Book Art.

Not everything related to English and books has to be boring or written. Books are a form of expression and therefore a form of art. If you struggle for inspiration or need a hands-on, arty project to wake your brain up in-between your studies, book art is a really fun creative project.


WARNING- you may get to into it and forget to study, eat, sleep or breathe. But it will look brilliant!
  
'Book Art' is a beautiful way of turning old books into a visual art form. It can be very complex or very simple and can range from drawing a picture on a page of a book, or sculpting a shape out of the book itself. You can use an illustrated book or a dictionary, it really doesn't matter, be free to explore your creativity as this will unlock your imagination for writing!




(images from Pinterest.com)







A lot of the Book Art pieces tell the story of the book that they are made out of (such as 'Alice In Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll) which is a really cool idea.


At my secondary school we had a Book Art competition and you can probably already guess that I was really excited to be involved.


I like a budget option in anything so when I found out that the school library was throwing away some old books, I was straight down there to pinch some first. I chose a couple to give me the option of choice later on when I had planned some ideas fro each.


How to choose a good book for Book Art:
-make it big: a pocket-sized book will not allow you enough room if you want to do something elaborate
-make it interesting: it is a good idea to relate your art to the story/theme of the book so pick one that you can easily come up with ideas about
-make it a hardback: of course you can use a paperback book but depending on what you want to do with it a hardback might be better as they hold themselves open
-make it something you will enjoy: enough said.


My Book Art:


I chose a factual book about butterflies with beautiful hand-drawn illustrations.








My art was designed to show how the caterpillar turns into a butterfly. The caterpillars and their surroundings are made from newspaper to show how well they are camouflaged, and the butterflies are made from bright materials and beads and hung from wires to show how they are free.  I used real sticks to cover up the tape and also to add a nice natural finish to the piece. But most of all I had the best fun making it.

Top Tips for Book Art making:

1) use glue and tape to secure everything and keep it neat
2) try to cover your tracks and mistakes with material or coloured paper
3) use pages from the back of the book so that no one will notice
4) plan and mind map and research everything to help you get more creative with your ideas
5) don't be afraid to get messy, art is spontaneous!

#WordNerd Tattoos.

Sometimes it's hard to see where literature can apply in the real world, well let me tell you, I have found one very cute way where the paths cross...

Tattoos!

Quotes from novels, art and illustrations from stories and even tattoos of books themselves! I found all these on Pinterest, but I'm sure there are many more out there on the internet! Whether you like tattoos or not, some of these are definitely cute. Perhaps it's time for me to have another trip to the tattoo parlour...

Update On Life.

So.....it's been a bit quiet on here lately as my life's been a bit hectic what with my exams, passing my driving test (YAY) and starting my new college course.




See I passed all of my A levels (C in English) at mid-level grades but the only one I enjoyed was English. I thought that there is no point studying English at University as I don't ever want to be a teacher.


This is where I was wrong.




I now study a photography course at college and I was wondering what to do with my life when I finish this course in 2 years' time. Then I thought, 'you know what? I love English.' and if studying English is what's going to make me happy then that's what I'm going to try next. I'll finish this photography course first though as I'm no quitter (and I'm getting distinctions!!). I prefer editing photos to taking them though so I think that a career in something as practical as photography isn't for me. I need something quiet and wordy :) #wordnerd




Here is a link to some of my work: http://www.viewbug.com/member/lizzie32




A career in English may sound odd, I mean really, is studying it necessary? Thing is, you've got to do what you love. I have found a wonderful little English Literature course at a University near me so I am excited for that, but I am a little worried that this narrows down my career paths quite a lot. After all, can't anyone learn English if they put their mind to it? It's not exactly a skill.




Or so I thought.




Studying English involves analytical skills, imaginative skills, obviously reading and writing but also interpretation and looking for hidden meanings. You learn a lot about history and cultures and influences on famous authors and poets too. This means that there are many career paths open to you if you choose to study English. These include: publishing, writing books, poems, plays and film scripts, teaching at any level, journalism in any area and even jobs such as being a critic or examiner.


I am a little bit worried that if I choose to go into a specialist career such a journalism then I should do a journalism course, but if there's one thing I've learnt over the past year of stressing and worrying about what to do with my life, it's that you have to stop yourself from looking too far into the future. Anything could happen at any time to change your entire life so don't worry about it so much. That's why I'm going to study a subject I love, and then once I'm on it I'll learn a lot more about the careers open to me and I can choose one then.