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I Use Old Books To Create Art
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Flea markets are great for finding hidden treasures and when I got my hands on some old books, I just couldn't stop wondering if these gems might be useful for something different than just reading.
Having a thing for aged and vintage things I got out my fineliners and started doodling on the pages. Turns out I really enjoyed the way words and art merged together creating something new entirely.
So with my art, I would like to show the world what a great medium a book is. They are so much more than just words on pages. They are adventures and inspiration in a thousand different ways.
I mainly do black and white illustrations, sometimes with splashes of red and it takes up to 8 hours to create those pieces but I love every minute of it, so what do you think?
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They are all beautiful, I prefer the ones that have red in them. You are an extremely talented artist!
What a wonderful collection of work. I don't think the books are defaced or devalued, I'd rather see any book regaining new life, than getting flung into an incinerator going up,in smoke - well that's my humble opinion ;-)
Beautiful drawings. Personally I'd have liked the drawings on a blank page in the front/ back of the book rather than over the print.
Beautiful creativity!
As a bookworm that loves to draw I feel a slight pain because I would love to give these books a try to see if they' are good, but I also honestly love these drawing because there just so beautiful and creative.
The drawings are beautiful, but there's no reason to destroy perfectly good books to make them. Because they are words on paper, about adventures and emotions, about which we cannot read since they're under ink. It kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
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They were flea market books. They were worthless. It's not like you were going to buy or read them. Get over it.
How do you know they're worthless? Imagine it was a 1st Ed. I buy second hand books all the time. I love the smell of old books.
Stop destroying books. Use blank paper. You are a good artist. You don't need to destroy others' art for yours.
You are forgetting one important fact Linda. While you may wish her to use a different sheet of something else, please remember that this is her private property, and has the liberty to do with it as she wishes. Ordering her to do something for which you disapprove is not the best approach. Perhaps cordially asking her may work better.
What I see here is the collision of two different kinds of art. Your drawings are cute (not my style and content, but cute) and the idea of using a surface different from blank paper is nice. Though, if "anything but blank" was the reason, a printed page of lorem ipsum would not make people like me feel like someone destroyed a book by ignoring its original content. Random picture over random text. Worst case, a care bear along a page of 50 shades of grey... I'd surely appreciate a picture that is supported by the background text. Such as beach-themed painting on nautical charts, dragon pics on fantasy stories. Pictures that respect and support the book.
I agree! Now you can't read the book although the drawing is nice! This is just an attempt to make good drawings great by using a different surface. Form over function
It is a copy of a book not like destroyng the original. Plus, many books sit in a shelf for years i am sure this way someone will open them more often
John L is right, of course: the addition of the word "Please" to the start of Linda's comment would make it perfect.
As a writer it wouldn't bother me if people used the printed books to make som new. It's just a print, a copy. It doesn't change the actual art - the writing. It'd be different if it were the last copy in existence but that's obv bull so....
Something*.
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shut up linda gulley. these were flea market books. they were already worthless. she made them a little valuable again.
No book is ever worthless.
If they were truly worthless they would not be on sale at the flea market. Perhaps the artist would do better to decorate the title pages so as not to keep the book still readable.
I'm highly conflicted, just as I am when libraries destroy old magazines noone ever borrows to read and they don't have a space to keep them but also noone checks if there is sth of value inside before destruction :(
What the hell kind of library does that?! :-0 If they don't have physical space to store them they could ask volunteers to scan them, the libraries could retain digital copies and they could offer the originals to the volunteers (and if they don't want them, to anyone who does). The main library in my town (in Scotland) has a basement where items which aren't usually borrowed (such as old newspapers which have been copied to microfiche for viewing) are kept. I love old magazines, and sometimes the most interesting parts are the ads which people might not think to save when they're modern but when they're a few decades old they often provide more insight into olden times than the articles.
it's a university library with limited storage room and the newspapers are in foreign languages. They don't have enough employees to scan everything, they already have scanning planned for 5-10 years with current number of people involved. I'm trying to be a volunteer, but people in power are reluctant to any action that they didn't order to be done :/ It's all a lot of work, before scanning they need to be classified/indexed and different departments do different things needed for the process of saving them from destruction.
I am legit stunned at all the pearl-clutching over this artist using pages of books as her medium. What is WRONG with you people, honestly? Bunch of nasty old scolds. She can use whatevertheuck she wants to use...ugh I bet you are the same people who see no value in graffiti. Do you have any idea how many books are thrown away - in the GARBAGE - every day in this world? She is creating something beautiful out of discarded paper with words on it; and I say this as someone who has read 3-5 books a week for decades on end. 10amCoffee, your work is beautiful; PLEASE do not listen to the philistines.
You are an amazing artist. I would buy all of these. Well done.
The book!!! ):
These are all beautiful
i like the style. very rich.
You bought these books. They're yours to do with them what you want to. Don't worry about these haters.
Are you German?
How original!
I honestly can't tell if this comment is intended ironically or not. The art style is very pretty but not outstandingly different to other illustrators, and the idea of drawing on pages of books is certainly not original, though most of us thankfully grew out of it :-)
Josh, no I don't read German myself, but believe it or not some people do - even people who live in and/or visit Anglophone countries. And I'm not dissing the quality of the drawing (which I would probably actually have upvoted were it not for the harm to books) I just don't see anything particularly original about it, and drawing in books is not a sign of originality. If the artist had photocopied the pages onto good paper and used the copies the pictures would even look better because the white bits on black would better match the uninked background of a fresh white page.
I don't see anyone talking about any of your work??? These books are in german. Can you even read German? Honestly, you sound jealous.
Great job :) I love your work, keep doing what you love, it's your happiness that's really matter, and it will just flow showing in your Art.
beautiful work
Very clever and talented! Love them all. I use book pages to make other things, and I occasionally doodle, paint or collage in books. However, they are just for fun. Yours is beautiful art! Thank you for sharing.
Can I buy them somewhere?
amazing work
They go so well with the book page , a story in a story.and the red and black contrast!
Why ruining books?
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The books weren't even in English. They were worthless flea market books.
Gorgeous ^ ^
I'd normally hate everyone who would mutiliate book in such way, but wow. The artist is so talented, it's perfect
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These make me very sad, which is a shame because the drawings are good and I would like to be able to appreciate them, but when they are made at the expense of the book's original purpose I cannot. Perhaps the artist could try photocopying the pages and drawing on the copies, which could then be framed? Or drawing on just the flyleaves/ title pages of the books? Maybe ask charity shops for books they can't otherwise sell because they already have pages missing (or drawn on so that the text is illegible)?
I agree. It is someone else's creative work being ruined. I see a lot of posts saying that they were already worthless, but if that were true one wouldn't be able to find them for sale. We have to remain beholden to all forms of art, it is what will set us apart.
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They're her books. She bought them, not you. They were worthless flea market books no one cared about. Weren't even in English.
What makes you think books in other languages are not as valuable or more valuable than those in English?
What a wonderful collection of work. I don't think the books are defaced or devalued, I'd rather see any book regaining new life, than getting flung into an incinerator going up,in smoke - well that's my humble opinion ;-)
Beautiful drawings. Personally I'd have liked the drawings on a blank page in the front/ back of the book rather than over the print.
Beautiful creativity!
As a bookworm that loves to draw I feel a slight pain because I would love to give these books a try to see if they' are good, but I also honestly love these drawing because there just so beautiful and creative.
The drawings are beautiful, but there's no reason to destroy perfectly good books to make them. Because they are words on paper, about adventures and emotions, about which we cannot read since they're under ink. It kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
They were flea market books. They were worthless. It's not like you were going to buy or read them. Get over it.
How do you know they're worthless? Imagine it was a 1st Ed. I buy second hand books all the time. I love the smell of old books.
Stop destroying books. Use blank paper. You are a good artist. You don't need to destroy others' art for yours.
You are forgetting one important fact Linda. While you may wish her to use a different sheet of something else, please remember that this is her private property, and has the liberty to do with it as she wishes. Ordering her to do something for which you disapprove is not the best approach. Perhaps cordially asking her may work better.
What I see here is the collision of two different kinds of art. Your drawings are cute (not my style and content, but cute) and the idea of using a surface different from blank paper is nice. Though, if "anything but blank" was the reason, a printed page of lorem ipsum would not make people like me feel like someone destroyed a book by ignoring its original content. Random picture over random text. Worst case, a care bear along a page of 50 shades of grey... I'd surely appreciate a picture that is supported by the background text. Such as beach-themed painting on nautical charts, dragon pics on fantasy stories. Pictures that respect and support the book.
I agree! Now you can't read the book although the drawing is nice! This is just an attempt to make good drawings great by using a different surface. Form over function
It is a copy of a book not like destroyng the original. Plus, many books sit in a shelf for years i am sure this way someone will open them more often
John L is right, of course: the addition of the word "Please" to the start of Linda's comment would make it perfect.
As a writer it wouldn't bother me if people used the printed books to make som new. It's just a print, a copy. It doesn't change the actual art - the writing. It'd be different if it were the last copy in existence but that's obv bull so....
Something*.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
shut up linda gulley. these were flea market books. they were already worthless. she made them a little valuable again.
No book is ever worthless.
If they were truly worthless they would not be on sale at the flea market. Perhaps the artist would do better to decorate the title pages so as not to keep the book still readable.
I'm highly conflicted, just as I am when libraries destroy old magazines noone ever borrows to read and they don't have a space to keep them but also noone checks if there is sth of value inside before destruction :(
What the hell kind of library does that?! :-0 If they don't have physical space to store them they could ask volunteers to scan them, the libraries could retain digital copies and they could offer the originals to the volunteers (and if they don't want them, to anyone who does). The main library in my town (in Scotland) has a basement where items which aren't usually borrowed (such as old newspapers which have been copied to microfiche for viewing) are kept. I love old magazines, and sometimes the most interesting parts are the ads which people might not think to save when they're modern but when they're a few decades old they often provide more insight into olden times than the articles.
it's a university library with limited storage room and the newspapers are in foreign languages. They don't have enough employees to scan everything, they already have scanning planned for 5-10 years with current number of people involved. I'm trying to be a volunteer, but people in power are reluctant to any action that they didn't order to be done :/ It's all a lot of work, before scanning they need to be classified/indexed and different departments do different things needed for the process of saving them from destruction.
I am legit stunned at all the pearl-clutching over this artist using pages of books as her medium. What is WRONG with you people, honestly? Bunch of nasty old scolds. She can use whatevertheuck she wants to use...ugh I bet you are the same people who see no value in graffiti. Do you have any idea how many books are thrown away - in the GARBAGE - every day in this world? She is creating something beautiful out of discarded paper with words on it; and I say this as someone who has read 3-5 books a week for decades on end. 10amCoffee, your work is beautiful; PLEASE do not listen to the philistines.
You are an amazing artist. I would buy all of these. Well done.
The book!!! ):
These are all beautiful
i like the style. very rich.
You bought these books. They're yours to do with them what you want to. Don't worry about these haters.
Are you German?
How original!
I honestly can't tell if this comment is inten