Art by the Yard - Altered Books, Questions and Answers

Art by the Yard - Book Arts
Altered Books - Questions and Answers

May I ask what you do use for adhesive?
Well, if you follow the altered books site at all, you've seen how nothing like a discussion on adhesives will bring out “the voice”!! Everyone has their favorites and champions them strongly. I'll just tell you about my experience, which is always evolving.

The adhesive I use most of all is PVA. I got my original bottle at an art supply store in the book-binding section, about $8.00 for a smallish bottle, not cheap. Then a friend and I went in on a gallon of it together. What I love about it is that you can easily spread on just a thin coat, it dries very quickly and doesn’t cause much curling of the paper, although any moisture will curl paper. Some have suggested coating the opposite side of the page to even it out, but I haven’t found the need, I just let everything dry and press the book under some other heavy books and everything flattens out (sometimes not possible with books already filled with charms, etc., a discussion for another time!).

I like Golden gel medium, especially if I’m doing something I’m going to seal, then I don’t worry about getting it on the front of pieces while I’m gluing. YES paste, which some people swear by because it’s fairly dry and can be thinly applied, has been reported to turn yellow with time or be otherwise non-archival. I have used PPA and I generally don’t use it because it’s wet. The place I have found it helpful is with small pieces of a thicker hand-made paper, because it gets into the fibers more. I tried PPA to glue many pages together and it was a total disaster, much too wet, it would have rotted before it dried, had to throw the book away (fortunately, an early experiment on my own book!!). For applying charms, beads, marbles, wood, plastic, etc. I use E6000, a great all-purpose, thick adhesive, or my hot glue gun. I have Diamond Glaze and I use it with flat-bottomed marbles, though it takes quite a while to dry that way, it is the best way to keep that clarity. I use acid-free glue stick for my collage-a-day journal, for adhering small pieces together in a simple project, or for something that I don’t want to get wet, as even my favorite PVA is a liquid.

Could you describe the techniques for both strengthening flimsy pages and creating a block of pages suitable for cutting into? I tried to do that with my own book, made a mess of it, and ended up having to disguise the whole thing. I'm hoping it will look intentional. (Plus, I had to use a scraper to get all the glue off the table. Jeez.)
To glue together a few pages (say, less than 10), I glue a page at a time, starting with a few pages at the back that I’ve left uncut, spreading a thin coat of PVA and smoothing each page to the previous page. These pages are held at 90 degrees to the binding, lining up the edges of the pages. I usually leave any glued-together sections free from the front or back cover, just a personal preference because I like to have a place to sign/document the artwork. The cutting is the same for both methods.

For a larger section (1/2” or more), protect the rest of the book on either side with plastic wrap, spread PVA all around the edge of the pages (sometimes I use binder clips to hold it together while I’m gluing, then remove) and set it aside to dry with a good amount of weight on top. You’re just spreading glue on the very outside edge of three sides, so it’s much, much faster and easier.

When dry: always place a small cutting mat behind the pages. If you’ve glued to the back cover, just be careful not to cut all the way through. Sometimes I’ll sketch a simple shape like an arch onto the first page as a template. Try to cut no closer than ½” from the binding. The inside edges of the cut-out fluff up, so coat them with PVA, protect the facing page, and re-weight till dry.

Do you seal the pages with an overall coat of something?
I don’t very often, usually because I have 3-D embellishments, but many people do. There has been a great deal of discussion on that topic as well as the adhesives topic. Some people seal with the Gel mediums, but I’ve found those to be sticky. The biggest challenge with sealing pages and with altered books in general is that the two facing pages of artwork come in direct contact with each other. Try that with two VanGogh’s! Part of the technique behind embellishing is to open up some breathing space as well as add depth and texture. All acrylic paints including our favorite metallics will stick together to some degree. Many people spray with a fixative like Krylon, or wax with a beeswax-based product (even floor polish!).

Also, my images are not all waterfast and I don’t want to be brushing fluids across them.

And what is your opinion of embossing?
I think judicious embossing is great--I’ve also seen it overdone!! I used it lately when I stamped with some pigment inks DTP but just here and there all over, not an unbroken pattern of ink. Then I embossed with gold and then went back with a dye ink in a pale peach and a bit of stippling in Fresco Sicilian Spice. Embossed elements can stand out from a page in a very attractive way, I’ve seen text done this way especially effectively.

A heat gun is nice for many things (although I’ve also melted page together when the plastic wrap melted!! Good thing I didn’t want to use that page anyway...). You’re absolutely right about the mistakes--ahem, creative and original techniques we all discover! I use the heat gun when:
I need something to dry a bit faster
Setting a pigment ink,
Embossing
Warming foam for texture-imprinting (a whole cool technique by itself)
I always keep my heat gun handy.

Of course, you can keep buying the next tool or gizmo or inkpad or paint but you can also get along just fine with a good-quality glue stick (one that says “acid free, photo safe”), some scissors (although I usually tear), magazines and a little acrylic paint for variety. I have a tissue paper collection because I like to layer for a rich surface, although I very much admire well-designed, beautiful simplicity

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