Posted by: Mary @ 7:08 pm
Pockets, flaps, and envelopes were added to the pages begun in the art journaling workshop at Dirty Footprints Studio a few weeks ago which was a lot of fun. The pages are starting to look more interesting now that details are being added to the layers of texture. The pages I have been using for this workshop were separate sheets of watercolor paper folded in half. Today I sewed them together in signatures of one page each so that I can paint on the reverse sides as double pages. It looks so cool!
Posted by: Mary @ 5:03 pm
It was such a beautiful day today that I decided to drag some collage supplies out on my front porch and work with my masonite painting board in my lap. Somewhere on the web I remembered seeing a book made of paper lunch bags, so I have been saving Dunkin’ Donuts muffin bags for an occasion like this one. I took 6 bags and folded them in half, nesting them. I measured in about half an inch from the center edge and marked holes down the fold spaced .75 inch apart, then used an awl to make the holes. There was a small ball of variegated chenille yarn in my basket of embroidery threads so I used that to loop in and out of the holes from back to front to make a simple binding. I cut 4 lengths of the yarn spanning the book to be sure it was long enough to make it all the way back and forth. Then I got out a used puzzle I had been saving for collage work and glued some puzzle pieces on alternating pages of the book. Next I used my old typewriter rubber stamp alphabet to stamp some letters and some words. This is just a beginning and I plan to play with and work on my book some more as this has been a lot of fun!
On Saturday I spent the day making 3 little books. Using the basic accordion book idea from Handcrafted Journals, Albums, Scrapbooks & More by Marie Browning as a jumping off point, I experimented with the design of my own small book. The book does not close perfectly because of the way I constructed the cover as one piece with no spine or hinge, but it is quite pleasing standing up on a table or bookshelf as a display piece. I plan on working on the design further and posting step by step instructions when I have worked out the design issues. These books measure 3-1/4″ wide by 4-1/4″ high on the outside with the inside signature measuring 3″ wide by 4″ high. Materials used are chipboard, scrapbooking paper, yes glue, glue stick, 24″ by 4″ strip of cansons mi tientes paper or cardstock pieced together, miscellaneous photos, images and ephemera, ink pen for writing in book, bone folder, ruler, pencil, wax paper, and cutting tools. Instructions for a basic accordion book with separate front and back covers can be found at Anna Hawthorne Bookarts. Here are a few photos of my 3 little books.
Collage does not require a lot of materials to get started (basically glue, paper, found objects, and scissors) and there are a lot of things that you can do with collage. The book Collage Unleashed by Traci Bautista is truly inspirational and a great jumping off point into your own explorations. There are links to web sites/blogs for other collage artists on Traci’s creativityUNLEASHED blog.
This is a collage I made a couple of days ago to add to my shell cover ring book. I used card stock, scrapbook paper, handmade rice paper, glue stick, a paper punch, scissors, a rotary cutter, and a brayer. Here is the shell book. It is 6 inches square and I am using it for journaling, drawing, collage, and other creative work. There are instructions on how to construct your own ring book on Mary Art:: These books are a lot of fun to make and they can be used for just about anything.
Mary
Last month I launched a new web site Mary Art:: to focus on creativity and different types of artistic expression. I have been doing creative things since I was a child but have never been able to focus on just one thing and say this is it, this is me. I have always wanted to explore different media and try different ideas. It is inspirational to see what other people are doing worldwide now and it is good to share your work with others in the creative community. There is no one right way of doing things and there is growth in experimenting. No matter what your circumstances in life are at the moment or where you are at artistically, it is the journey that is important, not the destination.
This is a bound quotation book from my web site that started out as a piece of fiber art… Starting this blog is another new beginning. I would like to share, i would like to participate in challenges such as some that i’ve seen listed at Artsy Visions, and I’d like to grow. Welcome to my blog and web site. Mary