Altered Books Workshop: 18 Creative Techniques for Self-Expression

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: I thought this book was well worth the money. It is well photographed and gives many basic ideas as to the creating
of altered books. I am glad I have this book in my arts library. It goes well with Altered books 101 and 102.
For people who have already been creating altered books, this one might seem like a review of sorts. I think it is especially helpful to those of us who need a little nudge in the right direction.
I know that the women I share creative time with will enjoy looking through this book.

Rating:
Summary: The Best I've Seen
Review: I'm not understanding some of the (insubstantial) negative comments here. This book's about artistic technique, not a Theory of Everything or required reading. I am an experienced artist specializing in mixed media journals, making it all up on my own rather than getting it from books (partly because I didn't know good guides by real artists existed in the "Crafts" section of the bookstore). This book is especially interesting to me because it works well on a couple of different levels. The "how" part has easy-to-understand instructions and well done photography that make it quite suitable for beginners, but doesn't alienate artists who just never thought of that particular technique. As another reviewer pointed out, the tips are useful, rather than mere pull-quotes or boxed filler to balance the page (which I'm so used to from "Dummies" type books that I almost skipped them entirely. Don't.). The truly impressive examples of the author's altered books that she has chosen to present here showcase her personal artistic style, which, by the way, you don't necessarily have to like--and definitely don't have to copy--to benefit from the techniques illustrated throughout the book. The assumptions she makes that the reader is going to know something about composition and color, and her understanding that each reader will have a "why" that is different and personal, are assumptions more geared toward confident artists. I also appreciated the well-written, laid back presentation. It added a spark often absent in instructional material (or bestselling fiction, for that matter). As a writer, it was very refreshing to read a book devoted to the visual. It has a lighthearted and playful feel that celebrates experimentation, rather than drilling the reader on all sorts of practice exercises in the effort to summon painful memories, or analyze the thing to death in pursuit of the "why." She is not in the business of telling people what their motives, meanings or inspiration should be in creating their work. The author presents herself as an artist, rather than a pretend psychologist. Books on the writing side of this art form are just dreadfully serious. I highly recommend this book to collage beginners; to experienced artists who have not worked specifically in the realm of altered books; and to writers who want to punch up their journals. I look forward to Brazelton's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Superb "How to" Book
Review: I've read several books on creating altered books but have never been as eager to start one as I am now. The instructions are very clear and the projects are doable. A great springboard for the beginning altered artist.

Rating:
Summary: This book is an unfortunate dissapointment
Review: The material covered in this book is very basic, and quite frankly, not very inspiring. Those interested in this subject would make a better investment of their money by purchasing Beth Cote's Altered Books 101 and/or Altered Books 102 (I would not recommend Altered Books 103) and/or Holly Harrison's Altered Books. All three of these books do an excellent job covering the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific techniques
Review: This is one of the first books I bought on altered books. I can't even count how many times I've pulled it out to get ideas and tips on techniques. The pictures are terrific - really inspiring. For each technique variations on the technique are also provided. They're arranged in the book from easy to intermediate to advanced techniques too so you can grow along with the book. The techniques range from collaging to adding tags, to niches, to using glazes and other paint techniques, to cutting into covers, and adding doors and windows. Instructions are clear, materials are all things you can find at the craft stores - nothing too obscure. Instructions are step by step too. Oh it's just one of my favorite books for self-learning of altered book techniques. The only thing that I don't agree with is that in the beginning of the book she talks about pulling out pages - while this can be fun I've actually found that its better to tear out pages as you go based on the techniques or structures that you're making in the book.

Rating:
Summary: Those stars are so cute!
Review: This is the type of book you get if you are new to this AB (altered book) craze. Bev Brazelton, basically hits the hammer on the head here with her 18 ideas for altering books book, but if you are looking for something with more detail, I hear that Beth Cote's ( Another lady!) Altered Books 101, 102, and 103, are all exceptional choices, which even go beyond just books, and basically go into everyday things that you can open, like for example a cd case. But none the less, this book is worth your money. Bev's book is easy to follow, with simple little tricks like matchbox drawers, turning a book into (literally) a window to another world, Bev inspires us to turn a AB (altered book, once again) into a journal that tells a story about us. Beth Cote's book helps you take little thems and give them a vintage, colorful twist. So if you want to go AB crazy, I suggest giving both of them a try.

Rating:
Summary: Providing plenty of ideas for creative personalization
Review: Turn old books into personalized works of art using Bev Brazelton's Altered Books Workshop, a guide which brings together papercrafting and other craft methods to put together a unique 'altered book' result. There are 18 clear projects and 65 variation ideas to Altered Books Workshop, from cutting windows and using shadowboxes to glazing, providing plenty of ideas for creative personalization.