it’s a zine peek!

oooh, things are getting so very close!  i have to jog my memory on what zany settings lulu wants for the pages files for the zine, then export 50 or 60 something pages, then it’s ready!

see what wonderful artists are going to be featured in this newest issue:

and want to see a peek?  if not, you better close this window fast ’cause i’m sharing.  please do note that these are only a portion of what you’ll find in the next altered bits zine issue… there is sooooo much great art it may make your head spin.  it makes mine spin, at least.  love it all!!

more soon.  🙂

working away on the zine — for real this time

gotta love those weeks of high energy and little sleep!  i’ve worked my ever-lovin’ arse off on the altered bits mixed media art zine and have managed to design 49 pages in the past week.  all i have left is fill a couple of blank spots (you may be able to help here — see below), finish the absolutely amazing artist interview (have all the info, just have to lay it out), add artist bios in the back, then complete an article that you will LOVE and ADORE (it’s not by me — but one of the pages appear to have been lost during my computer crap-out last february when i lost all the pages i’d already designed, blah, blah.  i will fix this or contact the amazing artist who submitted it… but i’m not telling you who it’s by ’cause surprises are good).

(above is a tiny little peek at one of my pieces in the zine… category: artful retelling of history)

so, here’s the deal.  due to many things, such as my inability to properly count, someone silly submitting a piece to two different categories and me trying to add it to both before realizing the error, and my OCD-like need to have all new category sections starting on the right side of the page, there is still a bit of room.  not a lot, but a bit.  if you would like to submit super late for consideration of the zine, please do so by wednesday 10/24 at 9 PM (USA — PST).  i will need: high res photo(s) of you piece(s), your bio, your URL to site or blog, your location and an optional write-up on the piece(s).  and title of piece.  you can submit up to 3 pieces per person however space is HUGELY limited.  email to hi (at) altered bits (dot) com.

this is what’s left:

one half page (portrait orientation) in cabinet of curiosities
one full or two half pages in artful retelling of history
one half page (landscape orientation) in handmade/altered books and book pages (journal pages allowed as well)
tattered and torn is full unless i get two pieces i die over and must include — it would be a pain in my arse, but potentially worth it

i am also working on the tallest handmade book in the world project but i’m too ADD to talk about it right now — very focused on the zine.  i have not forgotten about it and now that school’s back in, art groups are back on.  super exciting news to share, etc.  but soon… this is zine time!  🙂

if all goes all planned, this zine WILL be ready for the holidays to but as gifts, etc.  also, i’ll be giving away at least one to one of the contributors and probably another to a non-contributor.  we’ll see once we get there (gotta save my pennies for little man’s holiday gifts first, hah).

UPDATE (about an hour later):

there is now only half a page in handmade/altered books and pages/journal pages
and half a page in cabinet of curiosities

re-announcing the altered bits print zine

re-announcing, the altered bits print zine! 

i’ve gotten lots of emails stating that i haven’t posted info about the zine on my blog other than the themes so yeps, i’m a huge jackass.  apparently i’ve just spewed off a bunch of empty promises to post about it… so now i’m officially pulling my head out and posting the info for those who are new to my zine or wish to get additional information.

after going through the suggestion and voting process, we came up with four themes for issue two of the altered bits zine.  the themes are as follows:

cabinet of curiosities ( i’m actually working on a piece for this category today.)
tattered and torn (i’ve gotten the most submissions for this category so far.)
an artful retelling of history (this was my choice, so of course i’m quite excited — love the merging of art and history!)
handmade & altered books and pages (this is a super fun one too!)

feel free to interpret each of these categories as you please and use your imagination.  EACH ARTIST CAN SUBMIT UP TO THREE PIECES.

here is a peek at some of the submissions so far.  i’ve muted the color a bit so i don’t give everything away.  i promise you’ll still want to see the zine in the real.  it’s going to be gorgeous!!

the deadline for submissions 21 December, 2011.  i have had to extend this a bit due to all of the recent chaos in my life… so hopefully this will work for everyone.  if you need an extension, please let me know and i may be able to work something out, though i cannot make any promises just yet.

what you must submit to be eligible for inclusion:

• send high resolution photos of your art piece (or photography), at least 300 dpi, no smaller than 6 inches on the shortest edge (at 300 dpi, 6″ = 1800 pixels).  please attach to email rather than inserting into body (some email programs shrink files when you do that).
• indicate which category you are submitting each piece to so i don’t put it in the wrong place.
• PLEASE don’t send small photos.  use name files like this so i’m not confused: lastname_firstname-artpiecename.jpg (you can send jpgs, pngs, tiffs — no gifs or bitmaps — those don’t work for print).
• a short bio in odt, txt, rtf, doc or pdf format.  please DO NOT SEND DOCX files — i can’t open them and don’t want to buy ms word.
• the url to your  website or blog
• optional: a short write-up about your piece and/or your inspiration (these will be space permitting)

what you need to keep in mind:

• kind of a no-brainer but i’ll say it anyway just in case: do not submit anything with copyright restrictions.  for example, don’t use egon schiele’s “standing nude young girl” in a collage or whatnot — i don’t publish copyrighted content as that could ruin it for all of the responsible participants.
• please ensure all of your images are royalty free or have commons licenses.  there are great places to get images like that (flickr commons, wikipedia commons, etc.).

when it will be published:

i will be working on layout and design over the winter holidays and the start of the new year.  i’m shooting to have this published and ready to order by late february or march.  i’ll keep you posted though — if you sign up for notifications on my blog, you’ll be insta-enlightened when i post about it.

extra bits:

if you are interested in submitting an article or tutorial, let me know — i’ve never included one before but think it could possibly be fun to have one in each issue here on out.  if you are interested in advertising in the zine, go to my website to find the rates and info that i will be soon posting: http://alteredbits.com/artzine.php (or email me)

send everything to hi [at] altered bits [dot] com.

thank you so much, friends and fellow artists.  if you haven’t submitted yet and you plan to, i cannot wait to see!!!

zine theme results tallied for issue two

there were an astounding 215 votes for the next altered bits zine themes and the top four are the winners.

the next altered bits zine will have four themes:

cabinet of curiosities (if you know me, you know this thrills me beyond belief!)
tattered and torn (this one actually surprised me)
an artful retelling of history (this was my choice, so of course i’m quite excited — love the merging of art and history!)
handmade & altered books and pages (you know i love this too!!)

i was a little sad that assemblage and dolls/doll parts didn’t win but then i realized that i could still do assemblage for any of the non-book themes, and of course include dolls or doll parts if i so desire… which i probably do!)

submissions are now open!  deadlines for submissions is october 31, 2011 (that’s halloween so you may not want to wait until the last minute).  limit three submissions per person, with one main shot and up to two detail photographs of each piece.  you can read all of the submission guidelines on the altered bits website on the zine page.  please read the submission guidelines VERY carefully as it  is a huge amount of work to follow up with people if they’ve sent improper files or missing information (and i may not have the time to get back to you, thus you may not have the opportunity to be included, sorry).  i am very open to helping if you have any questions prior to submitting so always feel free to email me if desired.

introducing the first ever altered bits print zine!

i am just giddy with bliss right now as i’m holding in my hot little hands the very first ever print version of the altered bits mixed media art zine.  there are 46 pages of detectible goodness greatness!  twenty-one amazing artists have created the pieces in this zine and i am so proud to have been able to design it, despite all the glitches and delays (sorry!!  that won’t happen again).  i spent all of today doing one last iteration of the zine, uploaded it and have made it available for purchase from lulu.com at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/altered-bits-mixed-media-art-zine-themed-notorious-letters-and-symbols/15982653

soon i will be issued an ISBN number so it will also be available on amazon, and at that time i will order up heaps of copies for the altered bits shop too.

just to give you a tiny peek at some of what’s in the zine, i will introduce you to two gentlemen.  well, guys, at least.  first, jesse james.  i created this piece as a gift for my husband as he is a decedent of jesse james (which you can read about in the zine).

next, the storyteller.  he’s a quirky dude made from a wonderful anatomical doll i received from my super friend tracey kraft (actually, i think she sent me about 20!).  he’s the first in a series — wait until you seen the giraffe guy.  🙂

i did a girl too, but i shall share her with you another time.  i was clearly in a comical state of mind with her (and the guy above).

also in the zine is a wonderful and personal artist interview…

if the revisions i did today look as good as what i got in the mail this morning, i think you will like this zine (they SHOULD — all i did was move one page and alter a name misspelling).  i sure hope you all love it.  thank you, thank you to all who helped to create this first print issue of the zine!  i adore and appreciate each and every one of you!  in alphabetical order by last name: Jay Anderson, Seth Apter, Joanne Archer, Alicia Caudle, Finn Caudle, Katie Cahill, Kym Decker, Patti Edmon, Kerin Gale, Tricia Gillispie Scott, David Hayes, Lisa Jurist, Tracey Kraft, Melissa Majchrzak Buckley, Debi Mattingly, Kim Palmer, Lisa Sarsfield, Renate Starke Krammer, Esther Verschoor, Rachel Whetzel and Jill Zaheer — you are the best!!

the zine is not only available in print, it’s available as a digital download.  almost forgot that: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/altered-bits-mixed-media-art-zine-themed-notorious-letters-and-symbols/15982653

(i will be adding all participants to my sidebar soon, and send trackbacks for this post, but for now, i have to start getting the little one wound down and ready for bed.)

ohoh, i will also be doing a secret drawing this week — ALL participants names (except mine and finn’s) will be tossed into a hat and whomever i draw will receive a FREE issue of the zine from me.  i wish i could afford to send ALL of you a zine… but i can’t.  starving artist, and such.  xx

 

zine silence

this is the time when i get super quiet and don’t post for awhile… working on the zine like crazy (plus prepping for a wee show, a new etsy shop and working on pulp)!  i’m horrible at answering emails in times like this so don’t take it personally if you feel ignored (there are currently 979 unread messages in my inbox).

some pieces are still trickling in for the zine since i allowed a post-deadline deal of this friday for those that gave me a head’s up —  so exciting to see all of the magnificent work that you all have created!  thank you so much!  it feels like i’m playing graphic tetris: fit this here, squeeze that in there, turn this to go there, etc.  i have a couple of gaps, but i’ll figure it out, i’m sure (think there is a 1/2 blank page in the gallery section and a 3/4 blank page in letters and symbols but hopefully i will work it out and MAYBE a full notorious page).  if you get it to me by friday (PST — so saturday for some of you “other side of the world” folks), i MAY accept another piece or two but i’m not making any promises… not to sound like a big meany pants.  details are here >>

more soon.

new art zine plan and more book peeks

okay, so i’m totally and completely insane for thinking that i can do an entire print zine during the holidays.  so, i’m not.  i am notorious for over-committing and i’m in the mood to stop that.  particularly since design work went from crap to “oh crap!” in that i have a pretty big load coming up.  and my son likes my attention more than he enjoys the back of my head, so, i’m slowing down a wee bit.

so, here’s the deal, which i will post on the altered bits site later.  i am going to extend submissions to february 15th-ish and accept things for both the notorious AND the words and symbols themes.  i will also add a select few images from previous issues: anatomically altered, odd numbers, and black and white.  in order to do this, i will need to have previous submitters fill out a wee form authorizing me to add it to the printed zine — this will also help to ensure i have all proper links and contact info, etc,. and fix things like the spelling of my sweet friend debbie’s last name (yeah, she’s one of my bestest sisters and i spelled her name wrong in two issues — i am the WORST and therefore publically apologize)… and stuff like that.  i’ll upload it to the zine page soon too — will let you know here when it’s up.  also included in the print zine will be other fun things such as the pulp redux collaboration blips, and probably something special from kerin on resin clay, or so i hope — she is a wealth of knowledge and her brain contents should be shared with the zine-buying world.  advertising is available in the last couple of pages so let me know if interested, and i will likely add a page or three on events and workshops so let me know if you want to advertise anything there (the release of a book, a super coll art retreat, a gallery exhibit, etc.).  if you missed out on previous themes and wish to submit something say, anatomical or black and white, feel free to do so.  i will accept up to three new pieces per person but everything but be submitted properly (my site will have instructions soon).  i think that covers it for now — all sorts of great, jumbled info.

although it doesn’t entirely fit with the theme, this is a little peek at part of my tribute page to our pulp redux altered book collaboration and the five ladies participating.  five little crystals are in the nest, the bird, like our books will soar around the world.

P.S. that bird is made of resin clay.  🙂

possible peek at my cover tomorrow.  i have to get this thing in the mail to debs!

genius!

dan at yudu is a genius, and fixed the issue with the zine. you now have my permission to go peek there (rate it if you have an account): Altered Bits Mixed Media Art Zine :: Black and White i owe him a batch of cookies or something.

by now you’ve heard…

the black and white zine is up and ready to review!

of course i still haven’t heard back from yudu about the issue of some text displaying red other than for them to tell me that they didn’t see it, but hopefully that is remedied first thing on monday as i sent screen shots galore to illustrate the issue (re-uploading it did nothing but take another five hours, same issue ensues).  do you guys see it?  maybe it’s just me?  in the meantime you can just check it out on my site: http://alteredbits.com/artzine.php (make sure to check out both parts).

i want to thank each and every one of you who are in the zine so very much for taking the time to submit your work and write up your descriptions.  it eneded up looking fabulous!  i mentioned to a couple of people that i was initially quite worried that black and white may appear too washed out or bland when crammed into one publication, but i was quite wrong — it rocked, because you guys are amazing artists!  thank you also for all of your amazing feedback too!  i will take a bit to respond to all of the emails but know i am appreciating you and all of your kindness right now.

here are the stats for anyone interested:

• the zine has currently been views on yudu 305 times (despite my telling people not to look yet since it’s all wonky)
• (it is the 78th most popular publication on their site of thousands of publications this week too)
• it was viewed 980something times within the first 24 hours of being on my site and 543 in the past two days
• 27 silly people, out of just over 1500 only looked at part one

i don’t even know 1500 people.  or maybe even 27 for that matter.  so, i am quite stunned that so many people have viewed this in such a very short period time.

happy weekend!  i’m taking a couple of days off to chill, then i will bring you the new artist interview(s) mid-week next.  you will be ever so excited!

announcing: the black and white zine, altered bits changes and…

what a crazy fun two days of being sick!  i love how i say “i’m checking out for a few days to do nothing” and what do i do?  LOTS!  and i have much to share…

first and foremost, i have completed the black and white zine!  it may not be up until tomorrow though as i still have 40 PDFs to export and the whole thing to assemble, then upload, but at least it’s complete.  it’s “omg gorgeous!”… that’s kinda like pee your pants pretty, but WAY better!  i will be adding it to yudu for ease of viewing as well (it will be ENORMOUS).  if you missed the cover, peek at my last post for a tantalizing treat to tide you over.

in this issue, you’ll notice that bio text and other bits are more plain than they typically are.  this is by no means a sign of laziness or a lack of desire to pretty things up, but rather done as a means to make all links clickable and all text searchable.  this will be of benefit to all of us.

i have also added a section on the site for cheap advertising in future publications to help off-set some of the time spent and hefty hosting fees associated with the size of the zine, etc.  the last issue, which was half the size, got over 6k views in the first month alone so i’ll advertise in it.  🙂  that is some pretty decent exposure to people who are definitely already interested, i think.

in other news, i have changed around the altered bits site a bit, though will continue to wrap that up over the next several days.  the important things you will need to know are that there is no long a LOVE page.  i killed it.  instead, all past, present and future artist interviews will be found in the “Guest Artist” section.  duh.  i am still kicking myself as that is, after all, what i created the page for.  why i put it elsewhere is beyond me, but the ol’ head is now outta the booty, promise.  in place of the previous LOVE page, i am adding a “tutorials” page.  here you will find all sorts of things from all sorts of people.  some free, some with small fees, etc.  currently, you’ll find nothing (just be patient — i’m only one girl).  🙂  well, i did whip up a 10-ish page tutorial yesterday, complete with photos and everything, but i can’t think of a name so it will be a bit before i post it.  more on that later.

last but certainly not least, i am updating the guest artist page next week!  you will be thrilled to find that you get not one, but TWO fabulous artists — a beautiful and endlessly talented couple.  you’ll see soon — not going to spoil it for you.

go peek to see if the zine is up and if it is, please, let me know what you think.

——

UPDATE: Okay, it’s done, but it’s almost half a gig in size!!!  Trying to figure out how to deal with the enormity of this beautiful beast… and will get it up ASAP either way.

——

ANOTHER UPDATE: The zine is now on the altered bits site and i have uploaded it to yudu.  They are, however, having issues and some of the text is display as red (initially all of it).  Apparently they have some glitchy things going on and are working on fixing it.  Please don’t hold me accountable — just look at the two part version on my site and come back and let me know what you think!  Hope you like it! Now I must nap — I should have rested when I got sick ’cause now I have a cruddy fever and am feeling deathly.