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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
art books,
art journaling,
art tags,
Bartsford Editions,
Collage,
Hardcover books,
mixed- media,
my amazon reviews,
Non Fiction,
Non-Fiction,
Painting,
Shelley Rhodes,
Sketchbook Explorations,
Textile Art
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