Customer Reviews

Journal Revolution: Rise Up & Create! Art Journals, Personal Manifestos and Other Artistic Insurrections

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lets start by recognizing that these girls really know their stuff. To imagine that Journal Revolution is a "how-to" or a "scrapbook idea book" is wrong; everyone should "get" that this, like Visual Chronicles, is a free-yourself-of-inner-angst/give-yourself-permission-to-express-the-inner-artist kind of book and then some! The excellent use of examples, the colors utilized in the presentation, the projects themselves: mind-expanding!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is an artist, who wants to be an artist, who thinks they cannot possibly be an artist: you don't even have to want to be an artist to get the gist of this baby! So go for it; invest the less-than-$20. and jump-start your creativity. This is the one to go for.

WOW.
It's hard to describe in words the "WOW" feeling you get as you pour over the opening pages of this book. The writing is easy to read, with detailed instructions (but no hard and fast rules to memorize and follow) and written in a lyrical, poetic manner that makes you open your eyes to the beauty in the smallest every day things, and, more importantly, the beauty in your own unique way of looking at the universe. It is full of practical tips for HOW to journal, a wide range of ideas for materials to use and gives you lots of mental jumping-off points to move your process along. If you ever have looked in wonder at the artistic journals of creative people and wondered if you might have the tiniest bit of ability to make something beautiful yourself, READ THIS BOOK!!! It will give you the freedom and courage to pick up a crumpled piece of paper, the nearest writing implement, a glue stick and JUST START. It isn't pretentious. You won't need any art experience at all to follow it's instructions but even WITH an artistic background, you will find something new and inspirational to get your butt in gear! Art isn't always 'pretty'. And freeing you from the need to make something perfect is just ONE of the gifts this book's authors has in store for you! Just get messy, have fun, and write down your own personal truths.

From the cover of this book, I expected a 'revolution' in colors and style, and I hoped to see journaled art with different subjects or styles than in all the other books. Wow! Journal Revolution delivers. The authors are so funny, so the writing and the art made me laugh out loud. The writing and art also made me explore my self, my city, and my life, and see how to create scrapbook and journal pages that are totally me, not "me," done as some other artist would do it. The book helps you create in your style, using your fonts and your colors and your own words instead of quotes from a book of quotes. Very freeing, very inspiring!

Karen and Linda have done it again! Journal Revolution is the perfect follow up to Visual Chronicles! This book is just as funny, and also shows many types of journaling and art, yet the style is new and exciting. The book is empowering and inspiring with out being overbearing. These sisters have the ability to relate to their readers as if they were sitting right there next to them, talking as friends would. You feel like Linda and Karen (and even Rosie!) are right there with you spilling paint and cutting out words. The art and writing are intimate and personal, and we get to see inside the minds and lives of these authors in a much deeper way than before. The fonts project and fauxlaroid project alone are worth the price of the book. You'll also never look at a calendar the same way again. Journal Revolution is different than any book out there.

Another fabulously written book by Linda and Karen,
The pages are exciting and the artwork is messmerizing. I have laughed over and over. Well written, full of fun. The pages really jump out at you. Linda and Karen can walk anyone down the path to ART. Their simple plans and layouts work for the beginner to novice. I always learn new great stuff and Linda has built uo mu confidence in mixed media. Thanks SISTAS for another fabUlous Art book.

Sherrie Byrd Lewis
Willow Moon Market

I recently purchased this title and was really pleased with this book. It is a refreshing alternative to have some insight that is edgier, angrier, and more modern than some of the other popular titles out there on journaling right now, it truly is a ''Journal Revolution and I would recommend it highly to anyone who is interested in creating a visual journal that is more visceral, and not just pretty/cutesy. Also! I loved the fact that there wasn't one pointy hatted or winged figure in the whole book, rock on Linda and Karen!!!

Journal Revolution is powerful all the way from the dedication page to the grand finale by Rosie. This book really is so much more than a how-to book. The art projects that come with steps are easy to follow and easy to do. You don't need any special tools, which the authors tell you right off. One of the many wonderful things about Journal Revolution is that there is no sales pitch at all. These authors are sharing their lives and techniques with honesty and bravery and that is what is so essential, not buying some paper kit. Woven in between the projects and bold colorful journal pages are suggestions, tips, and stories full of humor that we have all come to expect from this duo. The humor and lightheartedness we loved in Visual Chronicles is still present in Journal Revolution and it is made stronger with journal page examples and projects that help you dive deeper into your own life. Some of the most amazing art pages in this book are about heartbreak, being abandoned, and dealing with weight issues. Even with these emotional topics, the authors never come off as whiny or with a woe-is-me attitude. The emotional pages are perfectly balanced with the funnier pages (there are many). The author's GO FOR IT attitude shines through this book and you come away from it feeling like everything in your life is OK. The book is called Journal Revolution but it should be called LIFE REVOLUTION. It is that good.

I love that many of the journal pages in this book are made with found things like cardboard, paper plates, shopping bags, and even bras. Again, no special tools or supplies needed.
The fauxlaroids and the fauxto booth strips are definite must tries and the CD cover project is next on my list. There are so many inspiring things about this book that it is hard to pick which projects to try first. The art by Linda is spectacular and worthy of tearing out of the book and framing. The art meshes perfectly with the design of the book.
Everyone on my Christmas list will be receiving this book.

The hilarious dynamic duo of Woods and Dinino have done it again, this time fanning the flames of an all out art revolution!

Witty, raw and real, the "seesters" take you by the hand, share their heavily iced cupcakes with you and prove to you that not just anyone, but EVERYONE can create art. No need for fancy training. No need for special tools or products. No need for rules or restrictions...these "Che Guevaritas" of the art world prove to you that just getting it out and down is what REALLY GOOD art journalling is all about. They coax the reader out of their harsh self-judgements and lure them with scandalous tips and techniques, as well as encouraging the shameless use of usually frowned contraband products and make art FUN AGAIN!

So inspiring are the "seesers" that half-way through this book I busted out an art journal which had gone stagnant and unloved for far to long and was soon creating recklessly and shamelessly! What a refreshing inspiration!

I have to preface this review by saying that I was an architect by trade and education, though the economy saw to THAT career choice, and as such, I spent many, many years leaning toward perfection. That is to say, every drawing, every bit of lettering, every line had to be as close to perfect as possible.

In the early 90s, everyone switched from hand drawing, hand rendering, hand lettering, to compterized. While we all mastered autocad, photoshop, illustrator and such programs, we never noticed we were losing our ability to be free and sloppy and random.

So, several years later, I'm now a nurse, but that's beside the point, I am finding myself drawn to the "human" stuff in art work. The uneasy, uneven scrawled lettering, the crooked lines, there's beauty there. Just as now I see the human side of things far more (being at the bedside, perhaps, rather than being sequestered behind a drafting table or computer) I have learned to like this hand-made look.

This book reminded me of the sort of stuff kids can so easily do, that we adults have long forgotten--how to have FUN with the media. Whether you're cutting paper and gluing it on the page, or applying paint with a big brush or a sponge, or coloring with crayons, this book reminds you to above all, have fun, experiment and let loose.

My striving for perfection was a dragon to be slayed. My pages were so neat, my brushwork so caligraphy-like, my papers trimmed so perfectly--I was all pent up and unable to begin or to finish or to even SEE what I wanted to do.

My art journal is very different than my travel sketch book, or my professional portfolio, my digital renderings or drafting work. My art journal is full of exploration and experiments and as a result, it's very interesting. It's also been very theraputic in knowing what I really think about things, and what I want to do.

I have Linda and her sister to thank for loosening me up.
I'm looking forward to many more of their books.

This book gave me new ideas within the first five minutes of flipping through its art-filled pages! Rosie O'Donnell is right about these two sisters -- they can turn anyone into an artist and any thing into a journal page.