Debra Disman

Artist

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Accordion Fold

Making Books Together: Creating Folded Fan Books at the Platt Library

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A glorious time was had as families gathered at the Platt Branch Library to create folded fan books together!

The program was designed for children, and families turned out en mass!

Grandparents got into the act!

Working on unique projects, together.

One of the things I love in conducting these programs is the opportunity for parents to have the opportunity to work with their hands alongside their children.

It is amazing how often makers choose colors that they are wearing to put into their work. Was this little fellow influenced by his Superman tee?!

Contemplative siblings focus in on their projects.

All that glitters,

is good!

Working together, but always working. A parent’s job is never done.

This beautiful family with twin daughters hunkered down and created with great joy and gusto.

Encouragement….

Layers of color, texture, pattern and materials created ravishing results.

The “pièce de résistance“….a masterwork of creativity by this proud young maker. Using foam beads he built onto his cover, creating another level of dimensionality, fun, and…intrigue?

Of course!

Fanning the Creative Flame: Making Folded Fan Books

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To kick off my 2019-20 Artist Residency at the Sunland-Tujunga Library, supported by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, I led a Children’s Bookmaking program, where participants and their families learned the art of “Folded Fan Books”.

The folded fan book is comprised of an accordion spine, two covers and pages glued onto one side of each fold of the spine, to create a fanning out effect when the book is opened.

Over twenty participants joined us: children with parents, siblings and friends, supported by a library volunteer and the stupendous Sunland Tujunga Children’s Librarian, Kirsten, or “Ms. K”, as she is affectionately called.


Children enjoyed writing in and illustrating their books, whether in known or created language.


We were thrilled to see that hardworking parents got into into the act too, and enjoyed some creative time. It is common for makers to use the same or similar colors to what they are wearing.

 
Mothers and daughters worked side by side.

Creativity is a dish beautifully served up in community…

Fairy Tales…Make Your Own Books

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It was a gift to be able to work with students every day for five weeks this past summer, and introduce them to the book arts as well as other media. As a teaching artist, we often only see students once a week, so to be able to watch them learn and grow on a daily basis was a thrill!


Surrounded by scads of art supplies, tools and materials, 5-6 year old students in our “Fairy Tales” and “Make Your own Books” classes had an ideal situation for creating!


This outstandingly creative young student in “Make Your Own Books” certainly did just that, using her flag book to try out all kinds of drawing and painting media while exploring color, shape, line and texture.


Each flag page held a different combination of media, including acrylic and watercolor paints, pastels, crayons and markers.


Students created books large and small, including tiny ones that would fit in a (albeit rather large) matchbox!


Mixed media reigned supreme, such as combining letter stickers with markers and paint pens.


Oops! Markers on the project, not on your fingers!


Making and embellishing file folder portfolios was our first project. Some students created so many books they made a second portfolio to hold them!

A brilliantly bookish and imaginatively magical time was had by all!
Goodbye summer program, until next year!

Children Create Unique Handmade Books

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It was a gift to be able to work with students every day for five weeks this past summer, and introduce them to the book arts as well as other media. As a teaching artist, we often only see students once a week, so to be able to watch them learn and grow on a daily basis was a thrill!

In our “Creating Unique Handmade Books” class, students aged 6-8 learned and created a variety of book structures while exploring all sorts of materials. They learned about folding, gluing, sewing, and book structures including accordion, single signature, flag book, and side binding.

At the end of our time together, parents were invited to celebrate their bookish achievements, and a good time was had by all!


We used a wide variety of materials to create our books, including all sorts of papers, ribbon, stickers, washi tapes, feathers, glues, drawing and writing tools and more!


The accordion or concertina fold is primary in many bookmaking structures. Students learned this process then applied it to several projects.


Our wonderful TA wrote personal notes to all the students!


Single signature (a gathering of pages sewn together through the fold) structures were fun for the students to create, because they looked to them like “real” books.


We invited families to join us the second to last day of class to see all the students had created.


This student adores pattern and collage and had an impressive array of books featuring these by the end of our class session.


Mother and daughter peruse her handmade books together.


A young student shines as she shares her accordion-folded and flag books with her parents.


Sharing books with Dad…this student created so many books he made a second portfolio to hold them all!

It was hard to say goodbye after such storied adventures this summer, but it is my hope that these students will continue to exercise their imaginations as they make books and develop their skills and creativity.
They are well on their way!

The Art of The Book: Ages 11-14

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It was a rich and fascinating experience to work with 11-14 year olds in creating books this summer…in our class, “The Art of the Book“.

I had the opportunity to work with students every day for an hour, for 5 weeks straight, and it was joy!


Our 14 year old maker…loves PINK!


Flag book extraordinaire!


Pink accents painted on illustrations taken from book being altered.


Beautiful marbling work done on watercolor paper cover of this 11 year old maker’s side-bound book.

This same 11 year old (going into 6th grade) is an amazing painter, self-taught to some extent.


She spontaneously decided she would create this astounding painting on her multi-colored accordion fold book with terrific results.
Students created their own “book cloths” through painting with acrylic on canvas, and using it as a binding for their single signature books, done with real book board.

To teach this class was a real treat. I will be perusing these images, and pondering over what the students created for a long time to come…

Gratitudes!

Getting Lit: Making Matchbox Books at the Granada Hills Public Library

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It has been exciting to lead programs at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL, as part of  my Artist Residency there:  “We Write the Book“, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

In honor of Women’s History Month, I led a workshop on how to create mini “matchbox books”.  Open to the whole community, participants included families, seniors, children, adults and youth.  Participants used actual matchboxes as the container or “cover of their books, and folded accordion pages to place inside them. I had appropriately-sized images of the work of five amazing women artists, who the makers learned about, and used in and on their pieces.

Faith Ringgold of New York City,  Yayoi Kusama of Japan,  Liza Lou    of Los Angeles,  Frida Kahlo   of Mexico, and  Georgia O’Keeffe of New Mexico were featured, nd participants incorporated images of their work and the artists themselves into their projects, hopefully learning about them and being inspired in the process


Families work together.


Honored members of the Friends of the Library joined us.


Mother and daughter work side by side.


I couldn’t agree more!


Purple and pink…perennial favorites.

 
Kusama’s polka dots rule….


Kahlo graces the cover…


Our fearless, peerless teen librarian, Kristin Peers, joins the fun!

It is such an honor to serve this community as Artist in Residence, and get to know the families and individuals who frequent the Branch, as well as its awesome Staff.

Gratitudes!