Bev Brazelton - Altered Books Workshop

Altered Books
Workshop

18 creative techniques for self-expression

Bev Brazelton

NORTH LIGHT BOOKS
CINCINNATI, OHIO
www.artistsnetwork.com

About the Author

Bev Brazelton has been studying and making art for most of her adult life. She has sold her art in a variety of venues and is currently teaching altered books, bookmaking and paper arts classes and workshops around the country. She finds that her loves of art, teaching and traveling combine into a lifestyle that suits her perfectly. She currently lives on the central coast of California with her husband and two cats.

Altered Books Workshop: 18 Creative Techniques for Self-Expression.

Copyright 2004 by Bev Brazelton. Manufactured in China All rights reserved, No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45236. (800) 289-0963. First Edition.

Other fine North Light Books are available from your local bookstore, art supply store or direct from the publisher.

08 07 06 05 5 4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brazelton, Bev

Altered books workshop : 18 creative techniques for self-expression / Bev Brazelton.

p. cm

ISBN 1 -58180-535-7 (pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Altered books. I. Title.

TT896.3.B73 2004

702'.8'1dc22

2003059396

Editor: Amanda Metcalf

Designer; Stephanie Strang

Production Artist; Donna Cozatchy

Production Coordinator: Sara Dumford

Photographers; Tim Grondin, Al Parrish and Christine Polomsky

Photo Stylist: Jan Nickum

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my amazing family: Jennifer, Tom, Monica, Greg, little Ruby and especially my husband, Dan, who has been my partner and a patron of my art for many years.

Acknowledgments

Thank you, F+W Publications, for publishing this book. A special thanks to Tricia Waddell for a great start, to my editor Amanda Metcalf for her energy and patience, and to the very talented photographer Christine Polomsky. You have all made this such a wonderful experience.

I also would like to thank MaryJo McGraw and Connie Williams for their support and for recommending me to North Light Books, and Mary Jines for her generosity. Thanks also to my students for sharing their support and artistic spirits.

Contents

chapter one
Getting Started
Find the materials and guidance you need to go from blank book to altered art.

chapter two
Basic Techniques
Get your hands and mind working with these simple techniques.

chapter three
Intermediate Techniques
Add a touch of class with paint and three-dimensional effects.

chapter four
Creative Techniques
Wow anyone and everyone with something a little out of the box.

Introduction

I altered my first book in 1990, after a trip to China. While touring, I took tons of pictures and then incorporated them into a used book of Chinese writing that I had found. I didn't know at the time that what I was doing would become the huge craft trend that it is today.

I like the idea of altering books, of recycling old ones and transforming them into something entirely new. For me, altering a book is a form of journaling. I find that every page represents where I am in my life and in my artistic process. Even if I'm not deliberately communicating a message, the images, papers and writing I choose always are connected in some way to what is currently happening in my life.

It's exciting to constantly experiment with new ideas and materials. And it's low pressure: If I mess up, I just rip out the page. I find satisfaction in the idea that I can work out an entire theme or feeling within the framework of a book. Their size and portability make altered books an art form I can work on anywhere I go. I teach altered book classes around the country and always enjoy watching students get excited and inspired by this art form.

If you've dabbled in altered books before, I hope this book inspires you to try new materials and ideas and to incorporate them into your work. If you've never tried it before, I hope this book inspires your entry to a whole other world.

Enyoy!

Next Page: The collage lets the words of the book show through the paint, inviting you to study all the different layers. The pennies, while not large, add that tiny bit of three-dimensionality that challenges a mind used to looking at a two-dimensional book.

chapterone
Getting Started

C ongratulations! You're about to begin a fantastic journey into the world of altered books. This chapter will list tools and materials you'll need to get started. These aren't the only tools or materials aroundyou can use just about anything to alter a bookbut they'll get you going. The rest is up to your imagination.

Before you begin altering, you'll need to choose a bookthink about the age of the book, the size, the title, the content or even the feel of the pagesand whether you want a theme. Maybe you don't care and you just want to jump in and see what happens. Just do what you feel.

Take a glance at these pages to learn about materials, book options, themes and how to progress through an altered page. Altering books isn't an exact science by any means, but it is an art, and the basic knowledge in these pages will help you enjoy it even more.