I created Wanton Wandering as my first delving into Book Arts. I was drawn to this because I have always enjoyed creating works with a long process—works that I can really get both my hands involved in forming. I had already begun to focus in printmaking and knew that I enjoyed the drawn out process it involves to pull prints. I was also interested in the creation of multiples and the creation of monotype prints—or one-of-a-kind prints. When I began to work on ideas for my first narrative book, I knew that I was going to include my printmaking interests. I also knew that I was going to carefully consider reading as a personal and quiet experience. It was through these thoughts that I developed Wanton Wandering. Wanton Wandering is an artist book that creates a secret moment of flirtation with the reader, causing them to unconsciously read the abstracted prints and text in potentially subversive ways that are hidden within the book; this was done through understanding the artwork as a book and treating it as such, developing a planned process and following it through with the careful selection of materials.
First and foremost, Wanton Wandering is a book; it is a piece of art that is presented as a book and therefore my every intent was to have it look like a book. When designing potential pages I consistently gave my pages standard book dimensions and the final dimensions of Wanton Wandering is 5 x 7 inches. By maintaining a standard set of dimensions and also designing and binding the book as a traditional codex (meaning the style of book that is on the shelves of a bookstore or your own bookshelves—pages that are folded in half and then sewn together along the central spine) I knew that my book would be easily recognizabl...
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...le fun within a serious book. I took the opportunity with the end pages to add a little lightness in hopes that the minor mind manipulation that occurs within the book will be seen more as playful and not deceptive.
Wanton Wandering was a long experience for me as an artist. I spent a larger portion of time on creating this book than other works I’ve done in the past—time that is not usually allotted for student work. Through the creation of Wanton Wandering, I was able to discover my deep interest and investment in process and the careful execution needed for creating not just a work of art, but an object too. I became more aware of my desire to consider the viewer’s experience when looking at my work and how I need to present my work to better increase that experience. Wanton Wandering will lead to many more books and experiences for viewers designed by me
· 1999: Private commissions (2). Continues to work on paintings for traveling exhibition, Visual Poems of Human Experience (The Company of Art, Chronology 1999).
When one actually close-reads a small segment one realizes the large amount of information that can be said about just that segment. In this case it was only four pages from Fun Home, and each page seemed to have a life of its own. Page 14 touched upon the relationship between Bruce Bechdel and his family, while page fifteen gave insights into the father-daughter relationship. Then pages 16 and 17 dealt with hidden truths and the creation of false appearances. Then there were the the literary and graphical devices: the extensive use of line, the use of gray shading, stretched panels vs. compact panels, interdependent word-picture relationships, etc. the clear illustrations and relatively simple prose made the process a bit easier, but that opinion may have been different if the process involved close-reading the whole book.
This book was also one of my first encounters with an important truth of art: that your work is powerful not because you convey a new emotion to the audience, but because you tap into an emotion the audience already feels but can't express.
Spending time looking at art is a way of trying to get into an artists’ mind and understand what he is trying to tell you through his work. The feeling is rewarding in two distinctive ways; one notices the differences in the style of painting and the common features that dominate the art world. When comparing the two paintings, The Kneeling Woman by Fernand Leger and Two Women on a Wharf by Willem de Kooning, one can see the similarities and differences in the subjects of the paintings, the use of colors, and the layout
Many artists find themselves struggling to find their identity in the beginning and then when you have discovered yourself it can be hard to come up with ideas to fit the mold as what the public sees them as. This then leads to what people call the struggling artist’s life due to the fact that without making a product there is no income to flow into the household. These three authors: James Fenimore Cooper, Charles Dickens, and Johanna Spyri all went through the tough times of finding an identity or how to take personal experiences and then turn them into a story that readers would enjoy. Going
Right out of the gate, Bradbury explains arguably the most important characteristic any writer can possess: love for one’s work. Instead of droning on about boring fundamentals, Bradbury leaps right into the fun stuff. Instead of espousing trite clichés about his craft, Bradbury embraces the passion and enjoyment that writing fosters. Bradbury immediately gains the reader’s interest by rejecting the conventional methods of discussing writing and instead focusing on why people love to write.
The Russian writer Ivan Turgenev wrote in Fathers and Sons in 1862, "A picture shows me at a glance what it takes dozens of pages of a book to expound” (Turgenev 196). Mark Twain was a living testament to that belief because iillustrations were an integral part of Mark Twain’s published work. They embellished his stories, informed the reader, and often reflected his humor. However, today’s fictional novels rarely include illustrations beyond the cover and fly leaf. This lack of illustrations has become more the norm in the digital publishing world because the illustrations often do not translate well to the digital format. My research paper will delineate the reasons that illustrations were relevant and necessary for the 19th century publication and why they are less relevant in the digital age. I will show that illustrations played an essential part in the success of Mark Twain’s books (1) because he made them an integral part of his writing, giving clarity to his written words; (2) because of the subscription publishing model of his era, and, (3) because of Twain’s dependence on them to describe his characters. However, the digital and audio publishing market of today has lessened the impact of illustrations in modern literary works. In Twain’s 19th century era, books were often a work of art as well as a literary treasure. The books I read today on my e-reader or listen to on “Audible” versions -- even Twain’s books -- almost never have a visual impact like Twain’s books had in the 19th century.
Though graphic novels are not recognized as literature by many literary critics, they have the distinction of communicating with pictures in a way that may not be possible with words alone. Themes that would be lost if they were merely sentences on a page are highlighted when set to a graphic novel’s illustration, and graphic novels can connect deeply with the reader through images of war and suffering, such as in the graphic novels Persepolis and Fables.
It is very easy to agree with Moebius statement that ‘good’ picture books contain some form of invisible and intangible concepts that keeps the reader returning. In Voices in the Park it is very easy to see Moebius idea due to the ability of technology to create detailed and complex books. In contrast, Potter has produced a book that more subtle in showing this relying not on technology like Voices in the Park but working within severe limitations. Blending page turns, text, colour to create understandable concepts. Goodman comments that some would argue that these elements in pictures interfere with and detract from the text, and thus undermine the confidence of the reader. An extrapolation of this idea is that preconceived ideas and pictures of another spoil the reader’s entrance to literacy.
When writing any sort of narrative, be it novel or poem, fiction or non-fiction, scholarly or frivolous, an author must take into account the most effective manner in which to effectively convey the message to their audience. Choosing the wrong form, or method of speaking to the reader, could lead to a drastic misunderstanding of the meaning within an author’s content, or what precisely the author wants to say (Baldick 69). Even though there are quite a bit fewer words in a graphic novel than in the average novel, an author can convey just as much content and meaning through their images as they could through 60,000 words. In order to do that though, their usage of form must be thoughtfully considered and controlled. Marjane Satrapi, author of the graphic memoir The Complete Persepolis, took great pains in the creation of her panels in order to reinforce and emphasize her narrative, much like a novelist utilizes punctuation and paragraph breaks. Through her portrayal of darkness and lightness, Satrapi demonstrates that literary content influences, and is primary to, the form.
Ever since I was a child, I've never liked reading. Every time I was told to read, I would just sleep or do something else instead. In "A Love Affair with Books" by Bernadete Piassa tells a story about her passion for reading books. Piassa demonstrates how reading books has influenced her life. Reading her story has given me a different perspective on books. It has showed me that not only are they words written on paper, they are also feelings and expressions.
The author uses media and design to enhance her idea of how not reading enough can make people feel. One of the first few scenes are of Bechdel in the library and she is ripping novels off the shelf and piling them in her arms. “How is it even possible that I haven’t read beloved?” She question adding more books to the pile in hand (Bechdel). The drawing is depicted to look as if her arm is moving so fast to
Since its emergence over 30,000 years ago, one of visual art’s main purposes has been to act as an instrument of personal expression and catharsis. Through the mastery of paint, pencil, clay, and other mediums, artists can articulate and make sense of their current situation or past experiences, by portraying their complex, abstract emotions in a concrete form. The act of creation gives the artist a feeling of authority or control over these situations and emotions. Seen in the work of Michelangelo, Frida Kahlo, Jean Michel-Basquiat, and others, artists’ cathartic use of visual art is universal, giving it symbolic value in literature. In Natasha Trethewey's Native Guard, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness,
Researchers at UC Davis are discovering how curiosity helps humans learn. “Curiosity may put the brain in a state that allows it to learn and retain any kind of information, like a vortex that sucks in what you are motivated to learn, and also everything around it ” (Mathiass Gruber). Most stories like, The Great Gatsby, left readers questioning detail after detail. Since, the theme is so widely debated and is widely recognized as iconic. One is to believe this was done on purpose, with scientific proof. Every bend and twist of plot keeps readers very curious and in a state of captivity. Usually, a good interesting book will be read and re-read, leaving readers wanting more. The Great Gatsby had no sequel, yet left readers inferring between the
The arts have influenced my life in amazing ways. Throughout my life, art has been the place I run to and my escape from the world. As I’ve grown older, art has become so much more than that. Every piece of art I create is a journey into my soul. It’s a priceless way to deal with my emotions and my struggles. I create art not only because I enjoy it and because I want to, but because I have to. Somewhere deep inside there is a driving force, urging me to put my heart down on paper. I become emotionally attached to each of my pieces because they are like dashes on the wall marking my growth. Each one is the solution to a problem I have dealt with and overcome.