artist book Archives - Page 4 of 12

Making for the mind

artist book, collage, drawings, inspiration / Linda Germain / November 16, 2021

I have been playing with drawing and collage lately. I can do these activities while I watch a funny show or listen to upbeat music.

Printmaking is a bit more physical and takes more focus.

Am I tired? Hmmm? Am I looking for a more relaxing making activity?

I am not sure. I don’t think this was a conscious decision. But in the process I have embraced some processes that are relaxing and fun. And I think that these new practices are developing my seeing and design skills.

For more art making habits check out this post on Ways to motivate. Enjoy!

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Go back to your sketchbook

artist book, inspiration, relief prints / Linda Germain / August 30, 2021

I have been using a sketchbook a lot more in the past year. It is quite satisfying to fill one up.

Sometimes I get too focused on finishing up a sketchbook. They end up on a shelf or in a box.

Then I remembered that they can be used as source material for more drawings and prints. So this may be obvious to you, but it is a new idea for me, to use the original sketches as reference to make more drawings.

So get out some of those old sketchbooks and draw! Some of these doodles and drawings make even inspire printing plates or stencils. Keep it fun!

If you are interested in relief printing with foam plates, then check out the details on the workshop page and join us in the Soft Plate Relief Printing class. This online class starts soon.

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Trust yourself – Make Marks

artist book, drawings, inspiration / Linda Germain / July 26, 2021

Sometimes, I just have to begin and trust that the path will evolve.

I do this “just begin” thing a lot, and I am still surprised when magic happens, things work out and I make something that I like or learn from.

I keep it simple to begin:

take a photo
go for a walk
clean my work bench for 20 minutes
make some doodles

So I say try it, and see what happens. I think it helps to let go of any demands that it work out and just explore the present moment.

Before you know it you may have a whole collection of art work! Check out the current online class offerings

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Books a good way to show off your monoprints

artist book, handmade books, mixed media printmaking / Linda Germain / July 9, 2021

If you are an experimental monotype printmaker like me, then you probably have a lot of prints and papers with potential.

The books above are bound in the manner of Japanese Stab binding. This form works well with a soft cover and hard back, and a long landscape style format. We will learn this book form in the Mixed Media Retreat.

Accordion style books are great for display.

I think the natural evolution is to start making books with some of those prints. Things you could make with your prints:

book covers
end pages
whole bound book of prints
spine covers

Pamphlet stitch binding easy and useful.

If you are curious to get started with some simple book forms, then check out the details, of the online Mixed Media Retreat. We will learn 6 book forms and several layering techniques that will put your prints to good use.