Integrating Photos and Type (Online)

Join Ellen Sheffield in this hands-on workshop for photographers looking to create artists’ books integrating text with a group, series, or sequence of their photographs.

Note: This workshop will be held in a live, online format utilizing the Zoom platform.
Class meets Wednesdays, May 1, 8, 15 & 22 from 6-8pm ET.

Tales, narratives, poetry, soundscapes, diaristic writing, and text collage are just a few of the many exciting ways language can be used with photographic images to create a synthesis of multiple modes of expression expanding the realm of traditional storytelling. Turning the pages of an artist’s book embodies movement through time and activates interaction between images and text – a rich genre for exploration.  For photographers looking to create artists’ books integrating text with a group, series, or sequence of their photographs, this workshop will be a place for playing with this alchemy to create original content. 

We’ll first examine how other artists have used text in photographic artist’s books. Various approaches to using words with images and text itineraries will be discussed. Throughout the workshop participants will work on a series of hands-on writing exercises, page layout options, book structure mock-ups, and homework assignments designed to encourage experimentation with the concepts presented. These rough drafts and prototypes will be shared in this process-oriented workshop with the goal of deepening our understanding of text/image relationships while developing skills to put those elements in motion in a mock-up plan for an artist’s book project. Attendance during the live Zoom presentations is encouraged for optimum fun!

Materials needed:

• a dozen 3” x 5” notecards
• a dozen 8.5” X 11” text-weight paper or sketchbook pages
• 6 to 8 pieces of 11” x 17” or larger text weight paper
• Writing tools, pens/ pencils
• Drawing tools –pencils, markers, pastels, charcoal (your preferred tools)
• Glue stick & masking tape 
• Scissors or X-acto knife
• Bone folder
• Misc. paper ephemera like vintage magazines, old maps, postcards, letters

All images copyright Ellen Sheffield.