Private Investigations: Altered Book as Visual Journal $140

Juliana Coles

A murder has been committed: there has been a loss of soul.
Not for the Faint of Heart

 What should happen if our journals fell into unscrupulous hands?  I know, let’s disguise it.  We’ll change the names and the events to protect the not-so-innocent by “altering” our story into a detective novel.  It will be a Visual Journal disguised as a whodunit.  This class will involve clues, dossiers, and intrigue through journal writing exercises utilizing third person accounts such as eye witnesses at the scene of the crime.  We’ll alter cool old crime/mystery novels  and  whodunits with characters like Inspector Poirot.  We’ll revisit Death on the Nile, or even comedy like “Murder by death” or “Clue“.  Bring ephemeral  evidence or Tony Hillerman desert images.   Think The Thin Man, Myrna Loy, Charlie Chan, Inspector Holmes, or Nancy Drew as we attempt to solve this caper and act as our own witness.  We’ll create headlines and exciting pages.  We’ll come up with our specific investigation  in class through various journaling exercises designed to probe the interior.  Be prepared to do some inner detective work and self sleuthing. Consider old movie posters,  the Orient Express, North by Northwest. This is no open and shut case, so you will not leave class with a finished product, but rather begin the process of an exciting new Visual Journal format that puts a twist on combining journal writing with art making by describing it in third person in an altered book. As Chief Inspector, I’ll guide you every step of the way.

Supply List: Your favorite supplies or your traveling 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
a jar for water

All Visual Journalist’s should have a set of rubber stamp letters and numbers.   And I highly recommend Staz On stamp pads because we work so quickly.
acrylic paint- any brand, any color in at least two colors, one light one & one dark
two brush markers in different colors- black would be good
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.

You will also need a book to alter.  (I have some great old books with wonderful covers like “The Winding Staircase” but it could be any kind of book in any size that is interesting to you. Imagine where your mystery will take place- it could be India, a small New England town, the Old West)

Bring plenty of collage material from your favorite era:  luggage tags, book pages, maps, and other evidence, film noir scenes from magazines, found photos or some copies of photos of yourself. 

Please email Chief Inspector Juliana Coles if you have any questions:  meandpete@msn.com Website: www.meandpete.com