Do you love Art Books? I do.
I have stacks of books on painting and
drawing. I love to go through them. They fill me with excitement and inspiration. I love to crack open a new Art Book and just study the pictures. And dream of how I would do it.
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Opening Page of my new Book Art - Young Barred Owls in the Forest - Mixed Media
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Book Art is NOT Art Books. It is a Fine Art Genre of its own. . .
Surprised!!
Not only is it a Fine Art Genre but there are
many different types of Book Art!!!
Handmade books with special paper, bindings and
covers probably comes to your mind. It is one that fascinates me. I enjoy studying the process of making a
book. I have recently started to make a few of my sketchbooks to work in.
Sculptures made from recycled books is another
very advanced form of Book Art. I invite
you to google images of Book Art. You
will see sculptures that are absolutely fascinating.
It is hard to image how someone could visualize and construct such
things out of an old book.
However, the form of Book Art that intrigues me
is where the book and its contents are the Art Form. I find the idea very intriguing. To me it is a natural extension from working in my sketchbook. My books often become theme based, devoted to a single topic. My pages are hodgepodged together on the theme with a variety of techniques and mediums. This is not quite I mean by Book Art.
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| Ducks on the Water: Book Art, Ink, Watercolour, Acrylic $300 |
See a full view of DUCKS ON THE WATER on Youtube here. (Be sure to like and comment while your are there. 🤗)
Book Art is a one-of-a-kind piece of art that uses the form of a book as its finished structure. One of my first pieces of Book Art is Ducks on the Water. This is an accordion style book, specifically designed to portray my story of the ducks on the water. It is complete with a front and back cover.
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Front Cover - Ducks on the Water - Book Art
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Yes, designing a complete book that is a painting is a captivating experience. It is like working in a series but not. Everything builds to make one complete image. My newest Book Art project is centered around three young Barred Owls.
Max and I were out walking in our favourite forested park and happened upon the three Owls. It was an unbelievable experience. To come down the trail and see 3 owls just sitting together on an old mossy stump. There was 4 of us shocked and amazed, standing on the trail. They wondered about and eventually flew off to their parents that we could hear calling to them. I decided I needed to capture this special moment in my Book.
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Full Sheet which has marks on it from the acrylic monotypes process
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Steps in my Project
1. I took a 13.5 x 17.5 piece of watercolour paper and did some mark making with acrylics paint using a monotype process. See post on this
here. Why this treatment you ask. I like the randomness of the marks and I like to mix them with my more realist drawings.
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| Page 1 before I started drawing on it. See Owl at the top for the finished page. |
2. I cut the paper into 6 pieces: 6.75 x 5.5 inches.
3. I arranged them horizontally and put them into an order. At this point I was looking at the shapes and colours on each page and just looking for a pleasing combination.
4. I began my drawings. I am using a .08 Micron permenant ink pen for the drawing, ink washes for the shadows, white charcoal pencil to tone any acrylic paint that is too dark for an area and a bit of watercolour for added colour. ie. Beak on my owls page 1. (See owl picture at the top of the page.)
5. Study vegetation and my owl pictures to decide how my setting will develop across the 38 inches of the picture and how my owls will fit into it. This will be one of my summer projects so it will be a few weeks before I can show you the finished results.
If you haven't tried Book Art before, take a new look at it. Whether you sell your book at the end is immaterial. I guaranteed you will enjoy the challenge of designing your book. And you will enjoy studying it later when you are done. Totally an awe-inspiring project.
Do you have big/small projects on the go?
Looking for a sounding board, help, suggestions, techniques. You and your Inner Critic looking to expand your discussions. I am available for
Online Coaching/Teaching (3 sessions 30 minutes each $75). more info
here.
If you are looking for
Live Outdoor Sketching Classes they are now underway. See info below.
Contact me to set something up.
Outdoor Sketching Classes !!
Ready to go out and do some sketching? Have fun painting and sketching while learning new tips and techniques. Capture a moment in time without worrying about the World and the crazy problems of today. Come Join me for a session or two.
Class Size: 3 Rescheduling for Bad weather. Covid Rules and Social Distancing will be followed.
Sessions 2.5 hours, in local North Surrey Parks, Tuesdays 10-12:30 or Saturdays 10-12:30.
Cost: $45
June Dates: Tuesday, June 30 FULL. Saturdays June 27, 10-12:30 pm - 2 spots
July Dates: Tuesday, July 28, 10-12:30pm
August Dates: Tuesday August 4. 11, 18, 25: 10-12:30:pm
Be sure to like and share my posts. You won't miss a single post if you Follow by Email Have a great Artful Day,
Wendy
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