Book Arts and Artists’ Books

Altered art is one of the hottest new crafts--but for the uninitiated, it can seem intimidating. Not anymore, with all the basics outlined in a simple question-and-answer format and shown in plenty of sparkling, detailed how-to photos. Find out the best type of books to alter, as well as the right adhesives and paints to use. As your skill develops, the alteration thrill will inevitably build, and so there are also projects for transforming more than just books--including making pendants out of matchboxes and gum tins, and revitalizing purses and luggage.

Detailed instruction on how to become part of the newest crafts craze which combines a wide range of mixed media techniques with papercrafting.

Through 11 projects, crafters learn how to indulge their self-expressive creativity in making their own books. Includes step-by-step instructions, a visual materials list, and ideas for uses and variations. 300 images, 250 in color.

Everyone has a story to tell--so make your own book to tell it with! From the scissors that snip the pages to the glues and stitches and ties that bind them; from elaborate compound structures with pockets to multiple signatures in a thick, sewn volume, here are the techniques you need and the styles you want. Cut and fold pages in a simple accordion, or hide a second book inside. Create pop-ups, fan, and slot-and-tab books. Construct handscrolls and hanging ones, soft- and hardcovers, even portfolios and boxes. Hundreds of illustrations and diagrams will guide you, and dozens of striking pictures will seize your imagination! The author lives in Berkeley, CA. 128 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 10. NEW IN PAPERBACK

"Two years before I started drawing, my wife was run over by a subway train. Sounds really terrible, I know. But, well, this book is about how art and New York City saved my life."
When Danny Gregory's wife was severely injured, his life was changed in an instant. Searching about for meaning for what had happened to his little family, he began to create a richly illustrated journal of his life. Gregory as driven to record and comment on every aspect of his life, from dirty dishes to cathedrals, from hospital wards to life-drawing classes, from brunch with Hell's Angels to book shopping at the Strand.
This unique book chronicles his discovery of drawing, his wife's rehabilitation, his son's infancy, and the life of the city he loves. Funny, bittersweet, romantic, and perverse, "Everyday Matters" is an inspiration, an invitation to lo

This exciting guide explores the creative processes behind altered books when artists make their own distinctive mark on an already published work and collaborative journals in which many artists come together to create a unique single work.

For all levels of artistry, here's a clear and practical guide to the magical craft of three-dimensional and moving books. Illustrated with full-color photography, it includes easy-to-follow steps and outlines techniques for greater personal experimentation. More than 500 color photos and templates.

Almost every well-known painter and sculptor has created at least one book with original illustrations since the late 19th century. Publishers have engaged the imaginations of the finest writers, designers, printers and artists -- among them Picasso, Malevich, Kandinsky, Kokoschka and Matisse -- to collaborate on the creation of the vibrant publications created here in six sections: the evolution of the modern book in the decades before and after 1900; the momentum of Modernism in the twenties; the key role of Picasso; the influences of Dada, Surrealism, the Second World War and its aftermath; the shift of cultural power to the United States; and the new trends of the contemporary era.

What store-bought card can compare to one you've made yourself? Or create your own book. From the paper you use, to the binding holding it all together, everything will be your own handiwork. Select from a variety of book and card types, and continue to make the creative choices as you develop your medium. Full-color illustrations take you through each step.

Here's a fresh take on a hot, creative craft: turning old books into new art.
Give a favorite book new life as a beautiful collage. Just take the old volume, pull out or color photocopy the pages, cut them up, and then arrange the pieces in a fresh new design. That's an altered book collage, and it's a great way for paper crafters and scrapbookers to create a wonderfully personalized objet d'art. Get in on the fun of this super-popular craft with this guide to putting together that very first altered book, and beyond. The entire enjoyable process receives detailed attention. Find out how to choose a theme, the mechanics involved, and a variety of crafting techniques to use, from painting to stitching, from beading to stenciling. Hundreds of sample pages will inspire you to start designing immediately.

In Create Your Own Artist's Journal, Erin O'Toole helps artists capture those fleeting moments of inspiration and beauty that compel them to create. She begins by showing them how to observe and record what they see, composing images that come alive with color and movement.

O'Toole also discusses the materials involved in keeping a journal, and offers advice for finding interesting subjects, painting from memory and improvising sketches as a scene changes.

Finally, she provides guidelines for compiling a portable journaling "kit" that artists can take with them anywhere!

In the mid 1960s, inspired by William Burroughs's "cut up" writing technique, Tom Phillips bought an obscure Victorian novel for three pence W. H. Mallock's 1892 novel. "A Human Document. He began cutting and pasting the extant text, treating the pages with gouache and ink, isolating the words that interested him while scoring out unwanted words or painting over them. The result was "A Humument and the first version appeared in 1970. The artist writes, "I plundered, mined and undermined its text to make it yield the ghosts of other possible stories, scenes, poems, erotic incidents and surrealist catastrophes which seemed to lurk within its wall of words. As I worked on it. I replaced the text I'd stripped away with visual images of all kinds. It began to tell and depict, among other memories, dreams and reflections, the sad story of Bill

Altered art is a fast-growing craft trend: Choose an object--a cigar box, playing cards, an old album cover--and use it as a creative starting point to make beautiful and entirely new items to display and use. This is the first book to explore the full range of its possibilities.

Altered art is a fast-growing craft trend: Choose an object--a cigar box, playing cards, an old album cover--and use it as a creative starting point to make beautiful and entirely new items to display and use. This is the first book to explore the full range of its possibilities.

Combine two of the hottest trends in crafts--altered books and scrapbooking--and you get an exciting technique that's sure to be a hit. Just take an existing volume and add embellishments until it's transformed into your own personal scrapbook. Susan Ure--a frequent guest on "The Christopher Lowell Show"--shows exactly how it's done, from choosing the right book to alter to creating a pleasing composition. Work from a variety of artists provides inspiration and ideas for materials and techniques--including metal, paper and cloth collage, lace, and beads. A sense of playfulness and creativity are all that's needed to get great results.
Susan Ure has authored several books, including "10-Minute Decorating," "Scrapbooking Your Vacations," and "The Portable Crafter: Beading," and has appeared on "The Christopher Lowell Show."

Artists' books have emerged over the last 25 years as the quintessential contemporary art form, addressing subjects as diverse as poetry and politics, incorporating a full spectrum of artistic media and bookmaking methods, and taking every conceivable form. Female painters, sculptors, calligraphers, and printmakers, as well a growing community of hobbyists, have played a primary role in developing this new mode of artistic expression. "The Book as Art" presents more than 100 of the most engaging women's artist books created by major fine artists such as Meret Oppenheim, May Stevens, Kara Walker, and Renee Stout and distinguished book artists such as Susan King, Ruth Laxson, Claire Van Vliet, and Julie Chen.

Culled from over 800 unique or limited-edition volumes held by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, these books explore the f