by Elizabeth Van Allen for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com
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left: Rough Draft/Sketch right: Finished Project
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My name is Liz and I am a Book Art geek.
Not a nerd, there's a difference (see Venn diagram). The book art bug bit me in college when I took my first printmaking course. I had no idea what to expect, but by the second class I was hooked.
How did I know that I was totally geeking out and not just enjoying it casually? By Senior year my medium of choice was lithography (stone, not plate). For the 99.9% of you out there who haven't a clue what the last few sentences actually meant and are curious, you can follow this link. Otherwise just take my word for it, stone lithography is not for the casual dabbler.
Not a nerd, there's a difference (see Venn diagram). The book art bug bit me in college when I took my first printmaking course. I had no idea what to expect, but by the second class I was hooked.
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| Nerd v Geek clarification via Venn diagram from http://english.stackexchange.com/ questions/91892/nerd-vs-geek-vs-dork |
How did I know that I was totally geeking out and not just enjoying it casually? By Senior year my medium of choice was lithography (stone, not plate). For the 99.9% of you out there who haven't a clue what the last few sentences actually meant and are curious, you can follow this link. Otherwise just take my word for it, stone lithography is not for the casual dabbler.
So... what is this 'Book Art' thing? According to Alisa Golden, "Book Art is artwork inspired by qualities or concerns of a book such as, but not limited to: sequence, opening, text/image, flow, rhythm, shape or form, movement, interactivity, memory, layering, breathing, revealing/concealing, relationship of materials and structure to content." To simplify that very eloquent and spot-on definition, Wikipedia condenses it to "works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects." To get a clearer view of the true breadth of what Book Art is and can be, I recommend doing a quick image search on "Book Art" or "Book Arts". What comes up is a broad array of different book forms, illustrating the wide variety of expressive means that book arts have to offer.
To go from geeking out about printmaking to geeking out about book arts is a pretty natural progression. They have a lot in common, and one is often used either with or as a catalyst for the other. There is something magical about holding a piece of art that you made in your hands and being able to experience it with multiple senses at one time. This is one of the reasons that I try to provide all of my students an experience with some type of book arts. (Get it- some TYPE of BOOK arts? Never mind.) I like to spread the book arts love, so please folks: try this one at home!
Tunnel Books:
Transforming Flat into Fabulous!
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| I use this mass produced tunnel book to show my students just how far you can push our project. (bought from amazon) |
INTRODUCTION
Click to access: PowerPoint
When starting art projects with my students, I normally pair background information on the technique or artist that I'm showcasing with some type of written and/or drawn planning. This tunnel book lesson starts out with examples of professional and student-made tunnel books, then a powerpoint that includes vocabulary and relevant artwork.
PLANNING THE BOOK
Click to access: Planning Sheet
Now that we know a little more about the project, we start our planning phase. First, come up with an idea or theme. It could be as simple using just shapes and colors, as focused as making a layered reproduction of a favorite painting, an easy straightforward landscape, or very focused on the student's interests (school subject, Mario Kart, food, fashion... you get the idea). Next, sketch it out. Don't get too detailed or spend a lot of time on this step, just get those ideas on paper. After that, separate the drawing into layers by outlining with pre-determined colors. Color coding on the rough draft helps students to identify what part of their drawing they should show in which layer. Without this step they tend to get a little confused when they get farther into the project.
BOOK CONSTRUCTION
Materials:
Pencils
Coloring materials
Glue or glue sticks
Scissors
Rulers
Something to store the project in- I used brown paper lunch sacks.
Collage materials (optional)
5x7 or larger card stock or blank notecards: At least 5 per student, the same size will be used for all parts of the book.
Helpful Hint: To make an object appear to be suspended in the middle of the book, include a strip of background-colored paper that extends from that object on both sides all the way to the edges of the paper. When the book is assembled it will blend in, making the object appear to float in the middle. (see the stingray/skate in the middle ground illustration below)
3. Foreground & Frame
Draw a rectangle no less than 1 inch in from the edge of the paper to make a frame. Remove the inner rectangle after all drawing / decorating is complete.
Shortcut: Place a ruler on your paper so that one long side lines up with the paper's edge. Holding it in place, trace the parallel long edge of the ruler. Repeat on the remaining 3 edges of your paper to create a perfectly even, rectangular border or frame.
Click to access: PowerPoint
When starting art projects with my students, I normally pair background information on the technique or artist that I'm showcasing with some type of written and/or drawn planning. This tunnel book lesson starts out with examples of professional and student-made tunnel books, then a powerpoint that includes vocabulary and relevant artwork.
PLANNING THE BOOK
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| above: a color-coded rough draft Students plan what goes where in their book both visually and in written form. |
Now that we know a little more about the project, we start our planning phase. First, come up with an idea or theme. It could be as simple using just shapes and colors, as focused as making a layered reproduction of a favorite painting, an easy straightforward landscape, or very focused on the student's interests (school subject, Mario Kart, food, fashion... you get the idea). Next, sketch it out. Don't get too detailed or spend a lot of time on this step, just get those ideas on paper. After that, separate the drawing into layers by outlining with pre-determined colors. Color coding on the rough draft helps students to identify what part of their drawing they should show in which layer. Without this step they tend to get a little confused when they get farther into the project.
BOOK CONSTRUCTIONMaterials:
Steps
1. Background
The background includes everything not outlined in a warm or cool color on the rough draft. Keep it simple, very little of the background will be seen in the finished tunnel book.
OPTION: Step 4 (accordion side bindings) can be done immediately after step 1, with step 5 (book assembly) happening as each layer is completed.
OPTION: Step 4 (accordion side bindings) can be done immediately after step 1, with step 5 (book assembly) happening as each layer is completed.
2. Middle Ground
Only include in the middle ground what was outlined in a cool color on the rough draft. This part can be made of multiple layers. Do not color in the whole paper, as much of it will be cut off and thrown away. Unless you are assembling your book as the layers are finished, do not cut out your middle ground layers until you are at step 5.
Helpful Hint: To make an object appear to be suspended in the middle of the book, include a strip of background-colored paper that extends from that object on both sides all the way to the edges of the paper. When the book is assembled it will blend in, making the object appear to float in the middle. (see the stingray/skate in the middle ground illustration below)
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left: The Background right: The Middle Ground
does not include much detail. can include multiple layers.
(anything from the rough draft (outlined in a cool color on
that was not outlined) the rough draft)
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| Using overall color(s) on what will become the inside of the accordion bindings really ties the book together! |
Side Bindings
See the "Tunnel Book: Accordion Folded Sides" instruction sheet below. Consider lightly applying a color to the future inside of the book (see picture at right).
5. Assemble the Book
See the "Putting It All Together" instruction sheet below.
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left: The Foreground (& frame) right: Fully Assembled Book
usually includes all 4 sides. with a top view drawn just below.
(Red outline in the rough draft) |
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| above: Another set of slightly altered instructions from artbookscreativity.org that illustrates how to assemble a tunnel book. |
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| above: Slightly altered instructions for making identical, accordion- folded sides. You can find the original on art, books and creativity, a site from the national museum of women in the arts that focuses on arts learning in the classroom. |
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| This is a real student project. I recreated each step as they appeared before the book was assembled to help my budding artists visually understand the process. The student examples that I show are not the most beautiful or advanced ones, they are the ones that were left behind. This was an average outcome for this project- having positive expectations keeps my students productive. What type of art grabs your attention and imagination? |
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