Imagine Your Artist’s Book

A handmade card displayed on a table with a green cover featuring a black and white textured print of a tree and leaves, and a colorful cut-out butterfly with pink, blue, and yellow patterns. Blurred paintings are in the background.
Art, Books, and Creativity
Grade Level
3 to 5 6 to 8 9 to 12
Subject Area
English/Language Arts Visual Art
Download Lesson 10

Lesson 10

Two 45-minute periods. Students will explore the idea that an artist’s book is a container for housing an idea. Students will review all of their artwork and writings, choose a concept for their final artists’ books, and select text and illustration techniques to use in their final books. 

Key Connections

  • An artist’s book is a container for ideas.
  • Creating artists’ books requires imagination and planning.
  • Journals, sketchbooks, and past work can be sources of ideas for new work.

Instructional Objectives

Visual Arts and Writing

  • Students will review their work for ideas they would like to expand or rework.
  • Students will work with a partner to choose text, materials, and a book form for their final artists’ books.
  • Students will understand that the book form they choose should help express the content of their artists’ books.
  • Students will imagine what their artists’ books will look like and describe it in words or images.
  • Students will write a list of materials they will need to construct their books.

Instructional Plan

Observe

What does it mean that an artist’s book is a container for ideas? Select some objects from your classroom (a mailing tube, tissue box, water bottle, globe, ball, etc.) and ask students to imagine how they could use them as book structures and what kinds of writing might go with them.

  • What ideas does the object bring to mind?
  • What could the book be about? Which ideas make the most sense for the shape and form of the object?
  • What kind of writing would go with it?
  • Where could text be added to this form?
  • What else could be added to the structure to help it convey a message?

Create: Plan Your Artist’s Book

Tell students they will review all the work they have created during the year to help them choose ideas and develop content for their final artist’s book. Their ideas might be expressed visually, in writing, or both. They will then choose book forms that will help express the ideas for their books. Encourage students to think about how their structure and content will work together.

Supplies

  • Student journals
  • All of the students’ work to date: student folders of art, writings, and book forms
  • Sticky notes (optional)

Activity

Students may complete the activity in any order, but they must address each step in the planning process before beginning to construct the book.

Choose an Idea
  1. Give students some time to individually look over their artwork and read through their journals and other writings. Students should look for ideas, words, sentences, and images they like and may want to include in their books. They can either circle the words and images, mark them with sticky notes, or write or sketch them on a new sheet of paper.
  2. Then, have students work in pairs to review their own and each other’s work.
Choose a Book Form
  1. When students have found a few good ideas, have them discuss with their partners what kind of book form would best express their ideas. Students should discuss how ideas and images can work with the shape of the book.
  2. Have students write or sketch ideas for their books and the book forms they will use in their journals.
Choose Text and Images
  1. Have students begin to think about the text and images for their books. What kind of writing do they want to include in their books: a short story, poem, descriptions, or memories? What have they already written that can be used in their books?
  2. Have students go through their journals and quick writes again to find words and sentences they want to use. Have them circle the words or mark them with sticky notes.
  3. What kind of images do they want to include in their book: abstractions, realistic drawings, graphic designs, or illustrations? What have they already created that can be used in their books?
  4. Have students look again at their artwork and either write, sketch, or mark with sticky notes examples of artwork they would like to use.
Choose Materials
  1. Have students begin thinking about the art materials they will need to create their images and book forms.
  2. Will they need paper, cardboard, or found materials to create the book form? Will they use watercolor, crayon, collage, pencil drawings, a combination, or something else? How will the materials they use shape their images and help convey their ideas? How can they reuse artwork made in earlier lessons, such as decorative paper or rubbings
  3. Have them make a list of materials in their journals.

Reflect

Have students respond to one of the following prompts in their journals or use the prompts to generate a class discussion about envisioning their artists’ books.

  • What does reviewing your work make you realize or wonder?
  • What surprises you about the work you have created?
  • What questions do you have?

Go Deeper

Check out related writing objectives, lesson extensions, and more in the comprehensive PDF lesson plan.

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