Collage for the Soul: Expressing Hopes and Dreams Through Art [Illustrated] (Paperback)

~ Holly Harrison (Author), Paula Grasdal (Author) "1. Using PVA, cover the inside of an old book with the wrinkled paper..." (more)
Key Phrases: basic collage supplies, creating visual memoirs, using acrylic medium, Paula Grasdal, Gallery of Inspiration, Chronicling Relationships (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For many people, art is at once a form of self-expression and discovery. Perhaps that’s why collage, which is based on the idea of spontaneously layering images and symbols, is a favorite medium for crafters of all kinds.

This book approaches the topic by theme: 5 chapters present 20 projects that deal with expressing personal creativity, exploring and recording relationships, dreaming and wishing, finding inspiration in nature, and creating visual memoirs.

The instructions tell how to create a personalized project, sharing necessary techniques while suggesting ideas for substituting personal themes and materials. The directions are a starting point to encourage the reader’s own artistic journey, guiding the reader to contemplate, explore, and express thoughts and feelings through the medium of collage.

An inspirational gallery concludes the book, with another 26 projects by leading artists in the field. Whether a person’s passion is stamping, decoupage, painting or paper art, this book shows how various collage techniques can combine to help any crafter or artist improve their craft and enrich their soul.

Holly Harrison is a freelance writer and editor. Her first craft book, Angel Crafts: Graceful Gifts, Inspired Designs, was published by Rockport in April 2002. She has also contributed to numerous magazines, including Metropolitan Home. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

Paula Grasdal is a printmaker and mixed-media artist living in the Seattle area. She has contributed to several other Rockport books, including Angel Crafts: Graceful Gifts, Inspired Designs, The Crafter's Project Book, and Making Shadow Boxes and Shrines. Her work has been exhibited in galleries in the U.S. and Canada.

About the Author

Holly Harrison is a freelance writer and editor who has contributed to such magazines as Metropolitan Home, George, Entertainment Weekly, and Wome's Sports and Fitness. A longtime crafter, she makes collages on boxes, mirrors, and light-switch covers using images from romance comics, old postcards, and pulp-fiction book covers. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books; illustrated edition edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564969622
• ISBN-13: 978-1564969620
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #234,773 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Get another book, June 24, 2003

By	M. Lessirard "http://www.newmoonjournal.com" (Treasure Coast FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was really excited to get this book and explore the world of collage. I am a mixed media artist so I am familiar with materials. The pictures are gorgeous, but I found the instructions vague and lacking in detail. There is the collage picture and opposite is the materials list with bulleted instructions. One page per picture. One page for instructions (this is the area that needed more detail) And that is it.

Look at the house shaped box collage called "Crossings". The material list is there but the written instructions don't match the list. I expect to learn in the instructions how the 3 3/4" x 48" birch plywood is cut and used. Forget that. . .there is only vague information about how the box comes together. The pictures are inspiring and showcases great collage artwork. I celebrate that but hey the meat is in the instructions and sharing the techniques with others. If you are looking to learn about collage get another book.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb! A "must" for collage artists, March 4, 2003

By	Kelly Kilmer "artist and instructor" (West Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a mixed media book artist and instructor and this book is just simply SUPERB, definetly one I would recommend to fellow artists and to my students. It is one of the best 'collections' of mixed media collage art out there. The instructions are excellent and easy to follow. I love the 'gallery' section of the book though some (a very small handful) have been seen in the magazine "Somerset Studio" and on various online websites before. It is a wonderful collection of artwork that will inspire you to sit down and just 'make something'.
If you're a beginner I would recommend Nita Leland titles for beginning (and advanced) collage students. Collage for the Soul is eye candy for artists! I'm looking forward to more books like this one.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful resource, January 23, 2005

By	sarahbellum (MA, United States) - See all my reviews

This is a terrific book for anyone interested in collage as an art as opposed to a craft. There is a wide range of work displayed, covering a number of different styles. Interspersed with the projects in the book are several discussions of such techniques and processes as using encaustics, finding symbols, using different means of transforming papers, transferring images, using collage as a medium for your memoirs, etc. There are also useful and inspiring sidebars throughout that help the artist come up with ideas and techniques they may never have thought of before.

AN earlier reviewer objects to the fact that the directions for the projects are not extremely precise. I consider that one of the great strengths of the book--I am not interested in recreating the exact piece of art displayed, I want to learn new methods to interpret my own ideas. There are some books and magazines out there that tell you exactly what brand name products to use in exactly which colors. Those books are intended for a different audience. This book is meant for those who are not afraid to experiment and learn. It encourages the reader to try new processes and new approaches, rather than handing out exact formulas.

Here are just some of the techniques covered in various projects: assemblage, encaustic, monotype, oil pastels, tissue-paper lamination, using foraged natural materials, making a collaged art doll, paper-pulp casting, transferring photos to different surfaces, sanding back to reveal underlayers... There is a tremendous amount to be learned from this book. It is not quite as showy as True Colors, but it serves a different purpose. True Colors, as delightful as it is, is primarily eye candy, and is limited to altered books. Collage For The SOul covers a much wider spectrum of collage work, and provides much more information on techniques for the artist.

I recommend this book and Gerald Brommer's collage book as THE two to own, if you can only have two. I can hardly wait for the next collage book by the same team, which is due out soon.