A pile of Creative Books!

A pile of new fresh books about different methods of artistic expression on my desk today. I’ve ordered this pile via amazon.com that ships from USA, because there is nothing like this in the Swedish book shops (though you can find some of the titles from Swedish online shops). Each time I order new books I carefully go through my wish list and weight pros and cones of each book. What kind of inspiration do I want right now?

Pile of books summer 2011

This time it is mostly books on the art of collage, the art form that I am more and more claiming as my primary love. But also books on variations of fiber art, something that I am just starting to explore (especially embroidery) and want to learn more about. I am extremely interested in everything that goes into blank books, and right now especially how to keep a sketchbook for embroidery ideas! So I can’t wait to start reading Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists by Kay Greenlees. Also The Found Object in Textile Art by Cas Holmes… what a fun title!

I will share my thoughts on all of these books (and probably write long book reviews) once I finish reading them, but for now just a quick look at the yummy pile…

My pile of creative books

the-war-of-art Cut-It-Paste-It-Sew-It-9781592536436 Patchwork folk art51tsGY62sYL._SS500_

In my lovely pile of new books you can find the famous and often talked about and recommended The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield. It’s a lot about fear and I need to break through mine. I found this Steven Pressfield interview interesting.

The very cute Japanese book Cut It, Paste It, Sew It is subtitled a Mixed-Media Collage Sourcebook, and it’s edited by Chisa Itou. Lots of images and short introductions to a few different artists and their style.

Patchwork Folk Art: Using Appliqu & Quilting Techniques is a how-to-book by Janet Bolton, a quilting artist that I’ve mentioned on my blog before. I like her vintage-worn aesthetics.

I have followed Susan Tuttle’s blog for many years, and I was thrilled when she announced her first book. Now, finally I own it and am ready to learn from hit. It is called Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements, and I think it will be perfect autumn evening reading.

Bloggers that becomes Authors of Creative Books

Scraps book cover Publishers believe that if you already have a blog with followers who appreciate your work your book will be more likely to become a hit. I don’t know if this is true but I am a prime example of buying books by authors I already know from the internet. Because I am a fan of their blog/art I’ve bought Traci Bunkers new book The Art Journal Workshop: Break Through, Explore, and Make it Your Own, and Sarah Ahearn Bellemare’s first book Painted Pages: Fueling Creativity with Sketchbooks and Mixed Media plus Jane Davis older book (mostly because of her awesome tutorials on collage) Collage Journeys: A Practical Guide to Creating Personal Artwork! I already know I will love their style so it was easy choosing these books over other unknown to me author’s books.

What’s in your pile of books right now?

I did mention Danish Elsebeth Gynther and Christine Clemmensen and their pretty book when it first came out, and now I’ve finally bought Scraps (also about collages). I do still follow Christine’s blog and also won a giveaway of her pretty postcards, also something that makes me feel connected to this book in some way.

This is my pile of books, waiting for me and calling my name. But right now I’m going for a after-work beer with the boys.

What book is calling you right now? I’d love to get your recommendations too. Which of these titles do you find most interesting and want to know more about once I start reviewing them? Next on my review list though is Quinn McDonald’s book Raw Art Journaling – and a giveaway of that book.

** Previous creative book reviews – by yours truly

Stay tuned my friends!