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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Altered Book, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 5 of 5
1. #AtoZChallenge, B is for Buy a Butterfly
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By: Valerie Storey, on 4/2/2016
Blog: Valerie Storey, Writing at Dava Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Magazine Cut-Outs, Art Journaling, Altered Book, A-Z Blogging Challenge, Add a tag


Happy Saturday, all! The perfect day for some art journaling and for today's topic: Buy a Butterfly, or, Sometimes it's Good to Shop.

In yesterday's post I emphasized the importance of using as much FREE STUFF as possible for your journal, but today I'm singing the praises of treating yourself to a trip to the hobby-, dollar-, thrift-, or art supply store. Nothing fancy, mind you, but every now and then your journal could use a little store-bought item or two. And taking yourself to buy some supplies makes the perfect Artist's Date.

My favorite way to do this is to set a budget of about $10 - $20 max, and then drive off with no expectations whatsoever, just an open mind and a sense of adventure. Some of the things I'll look for include: 
  • Bags of collage goodies: from paper scraps to die-cut card pieces, such as the butterfly featured above. I've bought collections that are based on a theme, such as beaches and ocean-side designs, or vintage clothing and Victorian sayings. Other bags have included a variety of fascinating but totally unrelated items; one bag I bought even had tiny little clothes-pegs and safety pins in the mix. None of these bags cost more than $5.00 and they were jam-packed with inspiration.
  • Old and very-bad-condition books. These are excellent for tearing up and re-using the pages of text and/or illustration for journal backgrounds. (Note: if the book isn't completely falling apart, it can be turned into your actual journal as an "altered book.")
  • Bags of ribbon scraps.
  • Pre-cut fabric quilting squares. These are usually bundled into small color-coordinated packages.
  • Stick-on pearls, rhinestones, and other blingy-type thingies.
  • Jewelry-making components such as pendants and miniature printed pictures for inserting into clear pendant-cases. (I don't know how to exactly describe these pictures, but they're wonderful for collage. Each sheet usually has about 20-30 different designs.)
  • Stickers! So many to choose from!
  • Scrapbook pages sold in tablets or as individual sheets. (The tablets can be pricey, but they're often on sale, especially at the discount stores.)
  • Origami papers.
  • Craft magazines. Good for inspiration and cutting up for a wealth of words and images.
And that's just for starters. After I come home with my treasures I usually sort them into different categories of size, theme, or color. I then keep everything in a series of cigar boxes for the smaller pieces, and photo-storage boxes (decorated of course!) for the larger bits.

On today's page I've used a background of watercolor crayon, some leftover strips of a scrapbook page, four pieces of die-cut card from a purchased package, and a lovely quote from a lovely member of my writer's group. She had included these in our Christmas cards a few years back and I always knew I'd use mine in some meaningful way down the road--like today. 

For the written part of my journal, I'm going to continue with "I remember. . ." recalling the time my first-grade teacher brought caterpillars to class and we placed them in an aquarium filled with leaves and branches. I'll never forget watching the "worms" (I was a rather squeamish child) form their cocoons, and then the wondrous day when the butterflies emerged to fly out the window. Some things stick with you forever, with or without the glue-gun.

Tip of the Day: The next time someone asks what you'd like for a birthday or holiday gift, why not suggest some supplies for your art journal? I love it when someone surprises me with a grab-bag of notions and "puzzle pieces." Not only does it give me some interesting insights into how other people think (i.e., why they chose particular items over others), but I enjoy the challenge of using things I may not have picked out for myself. Wishing you all a creative weekend!

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2. My Altered Book, Post-NaNoWriMo
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By: Valerie Storey, on 2/5/2015
Blog: Valerie Storey, Writing at Dava Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Creativity, Collage, Nanowrimo, Freewriting, Altered Book, Add a tag


Four Girls and Six; Altered Book Page

Sometimes I just like to write a book for fun, and usually it's for NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month). No big deal, no serious thought of publication, but worth it's weight in writing practice and who knows? Maybe there are some characters, scenes, or settings that will be used one day--maybe even the majority of what I wrote. But while I'm at work on these "just for fun" books, I don't like to think about anything as daunting or real as editing, commonsense, or marketing. Instead, I just freewrite every wild and crazy thing that comes into my head and let the plot chips fall where they may.

For the last three NaNoWriMo years, three of these "for fun"manuscripts have turned into a  connected series, all based on the altered book project I started four (!) years ago and that I titled, Four Girls and Six Colleges. The title is derived from the actual book I'm altering, a collection of architectural drawings of six historic Australian college campuses. The four girls (featured above) who became the main characters of both the altered book and the 2012 NaNoWriMo manuscript, were amongst the first photos I pasted into the book. I was so intrigued with their stories that for NaNoWriMo 2013 I wrote Six Girls and Four Colleges (about their daughters), followed by last year's effort, Homecoming which featured their granddaughters.

But now that the manuscripts have been written and put away for a rainy day, it's time to get back to my original inspiration, the altered book itself. One of the reasons I'm still working on it is because when I embarked on the project I didn't realize that most people gesso or glue together several pages of their chosen book to make very thick single pages. After that it's fairly simple to collage, paint or enhance the resulting 12 or so backgrounds. In my case, however, I thought you were supposed to work on EVERY page--as in all 96 of them, back and front.

So here I am, several years later, still slogging away with the watercolor crayons and glue sticks. Some of the pages are pretty complete, maybe even finished; others have a long way to go. The good news is none of them are blank, as in, white-page-staring-me-in-the-face. Take a peek:











There are many, many more pages, LOL, but as they say, that's all for now, folks! Hope you enjoyed the show! As for me, it's back to the crayons and glue sticks. Sigh.

Tip of the Day: When's the last time you wrote or made something "just for fun"? If it's been a while, brainstorm a list of projects you'd love to try no matter the outcome. Pick one and start playing today! (P.S. Keep in mind that this is all about the sheer pleasure of personal creativity--you may want to take a page from my own experience and go for quick-and-easy rather than " 'till death do us part.")





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3. Art Journal Tip: Map a New Adventure!
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By: Valerie Storey, on 2/6/2013
Blog: Valerie Storey, Writing at Dava Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Journaling, Altered Book, Art Journaling, Add a tag

Where have you been? Where are you going? Today's prompt from Art Journal Class, My Favorite Tips is all about making--and using--a map in your art journal.

For this exercise you can use any kind of map: old atlas pages, leftover vacation maps, cut-outs from travel, airline, or food magazines, or maps you just invent--often the very best kind! You can also find some great maps online; all you have to do is download, print, and voila--instant art journal pages.

Drawing a map into your art journal can, like all art journal techniques, be a combination of art, writing, and anything else that pops into your head. Some different types of maps you might want to work with can include:
  • A map of where you currently live.
  • A favorite place you lived in the past.
  • Your childhood room, play area, or classroom.
  • A vision quest.
  • Where your pet travels every day: a known or imagined route!
  • A vacation locale; either one you remember or are currently visiting, or one you've always dreamed of seeing.
  • One or more settings from your work-in-progress or from a book you've already published.
  • A fantasy world. Again this could be inspired by literature, perhaps a book you've read or are reading.
  • Your writing space or art studio.
  • Your garden--both the one you have and/or the one you want. (An added benefit to a landscape map is that it can help you decide what to plant when the season's right.)
  • How you got to where you are in life; and where you want to go from here.
  • An actual, real-life map--one you like just as it is, or one you alter, adding your own notes, illustrations and warnings: "Here be monsters!"
Once you've included a map in your journal, you might like to take the topography a step further and/or share it with a wider audience. Some ways to do that are:
  • Actually turn a map into an art journal. Cut or fold it into a "book"; lightly gesso the pages so the map imagery still shows through; sew or staple the pages, and you have an instant journal. If you have too many thin pages, you might like to gesso some together to give them added strength. Makes a great gift too!
  • If you decide to illustrate your WIP journal or notebook with a map, why not just go ahead and add the map to your published text? I did this with The Great Scarab Scam, my Egyptian mystery for young readers.
  • How about adding the same map(s) to your book trailer too?
  • Scan your illustrated map and turn it into a transfer for a T-shirt, tote bag, or cushion.
  • Turn it into a greeting card.
  • Or a party invitation with full directions on how to reach the party.
  • Cut up a copy of the map like a jigsaw puzzle and paste the pieces in various places throughout your journal.
  • Frame it as a "treasure map" to put on your wall for daily affirmation and help in accomplishing your goals.
  • Sell it! Local historical societies or tourist boards might love having a colorful and whimsical map directing visitors to important sites.
  • Include an illustrated map with your next holiday group letter.
  • Encourage your children or students to make their own maps. A fun and educational activity for everyone!
Tip of the Day: A great way to use either an existing map or one you've created yourself is to use it as a collage background. This is especially useful for those pesky fold-out vacation maps that never seem to fold back into shape again. Happy mapping--happy trails!

    1 Comments on Art Journal Tip: Map a New Adventure!, last added: 2/8/2013
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    4. My Altered Book and Nanowrimo 2012
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    By: Valerie Storey, on 11/1/2012
    Blog: Valerie Storey, Writing at Dava Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
    JacketFlap tags:  Nanowrimo, Altered Book, Art Journaling, Writing With Magazine Cut-Outs, Add a tag


    This past week I've been obsessed with getting ready for National Novel Writing Month. Yes, I'm going for it again, but this time with a unique purpose: I want to write the text for my altered book.

    I haven't blogged about the altered book project for a while, but that doesn't mean I've been ignoring it. To date, I've:
    • Gessoed all the pages.
    • Laid down layers of water color crayon on each page for my backgrounds.
    • Collaged each page with at least four images, sometimes more.
    And there are a lot of pages--way too many and far more than I had bargained for. In hindsight, I now realize I should have gone through the book and gessoed several pages together to make a maximum of 24 thick pages instead of the dozens and dozens of thin ones it's taken me months to fill. Oh, well. Live and learn!

    The stage I'm now at is I need to find--and write my text--and here's where Nanowrimo comes in. My plan is to write a 50,000 word novella based on my altered book's title: Four Girls and Six Colleges, and then take random sections of text to paste or write out by hand onto my collaged pages. The hope is to end up with a completed altered book, as well as an illustrated novella, and maybe something more: I'm considering turning it all into a small animated film as well. Exciting!

    Tip of the Day: Join me for Nanowrimo. Seriously. Although I've been planning my entry for a few months now, spontaneity can often be the key to success. And it's only 1650 words a day--you can do it.

    P.S. Don't forget there's still time to enter my giveaway; the drawing will be at midnight tonight.  All you need to do is join the site and leave a comment. Super easy!

    2 Comments on My Altered Book and Nanowrimo 2012, last added: 11/2/2012
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    5. The Altered Book; Moving Right Along
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    By: Valerie Storey, on 4/5/2011
    Blog: Valerie Storey, Writing at Dava Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
    JacketFlap tags:  Poetry, Collage, Altered Book, Magazine Cut-Outs, Art Journaling, Add a tag


    Six Colleges and Four Girls, my first attempt at making my own altered book, continues--page by page and insight by exciting insight.  So far the biggest thing I've learned (besides how to completely dye my hands with wet blue tissue paper--not my favorite lesson) is why I like this kind of work so much.  It's the puzzle solving that intrigues me and keeps me wanting to learn more. 

    Finding solutions to filling the blank page, hovering here and there, brush in hand searching for "just the right place" to add a photograph or a scrap of color, is just so--well, gratifying.  I think it's the same thing I like about writing, too:  teasing out the various words and phrases of my manuscripts to find exactly what they're trying to say, or how to get my characters out of all the terrible jams they insist upon jumping into head first.

    As I've been working on this current collage project, puzzle solving has been uppermost in my mind, especially my concerns over how I was going to approach writing the text.  I couldn't decide if I should just write a story in the usual way, i.e. from beginning to end, and then paste it into the book somewhere, or should I be more cryptic and have little bits of text stuck in envelopes and other unexpected places throughout the pages?

    Last night I was thinking about all this, as well as about how April is National Poetry Month, and then it hit me:  I could use found poetry.  Of course!  How could I have missed something so obvious?  I already have some very comprehensive "word pools" from which to draw my material, as well as dozens of magazines I can cut up as soon as I'm ready to tackle this part of the project.  I think it's going to be a good solution to the "puzzle" and one that will fit me just right.

    Here's where I am in the book so far and as you can see there is a lot of space for me to add text.  The writing that is included here, as well as in the photo at the top of the post, is part of an old letter I wrote and never sent.  I tore it into strips, painted it with various watercolor washes, and then just glued it onto the pages:


    From a "blue and red" theme, I moved onto yellow:

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