Punch Art Fun 1 - Look in the Book - Cover

Gosh, the title's getting longer...

Alternative title: LB-C!

Okay, let's talk about the cover. How are we going to do this? What about some questions?

Wait, who's going to ask the questions?

Hmmm, I guess I'll ask myself the questions and pretend I'm you!

Right, here goes....

Questions I'd ask if I was you!

Why'd you do the book in the first place?
I always wanted to write a book. I was a school teacher, so I thought it'd be a book for kids. It turned out to be a craft book, but I've still got some ideas for kids' books!

Also, I started teaching punch art classes in 2001 and there was such interest in the craft that it was just a natural progression. We all just needed one. I wanted to write one, and the crafters out there wanted one. A book was born!

How'd you come up with the ideas?
The book came out in 2002 and I'd been doing punch art since 1999, so it was a compilation of all of my ideas up until that time. And a few new ones, of course. I just wrote a book that I wanted to read.

Who's that guy on the cover?
That's my brother, Peter. He's one of my favourite people!

Do you really scrap like that?
Yes and no.

I was nervous about scrapping for all three books actually. When I did Book 1, I was only really new to scrapping. I'd done my first page in Dec 2000, and I was working on the book a year or so later. And I'd only done basic scrapping in between! I'm talking photos on white backgrounds with a bit of colour - basic.

The scrapping was out of my comfort zone, but I went with the flow. I remember the scrapping for Book 2 being much harder.

How'd you come up with the cover design?
I didn't. My graphic artist (and very good friend), Rochelle, did. We talked about it and she came up with some ideas. We tweaked it and went from there. The girl's head was too big, so she got reduced, and a kangaroo got put in. We purposely included all colours on the front, as well as a scrapbook page to show that punch art was great in scrapbooks.

The background took the longest. We couldn't figure it out for a while there. I took a piece of vellum over to Rochelle (must've had some pattern on it) and she said, "So you want the background to look like scrapbooking paper?" "Yep!" Her next idea was the background you see. Fabbo! I think she drew the swirls herself too.

I've always liked the cover. It's fun and colourful and just my style! I didn't know I liked bright colours, fun, cute and simple until I got into punch art. Funny, huh?

What's with all the bees?
Debra means bee, so it suits the book to a T.

Also, one day I had an idea to include little bees in the corner because I thought it'd be cute and fun.

See? Cute and fun. Told you.

Actually a friend of mine saw my book and told someone, "It's just so Deb." How'd she know that? I didn't even know it was so me, so how'd she know? I guess others know us more than we think. And when you put your heart on a plate (that's what the book is), people recognise it because they know you and can see you in it. Hmmm, I found that interesting.

What's with the bear floating in mid-air? (Hey, that rhymes)
That's Carl. He's pops up throughout book. Another bit of cute and fun.

What's Freedom Art?
That me. That's the name I design under. And the name I sign on the back of all my cards.

How long did it take for you to write the book?
Hmmm, about 3 months? Actually, not sure. It was in the works for a while and I tried to do it while still teaching punch art classes. I wasn't getting anywhere and had to take some time off in the end. I think things really picked up in April - June 2002. And I babysat Rochelle's children for 3 weeks in July so she could work on it during the day. We wanted it done by August, and we did it with a big push in the end.

How'd you come up with the title?
I'd been thinking about titles while putting the book together and then one night it just came to me. I knew it was the right one. I've always liked it.

Anything you'd change about the cover?
No, not really. It wouldn't be my book cover from 2002 if I changed it.

Actually, I'd put Freedom Art in the top in a basic font with no italics. And I'd put a drop shadow on the bee in the corner. A drop shadow is the shadow that graphic artists put around things to make them look better. See the blue shadow under the orange of my name? That's a drop shadow. Learning about all the graphic art stuff - what a learning curve!

And that's it. That's the cover of Punch Art Fun!

Thanks for joining me. If you've got any other questions you'd like answered, you can put them in the comments section, or just send me an email.

Okay, bye now!