Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera [Paperback]

Nick Bantock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 2004

His internationally best-selling Griffin & Sabine saga is treasured for its blend of lyrical storyline and compelling, imaginative art. Now Nick Bantock gives a short course in visual creativity in Urgent 2nd Class. A tour through the techniques and materials which constitute his signature style, Bantock shares with readers numerous ways ways of using old paper ephemera -- maps, letters, postcards, ledgers, scraps, photos, and many more items -- to create their own idiosyncratic art. Written for people of all artistic skill levels, the materials mentioned are all easily found and inexpensive, and the processes are simple enough to do at home (and with access to the most advanced machinery used in the book, a photocopier). An inspirational guide to the simple artistic techniques which can alchemically transform ephemera into remarkable works, Urgent 2nd Class is the handbook for a new generation of visual poets.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Collage of paper ephemera—photographs, postcards, ads, newspapers, stamps, money, packaging materials, invoices, books and sheet music—is an artistic technique at least as old as modernism, with Picasso and Braque incorporating various scraps of Parisian paper into their early cubist works. Bantock, whose six Griffin & Sabine books imagine an epistolary love and include the "actual" letters and cards it is conducted through, offers a plethora of techniques for bringing past and present together by collecting aging paper, and transforming its original communicative use or transactional value through one's own choices in juxtaposition, placement and additive drawing. He offers beautiful, full-color examples of his own work in short chapters devoted to the various pulp forms above, with five or six paragraphs explaining what he likes or how he uses each (on family photos: "I'm not overly interested in battling internally with where sentimentality ends and nostalgia begins—so I steer clear all together"), followed by examples of works he's done with short captions. The printing and layout are as lush as Griffin & Sabine fans would expect, and Bantock offers a judicious mix of his own practice and advice for one's own.
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About the Author

Nick Bantock is the author of numerous illustrated novels, including Griffin & Sabine , Sabine's Notebook , The Golden Mean , The Gryphon , and Alexandria , which together spent 100 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. Born in England, he now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081184305X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811843058
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Mixed Media

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a "how to" but "you'll want to" book., December 28, 2004

By 

Terry L. Tyson (San Clemente, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera (Paperback)

Bantock's engaging and often enigmatic collaged images speak to several portions of the mind and imagination all at once. In creating his imaginary landscapes, correspondence and characters, the reader (or viewer in many cases), is brought along for guided tours of places that exist nowhere but in his mind's eye.

In "Urgent - 2nd Class" we are given the opportunity to hear him describe the processes utilized during the creation of these journeys. Admittedly, I initially anticipated a step-by-step description of those processes, but after reading it a second time, realized that to do so would have been, well...just silly. Bantock describes in very general terms of "how he does it" but does not insult the reader by telling them each movement to make when attempting to create Bantock-esque works of art.

Instead, he tells you the basic approach he uses and lets the reader/artist to take the information from there. You know, I appreciate his confidence and gentle guidance. For instance, when telling the reader about using rubber stamps in their work, he sagely advises to just DO IT! Give it a try, try different inks, try different image placements and then make it your own.

I do recommend this book for those who want to listen in on Bantock's advice...but don't expect him to show you detailed explanations of what to do...instead, listen to him guide you along and inspire you so that you'll want to do it.

Plus, this book is a nice, tasty little treat just to look at, if nothing else.

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent, February 21, 2005

By 

merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera (Paperback)

Really neat ideas. The images in here are superb and I love how the book is arranged by materials - e.g. old documents, foreign currency, postage stamps, old envelopes, etc. The images show how you can take these found items and then stamp over them or collage with them to create stories in images. The text is really good too - well written and interesting ideas throughout that talks to where to find the materials, things to look for, tips and techniques for assembling collages. Its simply wonderful - it really is like a class in a book but it feels like you're just chatting with an artsy friend sharing ideas. Just to manage expectations....there are no projects with step by step instructions in here. I had expected projects when I ordered the book and was a little surprised when I received it but after I started reading it I absolutely loved it and decided I really like the format and style.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eyecatching Graphics, August 19, 2004

By 

ArtGirl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera (Paperback)

As in all of Bantock's books, the graphics are outstanding. Text describing techniques, however, is very sparse. If you're looking for instruction on technique, this is not the book to pick up. If you're looking for inspiration and colorful artwork using ephemera, this is a good one-hour read.