Making Books and Journals
The Weekend Crafter: Making Books And Journals: 20 Great Weekend Projects is a short (80 pages) book that features some unusual book designs and lots of photos showing readers exactly how to make each book.
What I love about this book is that it’s great for beginners and it includes some innovative ideas that will delight experienced book artists as well.
Some people thrill when they discover a new, intricate binding technique for art books.
While I enjoy those, I’m far more enthusiastic about clever, simple designs that allow me to wildly embellish the books.
The latter is why I recommend this book: The projects are easy enough for beginners, and exciting enough for experts.
Here are just a few of the 20 projects featured in this book:
- Folded Book with Pockets
- Roll-Up Travel Journal
- Mailable Journal
- Jelly Bean Books
- Angel Photo Albums
- Ornament Books
- Coptic-Bound Sketch Journal
- Japanese-Bound Picture Frame Album
… and 12 more, plus many ideas based on these handmade books.
What I love about this book for beginners is this: The photos show how to create each book, step-by-step. These really are projects that you can complete in a few hours, or at least in a weekend.
This book is also great for experts because many of these books can be embellished into awe-inspiring projects. And, the simpler books can be given to friends, sold online inexpensively, or displayed around your home or office, to let others know about your more elaborate handmade books.
All in all, this is a book that may look average on the bookshelf, but — once you look at the projects that it features — you’ll be impressed.
Making Books and Journals is also simple enough to give as a gift for anyone — including a child old enough to use the tools — who’d like to learn to make handmade books. It also offers a wealth of ideas for Scouts or youth group projects.
[rating:3.5/5]
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Decorated Page by Gwen Diehn
The Decorated Page by Gwen Diehn is a great book for both scrapbookers and journalers who are interested in making the move to personalized art journaling.
I picked up this book out of an interest in making travel sketchbooks. I know that wasn’t the title, but the look of the cover and the back of the book intrigued me. As a mixed media artist who also has a history in scrapbooking, I’m always intersted in pulling the two together to make the lines between the two less firm. And Gwen Diehn, it seems, is also interested in softening some of those lines.
What makes this book good for someone who wants to move from scrapbooking into a more artistic format? Gwen spends a good amount of time discussing materials. Which materials she uses, those she prefers, and where you should spend your money, versus where you should save it. If only I had this in the beginning, I don’t think I’d have spent as much money on inexpensive low-pigment art supplies that didn’t get me where I wanted when I started. Live and learn!
For someone who is already involved in art journaling, this could be a good resource, as well. I found it a good way to hone some skills in how to use some of my supplies. I also found her discussions of different types of pages – starting with images or starting with text, for example, inspiring and I wanted to try them.
Often I’ll spend time skimming the book before a purchase and then it sits on my shelf until I get a chance to really focus on it. Often, that takes me several sittings. In this case, however, I was continuously interested in seeing what the author had to share with me. I sat and read it in one sitting. I came back with many ideas for my next journaling session.
Since I read this book, I have returned to it many times to see what else I could learn. This book is well worth the investment!
PROS: Gives information on everything from art materials to actual processes for creating pages. Good for everyone from beginner to advanced.
CONS: This book’s text is very dense. For some who have a lot of art supplies, you might question what you’ve bought and whether it will work. Gwen rmeinds you to experiment with what is best for you. Also, If you’re not prepared to sit down and read the text, you will end up missing a lot of good information.
Overall, this book as a great investment for anyone who wants to keep some sort of journal of their lives that includes some decorative or visual element, whether a scrapbook or a visual journal, this book is an excellent reference.
Learn more about this book at
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Unique Handmade Books by Alisa Golden
Over 40 projects fill this book with fabulous ideas for making one-of-a-kind handmade books, journals, and albums. It is one of the most exciting and inspiring books for anyone who is interested in making unique art books.
Whether you want to start with a simple folded book or scroll book or leap into a tunnel book, flag book, pocket book, or even a three-panel Jacob’s Ladder book, Unique Handmade Books will delight you.
This book includes projects that beginners can complete within an hour or two using paper, glue, scissors and any art supplies that you have on hand. However if you want to learn classic and ornate bookbinding techniques, they are included as well.
One of my favorite chapters is called “Transforming Everyday Life,” which includes inspiring illustrations of a mixed media books and related projects. This chapter includes instructions for spiral binding, a card file book, a found poetry journal, and an innovative use of a spell checker to create poetry.
If you’ve been intrigued by cloth books, the author includes three different fiber projects.
In separate chapters, Ms. Golden includes techniques for illustrating your new handmade book with a variety of media. She also presents fascinating ways to display your handmade books and even discusses ideas for collaborative projects for adults and for children.
If you can only buy one book about making handmade books, this would be an excellent choice. I highly recommend it .
I have referred to this book often for my own work and consider it a vital reference in my studio library.
PROS: Enough ideas to spark and sustain a career in handmade art books. Juicy photos show many ways to personalize these projects. I can’t possibly rave enough about this book.
CONS: Beginners may be overwhelmed by the number and variety of projects in this great book. Illustrations can be confusing if you tackle a complex design without prior experience in paper folding and book constructing techniques. Start with the simplest projects, and work your way up.
Summary
[rating:3.5/5]
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Artists’ Journals and Sketchbooks by Lynne Perella
If you are someone who is intimidated by startling, innovative art journaling techniques, this rich, juicy book may overwhelm you. This is an idea book more than a step-by-step guide for beginning book artists.
Since my approach to paper art is often, “When all else fails, read the directions,” this is one of my favorite reference books. However, I also understand why many of my students feel that it is strictly for advanced artists.
If you are an artist who learns visually and would prefer to have more pictures and less text in an art reference book, you’ll probably love this book.
On the other hand, if you are someone who stares at completed work and wonders how they did that, you may prefer a different book.
If I could own only three books about art journaling, this would probably be one of them. I am endlessly inspired by the many lavish photos in this book.
While the focus is generally on paper arts, the approach is more aligned with mixed media techniques. Some of the featured projects include found object art, fabric art, decorative metal work, and truly extraordinary art.
Depending upon your learning mode, this book will either be one of your favorites or a book that you put aside to enjoy when you are more confident about exploring new materials, media, and techniques on your own.
PROS: Rich, colorful, highly inspiring illustrations covering a wide range of art journaling techniques. From textiles to aluminum foil to cigar boxes, you’ll find a wealth of ideas in over 125 glossy, full-color pages.
CONS: Weak instructions rely on readers’ experience/intuition–or perhaps daring–to achieve similar results. If you prefer to learn from specific, step-by-step instruction, you probably won’t like this book.
That said, if you buy this book and are disappointed in it, put it aside and look at it again in a few months. It will probably become one of your favorite reference books.
Summary
[rating:4/5]
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Artful Dodger by Nick Bantock – review
The Artful Dodger: Images and Reflections by Nick Bantock is a must-own for fans of his art and writing.
Nick Bantock may be best known for his Griffin & Sabine Trilogy, but he has authored many other extraordinarily beautiful books featuring his own art and text.
In the Artful Dodger, Bantock offers some of his most haunting, beautiful, and inspiring art from each of his books, with commentary.
In the some cases, he explains why he wrote the books the way that he did and provides insights to his creative process. If some of his more cryptic books have baffled you, you may find answers in this large, comprehensive volume.
Bantock also shares many examples of other art that he has created, including his paintings as well as book covers and illustrations for other authors.
In discussing the art process, Bantock dismisses any attempts at faux elitism. In talking about some of his paintings, Bantock says, “I was working on the floor so that I could walk around the piece. Also I was using brushes less and less, often paintings with my fingers. ”
Later, discussing his pop-ups, Bantock says, “I taught myself how to construct pop-ups by trial and error; using scissors and a role of Scotch tape. I began with simple cuts and folds; then, when I’d gotten the hang of the easy stuff, I started dismantling any old pop-up books I could get my hands on to see how the more complex paper mechanics functioned. ”
By offering a wide range of examples from many years of his work as an artist, Bantock gives us a fabulously inspiring overview of his development and his talents. The results are stunning.
If you have been inspired by Bantock’s art but are less interested in his stories, the Artful Dodger is a wise investment. However, all fans of Bantock will enjoy this book; it includes favorites from most of his stories as well as a tour of his lesser-known studio works.
This is a high quality, hardcover coffee table book that you will treasure for years to come. It is among my favorites references for collage and mixed media art.
PROS: A rich sampling featuring varied art by an extraordinary contemporary artist. Varied techniques, media, subjects, and approaches offer a wealth of inspiration for artists.
CONS: Does not include the intriguing envelopes and enclosures of the Griffin & Sabine series, only the art. Very little text from the original books; instead, Bantock offers extensive narrative insights and backstory for his popular art novels.
SUMMARY
- Coffee table book, not a how-to book
- Insights into Bantock’s inspiring art career
- Includes many of the best of Bantock’s illustrations
If you like Bantock’s art, this book is a worthwhile purchase for your studio reference library.
[rating:3.5/5]
For others’ reviews of this book
see Amazon.com, or, in the UK, see Amazon.co.uk
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