Showing posts with label Collage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Collage. Show all posts

Sketchbook Explorations: Mixed-Media Approaches For Textile Artists by Shelley Rhodes (Hardcover, 2018)

, 6 Oct 2024

I've had this book in my wish list for several years and recently bought it due to being heavily discounted. I loved Rhodes' Fragmentation and Repair, and  I've found Sketchbook Explorations quoted, referenced and wish-listed by many artists in many art books. Because my expectations were really high, the reality was a bit disappointing.   
 
I LOVE
> Although Rhodes is a textile artist, the book is very useful for mixed-media artists and painters. 
 > The hard-cover is coated with a velvety fabric. A real treat.
> Gorgeous, good quality photos that give us an insight into Rhodes' art process and artistic eye. They are not just illustrative for what she speaks about, but they can be used on their own to get inspiration.
> The way Rhodes approaches sketchbooks and the many ideas and inspiration I got when reading and looking at the book photos. 
> The tips on how to create your own brushes and painting tools, how to make concertina books, ring tags books, scroll sketchbooks, foldable sketchbooks and much more.
> The ideas to use labels, envelopes, index cards, and tickets to create mixed media pieces. 
> This is a book to both read and watch and you can do one or the other, or both at the same time.  
> The book has a small back index, old style publishing, something that I love.
 
SO SO 
> I wish the book had a ribbon bookmark because this one of those books that I visit over and over. 
> Some of the practical exercises Rhodes suggests are well known and nothing original or new in 2024. They might have been innovative in 2018.
> Most of quotes Rhodes includes in the book are not necessary as Rhodes is an experienced artist, an awesome one, and her voice is as strong as the one of the artists she references. 
> Rhodes skips the surface for the subjects she presents in the book, so they are excellent as an introduction not in-depth explorations.  
 
I DON'T LIKE
> Although printed in good paper, this is a bit too glossy for my liking.
> The text body is not fully justified, which, in my opinion, rests polishedness to any edition.
> The font size is too small and faint, difficult to read for me and I had to use a magnifying glass for it. The font type and size for the quotes in the book are perfect, and I would have loved that to be the one used for the text body. Reading a hardcopy book is different from reading it on a Kindle, so I wonder why some editors think it is OK to have such a small font (beyond saving printing space) especially when the book is quite pricey. 
> The structure of the book is not specially organic to me.
 
IN SHORT
A must book for those artists who want to keep a sketchbook art practice. Definitely perfect for beginners, but I found it to be a source of inspiration for me. Having said that, Rhodes' Fragmentation book is more comprehensive an experimental; if I had to decide on which one to purchase now that I have both, I would choose Fragmentation. 
 

Posted in , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 0 comments

Explore Mixed Media Collage: Innovative Layering Techniques by Kristen Robinson & Ruth Rae (2014)

, 28 Apr 2023

This is a very handy book for both beginners and intermediate crafters and mixed-media painters. It contains plenty of techniques, tips, creative ideas and projects to try on and get inspired by.

The book is divided in three parts. The first one contains all the techniques that the authors will use in the following mixed-media projects but isolated and photographed step by step with simple clear effective descriptions. The second part contains tutorials for 12 different projects by both authors, which are photographed and described step by step in the same effective manner as before. The third part contains 10 new projects, but they aren't photographed step-by-step, just the steps described.

     

THE GOODIES
> I  got plenty of inspiration and some ideas despite having worked on mixed-media for a while.
> The book is unpretentious and goes to the point.
> The tutorials are photographed and short-described wonderfully, so you can follow them quickly and effectively.
> Some of the tips spread throughout the book are extremely helpful.
> I love the fact that the authors use stitching, fabrics as well as sealing wax and wax in general as the results are very tactile and visually rich. 
> The variety of styles and complexity in the projects included. It goes from the very simple to the challenging. I especially loved the projects Bounty of secrets, Our House, Devotion Shrine, Sweet Heart, Birds Nest, Kindness to Ruth, Flight, and My Secret Heart Hopes. 
> Good quality photographs.
> No typos in view and good edition overall. 
> The book having a index of subjects at the end, something that I always love. 
> A quick read, but it can be used as a reference guide, as well. 

      

DOWNSIDES
> The book feels a bit aged in some parts, but some of the techniques and results must have been groundbreaking when the book first came out 9 years ago 
 > Some of the techniques are very basic and won't be helpful to people who already work on mixed-media like me.
> I miss the second batch of projects being photographed step-by-step like the first. I don't know why they did it this way, to be honest.  
> Ain't a fan of rhinestones on artwork unless they're vintage, small and delicate.  
> Text isn't justified. 



Posted in , , , , , , , , , , | 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)