Laura Thykeson Archives - Mixed Media Art

Creating an Altered Book Layout

~ * ~

Laura Thykeson shares her process for creating a layout in an altered book in this 25 minute video – sorry! Having a few issues with the video!

Laura brings us her techniques for adding borders, highlighting words and adding colour into a layout of an altered book. It’s part of her “Alter me Silly” class starting on March 1, 2013 which will have video, pdf’s and more class material. (You will need to join up with Ning to view the workshop.) There is something about watching the process of a mixed media artist creating her pages that just clicks with us!

To create a similar altered book, you need a sturdy book or old diary or calendar. For the best results, make sure you begin with a stitched book. For more details on choosing a book, and how you can check for stitched sections, you can read more on Altered Books for Mixed Media Art.

The other materials and tools you will need to create an altered book layout include permanent markers, Sharpie pens and Gouache Paint. Once you have these as a starting off point, the wide world of altered books and art journals will open up to you. You can then combine a range of techniques and mediums to personalise your pages and let your creativity flow!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Laura Thykeson has been totally immersed in mixed media art for many years. If it will “take paint”, she has probably painted on it!
Laura discovered altered books and art journals about a year ago and have been hooked ever since! She has always loved mixed media art because of the variety and the “no rules” aspect! Starting out a fine art oil artist, she soon transitioned into her own line of wearable art, purses and jewelry, along with decorative items for the home.
Laura lives in Granbury, Texas USA.

You can see more of Laura’s work at Mixed Media Uniques

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
.

.

Filed Under: Altered Book Art Tagged With: art journal layout, gouache paint, Laura Thykeson, opaque water colour paints, permanent markers, Sharpies

Mixed Media Art Journal Class by Laura Thykeson

By MMA Team 2 Comments

Are you longing for an art journaling class that nurtures and helps you develop your own unique style instead of everyone ending up making the same style art? Laura Thykeson, who has featured on Mixed Media Art with her “Reading between the lines with Altered books” article is conducting classes on her “Art from your Heart” ning group.

The first class, which is free for all to participate, is based on L.K. Ludwig’s True Vision – Authentic Art Journalling. “I think it will make for an enjoyable class and I also think you may find that my approach is a bit different than some of the other classes you may have seen”, says Laura. While this class started 15 March 2012, there is still time to sign in and play along.

The second class is called “ Letting Your Heart Sing”and it is actually a good class for any level artist that wants to nurture, celebrate and develop their own unique style of art journaling and creating altered books. The cost for this class is $20.00 per person, and will teach you how to discover your inner poet and writer, and add that special “something” to your art journals and other artwork! Original poetry and prose can add so much to a piece of art-you just need to learn to “Let Your Heart Sing”! The class will start on 1 April 2012.

You can join up by going to the “Art from your Heart” ning site, signing up to the community (which includes is a whole community of mixed media artists, not just lessons). Then you can sign up for either the free class or the $20.00 class. Or both.

There is a “Donate” tab at the top of the page where you can go to pay the $20.00 if you want the paid class, and when Paypal lets Laura know you have paid, she will admit you to the class. Then you will get access to the class and start creating.

The classes will be at least 6 weeks, maybe even longer if anyone wants to continue on a week or two. But at least 6 weeks for sure, one new lesson per week, plus lots of emails and chat from Laure as she is on the computer a lot. There is a material list up in the free class you can already access. It is just normal favorite journaling materials (Laura made a list of several things suggested) and a journal or loose heavy paper to work on.

For further information, please contact Laura at LThykeson@yahoo.com or visit Art from the Heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Filed Under: Mixed Media Inspiration Tagged With: Art with the Heart, Laura Thykeson, mixed media art journal class

Reading Between The Lines with Altered Books

By MMA Team 2 Comments

This article is written by Laura Thykeson from Taz’s Corner

Many people have asked me to explain how I pick out and put together the “Altered Text” on the pages of the altered books I create. I am hoping that I can explain a few things and make it a little less confusing for the person new to “altered text” and found poetry. In essence, “Altered text” is made when certain words or phrases are chosen, highlighted and connected by “rivers” in the order they are printed on the page. Then the rest of the words are marked out or painted over, making it where you can only read the selected text. “Rivers” are dark lines connecting the words on the page in the order you want them read for added effect. This is a different technique than “Found Poetry” which is when words and phrases are cut out of a page or pages of separate text, then rearranged and attached to a new substrate such as an altered book page, cardboard, a collage or an ATC (Artist Trading Card) or other artwork.

When you are ready to start a new altered book page, before you do anything else, let your eyes skip over the text on the page lightly a few times and see if any words or phrases catch your attention. If so, write them down on a scrap piece of paper (I use separate “altered text workbooks”, made from composition notebooks, for each altered book I create). Keep rereading the page, picking out other words or phrases to go with what you have and write them down, until you have made a sentence or until the wording suits you and “says something” to you. For instance, the altered text I have chosen in the first picture I have included reads – “I ostentatiously pirouette, seeking the complexities of sequences, one and the other, above and below, when there he is, the stillness of death”. I really like the way this page reads. It “speaks” to me in a way, with a larger meaning than just how the text reads. It makes me think of how short life is, and how we often go through life so quickly, distracted by the things life throws at us, then suddenly – the end of our life looms near and we wonder where the time went so quickly!

Once I have picked out my “altered text”, I then draw black boxes in permanent ink around each word(Sharpies work well for this), then use a colored highlighter to really set them off where they will show well up on the page. Now I am ready to start creating my layers of artwork, beginning with watercolors, then layering acrylics, collage elements, permanent inks, markers, colored pencil, etc., making sure to not cover up the words I have chosen with my artwork as I go. One other tip – I also glue together 3 pages, then leave a two-page spread, then glue 3 more pages together and so on, to give myself a sturdy base for my artwork. I am including a couple more pictures of my pages I have finished, so you can see some examples. Hopefully, this has helped you to add another dimension to your mixed media and altered book art! Once you get the hang of it, it can become quite addicting to see what “Altered Text” sentences you can come up with on each page. After you have gotten the hang of finding your words on the pages, you can also create your art to match or compliment your “altered text” and add a whole new aspect of additional meaning to your altered book art! You can create a whole new “story within the story” with the sentences and phrases you discover when you “read between the lines”!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Laura Thykeson has been totally immersed in mixed media art for many years. If it will “take paint”, she has probably painted on it!

Laura discovered altered books and art journals about a year ago and have been hooked ever since! She has always loved mixed media art because of the variety and the “no rules” aspect! Starting out a fine art oil artist, she soon transitioned into her own line of wearable art, purses and jewelry, along with decorative items for the home.

Laura lives in Granbury, Texas USA.

You can see more of Laura’s work at at her blog Taz’s corner

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

.

.

Filed Under: Altered Book Art Tagged With: altered books, altered journals, altered text, found poetry, Laura Thykeson, The Magicians Tale

Mixed Media Artist ~ Laura Thykeson

By MMA Team 2 Comments

Our Mixed Media Art community is a diverse bunch; from all around the world, with different interests, reasons why we create and a wide range of skills. Over the next few weeks we will be featuring a range of mixed media artists to tell their stories and share their artwork.

Laura Thykeson is our featured artist this week.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello!

I am Laura Thykeson, and I have been totally immersed in mixed media art for many years. If it will “take paint”, I have probably painted on it! I discovered altered books and art journals about a year ago and have been hooked ever since!

I am 50, married to a wonderful man named Kris, and live in Granbury, Texas USA with our two rescued dogs and two rescued cats.

I have always loved mixed media art because of the variety and the “no rules” aspect! I get bored easily, and although I started out a fine art oil artist, I soon transitioned into my own line of wearable art, purses and jewelry, along with decorative items for the home. I have both owned my own art shop, as well as working from home and selling my items to wholesalers in Texas and Colorado in the past. I have done many of the art shows when I was younger, but my health keeps me close to home these days.

I am attaching photos of my altered book that combines my own unique style with my own original poetry. My style is a bit different from many that you see, as I live rich color and a lot of contrast. I did all of the pages with a coat of gesso, some collage, and then acrylic paints, finished up with Sharpie markers for some vibrant color (love ’em, especially for the price…!) and added in a computer graphic of the latest poem I have written. This has been an ongoing project for the last year, along with the 8 other altered books with altered text I am working on, as well as various other ongoing artistic projects! I always stay busy, that’s for sure!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~