Customer Reviews

Creative Illustration Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists: Seeing, Sketching, Storytelling, and Using Found Materials

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a fellow artist what I found so interesting about Katherine Dunn's book is how she describes her own artistic process. This is different for individual artists, of course, and Katherine is able to describe her own process of looking with care, diving in and allowing a piece of art to emerge as her ideas change in the making. She also offers interesting techniques in Photoshop for layering in found objects and images from previous works to add content and texture to a new work. I love her ideas for creative block--trying another kind of creative project to free up the mind and she gives a wonderful example using puppet-making. The book is lavishingly illustrated throughout with full-color examples of Katherine's evocative, narrative paintings. For many of these paintings, Katherine shows step-by-step how she created them which will surely inspire artists and illustrators seeking to experiment with these techniques in their own work. It is also a wonderful compendium of Katherine's work!

This is a delightful book from start to finish. The art work is fresh and invigorating. As someone who loves to write, but who has never experimented with drawing, this book is absolutely inspiring. I love the way she helps you overcome potential road blocks, with freeing exercises and ideas to help you find your own inner stories and express them creatively. It is beautifully illustrated with page after page of colorful, and thought provoking art work. I would recommend this book to anyone. Especially to those who are looking for a way to help ignite a bit of creative fire.

I'm a longtime fan of Katherine Dunn's work, and this book is a delightful glimpse into the heart, mind and spirit of a gifted artist. The gorgeous reproductions of her paintings, illustrations and collages are accompanied by insights into the creative process, and exercises to inspire creations of your own. Although I'm not an artist, Katherine's wonderful book is making me more aware of the beauty all around me.

I recently bought 6 (mostly art) books for a little post-holiday, pick-me-up treat. Out of the six, this is was the wild card. I don't have much of a history with mixed media, and while I liked what I was able to see of the contents of the book, the cover just didn't speak to me. It was to my great surprise--and delight--that of those 6 books, this one is, by far, my favorite.

I find the paintings themselves to be almost magical. There's a depth to Dunn's work that captures one's attention and holds it. The application of pastel drawing set against deeply-colored acrylic backgrounds conveys a sense of mystery. At the same time, there is a joyful exuberance in many of the pieces, which often combine human and animal subjects in a whimsical rapport, as in her piece, "New Year's Couple," which features a woman in a red cocktail dress raising her glass in a mutual toast with a very dapper-looking donkey.

I would have been happy enough with just a book of Dunn's artwork; the fact that this is a how-to book in which Dunn explicates her process is beyond fantastic. Other how-to books often focus on a step-by-step approach that can be helpful but is usually limited. What Dunn does here is completely different in that she walks the reader through her thought process as a piece progresses from one stage to another. We see a piece evolve from a few scribbled words and shapes she first makes as a note to herself on through to a completed composition. Along the way, Dunn shares plenty of techniques she has honed through the years, like boldly painting a deep background (which may very well be painted over) as a kind of "warm up" exercise to sidestep the intimidation that often accompanies a blank canvas. She discusses materials, and encourages one to be adventurous (even if it means it's not archival!--advice that is almost heretical in today's art how-to culture.)

I did read other reviews, and personally, I just don't understand how a reader could not be inspired by Dunn's discussion of illustration as a means of storytelling. I was very moved by Dunn's example of working through her feelings about her father's aging via painting. The book is full of examples that are at once specific (so you get to see how she did it) and yet have universal application (i.e. how take a memory, an object, a symbol, a story, or a dream and make it into a painting.) I think this is much more important--and much more difficult to convey--than simple step-by-step instructions on how to render a particular thing or texture.

I did find it interesting that several reviewers who were disappointed in the book mentioned that the contents didn't match the cover, and I do agree with them on that score. The cover has a kind of cut-out collage border that is very popular with some folks but really isn't much in evidence elsewhere in the book. The cover also has a light background and relatively spare composition compared to Dunn's usual deeply colored backgrounds and populated compositions. While readability of the title is of primary importance for a cover, the cover of an art/art how-to book really should reflect the aesthetic of the artist in order to both avoid the disappointment of some readers and to ensure that those who would be interested in the book are suitably attracted. For my part, I can say I'm glad I didn't judge this book by its cover. Had I done so, I would have missed the biggest reading--and learning--pleasure I've had this season.

Beautiful, whimsical, heartfelt, poetic, gritty and inspiring are all good words to describe Creative Illustration Workshop. I have been a long time reader of Katherine's blog and an admirer of her artwork. I got the book for a look into her creative process and have been inspired to do some creative storytelling of my own. The quality of the book, printing, and content are first rate. Highly recommended!

Whether you're already a fan of Katherine Dunn's work or you're new to her world, this book will be a delight.

It is rich in both good writing and beautiful visual art. As with her blog, entering Katherine Dunn's world makes you slow down, open your heart a bit wider, and reflect on the joys and sadness of life. (As you may gather, this book is really something special.)

And Creative Illustration Workshop offers a lot of great tips on techniques and ideas for experimentation in the creation of art. I would recommend this book to both seasoned artists and those just beginning to explore. The author/artist gives us insight into her own creative process and creates a starting place for exploring your own unique process, as well.

Highly recommended!

What a wonderful picture of the creative process. I do feel like I've been to a workshop with the author when I pick up this book and go through the steps of her creative process with her. Her direction isn't exactly direction so much as it is invitation to try different ways of creating illustrations. The book is relaxed and I learned just as much from simply looking at example after example of her work as I did from reading what she'd written (she's a great writer, by the way!). There's some practical stuff in there too, for the uninitiated. For example, being more of a textile artist, I didn't realize I could use acrylic gloss medium/varnish as a glue for collage. She encourages her readers to just try stuff out. isn't that one of the foundations of original art, anyway? It's all about permission to play.

Oh My....Katherine Dunn has a little piece of my heart as an artist and lover of all things farm, but even if you have never heard of her or her art, if you love art, animals, pastoral living and or the creative process, this is the book for you. The photography of her colorful and almost childlike paintings is enough to make your coffee table scream for this book! But do not think this is just a book for display....oh no. Katherine's book encourages each of us to actually "live" in the world around us, take notice and then take a stab and making mixed media our artistic expression of what we see....and she tells us how to do that. Whether you are an experienced artist or, like myself, just a "wannabe", we are shown step by step how to use the talents we have already to express ourselves through collage, painting, paper and paint. I highly recommend this beautiful book to adults and children alike....you will be just as smitten as me.

The only reason I didn't give this five stars was because it was recommended to me after loving the Drawing Lab by Carla Sonheim as part of the "Lab Series". I was expecting the same kind of layout - a series of "exercises" in different techniques, in this case, in mixed media. While it does have samples of techniques and gives you suggestions of materials, it doesn't have the same short exercise feel like I was hoping.

However, what it does do is give basic instruction to anyone interesting in trying their hand at mixed media art. It is creative, informative and inspiring.

Story telling is important for my work. Opening this book I entered into

Katherine Dunn's story land. Her use of materials, layering and drawing

inspired me to loosen up. After reading it I put on a new attitude while drawing

roughs and prepped about 20 boards to begin again after a long blank time not

painting. If your work is stuck please read this book.