Kara, I have done a number of different kinds of books with themes.
One was "My favorite things" (of course I gave them the lyrics to the
song - and sang a bit) they got the idea and came up with a few good
ideas. I work in special ed - it's sometimes hard to compare abilities
- but some drew, some used collage. I teach 11 to 18 year olds.
One group just experimented on 6x6" sheets of watercolor paper - all
different techniques - dry brush, splashing alcohol, wet-into-wet, etc.
We made a "mood" book, choosing 4 favorite ones and folding them like a
"star" book.
are you familiar with the star book/snake book ?- it's like origami.
I found a poem that in 4 stanzas referred to earth, sea, air and rock:
4 pages, each a different color, texture and stanza. You might try
giving a poem, song lyrics or quotation to use throughout the book. 4
seasons, 4 wishes, etc.
We did some tiny books - using a $10 polaroid "I-zone" camera - they
made books of themselves, friends. . For the younger ones - It must
have a beginning, middle and end. www.artistbooks.com Ed Hutchins is
great! gives directions, inspiration - fun.
The workshop I go to in NJ is a summer program with Miriam Schaer (also
great)The Artist/Teacher Institute www.artshorizons.org
Let me know if you need details. I have some pics at school.
Grace
