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In this issue ...
Alter your idea of the perfect gift
Create an altered book or other object for
someone special in your life
Where to find inspirations for your creations
Personalize your gift giving with an altered book
The altered book phenomenon took off about 10 years ago, and it hasn't looked back. In fact, altering objects--books, clothing, purses, found objects, artwork, etc.--is the hottest trend in crafting today. It's the perfect way to put your creative stamp on an object while customizing it to fit your decor, personality, or purpose. Not to mention the fact that it's tailor-made for all you shameless pack rats (guilty) because now you have an excuse for saving all those little bits of paper, buttons, bobbles, and trinkets that you've been squirreling away in boxes, tins, and plastic bags in the back of your closet.
While you can create your own book, as in the Between Once Upon A Time & The End book below, created from glued posterboard pages bound together with copper wire (click on image for larger view), most altered books start out as an existing book that you've changed to meet your artistic needs by tearing out, pasting in, cutting, painting, glueing, stapling, nailing, or distressing in any other way to become something else.
One of my favorite aspects of altering a book is making something personal for someone you care about. For instance, the first altered book I created was a gift for my best friend, Sue (see images above). In it I included pages chronicling the things we've shared as friends, including places we've traveled together, people we've known, and secrets we've shared. The book told the story of our friendship, and what better gift to give someone you care about, especially this time of year?
Getting started
You can find books to alter anywhere, such as a book you have around the house that you no longer need or something you've picked up at a garage sale or thrift store. I look for older books with decent binding and the size I need--small, large, thick, or thin, depending on its intended use. Hardcover are usually better, and if you can find something with great old pictures and/or text that can be incorporated into the design (such as poetry, old period pictures, or interesting subject matter), so much the better.
After I find a book that will work for my project, I start to plan out the pages. I take into account how many pages I'll need to tell my story and whether or not there will be cutouts, multiple layers, heavy or thick materials used, foldouts, or any other modification that needs to be planned in advance. Once the number of pages has been determined, I can start altering the structure of the book, meaning tearing out some pages and gluing others together to get them the thickness I want. Some people do this as they go, but I find it easier to get all my pages removed and/or glued together before I add any content so I have a smooth surface on which to work. I can always add or subtract things later.
Wax paper is one of the most important tools you'll need at this point. I cut it into squares a little larger than my book, and slip them between the glued pages to keep them from sticking together. I also use wax paper on my work surface when applying glue or paint to items, as nothing ruins a design faster than having unwanted bits of paper stuck to your pages.
There's no limit to what you can put in your altered books. In addition to paper, I've used magazine and newspaper clippings, fabric, wire, buttons, beads, yarn, string, ribbon, lace, leather, photos, grommets, brads, screws, nails, pins, jewelry, feathers, metal, screen, wood, plastic, and just about anything else I can cut, glue, solder, staple, sew, or tie to a page. The great thing about working in this medium is you're only limited by your own imagination, so let it run wild and have some fun.
Altering is not just for books
Once you get started in altered art, you'll find a whole new world opening to your personal creativity. You can create altered cards for friends and family, a fun new shade for that plain old lamp, or a one-of-a-kind purse for that special female friend. And you'll find yourself shopping differently too, as you scour yard sales, thrift stores, junk yards, and any other fertile hunting grounds for objects d'art to use in your altered compilations.
Altering need not be time-consuming or permanent. This simple little vase was personalized with beads, baubles, and funky ribbons and yarns.
Sources
As a kid, I was always fascinated with collage, so venturing into altered art was a natural step for me. That being said, even the most creative of us need inspiration now and then, and for me, the book that got me interested in altered art was Bev Brazelton's Altered Books Workshop: 18 Creative Techniques for Self-Expression. I stumbled across this book at the library one day while looking through the Arts section, and was immediately fascinated. After checking the book out three times, I finally bought my own copy.
Since then, I've found multiple sources for altered art inspiration, none the least of which is the many magazines and special interest Somerset Studio publications put out by Stampington & Company. The original, Somerset Studio magazine, is a bi-monthly publication for paper and mixed media artists. The quality of the photography, the contributing artists, and the projects presented are nothing short of exceptional, and the magazine itself is a treasure trove of ideas and resources. These are magazines to collect and refer back to constantly. Stampington now publishes so many special interest publications it's hard to keep track of them, so visit their website at Stampington.com to check it out for yourself. You'll also find all sorts of artistic goodies in their Shoppes at Somerset.
For more on collage and altering books, three books worth a look are Traci Bautista's Collage Unleashed, Karen Michel's The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery: Mixed-Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals, and More, and New Directions in Altered Books by Gabe Cyr. All the books referenced here are in print and available at Amazon.com and other online book sources, as well as larger book and craft stores.
Additional sources for altered art techniques and projects include Altered Art: Techniques for Creating Altered Books, Boxes, Cards & More by Terry Taylor, Mixed Media Explorations: Blending Paper, Fabric and Embellishment to Create Inspired Designs by Beryl Taylor, Creative Embellishments: For Paper, Jewelry, Fabric and More by Sherrill Kahn, and The Altered Object: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration by Terry Taylor.
If you're interested in getting into more heavy duty mixed media like metals, wood, and clay, then the following books might be of interest to you. Michael Demeng's Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art delves into the dusty world of junkyard finds, Mixed Media Mosaics: Techniques & Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles, Beads & Other Embellishments by Laurie Mika offers ideas for creating 3-D mixed media mosaics and collage, and ink-master Tim Holtz offers up ideas for his products with the second of his distressables series, Tim Holtz Distressables 2.
Resources on the web
The following websites also offer information, techniques, and resources for the mixed media and altered object artist:
Creativity Portal offers how-to articles, resources, and newsletters for a variety of arts and crafts.
Artgirlz Allison and Tracy Stilwell are into art quilts, and their site is full of inspiration and ideas for this clever art form.
Collage Art Links offers links to collage artist sites, books, supplies, and workshops.
Found Magazine is an artform in itself, an interactive site by and for people who create things out of found objects.
variaZioNE, or ZNE, is one of the largest mixed media focused art groups in the world today.
Beth Cote's Altered Books offers tips, techniques, galleries, and classes for altered art.
Artella is an oasis for writers, artists, and creative spirits.
ARTitude zine is packed full of artwork, tips, projects, and techniques.
Remember: Whatever your interest, there's an altered art medium to suit your needs. So go out there and express yourself!
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