Artists' Journals and Sketchbooks: Exploring and Creating Personal Pages (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Where to begin? Art journals are something that we create for ourselves alone-not merely a self-indulgent activity, but something worthwhile, important, and vastly creative and..." (more)
Key Phrases: mat medium, collage elements, mount frame, Michelle Ward, Judi Riesch, Slide-Mount Artwork (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Creative souls want and need a special place for recording and decoding their interior world a place to download all their creative ideas, a place to remember the events of the day, or a place to doodle, to draw, and to dream. This book is an engaging and intimate glimpse into the personal pages of a wide variety of select artists and journal keepers whose works not only provide visual delight and inspiration but evidence the intensity and devotion that such personal journals invite.

About the Author

Lynne Perrella is a mixed-media artist, author, graphic designer, and illustrator. Her interests include collage, assemblage, one-of-a-kind books, and art journals. Her work has been published in numerous books and magazine articles, including Collage for the Soul: Expressing Hopes and Dreams Through Art (Rockport Publishers, 2003). She is on the editorial advisory boards of Somerset Studio and Legacy magazines. She conducts creativity workshops at various venues and exhibits collage in galleries throughout the Berkshire Mountains. Lynne owns and operates Acey Deucy Rubber Stamps. Her catalog of designs features her original illustrations and collage compositions, which are available as quality rubber stamps. She lives with her husband, John, in Columbia County, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592530192
• ISBN-13: 978-1592530199
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 3.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,689 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

120 of 121 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Balance!, April 7, 2004

By	Karen E. Cote "system solutions architect / f... (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As an avid admirer of Lynne's work, I purchased this book expecting to see more examples of her journals, and I would have been very satisfied if that was all I'd found. But the book goes way beyond displays of wonderful journal pages. It's stuffed full of ideas and examples - not just one, but sometimes 20 or 30 different 'takes' on a technique, with a brief description of how to approach each one.

The title says it all - Exploring (the examples are fabulous, varied and stimulating) and Creating (there's just enough information to tell you what to do without drowning you in tedious 'how-to'). If you love exploring a new technique, but need only a nudge instead of endless step-by-step instructions, this is a book that you MUST have on your shelf. If you're stuck, and looking for some inspiration, flip to any page and you'll be struck with more ideas than you can implement at one time. If you just want to explore the world of art journalling, this is a great book to snuggle up with and enjoy.

I'm thrilled to add this book to my collection, and it's one I'll refer to again and again - not just for the eye candy, but for the solid examples and techniques as well. Lynne has really outdone herself, and has achieved a perfect balance of inspiration and instruction!

120 of 122 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yes, you do need this book, April 20, 2004

By	M. J. Walters "dargelos" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I don't care how many books you have on altered books, artists' journals, etc., this is a book you'll come back to over and over again. It presents material in an orderly fashion, though never in a predictable one. Not only is each technique or idea explained, but there are examples of each. The only people who might not benefit from this book are the ones who need a literal cookbook of instructions: "Take item A, place three inches from top of item B, on the left." Highly recommended both as inspiration and an easy-to-use reference work.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who says money can't buy happiness?, April 13, 2004

By A Customer

Money can definitely buy happiness. I used some to buy this book, and am I ever happy that I did. I've been carrying it around with me for a week and I haven't finished reading it all yet. There's so much to see, and such interesting artists to meet within its covers. It would have been great if Lynne Perella had just shown us her own work, but nooooo, instead she has generously incorporated work of many other artists, which gives this book a lot of richness and depth. It's very inspiring to see how simple art materials like acrylic paint and colored pencils can be used in such a fresh way--techniques anyone can learn are presented in an unpretentious, non-intimidating format. Would-be artists are going to be motivated to get out their stuff and start splashing paint around!

If you are at all interested in loosening up your own artwork, or just wondering what's up with all the current buzz about journals and book arts, I highly recommend you grab this book as soon as possible, because a couple of similar titles have sold out almost as soon as their first printing was released, and this one might too--it's that good! Buy this book--you won't be sorry!!