Our masks, always in peril of smearing or cracking,
In need of continuous check in the mirror or silverware,
Keep us in thrall to ourselves, concerned with our surfaces."
~ Carolyn Kizer
The Cover
Ingredients:
silver
tissue paper, mirror tiles, Invent It! Body Sticker Tattoos, picture of Venus
de Milo from internet and altered in PhotoShop, matte medium, gesso, and matte
gel
medium
Lessons Learned:
1)
I need to get a centering ruler. I must have rechecked the measurements a
half dozen times, but I still didn't get the title and quote text centered
just right with the image.
2) Let the gesso dry thoroughly between coats or else the first layer will
lift off the page as I'm going over it. Not a pretty sight!
3) Remember to print a mirror copy of the text when using the body stickers
for image transfers.
Process
The
first thing I did was to plan in my head how I wanted things to look so that
I knew what I needed and how I was going to cut the pages. Once I knew what
surfaces were actually going to be used, I took coarse sand paper and sanded
the glossy pages. Some people say that this step is unnecessary, that you
can just slap on some acrylics without any problem. I didn't want to take
any chances, so I sanded first. Another alternative that I have read about,
is to peel off the slick surface of the page before painting. I'm going to
try that option on my next board book, since I was pretty impatient waiting
for the gesso to dry.
After
sanding the pages lightly and wiping them off, I applied two coats of gesso.
I have been told that latex house paint works well as a substitute for gesso.
Gesso is a thick opaque ground that helps to cover up the images and text
of the original book. I put on two coats, letting each coat dry between applications
and speeding things along with my heat tool.
I
crumpled silver tissue paper into a ball, smoothed it out, and then tore similarly
sized pieces and placed them in a pile. Using matte medium, I applied the
tissue pieces, being sure to wrap the tissue around the book edges. I spread
matte medium under and over each piece of tissue, smoothing it down with the
brush as I went.
I
had my image of Venus copied at the copy shop, although I probably could have
used my ink jet copy just as easily since I didn't do anything to the top
of it that might have made the colors run. I glued this image onto cardstock
to give it some support. I then glued the mirror tiles around the picture
using matte gel medium which is thicker and adheres heavier items better than
the liquid medium. I used more gel medium to glue the mirror-framed image
into the center of the cover. However, I didn't attach this piece until I
was finished with the rest of the book.
I
wanted to add interesting text to my pages, so I did a quotation search at
Bartleby
using the keyword "masks." I used PhotoShop to shape the text the way I wanted,
and then I printed out the quote and the title onto the body sticker tattoos.
I put a thin coat of matte medium around the edges to integrate the decals
into the tissue paper.
Reflections:
I'm
unhappy with the placement of the text in relation to the mirror image. I
did this late last night, wanting to get the book finished. I should have
waited until the morning instead of being so anxious. You know how it is when
you get into a "zone" and you just can't stop no matter what time it is. Well,
my enthusiasm must have made me a little off-kilter; everything looked okay
last night. But I have to say that I didn't really notice how the text was
until after I had taken the picture for the web page. I tend to see all kinds
of errors more clearing in the harsh reality of PhotoShop.
Life will show you masks that are worth all of your carnivals.
~ Emerson
Left Side
Ingredients:
crystalline
paper, tulle net, Invent It! Body Sticker Tattoos, glass vials, sheet music,
black paper, ribbon, beads, napkin, Lumiere paints, PearlEx powder, match
sticks, wire
Lessons Learned:
1)
Double-check the placement before drilling holes for the ribbon.
Process:
This
board book is 7 pages thick, including the front and back covers. I wanted
to make one double page spread, so I decided to make the left side 3 pages
thick and the right side 4 pages thick. Before I did anything else, I cut-out
my windows. I used a small T-square and a rectangle scrapbook template to
get the correct placement before cutting. I placed a self-healing mat under
the page, placed a ruler along my pencil line, and dragged an exacto over
the line about 8 times to cut through the board. Then I placed the mat below
the next page and cut out the second board. Believe me, by the time I was
done with all the cutting, my wrists and arms had gotten a good work-out.
Once
the windows were made, I covered the pages with crystalline
paper, which I painted Sparkle White and dusted
with silver PearlEx powder while it was still damp. I placed a solid sheet
across both pages and wrapped the paper edges around the edges of the book.
I cut an X into the paper that covered the windows and wrapped the paper around
the inside of the window, gluing the paper edges onto the back of each page.
I
decorated the first window by adhering the sheet music, mask, and tulle net,
in that order, on the bottom page (which is actually the back of the cover.)
I placed a small rolled piece of the black paper underneath the nose of the
mask to lift it up a bit for some depth. I used a silver gel pen to draw the
designs on the mask.
I
filled the three glass vials with teeny beedz, shimmer crystals, and embossing
powder and stuck a silver tipped match into each bottle. I used some silver
wire to wrap the bottles together and set the bottles aside. I didn't put
the bottles into the niche until just before I glued the board pages together.
I
used a Dremel tool to drill the holes for the ribbon through the top pages
of the book. Using an embroidery needle, I wound the ribbon through the pages,
adding silver and clear glass beads as I went. This book is not meant to be
closed, so I didn't worry about the beads lying in the gutter of the book.
I
added the text I had printed on the body sticker tattoos and went to work
on the other side of the book.
Reflections:
I
find the Emerson quote on this page very intriquing. Even though I'm not exactly
sure what it means, I love the way it sounds.
B E L I E V E
Right Side
Ingredients
feather,
word eyelet, tissue, picture from "Masks and Fans" collage sheet from ArtChix
Studio
Lessons Learned:
This side was relatively trouble-free! Hooray!
Process:
I
mounted the image of the harlequin girl onto card stock and layered tissue
paper around the edges to frame it. I glued this image to the bottom page
(which is the inside of the back cover) making sure to place it so that it
would be positioned correctly in the window.
I
drilled a hole with the Dremel for the word eyelet, and I used matte gel medium
to adhere it instead of trying to hammer it in place because the book page
was too thick.
The
diamond design lies across the double-page spread and was made using a section
of a paper napkin that I glued down using Perfect Paper Adhesive. I put the
adhesive under and over the tissue to make sure it was on securely. I also
made sure to wrap the edges of the napkin behind the window openings and outside
edge of the book.
At
this point I knew I was ready to glue all my pages together one side at a
time. I used matte gel medium, starting from the bottom page and working my
way up. I placed my trustworthy box of kosher salt on top of each side for
about twenty minutes after gluing to make sure the pages were secure.
A feather was glued in place, and then I went back to the front cover and
glued down my mirror-framed Venus. I put the box of salts on top of the cover
to flatten the picture down.
I
went to Michael's yesterday and they were having a sale on those table top
plate display things. I bought a couple to put my book on. Here's how it looks:
Reflections:
Creating
this altered board book was a very satisfying process. It only took me about
three days from start to finish, once I had rounded up all the materials I
wanted to use. Unlike the other altered books I have worked on, I really used
the book as a structure for the art work and the theme that I had in mind.
In my other books, I've used the text of the book itself to guide the artwork.
I'm looking forward to doing more of these!
If you like this altered book, perhaps you'd also like to see my Altered Book :: Heart-chitecture or
Making
Altered Books :: Art in a Child's Hand, two other altered board books which
are prepared with gesso. 
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