Share/Bookmark

What I would like to achieve ...

Publish Your Own Art Book

Author: Jeff McRitchie

Putting your artwork together in book form is a rewarding experience. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

Preparation:

The first thing you will want to do when you are creating your own art book is to put together some kind of mockup. For this stage you will simply staple together ten or twelve sheets of blank paper and sketch out what you would like the general layout of your finished book to look like. If you have not planned out a cover yet, just write the word “cover” on the outside page. Then you can decide where you will have the acknowledgments, the table of contents, etc. You can also start to make some decisions about what the general design of the individual pages will be, what pieces you are going to include in your book, and how you are going to organize and arrange them to create the best result.

Text:

You may not want to have a whole lot of written words in your art book, but you will need to have some. You should have a bio page wherein you talk about yourself a little bit; how long you have been an artist, what your media and inspirations are, and any other informative items you’d like to include.

Though as previously stated, you may or may not want to have a lot of expository text in your book, you should at least include a little bit of information about each work. Nothing grand necessarily, just perhaps what you might put on a description card in a gallery or museum.

Art:

You will also have some decisions to make about how to best portray your work. At the very least, you will want to have some high-quality photographs taken, and possibly even have some prints made for the pieces that don’t translate well through photography. Unless you are also a skilled photographer, you will probably want to hire a professional for this part of the project. If you don’t know any professional photographers, take a look around online for some in your area, or ask some of your artists friends for the name of someone who has some experience in the kind of work you are looking for. As far as prices, they can vary quite a bit. Keep in mind, however, that photographers are artists too, and if you are at the point that you can’t really afford to pay their full rate, you may be able to do some sort of trade.

Printing and Binding:

You will, of course, want to use a four color process and digital printing to get the highest quality pages possible. When it comes to binding you book, you have many options here as well. Are you just creating a one-off to show to publishers, or are you doing a small run by yourself? If it is the latter, you should take a good look at owning your own hardcover binding machine (known as “thermal” binding). Generally, these machines are rather inexpensive and remarkably easy to use. With them, you can create your own bookstore-ready hardcover books whenever you want to and in whatever numbers you choose instantly and easily on an as-needed basis. Take a look around online to see what is available and what might work best for you.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/scrapbooking-articles/publish-your-own-art-book-1976271.html