or needle to po...

I just came across your wonderful handmade art journal, and was wondering if you sell these? I am particularly interested in the Monopoly one. What would one cost, and do you offer a discount if I'd like to purchase several? All best, Pascal Hi, Thank you very much for your nice note.  I'm sorry, but I do not sell these journals...rather, I fill them up as soon as I make them.  Mostly I make them as samples for teaching, so if you'd like to make one yourself, I could recommend some good resources to you, starting with my Book Arts page .   I don't have a specific tutorial for that exact book, but the techniques can be found in either of the books by Shereen LaPlantz or Alisa Golden , which you'll find listed at the 5th link (books about books) in the list above. And here's a tutorial for a stab binding style that is really easy to do and would probably work well for your Monopoly journals! Best wishes on all your projects ~ Cyndi Technorati...

  A Caverna Guy Laramee's works are like nothing you've ever seen before.  He carves landscapes out of books, playing on his deeply held suspicions that our "accumulation" of knowledge and our changing ways of accessing it through new technologies may turn out to be more of an "erosion."  I love his pieces...they resonate down deep within me, whether or not I totally understand his beliefs.  Please visit his site and see what other wonders Guy has created!    The Great Wall Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

I became obsessed with Helen Friel's work when it was first introduced to me.  Watch this video of her boo k, Revolution, which follows the journe y of a drop of water.  Then try to tell me that you're not obsessed by her too! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals  

Hi Cyndi, I have been browsing your mixed media artist website and must say you do have a wealth of information available there and am enjoying it very much. I am a quilter by trade but enjoy mixed media in my spare time. I stumbled upon your site looking for information on fabric collage/books.  You mentioned using wood hardener a couple times but couldn't find a search engine for your site to find your first post on the subject of "wood hardener" Could you please tell me (or direct me to info) what the product is and the purpose for using it on fabrics for books? Is it just for stiffening or does it leave the surface ready for writing on? Thank you so much for your time in answering. Debbie  Kentucky Hi Debbie, I don't know if you were able to find both these posts or not: Fabric Books - part one Fabric Books - part two Those are the tutorials where I'm using wood hardener.  I used a Minwax product, and it served three purposes: stiffene...

Kittykill   (aka Pam) shares the easiest peasiest way to make your own journals from old hardcover books.  Not exactly the most professional way to do it, but fast, fun, and kid-friendly...as long as you help out with the cutting. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

I realized that I've been accumulating an awful lot of sample papers and fabrics, and occasionally I have even had a difficult time remembering what techniques a given piece is supposed to be an example of.  That could be very inconvenient if I decided to use one of them in the future for another project!  I don't really want to have to look back through all my files to find pictures of the piece. So I decided to use an old photo album that I had bought years ago and turn it into a journal of sorts.  First I took it apart and cleaned it up, removing some of the pages for (maybe) later use. I used double-stick tape to tack the pieces into the journal loosely. The best part?  I printed out the date and outline of instructions for each piece and taped it into the journal under the example piece.    Copyright 2012 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use...

...once you get a Kindle. See the whole list of 25 ideas at BuzzFeed . Very funny stuff! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Claire Hannicq Some delightful artist-made French books that you simply must see!  Visit PixelCreation .  Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Have you read or do you own either of Gwen Diehn's journal books, The Decorated Journal or The Decorated Page ?  If not, you might want to seriously consider adding this newest version to your personal art library: The Complete Decorated Journal .  This new book by Lark Publishing combines the two previous books (with a newly edited flow so they truly become one book, and adds new techniques, a new project, and 13 artist profiles with a gallery of their work. This book is an incredibly inspiring reference work.  Besides the usual materials and tools guide, you'll find page layout ideas, tips for a building layered pages, information on specific genres of journals, and many many creative techniques for personalizing your journal. Do you want to use a pre-made journal or build one from scratch?  Both are covered in this fabulous book.  As for me, I can't wait to try a little more paint and a little less structure! Technorati Tags: mixed media , co...

Have you noticed how popular all things little and cute are recently?  Lark Books is right on target with Kathleen McCafferty's newest book, Making Mini Books: Big Ideas for 30+ Little Projects . You'll learn great techniques for binding all different types of materials together, and even though these are pint-sized projects, you'll be able to apply the techniques to other projects of your own choosing too.  I love that this book promotes the use of recycled or upcycled materials more than store-bought supplies.  I also love the emphasis on learning many stitched binding methods.  If you don't love the needle the way I do, you'll find plenty of stapled and folded alternatives here too. This book has plenty of the beautiful photos that Lark Books is famous for, and there are so many innovative materials used, it will set your mind spinning!  One of my favorite techniques is Japanese stab binding, and there are a number of inspirational projects usin...

Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Always a great read!  Get yours now... The Bonefolder is a free download. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Paper Sculpures Flickr album by chrisdonia Do you remember the fantastical book art sculptures that were popping up in certain (really blessed!) libraries and museums in Edinburgh?  Well, there are now ten of them, and apparently that will be it. The artist, a woman who chooses to remain anonymous, stated by letter that these sculptures were thank yous for special places. You can see lovely photographs and the farewell letter at the link above. Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Have you read about the paper sculptures that are appearing around Edinburgh?  Very mysterious...and fantastic! Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals