Remakes

Posted on by Alexandra Schaefers

I remade a couple of my books from 2013, The Wind Returns with Autumn. and Patefacia and the Crickets. I didn’t have good photo editing skills back then so the books always printed dark. Also I made a new cover for The Wind Returns. and shortened the title. The old cover was smaller than the print size and I never really like how that turns out. The new cover does not exactly flow with the illustrations but I still like it better.

I was tempted to redo the whole thing since I’ve gained a lot of skills since 2013 but I want to move forward with my new book. Maybe in the future I will get to that. The poem is one of my favorites and one of my more relatable ones so I think it deserves the attention. It’s always challenging as an artist to know when promoting old work detracts from what you are doing now and when it adds to your history and depth.

Both books are in my shop on the front page!

Belmont Street Fair

Posted on by Alexandra Schaefers

I’m going to have all my books at the Belmont Street Fair this Saturday September 14th from 10 am to 6 pm. I’m in booth #144 between 33rd and 34th street.

I’ve been very busy getting my Landscape Diaries chapbook ready! I’m really happy with how it turned out! The hardest part was choosing which pieces to include. I asked a couple friends to tell me their faves. One of whom is a very gifted printmaker whose work you should check out, Patricia Giraud. I’m not great at analyzing art but it seems to me that Patricia and I both work closely with the moody, dark and intricate beauty of the human connection to the natural world but that we do it it very opposite ways. Patricia renders exquisitely detailed drawings and prints and I make more gestural paintings and whimsical illustrations.

If you can’t make it to the fair Landscape Diaries is available on MagCloud.

The Gift of Birds in Print

Posted on by Alexandra Schaefers
top on top of original illustrations used in the book

The Gift of Birds is now available in my shop!

The above photo shows one copy on a pile of the original illustrations. I took this to get some Instagram glam in my on-line presence. Probably not most people’s idea of glamorous but I really enjoy turning my writings into illustrated books!

I took a copy to the nearest Little Free Library at 35th and Spring Garden as has become my tradition when I finish a new book. I’ll keep that up until I no longer live in walking distance of a Little Free Library.

Book Making!

Posted on by Alexandra Schaefers

Here’s a video of me illustrating a book 5 years ago. I use the same illustration technique I’m going to teach in my upcoming artist book class at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Illustrating a book is surprisingly easy if you start all the pages at once on a large sheet of paper.

When I make books for print I illustrate the pages individually but I love this technique because it teaches one how to make creative compositions, have a consistent aesthetic throughout the pages and quickly cuts through the intimidation factor.

My illustration style has developed tremendously since I started making books and I believe that this technique was critical in my development. Also, it’s really fun! I love art techniques that have an unpredictable element in them!

My next greeting card book is actually going to be a revised edition of The Gift of Birds, you’ll get to see that soon.

There’s still some spots in Artist’s Book Illuminated. Hope to see you there!

Greeting Card Books Explained

Posted on by Alexandra Schaefers
In The Slough, Greeting Card Book by Alexandra Schaefers

I picked up In the Slough from PaperJam Press yesterday, it is now available in my new WooCommerce shop under the “Books” tab. I’m really excited about making more Greeting Card Books. It seemed like a good way for me to be able to do what I love most—illustrate my own nature poems into little books—while also providing something genuinely useful to others.

These days we are rightfully tired of clutter, wary of collecting and gifting unnecessary junk and we want to reduce our negative impact on the environment. Since Greeting Card Books house heartfelt, intimate poems they can be seen and felt as a special gift while using very little extra resources than a traditional greeting card. They are presents for people we love who really don’t want more stuff. They are for people who love to give gifts but want responsible options.

These are printed on 100% recycled paper. I rode my bike to the shop to look over the proof and took the bus to pick up the finished copies. I even rode my bike to the post-office this morning to send out my first orders. I am going to try my best to keep up the alternative transportation theme so these books can have a hint of environmental stewardship added to their value.

I have a 50% off sale to celebrate the opening of my shop and the completion of my second Greeting Card Book, it runs through May 14th. I’d love to know what you think of this idea!