Circus, Circus Big Book of Postcards

Description

These booklets are folded and stapled, black and white xerox on paper, with paper covers. Some booklets have cardstock covers with colored paper pages. Where indicated, covers, and covers only, are in full color. I am selling a process, not a product. The booklets are not the "thing", but rather house a virtual workshop using my process. The real "thing" is your own expression, guided by my assignments.

***

“Me & Pete Big Top Productions Presents:
Circus, Circus Big Book of Postcards“

(Circus Booklet kit includes wire, tissue paper (but any color or pattern will work great!) class booklet, and instruction manual.

Step right up folks as we create the greatest book on Earth - a Technicolor Dreambook that combines the surreal color and excitement of the Big Top with the dark underbelly of the Traveling Circus World. Do you sometimes feel like your own freak show? A sideshow Carnie, a misfit? Does your life feel like a circus to you? Let it take center stage and use it to create art. Ladies and Gentlemen, delve into the darkness and bring it to light in this fun and fast paced workshop of thrills, spills, and extraordinary feats of the imagination! Join Ringmaster Juliana’s Circus Book of Postcards where Freak show characters and scary clowns step out of little cars in an endless parade in the center ring of Extreme Journalism. Begin by creating at least 12 mass produced 5” x 14” postcards utilizing Juliana’s Technicolor techniques- & then choose the 5 best to create a Visual Journal post card book complete with a big top tent! We will then be guided through Juliana’s exciting process for self discovery by combining journal writing, in the form of self addressed letters, with mixed media and collage - postcard style! The end project, simply bound with eyelets and Binder clips, is a remarkable book of self expression where we’ll meet strange characters: a brave trapeze artist sailing through the air with the lightest of ease, a lion tamer with whip, the fat lady who finally sings, the fire eater - all aspects of ourselves who offer revelations in the form of fascinating letters and postcards-complete with postage and address labels!

-Workshop Supply List-

Mixed Media Tool Kit: You will definitely need the following: Your favorite glue - I love big UHU gluesticks, scissors, some brushes for your paints, a rag or two, and a jar for water. All mail artists should have a set of rubber stamp letters and numbers - Search for circus style rubber stamp letters (Wild west letters also work!)! And I highly recommend Staz On stamp pads because we work so quickly. You will need acrylic paint- any brand, any color in at least two colors, one light one & one dark. You will need at least two brush markers in different colors or a black sharpie. A graphite pencil- regular old number two is fine, but if you can get to an art store get an ebony pencil, or a 6B, or a graphite stick (not charcoal) just make sure that you have some wet items and some dry items.

Collage: Start collecting images of circus characters, carnivals, side shows, freak shows - the bright colors of Hindu /India images will also work! Half the excitement of artwork is the collecting and research! Bring copies (of things that are precious) or old photographs, old postage, faux postage, postal rubber stamps (postage, cancellations, even travel visa stamps work great for fake postage!) address labels/stickers, rubber stamp letters, old handwritten letters, anything related to letter writing, cards, mail art, postage, etc., Don‘t forget your circus/carnival ephemera including bright colored papers, circus animals, clowns, things for cages, acrobats and anything else you can think of as well as souvenirs! Bring small pieces of fabric for your tent flags flying from the top of the big top, a large holed bead for the top of the tent, and I clipped an old earring on the other tent top!! You may also want some festive trim, ribbon, or fringe to add to the overall circus effect or gold or gilded items!

( I designed this workshop to punch holes, set eyelets, and bind with 1 inch key rings, but if you have a Zutter cutting/binding tool- wow- that would be cooler!)

Eyelet Setting Tool Kit: You will need an eyelet setting tool that can set 3/16 eyelets, (the pointy tool is best as opposed to the flower shape) or whatever setting tool you prefer, depending on your setting tool, you may need a hammer with a flat head. You will need a hole punch, Japanese hole punch or a high quality leather punch for 3/16.(If you are using a drive punch, you will need a small piece of wood to hammer the hole), you will need an eyelet setting surface-small kitchen plastic cutting board from the dollar store, or a linoleum tile (I really love my mini anvil) or if you have a surface you prefer to work on, use that. You will also need a metal cork backed ruler, a mat or utility knife, and a self healing cutting board. Whatever works for you, please feel free to use that method. Test your eyelets to your holes before you punch them all! Make sure they fit. You will need two 1 inch binder clips or key rings. ( I get them by the box at an offic supply store- Office Max didn’t have them - Office Depot did - but these are included in your kit).
Mat Board: You will need at least 5- (more if you want to make a few more cards- this is enough for 12) mat board/museum board scraps. (10”x14” -or larger) Even Corrugated cardboard box panels will do. (you don’t need to buy any!) Cardboard from anything is fine- rip off the backs of sketchbooks or pads of paper. Different sizes, textures, thicknesses is good.

Please email Ringmaster Instructor Juliana Coles with any questions or concerns: meandpete [!at] msn.com
Please refer to teh included pink "Instrucion Manual" for creating the "Big Top."

Added on Sep 03, 2009