Book Review, Regular Columns JODI WILEY Book Review, Regular Columns JODI WILEY

Book Review: The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin

By Jodi Wiley

This little gem of a book is a handy 'how-to' on selling your handmade creations (whatever they may be) locally, globally and online. Written by a crafter (Kari Chapin), for crafters, it's full of great advice for turning your hobby into a business.

Divided into three parts, The Handmade Marketplace covers everything from goal setting, branding and pricing in Part 1 to marketing, blogging and publicity in the second part, with the last section focusing on selling: at craft fairs, online and in bricks and mortar stores.

Sometimes the specific business advice is not relevant outside the north American market but there's still plenty in there to sink your crafty teeth into. It includes helpful tips about all aspects of creative business from using social media to building community and, of course, selling your stuff. I especially like that it's full of advice from real people who have successfully turned their passion into a thriving business. People like Ashley Goldberg, Grace Bonney and Holly Becker (and many others) have been interviewed and snippets of their wisdom appears throughout the book.

It has also been illustrated by Emily Martin (aka The Black Apple) and Jen Skelley whose drawings give it a funky indie art feel. The fun design of the book and the conversational writing style means it's a breezy and engaging read.

If you're looking for inspiration to turn your crafty pastime into a business this book will have you brimming with ideas. It's a great starting point for taking your crafty ideas to the next level.

The Handmade Marketplace is published by Storey Publishing.

Jodi Wiley is an artist, writer, teacher and blogger. She has written freelance articles and book reviews for magazines and newspapers, as well as education curriculum. She has won awards for her artwork and been a finalist for several art and illustration prizes. Jodi is currently on maternity leave from high school teaching and is on a (quite frankly deranged) quest to update her blog daily: artbywiley.com

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Book Review: Drawing from Life - The Journal as Art by Jennifer New

By Jodi Wiley

Visual diaries are often associated with artists and written journals with writers. But, of course, many creative endeavors are aided by keeping some kind of record book.

I have kept a journal of one kind or another for most of my life so I was very excited to discover this book. Drawing from Life by Jennifer New is distinctive because it features a range of people from wildly different professions: illustrators and artists, yes, but also a psychiatrist, a geologist, a performing artist, a photographer, an engineer, a furniture designer and a quilter, among many others.

What they all have in common is their propensity to record their thinking in a book made of paper (I wonder how rare this activity is becoming given the rise of electronic organisers?). The book is divided into four sections: observation, reflection, exploration and creation depending on the way the person mainly uses their journal.

Each visual journal spread comes with a description of the particular approach its author takes, their reason for journaling, frequency of entries as well as any predilections for book types (lined or unlined paper etc).

The big draw-card of this book, though, is the voyeuristic opportunity to peek into all of these journals. There are illustrator, Maira Kalman's, observational sketches from life and artist Christopher Leitch's meticulous recording (in words and pictures) of his every dream.

Frenchwoman Sophie Binder bicycled her way around the world and her travel sketches are amazing. Cartoonist Lynda Barry writes with an Asian-style brush to slow down her thought-process and uncover more 'back-of-the-mind' images.

Designer Erica Bohanon covers her pages with drawings of chairs, tables and lamps. Quilt-maker Denyse Schmidt creates graphic diagrams of her quilt designs but also uses her journal to muse about life, paste in quotes and admonish herself for biting her fingernails.

This is what I love most about journals: the organic way in which they evolve, revealing the creation process, but also saying so much about the creator themselves.

In her introduction New says of Drawing from Life, '...while this is not intended as a how-to - most of these books are much too personal and pragmatic for replication - there are certainly many creative seeds to inspire readers'. That's for sure. I know I learn something new every time I open this collection and am inspired once again to continue journaling myself.

Drawing from Life: The Journal as Art is Published by Princeton Architectural Press

Jodi Wiley is an artist, writer, teacher and blogger. She has written freelance articles and book reviews for magazines and newspapers, as well as education curriculum. She has won awards for her artwork and been a finalist for several art and illustration prizes. Jodi is currently on maternity leave from high school teaching and is on a (quite frankly deranged) quest to update her blog daily: artbywiley.com

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Book Review: The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum

By Jodi Wiley My photography skills are pretty basic and I'm still using my advanced compact on 'auto' - not that there's anything wrong with that - but I figured it was about time me and those fancy settings got better acquainted.

The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by photographer and crafter, Heidi Adnum, is full of useful information for the amateur picture taker. I use a lot of trial and error to take my own blog photos. A little less 'error' would be great though, which is where this book comes in. If you photograph your own products for your blog, website or online shop then this book is aimed squarely at you. But it's also great for people who keep a blog and just want to take lovely photos of 'things'.

But this book isn't just about getting to know your camera settings, although it definitely covers that in detail (the first chapter is 'Camera Basics' - light, aperture, shutter, exposure - the usual suspects) but it's a whole lot more than that. There's information on 'how to tell your story' which gets you thinking about how you want your products to be perceived. It shows how you can alter the 'feel' of your items using techniques such as composition, backgrounds, props and styling. There are also handy DIY tutorials on making camera accessories like a light box, flash diffuser and seamless background.

The main body of the book covers how to photograph just about every form of craft you can think of: Fashion and Fabrics, Jewellery, Art, Home Accessories and more. Each section also includes an FAQ with questions such as: 'My home accessories would look great featured in a beautiful home. Problem is, though, I live in a tiny less-than-photogenic apartment. Help!' Can anyone else identify? Each section also ends with a spotlight on a particular crafter. It's great to hear how actual people have solved their photography problems and improved over time. Really useful stuff.

The final third of the book goes through photo editing tutorials, image handling (protecting copyright, saving and storing, troubleshooting) and business advice.

This book is touted as containing 'foolproof' techniques for creating great product photos and it's certainly easy to understand. It's light on jargon and very readable. It's also jam-packed with lush photos of gorgeous products so it's easy on the eye too.

I'm loving this book right now. Combined with the tripod I just got for my birthday I should be taking top photos in no time! Now if only I can figure out those settings...

The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos is published by Murdoch Books.

Jodi Wiley is an artist, writer, teacher and blogger. She has written freelance articles and book reviews for magazines and newspapers, as well as education curriculum. She has has won awards for her artwork and been a finalist for several art and illustration prizes. Jodi is currently on maternity leave from high school teaching and is on a (quite frankly deranged) quest to update her blog daily: artbywiley.com

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