Natural Goddess

Here's a fun altered book spread I just completed for the European Round Robin I'm currently participating in.  This one started out as a French music book. (Bad photo.  Note to self: take more than one "before" picture in future).   The book owner had thinned out the book but left various small shapes from the torn pages between the full ones.  One of these I trimmed into the shape of a butterfly wing. 

I carved a printing plate out of styrofoam and then repeatedly printed it directly over the sheet music.  I used a blue ink that came out shockingly dark in places and tried not to panic about the results. I had forgotten to get my "sign in" tag out of the back of the book and print it at the same time while the plate was inked up.  I had to go back later and "cheat" by inking up the printing plate with a stamp pad. 

Next I used some fun nature images I've had laying around.  My favorite is the hedgehog with curlers in her hair.  I thought it fit perfectly with the "Natural Goddess" theme of the book because the irony of beauty is that people desperately manipulate their hair, nails and body in order to look "natural." 

When the spread is first open, the butterfly wing lays over the frontside of the hedgehog hiding her curlers.  Once the book lays out and open, the wing pops up and actually looks like it's coming out of the side of the hedgehog.  That was a "happy accident."

 

My printing ink was so dark I had to use garden pottery markers to doodle over it.  Even they didn't want to cover but after a few coats, it worked out.  I embellished a little more with some fun transparent orange paper I had handy as well as some metallic pink butterflies that required stapling.  I stapled them at the edges, so that whomever works on the backside of the spread shouldn't have their work too interfered with .

I'm pleased with the result.  It's just a bright and cheery display of a funny image salvaged from an old print magazine.  I hope it makes people smile.

Click over to view more photos from my "Natural Goddess" altered book spread including the full view ...

   

Comments

[Jacqueline]

....Garden pot markers...?
My goodness, did not know that we have special markers for those pots :-D !

The printplate looks so great! How do you make the markings in it? And can you re use the plate weeks later as well?
Just curious - as usual!

Jacqueline

[TJ]

I used a blue ball-point pen to push down the styrofoam where I didn't want the plate to print. You can keep them forever and use again and again but you have to take a bit of care with storage because they can break and if you get a scratch or indentation in your design it obviously affects the print result. xoxo tj

[Linda]

Faboo!

I am not familiar with garden pot markers. What are they? Oil based? Permanent markers? Pray tell....

Styro will never be the same again. Recycle those bits & pieces. What an eye opener! Thanks for sharing.