Monday, February 21, 2011

And Now It's Altered Art


What is altered art you ask? Basically it is simply a form of creative expression which has been around for centuries.
Altered art is created by "altering" or combining existing works of art to produce new pieces of artwork. It involves the transformation or "alteration" of ordinary, everyday objects into artistic pieces using such things as rubber stamps, fabric, paper, paint and fibres.However, what most people think of as altered art seems to be a certain look, a certain style. This often is an old and faded look , like it is vintage, antique, worn or distressed.

If a piece of artwork is described as "altered" it probably means that it has that old, worn and distressed look and not necessarily "altered" from an existing work of art.
Many things are used in altered art projects:

Bottle Caps
















Bamboo Tiles















Books



















Boxes



















CDs and DVDs

















Bottles






CD cases , Cigar boxes, Dominoes, Blank Pendants or settings, Jigsaw pieces, Luggage label(shipping tags), Matchboxes, Microscope slides, Photographs and postcards, Photo frames, Playing cards, Slide mailers, Slide mounts, Tags, and Tins
There are many different techniques used in altered art--here are some of them:
Collaging, Die Cutting, Embossing, Adding Embellishments, Gluing, Using Fabrics and other materials, Using Paints, Inks, and Glazes, and Rubber Stamping.
So, now you know what "altered art" commonly means and the techniques used to create an altered art project.
And now here are some of my altered art creations:


Altered Art Necklace--I started with a blank raw brass disc--

Techniques used--inking, glazing, drilling, riveting, and gluing.






Altered Art Tag--I started with a blank manila tag.
Techniques used--distressing, inking, gluing, adding embellishments--charms, flowers, vintage watch parts, ribbon, pearl cabochons, pictures, a spinner, brads, a pin, and filigree
butterfly--and stamped images.Altered Art Pendant--I started with an antiqued silver blank disc.
Techniques used--embossing, drilling, inking, glazing, gluing, rhinestone embellishments were added, and a lady in the moon charm.




Altered Art "Artist Trading Card"--I started with a blank manila card.
Techniques used--distressing, inking, adding embellishments--brass charms and cabochon, pearl cabochons, image of a vintage lady, brass gear, spinner,brads, paper flowers, and lace ribbon--and stamped images.



Altered Art Earrings--I started with 2 blank brass drops.
Techniques used--inking, glazing,drilling, riveting, gluing, wire wrapped loops.

Altered Art has opened up an entirely new avenue of artistic expression for me. I love learning so many new techniques and am experimenting in so many different types of materials. It is really exciting for me to let my imagination go wild with this form of artistic expression.
Well, that's all for now...