This book is fabulous! And, it has some really easy and fast creative journaling and collage techniques. It made me jump up and begin making stuff. I've had fun experimenting with the ideas, and love the beautiful pictures. I just had to have it in my collection and I was truly pleased!

I have wanted to try my hand at altered art for awhile, so I bought this book and let me tell you I have already tried several of the techniques and love the results. It made the process less intimadating. There are great photos and ideas.

A single image naturally gives birth to a variety of amended, reworked and even wholly dissimilar creations, all dependent upon the mind of the viewer. This is the mechanism that propels creativity. Along side the ability to absorb and value artwork for it's its existence alone, the art watcher's analytical process is a reflex, an autonomic firing of synapses that creates a compare/contrast session: what is it - why is it - how did it come about - is there a message or messages here - am I comfortable with the execution of the idea - do I need to be comfortable - what would I have done differently - on what level do I interact with this piece - what will it mean tomorrow or next year - do I want to use this idea as a piece of foundation for my own work - do I want to run screaming - is it o.k. to hate this - how can I have this kind of experience, and so on. Because the human mind so naturally filters, interprets, alters and uses the information it gathers with a unique series of parameters, it seems quite natural that someone (or many someones) would recognize this fact and write it all down in a user friendly format for the rest of us to admire. Conventionally, these authors have something to do with the psychology and sociology world. Mixed-media artist, teacher and entrepreneur Karen Michel has thrown her two cents into the fray by writing the relevant, interesting and non-intimidating reference The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery.


Books like Michel's allow people to do what few artists race to admit - namely, to "cheat.". It is for this very reason that I bought her book. Like millions of other folks, I hate to be caught tracing, copying, recycling or borrowing material. When I pick up a ruler to draw a straight line I can sense the immense and crushing disapproval of real artists, alive or otherwise, as they curl a collective purist lip in my direction. Paranoia perhaps, but we all know that one person who will insist on collecting wild wode and nettles from a rainy mountainside because using azure and turquoise ink from a bottle is lowering one's standards. In particular I found the author's chapters on the versatility of transparencies helpful. Her suggestions for making negatives from acetate and processing them with photo developers is one I will incorporate into my own work.

I couldn't be more pleased with this book! I LOVE the color photos throughout and actual artist examples. VERY INSPIRING!

"The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery: Mixed Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals and More" is basically about experimenting with image modification and the love for the material, as opposed to the conceptual, process in artmaking. Many mixed media techniques are explained and illustrated. Some examples: foto manipulation, image transfer, collage and printmaking. The techniques presented are interesting and, fortunately, not overdosed with filler explanation as so often found in books dealing with creativity.
The author is part of an internet based workshop movement that appeals mainly to women interested in the idea of self-awareness via self-expression. Examples of other artists' work is offered indicating that art monopolized by just one techniques is dé modé and that mixed media has become a stationary trend.

WONDERFUL! The pictures and ideas in this book are incredible. Don't panic if you don't do every exercise, they will wait for you patiently on the beautiful glossy pages of this book. Also, I found myself needing a notebook to write down my own ideas as I was reading and working through this volume.

This book came in a good condition within a decent amount of time. It was way cheaper than other stores/sites. Cheap and easy is what I like, so this book was a great buy for me. Kudos to the seller: I'd shop again with them anytime!

This is a great book and a wonderful journey into the world of mixed media. I loved the section on how to alter real photos!

This book has many wonderful pictures and lists the items need to use for the effects but the instructions are not specific enough for a beginner to dive right in if they are not familiar with certain products. I find myself looking through for techniques that I have not used and really wish that several of the projects were a bit more specific. Overall I really love the book but could see that it could be overwelming for someone who is shy from trying new things.

in my job as graphic designer I often get stuck in a certain way or ideas of a design and this book just popped me into a totally new way of thinking and giving me a ton of fresh ideas

I checked this book out from the library twice, and liked it so much I decided to buy it. My favorite feature: the book explains many methods to use for image transfers from copier, inkjet, and other image sources. It also has tons of full-color examples. I don't particularly care for the author's style of art, but the varied ideas, as well as the gallery of other artists' work, make up for it.

I checked this book out from the library twice, and liked it so much I decided to buy it. My favorite feature: the book explains many methods to use for image transfers from copier, inkjet, and other image sources. It also has tons of full-color examples. I don't particularly care for the author's style of art, but the varied ideas, as well as the gallery of other artists' work, make up for it.

i took a couple of altered photo workshops with karen many, many years ago (before the word altered photo became a phrase in itself) & was so pleased when her book came out. it's like one of her workshops in a book! what i enjoyed best about this book is that it is not a step by step how to book. the artist shares her techniques and then encourages you to take those techniques and experiment some more. i am always amazed when artists share the techniques they've developed so that others can benefit & grow from them as well. this is not a book for those who need their hand held through the creative process, it is a book for those who want to introduce some fun, new tips and tricks into their own artwork. if you enjoy a rougher, not so polished approach to the creative process, you'll enjoy this book. if you need things laid out neatly with tight clean edges, well, you may want to visit elsewhere.

TAhis book MAKES you want to collect everything you find on the street. Its terrible. But wonderful. Re-using everything and everyway, and with hands on approach. I love it!!!! its perfect for designers with 'illustration issues', for getting over it.(!!) Like me.

This book has several techniques I have not seen in other books. My interests are mostly in bookbinding, cardmaking, scrapbooking, rubberstamping, and other paper arts, and I found the ideas in this book were new to me, though they may be familiar to seasoned collage artists. I like the before and after photos, the gallery of ideas, and the variety of techniques covered.

I was disappointed enough in this book to take the trouble and expense of returning it. I read an article mentioned by others which gave a few techniques for altering photos. This book stretched out the article to book length without adding much besides bulk. The images shown were pretty bleak--take a bad photo, scratch it up, and what do you have? A bad, scratched up photo. NOT inspiring to even keep for eye candy.

I have several of these such books, so my expectations maybe considerable.

It was enjoyable with good pics, but there seems to be a trend in this genre for altering images and objects to have them appeared weathered, and worse for the wear. It's all getting a bit old, really. Scratchin, bleaching, peeling??? I am a (selling) collage artist and would be thrilled to see works that are truly organic taking root in the imagination first then heading off to world altered art.

Good pics, good instructions . . . I'm just jaded.

Enjoy

I *TOTALLY* disagree with the reviewer who complained that this book doesn't tell you "how to do it".
While there may not be an exact, step-by-step list & diagram for someone to copy & thus exactly replicate each of the pieces shown (which, anyway, why would one want to, as most of the art is done using highly personal iconography for each artist?), I fail to see how one can help but learn "how to do it" from the extensive discussion of techniques at the beginning of the book, not to mention the detailed commentary & artist's tips accompanying all of the art shown in the Project Gallery.
And if that's not enough, the contributing artists all supplied contact info, so if one is still at a loss, well, the artists are generously offering a way to get ahold of them for further clarification!

I liked this book, it covers a number of altering techniques I was interested in. Although the instructions are brief, it is enough to get you started. I am particularly interested in image transfer, and I tried some ink jet transfers after reading this book.

I have found it takes quite a bit of experimenting to find the right combination of type of paper, to gesso or not gesso the paper beforehand, and the amount of gel medium to use to get good results. I had the best luck printing on ink jet transparencies and transferring to watercolor paper. You can get ink jet transparency sheets at Staples or Office Depot, I found it near the transparency projectors rather than in the paper section.

Having dabbled in multi-media art for some time, I purchased this book hoping to learn further technique I didn't already know. Score! This book, right from the very first page, is easy to understand, and the techniques are more like "you might try this," rather than "you MUST do it this way!" Good images for creative suggestion, too. I'm very happy with this book!

If this book doesn't spark some creativity and a wealth of new ideas, your brain isn't functioning properly. If you're an artist interested in collage and other types of mixed media, this book has the right combination of technique and imagination. Highly recommended.

this is by far the best how-to yet! just when you think you know it all, along comes an amazing, creative artist, giving a whole new insight to altered images! I can't wait to see more of Karen Michel's craft!

This book is full to the brim with inspiration, eye-candy, and how-to's for the artist who knows how to take an idea and run with it.

If you want a book that lets you precisely duplicate someone else's results, this might not be right for you. But if you want a book that kick-starts your imagination and makes you want to grab some supplies and try new things with your own spin, this is it. It's definitely a well you can return to again and again.

Karen Michel is one of my favorite artists, and this book not only showcases her incredible work, but reveals her secrets for altering photographs in myriad ways. By altering photos, you can make unique elements for collage and beyond. I love that she shows work by other artists using the techniques featured in the book, and it all looks different. This isn't a book that shows the reader how to make art that looks exactly like the author's; Michel demonstrates the technique and encourages the reader to create in their own unique style.This is a book that I will use again and again; I highly recommend it!

Much too vague to be called the complete guide. A few helpful techniques are included but for the most part it was a huge disappointment. Think I will stay with the tried and true collage artists who are well versed in sharing their knowledge.

I was so excited when I heard Karen Michel was writing her first book and was willing to share her incredible photo altering techniques with us.

These techniques will get you to break out all your old and not quite "perfect" photos and will help you turn them into amazing works of art.

The instructions are clear and the graphic design is beautiful! This book has a permanent place with my other favorites on my night stand so I can look at it again and again!

- claudine hellmuth
author, Collage Discovery Workshop and Collage Discovery Workshop:Beyond the Unexpected

Here is a visual feast of lush painterly textures and fabulous vibrant coats of color upon gesso upon color, and while I am for the most part completely satisfied with the amount of how-to information and the spare style of presentation, it was obvious to me from the beginning that artists not previously experienced in paint materials or not as familiar with the use of paint and gesso in a book format might be a little disappointed with the very sparsity of step by step photos that I'm actually a little relieved to be skipping over this time. If you've had some art classes or are fairly familiar with common AB techniques and have perused the other AB how-to books and maybe keep up with threads on blogs or mailing lists about popular materials, chances are you won't be left behind by Michel's straightforward but not intensively detailed instructions. This is not a book where you follow A to B to C to instant "Karen Michel" art. There are progressive photos of steps, but not in the same minute way we've come to expect steps in other craft books. The message is more, "be free! experiment!" than it is "do this exactly!" which is precisely what I liked about this book.

I was delighted to finally gain more insight into Michel's now famous photo altering techniques, which I'd heard about for years but could never quite get the straight dope on without taking a class from her (believe me, I would if I could!). The only thing I'm slightly disappointed in is that many of the images of her work are readily available either in other artist's books or online. I was thrilled to see more of her work but still I wish there were *more* of her previously unreleased work here. The section including other artists' work is also marvelous, though, and did include images I had not already hunted down elsewhere online. The only other tiny thing I'm not entirely clear on that I would appreciated more information about is her use of hard gesso for book pages, which I've read blurbs about elsewhere (for example; is it the type you make from a mix?), but then I think I'll be intrepid and just buy some myself and see if I like it better than acrylic gesso. I'm more than happy to run with the lively, color-saturated inspiration offered here without getting every single technique in exquisite detail.

All in all, I'm extremely satisfied with this release and even after repeated readings I'm still picking the book up and going through it again.

I first encountered some of Karen Michel's ideas for altering photos for use in art within the pages of the magazine "Cloth Paper Scissors." As one of the legion who have photos that are less than spectacular, but that still have some sentimental value, I could see the possibilities open up. So I was thrilled to discover she has written an entire book of her ideas, and picked up my own copy as soon as I could find one.

I am not disappointed.

Filled with examples of complete works, including the works of other artists such as Lynne Perella, Nina Bagley and Carlo Thertus, the book shows a multitude of ideas for altering not only real photographs, but images from other sources, such as magazines and postage stamps. Techniques are numerous, ranging from those that are easily done with tools around the house, such as scratching designs in the photos, to more complex techniques, such as the gum dichromate process.

My only wish might have been to have some step-out photos to demonstrate the some of the image transfer processes, but the text gives detailed directions.

Of special interest is a section on using your computer and photoediting software to alter your images. Anyone who has ventured into this area will have tried some of the ideas she suggests, but there's lots more to explore.

I've already played with scraping and sanding, using watercolor markers and messing around with some of the artistic filters in my Photoshop program. I look forward to trying many more approaches, especially ways to make use of substandard photos in some of my scrapbook designs. Thank you, Karen, for helping push me into the next wave!