Due to the number of art and graphic design classes I teach as a lecturer at Mississippi State University, I do not have a lot of time to produce paper art and freelance as I’d like to. When a gift-giving event comes up, I tend to take advantage of that time to practice my craft. I love doing to produce a natural look using plant inclusions– blending up flower petals, grass, and leaves in with the pulp. I also have been experimenting with ways to apply imagery to the paper. (Excuse my photography. I need to do better at documenting my gifted art.)
Laser-cut typography with black paper placed behindLaser-cut typography with black paper placed behindSpray-painted typography using self-produced stencilsClose-upSpray-painted typography using self-produced stencils, and Sharpie dotsHand-painted typographyClose-upHand-painted typography // Spanish for “You are Beautiful”Hand-painted imagery
I will be writing blog posts in the coming months to make up for the year that I failed to document due to teaching a packed college class schedule in the fall, and sickness in the spring. It was a challenge to do anything more than what was required of me! I look forward to sharing with the world what my students were capable of accomplishing this past school year.
During Fall 2014, I was contacted by a publisher in China called DesignerBooks about the possibility of being included in a paper arts book. After much emailing back and forth, it became a reality. On July 23, 2015 I received an email that my work was officially included and was sent a copy of the published book a couple months later.
My chosen paper art from undergraduate and graduate school was featured in four full spreads with detailed descriptions of my idea and creation process.
It is a beautifully designed book, and I am proud to be included with many of my paper art heroes throughout the world.
Title: Paradise of Paper Art 2: The World of Dance Paper
Dimensions: 1.4 x 8.3 x 11.2 inches
Pages: 400
Color: four-color printing
Paper: Matte paper
Binding: Paperback
Language: English
ISBN-13: 9789881378217
Shipping Weight: 2.3kg (5.1 pounds)
At the moment, it’s available on the Australian book website Booktopia and other Chinese vendors, including DesignerBooks.
The bookBook jacket with laser-cut holes & the front coverTable of Contents & Biographies (see my ice cream cones on right page)Cloud Gazing spread 1Cloud Gazing spread 2Summer’s Day Treat & JacksEldritch Forest typeface promotional mailer undergrad project
All of these projects are featured on my portfolio website, brittanyspencer.com.
It’s amazing how the Internet makes our world so much smaller and offers connections we would not make otherwise. I’m grateful that a DesignerBooks representative found my website and offered me this opportunity!
Brittany Spencer // Papermaking & Graphic Design 