Altered books pages

One of the worksops I do is Altered Books and here are a few sample pages.  Techniques include stitching pages together, or just stitching on them, sticking lace etc on a page and painting over the whole thing, punching shapes out along the edges . . .

 

 

. . . sticking in bits of stitched stuff and printing and overpainting . . .

 

. . . windows, and something interesting to see in them . . .

 

 

. . . a series of graded holes, colour grouping . . .

    

 

. . . any other bits and pieces which give something interesting to look at.

 

Keep an illustration already in the book and add colour and more drawing, also 'ransom note lettering' cut from magazines etc.

 

Stick pictures in from magazines, brochures etc and extend the illustration by drawing some of your own.

 

A herb collection, stuck in or drawn . . .

Texture- masking tape, torn paper bits, stuck then painted over.  The paunt is taken up differently by the fifferent surfaces.

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Tissue over string, sticky bits . . .

 

. . . painted strips of crumpled paper with a matt side and a plasticy side . . . again, different paint take-up.

 

Lace etc stuck ready to paint over.

 

Fancy lettering, a cut frame, piece of embroidery on paper stuck behind frame.  Some pen work needs adding here, patterns (doodling?), or some printing in the background or . . . ?

I rather like stitching on paper, and mostly poke holes first if it is more than one layer of paper.

 

Colour gradation is fun too, and these zigzag bits will be partly stitched together and decorated in some way, eventually.

If you want to cover the print more then more paint needs adding, or gesso, enough to hide it.  I quite like the textural effect of leaving it at least partly visible.