Beginning Again

....and Merry Boxing Day too!

I hope you're all well and that the season finds you with the ones you love, happy and content. I've been away for a while - as you can plainly see from the dates on the posts - and spent a looong time debating whether to close my blog down for good, but I figure I at least owe you lovely people some thanks for your support at a really crappy time in my life, and for your patience and let you know that it meant - and means - the world to me.

Breaking back into blogging feels weird at the moment and six months is a heck of a long time to sum up concisely but I'll make a start at least. As it's still the festive season, I'll keep it light as much as possible! I have kept 'arting'.., for myself, and I think it's saved my sanity! I have a new journal - I've actually filled three since leaving blogging - this one being an altered book that I kept when we cleared my uncle's home a couple of years back. I've had to leave a lot behind for practical reasons so it's been an exercise in starting over, and having to let go of so SO much stuff has encouraged me to incorporate more personal items - photos, ephemera, keepsakes etc - into my journals so that they're easy to pack and keep as I continue through life. Space-saving has become an issue! I'll share my progress with you over the next few posts. I hope that some of my rambles and ideas and such might be useful to people and I figure that it's one thing to give advice, but another to share the personal practical applications of it. Can't really do one without the other, eh?

As I'm not overly sure where to begin I'll start with my current journal. I moved back to written journaling for quite a while during my house clearance and house move which was just after mum died. It was such an upheaval that I think I just needed to vent and journaling became a daily catharsis for me. I did find myself still filling it with doodles and pictures when words would not suffice and gradually, the art has taken over again. I still find myself needing to write so at present I have a couple of books on the go but the one I'll share a bit of now is mainly art. I know it's not everyone's idea of journaling but as I've said on many previous occasions it's all about what works for me.

These are my recent journals - I apologise for the dodgy pics, my camera's a bit.....temperamental!

Yep....that's my (*ahem*) TIDY (ahahaha) workdesk. Yep.  This is the altered book journal -

It's the usual thing - I removed some pages and glued others together. I opted to just leave some as single pages as well, some torn or cut, just for variety. I've only faffed about with the first half of the book - I learned that lesson a long time ago. Altering it as I go along ensures that it still closes because I can remove more pages whenever I need to - it doesn't bulk out or tear. I opted to keep this book because it has a lot of surveyors diagrams in it which look cool when they show through background layers: just adding a bit more interest where I want them to.  I kept a box of cut-outs and ephemera which I sifted through so that I could add some tabs and images to pages to alter as I go along. It's worked very well and gives me useful prompts when my mind goes a bit blank.

....Tidy, tidy workspace..... shyeah! aha!

To help me focus and have purpose, I wrote myself a note inside the front cover:

"This altered book originally belonged to my uncle who was a chartered surveyor. It is now a journal to help me re-build my confidence in making art, trying new techniques and developing skills. Although I may choose to share some pages, this is for my own enjoyment and will hopefully reflect my personality, thoughts, dreams and humour. I have no concern that some pages will suffer a natural decay and damage from regular book use...this is as beautiful to me as the art itself."

.....Basically I just needed to re-introduce myself to mixed media work after having been left so long with just one basic set of coloured pencils and a pen! The value of art journaling, aside from the soul-calming element, is that it does indeed provide a safe place for building confidence in using different mediums and techniques. It took a couple of pages of slightly halting messing about before I found my way again but I'm a lot happier now. It's also helped me to settle a little....I miss my studio dreadfully, and having no place to call home for a while was pretty scary, but working on this book helped me to nest a little and feel at home where I am now which was an unexpected bonus!

I'll leave this here for today but I promise to be back with more in the next day or so. I'd like, once again,  to thank the lovely people who left comments on my earlier post, "To Heal My Heart" and who took the time to email me. You've no idea how much your words helped me and reassured me that there is great kindness in this world.  Thanks for visiting again - big hugs to everyone, from Shroo:)

An Insomniac's Altered Book/Adapted Book-Plate Budget Tutorial

Helloooo!

I can't sleep. Nope - not a wink. Wiiiiiiiiide awake... SO  - I thought I'd faff about with muh art s'plies and do another tutorial for you. This is another versatile project and one that doesn't need a mahoosive amount of expensive product. I'll talk you through the steps and show you what I used for each one, but you can substitute any number of things from your own stash at any point. You shouldn't need to buy ANYTHING new in order to do this. I've chosen a really simple concept and design, but again you can let your imagination go nuts! So put away your stress on a top shelf somewhere and settle in for some fun!

Budget Altered Book/Adapted-Bookplate Tutorial

For this project I used:

• an old hardcover book
• Faber Castell Gelatos
• crafter's acrylic paints
• Faber Castell Pitt pens
• Derwent Inktense pencils
• Uni Ball Impact gel pens
• Chestnut satin acrylic lacquer
• matte gel medium
• Treasure Gold gilding wax (Classic)
• scrap paper
• water
• kitchen roll
• ink pad & sponge
• page folder/scraper

OK? Let's start this thang!  Pick your book. It could be one you've made or altered, a sketchbook or journal, or just one that's crying out for decoration... I selected this old encyclopedia, which is falling apart already.

I chose a page from this book for my base paper, 'cos at some point I'll most likely gut it and use the cover for a new journal - also I like book text as a background, but you can choose anything you like, including junk mail, scrapbook papers or even newspaper.

I picked some complementary base colours. You can use Gesso if you like, but I wanted a few mixed tones - not just plain white (you'll see why later on in the project). I like to splodge the paint on with my fingers. I don't mind getting messy and it means that I can really control how much they blend. when I'd finished smooshing, I decided to splash on a little water and take off some more of the paint to allow the book print to show through:

I decided to make a simple landscape for this book plate as it's very much suited to this collage technique. It's pretty simple but you have to trust that it'll all come together in the end, ok? I created a sky effect by adding some drops of turquoise (YUM!) acrylic, then used my page folder as a scraper to move the paint around the way I wanted. (I KNOW some of you will have to do some deep breathing at the idea of such abuse... but hey, the page folder's washable, and I'm too lazy at this time of the morning to go get a scraper)

I found a piece of kraft paper I'd saved from a parcel. I crumpled it up - for extra texture - flattened it out again and tore it into three pieces, which would become hills in my landscape. You could use any paper you like - I just like the kraft :

I used Studio matte medium to adhere the pieces to the page, overlapping them to create a layered effect. I like this medium because it creates a good workable surface, but you could just as easily use Mod Podge, PVA glue or glue sticks - your choice. I left part of the bottom and middle pieces like little flaps so I could tuck things behind them...

 I chose three contrasting paint colours - one for each segment (hill) and finger painted them onto the paper, dabbing some paint off again with kitchen roll so that there was more conrast - not just flat colour.

I took some scrap paper pieces and tore out some abstract shapes that I could use for trees in my landscape, and glued them in under the flaps I'd left, gluing those flaps down afterwards. The crinkles in the paper help to disguise the lumps.

Like I said - trust me.

I grabbed some nice Gelato colours and coloured in some definition colours, wetting them to help smear the colour where I wanted it. You could just as easily use ANY water soluble media. I wanted quite a lot of layers, but you can choose to add as much or as little as you like.

Just for the fun of it, I used a couple of Inktense pencils - one dark, one contrasting - and a couple of Pitt pens, selected the same way, to add more definition around the shapes. Again, these will smoosh about beautifully with a little water. I used my fingers again....weeeeeeell, they were already covered in paint anyways!

The  crinkles in the kraft paper hold the squidgy media in interesting ways, and the edges of the torn paper soak up the colours beautifully. I added some light Gelato colours here and there to pick some shapes and stop things all blending into one big block.

 

I added some more 'cloud' layers to the sky with the same drip and scrape technique that I used for the 'blue'. THIS is why I used a blend of tones on the base coat - I wanted the white paint to stand out. I also added some gold gilding wax using the pad of my index finger so that it would pick out the raised, bumpy elements in the collage. The wax catches the light and adds more tone and brightness.

 At this point I gave the page a light coat of the Chestnut laquer. It's just a personal preference as it holds the soluble media fast, and allows me to wipe away any excess in new layers without disturbing what's already there. Plus it helps to seal the layers. Mod Podge will do the same thing, as will clear Gesso, but be wary as both products may soak up or smear unfixed colours. Some spray fixitives will also affect the water-soluble media. I DO like the Chestnut lacquer...oh yes I do!

Once the lacquer dried ( about 5 minutes) I used gel pens to add some definition and detail -

Once I was happy  with the result, I added another layer of lacquer and cut out the part of the page that I liked the best in order to make a panel. I inked the edges with black Staz-on ink and selected some rub-ons that I could use to finish the piece. You could just as easily use stickers, die-cuts or doodles - your choice.

Now select your glue or tape of choice and afix in place! This is how the finished panel looked on my book cover - 

Came out ok in the end! I find that a LOT of projects look pretty questionable 'til I get right to the end...just gotta stick with it.

This is so simple to do and easy to adapt to materials and personal tastes. The whole thing took about 45 minutes (with photo taking)...this blog post has taken FOREVER by comparison!! HA! I PROMISE that you can find substitues in your current stash for pretty much anything I used. Why not try pastels or charcoal to add definition? Watercolour paints or pencils? Soluble crayons? Oil pastels? There's loads of room to experiment and have fun.

So now it's, like, 7:30 am and I'm finally sleepy. I hope you find this tutorial useful (and not too rambly!)  I'll now catch an hour or two before it's back to the business of the day! Hope YOU'VE all had some sleep! Sending hugs from sleepy Shroo :) xxx

Back With A Fun Binding Tutorial!!

Well, hello there!

Yup - I know, I've been away... been taking a break from all things blog 'n' Etsy for a few weeks, focussing on the necessities of life and getting things in order - and I feel a lot better for it! I am sorry for being absent though - I had blog guilt at first, until I remembered that it's kinda MY blog so I suppose I make the rules... It WAS good to take a proper break and I know you'll understand!

Aside  from stress management, the added bonus of achieving some degree of life-organisation is that I've had some time to journal and to MAKE stuff, which I haven't really felt like doing in a while. I have a stack of hand-made journals ready to load up on Etsy, and another batch just about done. Here are a few teaser photos -

...so I've not been idle!  I find that journal-making's a good way for me to step back into the art world and it's really quite relaxing. It's not that hard to do, really: if you've not tried making your own book, why not give it a go?

That brings me to the second part of this post. I had a lovely email from a wonderful blog reader the other day. She has a collection of sketches that she wants to bind together, but was stuck for ideas and needed some help. I was more than happy to pass on a useful (and versatile) binding solution, but as it was hard to just describe it without a truly insane amount of rambling, I figured I'd take the 'actual example' route. I've not done a tutorial in a while so I grabbed the opportunity to take pictures for you as I went along... I hope you find them useful! Here goes:

Stitched-in Binding Tutorial

For this project you will need:

•  An old hardcover book that you're willing to chop up
• Some extra book covers or heavyweight card
• Your sketches, or some of your favourite art papers
• Sewing/binding materials. For example: waxed cotton thread, ribbon, embroidery/decorative thread, a variety of yarns (off-cuts will do), wire, or anything you prefer and can lay your hands on
• Glue, glue-stick or double sided tape (if you don't want to sew)
• Painty things - your choice!
• Shiny decoratey things, buttons and/or beads!
• Large-eyed needle, possibly an awl or pokey tool
• Hole punch or Crop-A-Dile
• A ruler
• A craft knife (optional)

This technique is especially useful if you have a collection of finished loose pages that you want to bind together. For the sake of this journal, I chose a stack of leftover papers of varying weights and textures -

 

 

I selected an old book from my stash with nice, heavyweight pages and a sturdy hardcover. You can choose pretty much any kind of book as long as it meets these criteria.  Don't worry too much about the size right now. If you want to start off with a larger cover, take a look at some illustrated children's books.... they usually have thinner spines though and will hold less of your work so bear that in mind when you make your choice. I picked an old gardening book which had a lovely cover design -

You'll need to decide how you want to insert your pages into the book - you can use glue-sticks, wet glue, double-sided tape, string, ribbon, thread, wire..... it's up to you. Here's my selection of thready things:

- with some beads 'n' shiny things for decoration, as well as a few ribbons and pretty fibres -

Ok - now to begin. Tear a few pages carefully (or measure and cut straight with a craft knife if you prefer) about 1.5" from the spine -

I likes the wiggly lines! The weight of the page paper kinda indicates how many you should use for each insert. I chose four - two torn pages either side of the inserted sheet, like this -

Got it? Easy! If your book pages are really thick and glossy - like many children's books - you may only want to use one page either side of your insert. Likewise, if the pages are really thin or fragile you may want to add a few extra just to be safe.
Now you can either glue, tape or stitch in your  pages. Up to you! If you choose to sew, you can be uber neat with your stitching, or just ... go for it! Choose the style and look that suits you and your work. If you're not confident with sewing, a simple running stitch will still do the job nicely...

Play with your stitches as much as you want to - add different coloured threads, then tie them off top and bottom so they don't slip...

One page done. Now go ahead and enjoy yourself. Remember you can use anything you like to decorate the fixer sections, and thread ribbon through the stitches for some nice texture effects. Here are some of my finished pages, coloured up with acrylic paints, Derwent inktense pencils and Caran D'Ache Neocolor II soluble wax crayons (incidentally the same media used to colour the pages.)

Sequins and ribbon and gold paint, oh my! Shiny, shiny... plus doodling fun. Now - I LIKE the more random, squooshy colours, but you can be more precise if you prefer. This is THE most versatile binding ever, and really, REALLY easy as you can just adapt it to your skill sets. No pressure, all fun!

*  *  *

Project idea:

You can make some full page spreads with your favourite photos, then bind them using a book that has some significance to you and your family. For example: use some photo spreads of your little ones in their jammies or with cuddly toys, along with some of their paintings and drawings, cuttings from their out-grown clothes or blankies etc and bind them inside their favourite story books. It's such fun, and unlike scrap-booking, there are no rules! You can adapt the binding methods and simplify them so that your kids can join in with the project. It's a great way to make and store memories. As an extra tip - bind in a couple of blank pages so that you can journal at a later date, or add ephemera as and when you find it.

*  *  *

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand back to the tutorial.....Now for the cover. The book I chose here is way smaller that the paper pieces. It's the right height, but too short to cover the longest pages. Problem? Nope! The cover can be extended as much as is necessary by adding more pieces of heavy card or, as in this case, another similarly sized book cover (from that hoarded, mahoosive stash), like this -

I measured out a series of points which I punched out with my trusty Crop-A-Dile, leaving to lines of small holes. To join them together, I chose some waxed cotton thread which I laced through the holes like I'd lace up a shoe.

Then I pulled them tight enough to keep the pieces together, but not so tight that they'd overlap...

You can choose your own style - whatever suits you. You can always use fabric instead card (and, incidentally, you can use the inside binding technique for fabric pages, tiles or plastic too, although for some materials you may need to pierce holes with a pokey tool or awl before you stitch or tie them in. Be inventive!). You can also use multiple pieces so that your cover is a work of art in itself, full of movement and shape.

To decorate the cover, I tied ribbons and yarns around the waxed cotton and added some beads and buttons....well, because I wanted to!

I painted the cover canvas with acrylic paints, dabbing some away with a baby wipe so that the original colour would show through - make it look more rustic. Then I splatted some lovely Winsor & Newton gold ink and added way more foofy lovely ribbony goodness -

This style of cover really allows for some interesting display if you feel like making more of a feature of your work by presenting it proudly for people to admire.  Add whatever fastening you prefer... I chose a simple tie fastening, adding some lovely agate, pink opal, garnet and sea jasper beads to finish it off nicely.

I also added a little reminder inside the front cover to have some stress-free fun with art:

...then found a couple of old doodly sketchbook pages to tear up and glue into the book, adding some extra colour and shape to some of the pages -

Inside back cover -

I kept a few of the original colour plates in the book, just blanket stitching them together. I may paint over them at some point, but I like that they're there...

Here are a few more pictures of the finished book -

And that's that! This is SUCH a fun and easy technique. You don't have to go and spend a fortune on branded products, just root around your craft stash and maybe visit your local charity or goodwill store if you need to pick up an old book. It makes a change not to have to spend a small fortune in order to complete a project, and I promise you'll enjoy it.

I hope I explained that ok - if you have any questions please leave a comment or email me at artyshroo@gmail.com and I'll get back to you asap. I'd love to know if any of you give this a go - or maybe have already done this? That would be awesome. I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank Emily for contacting me and for giving me something to work on! You little star you!

Sending hugs out to all of you in the blogosphere! See you soon - Shroo :) xxx