Collage Discoveries

I promised you the review of the "Collage Discovery Workshop" by Claudine Hellmuth, so here it is - it's gorgeous! *^v^*

No, it's not the end of what I have to say about this book although it pretty much wraps up my opinion.

First of all, Claudine Hellmuth is my kind of artist. "She enjoys the challenge of working with a variety of materials and cutting, pasting and painting her artwork by hand." - it says in the description of the author. And later she advises: "Add more color with your fingers. Fingers are my favorite tools, Don't be afraid to use them!" I love working with my fingers and I always use them, no matter what media I'm working with (and then I walk around with paint on my fingers that wouldn't come off, sigh... good I didn't choose oil paints as my primary medium!^^), touch is my first and most important sense. *^v^*

The book is divided into clear sections, describing basic tools and techniques, ways to create interesting backgrounds, making image transfers, working with beeswax and antiquing objects. Then there are chapters describing the composition of a collage, miniature assemblages and ways to experiment. All this sumptuously illustrated with clear step-by-step photos and great works by Claudine herself.

I finished reading the first chapter about backgrounds and I already learned a lot (and applied some of it in my new painting ^^)! Then I went on and I'm so eager to experiment with caulk and beeswax!... It even seems that I can get here in Poland most of the tools and media recommended in the book (even the heat gun and a special triangular quilt iron! ^^).
I didn't go to any art schools or courses, so books like this are a great source of knowledge and technique for me.
I wasn't sure whether I should buy this book because for me buying on Amazon.com is rather expensive, with the shipping costs to Poland being more than half the price of the book itself, but now I'm sure it was a good investment in my future painting career. Second book by Mrs. Hellmuth, "Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond The Unexpected" is already on my Wishlist as well as some more books that look like a good help to develop my creative techniques. *^v^*