BOOK + ART by Dorothy Simpson Krause: A Glimpse Inside

Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books by Dorothy Simpson Krause is a fantastic introduction to book art, a blend of design, function, and communication that offers artists a unique way to express themselves. Learn how to make books by hand, discover the best tools and materials, and get ideas for compelling content. No matter what your skill level, you’ll find inspiration for making an array of fascinating books, boxes, and more.

Contents

Format for Artistic Expression
Tools and Materials
Surfaces, Images and Words
Blank Books and Altered Books
Single-Fold, Bi-Fold and Books Folded From One Sheet
Accordion Books and Scrolls
Perfect Bindings, Drumleaf Bindings and Board Books
Side-Sewn, Single−Signature and Multiple-Signature Books
Covers, Boxes and Unbound Collections
Glossary
Resources
Index
About the Author

Also Included

  • Recipes
  • Helpful Hints
  • Creative Explorations (expanding on an original idea)
  • Multiple images and diagrams on each page
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Resources
  • Recommended Books
Book plus Art
Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books by Dorothy Simpson Krause

An Excerpt: “What Is an Artist Book?”

We generally think of books as those things that sit on bookshelves with pages, covers, words and images. But books may vary considerably from that description. A book can be loosely defined as an original work of art that provides links and meeting points between art disciplines in a book-like format. Although a book can be enormous or tiny and made from almost any material imaginable, most are made to be held, opened and closed, and, perhaps, viewed in a sequential manner. Most are intimate, requiring a degree of attention and contemplation to experience the condensed emotion or observation they contain.

What makes a book interesting is the relationship between the content and form, and how it functions to entice and engage. Although I began my involvement with making books by purchasing plain blank books that could be personalized, I now prefer to make my own. It allows me to choose the size, paper (or other surface), binding style and cover material that will work together to enhance the concepts presented by the images and words— concepts chosen from subject matter ranging from the personal to the political, the sacred to the mundane.

Book plus Art
Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books by Dorothy Simpson Krause

In Book + Art, we’ll be referring to the individual parts of a book—covers, endpapers, book block and so on. We’ll look at the basics—surfaces, images and words. Then we’ll look at altering pre-made books and a variety of ways to make simple and elegant book structures to house your images and words.

Because this book is, of necessity and by design, limited in scope, you may want to explore particular threads in depth. One of the best sources of information on educational opportunities, professional organizations, tutorials, reference materials and galleries is The Book Arts Web www.philobiblon.com. Maintained since 1994 by Peter Verheyen, it is also the home of Book_Arts-L, an active electronic meeting place, and The Bonefolder, an e-journal for the bookbinder and artist. Look in the Resources section at the back of this book for other suggestions.

Dorothy Simpson Krause is a painter, collage artist and printmaker who incorporates digital mixed media into her art. Her work is exhibited regularly in galleries and museums and featured in numerous current periodicals and books.

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