Reading Update Tales of Suspense: Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier by Rosenberg, Foreman, & Rosenberg. Dammit, Tumblr, I don’t even go here! D’oh. Yeah, I saw some snippets of this on Tumblr and was intrigued by the dynamic between Hawkeye and Bucky. Considering 99% of what I know about the Avengers is from Tumblr, it was pretty good. 😀
Reading Update Journal Spilling: Mixed-Media Techniques for Free Expression by Diana Trout. Reread. I might like this more than I did the first time I read it three years ago! Original review: Very good overview of art journaling techniques, complete with prompts at the end. “Spilling” refers to writing (or creating an art entry) without thinking about it – basically stream-of-consciousness. I liked this book enough that I’ve ordered a used copy for myself.
Reading Update The Art and Craft of Collage by Simon Larbalestier. Not a book that has aged well (copyright 1990) – the author spent an inordinate amount of time discussing how to get various effects using photocopiers… Dreaming from the Journal Page: Transforming the Sketchbook to Artby Melanie Testa. Reread. This time I found something I want to try – mixing a little liquid soap with watercolor so it can be used for stamping. But still not a favorite – in fact, I’d forgotten I’d already read it…
“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos
Chaos is filling in for May today, although maybe he isn’t aware of that… 😉
Reading Update Cowboys Are My Weakness by Pam Houston. Rereading is such a funny thing. I haven’t reread this for at least 20 years and remembered loving it – it really resonated with me then. Now? Not so much. Once Upon a Piece of Paper: A Visual Guide to Collage Making by Andrea D’Aquino. Not much text at all, so it’s a fast read, and I got some great inspiration from it. But I can’t say that it was worth the price of purchase – maybe if I used every scrap of paper in the “paper to collage” pad that came with the book, but my track record on such things isn’t good. My Monster Notebook by John Harris. Pretty good kids’ book about mythological monsters. (I have this to cut apart for collage and inadvertently read it.)
*staring into opposite distances* -Chaos & Mayhem
Small cat in the big cat bed, big cat in the small cat bed…
Reading Update Contents May Have Shifted: A Novel by Pam Houston. Very good story about a middle-aged creative writing instructor and outdoorswoman leading her life. The story unfolds in a series of vignettes – I thought that would annoy me, but it actually worked really well. Make sure you have a copy with the reading group guide in the back, so you can read “The Author on Her Work” after reading the book – it satisfyingly answered my questions about the story. 🙂
Reading Update Creative Correspondence by Michael & Judy Jacobs. Good intro to making a variety of fun mail art. Includes directions for making paste paper – without having to cook paste.
Reading Update Collage Lab: 52 Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects by Bee Shay. Pretty much what it says on the tin! I liked the examples of the various experiments – I’ll definitely refer back to this one when I want to do a photo transfer using gel medium, for example. What I didn’t like was the tacit art knowledge that seemed to be required throughout the book. Reread: OMG, why not put the instructions in the same place for every lab?!
I call this one “Drowsing Chaotic Cat with Ears of Annoyance”.
Tales of Suspense: Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier by Rosenberg, Foreman, & Rosenberg. Dammit, Tumblr, I don’t even go here! D’oh. Yeah, I saw some snippets of this on Tumblr and was intrigued by the dynamic between Hawkeye and Bucky. Considering 99% of what I know about the Avengers is from Tumblr, it was pretty good. 😀
Journal Spilling: Mixed-Media Techniques for Free Expression
Wildly into the Dark: Typewriter Poems and the Rattlings of a Curious Mind
The Repurposed Library: 33 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life
Collage Art: A Step-by-Step Guide and Showcase
the princess saves herself in this one
The Art and Craft of Collage
Dreaming from the Journal Page: Transforming the Sketchbook to Art 
Cowboys Are My Weakness
Once Upon a Piece of Paper: A Visual Guide to Collage Making
My Monster Notebook
Contents May Have Shifted: A Novel
Creative Correspondence
The Art of Expressive Collage: Techniques for Creating with Paper and Glue
Collage Lab: 52 Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects
Painting Your Way Out of Corner: The Art of Getting Unstuck