The art journal workshop Break through, explore, and make it your own

Kansas artist Bunkers' second book is much akin to Alice's fall down the rabbit hole. We wonder, initially, where we're going when Bunkers starts with a psychological caveat about the art of visual journaling. Even more confounding is that her process, complete with call-to-action exercises and prompts, is not a real methodology to follow. Rather, it's a series of how-to instructions exploring different emotions. Confusion aside, Bunkers provides the usual upfront information about tools and materials as well as useful narratives to help avoid visual blockages. To get unstuck, for instance, she advises cutting out magazine words and pictures or figuring out what's being avoided. Along the way, her very personal layout entertains, as do her examples. Tips, such as to take photos up-close and to save removed pages, inform novices and pros alike. An accompanying DVD takes readers through her instructions, but take care, for it's all too easy in using this kind of crafts book to slavishly copy the samples without customizing or starting afresh.--Jacobs, Barbar. Copyright 2010 Booklist