Blackout Poetry Art
However, you will learn everything you need to know about the poetry part of it as well. This type of art is really easy to make. But it’s also a lot of fun to do.
And the very best part about it… blackout poetry is a great way to work on improving your creativity.
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What is Blackout Poetry
Blackout poetry is a form of appropriation art where the artist finds a new poem in pre-existing text. This can be written word from books, magazines, or newspapers. Or anywhere else you can find usable text for that matter.
I was first introduced to blackout poetry in 2011 when I took an altered books class as part of my Art Education program. This was something that was new to me, and opened my eyes to a whole world I had previously known nothing about.
Our professor introduced us to a book by Tom Phillips called A Humument.
In this book, the artist discovers a new story hidden in the original text. The original book, by the way, was called A Human Document. A Humument is derived from this original title. The pages of the book are beautifully decorated with colors, doodles, and drawings.
If you’ve never flipped through the pages of this book, I highly recommend you check it out. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Blackout poetry doesn’t have to be done throughout an entire book. But I have to admit, it sounds like a fun project. However, most of us aren’t willing to make that extensive of a time commitment to one project.
You can use as little or as much of a book or magazine that you want to use.
Let’s get started with the tutorial on how to create blackout poetry art. Here’s what you will need to follow along.
Art Supplies
- Text pages, usually from a book
- Pencil
- Black illustrator pen
- Markers
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How to Do Blackout Poetry Art
The first thing you need to do is find an old book. You’ll know when you’ve found the right one. What’s right for you will depend on how you are going to process this book.
Will you leave the pages intact, or will you tear them out and utilize each page as a separate work of art?
I went to a used book store to find my books, and I actually picked up two. One will be ripped apart, while the other will be left intact and used as an ongoing project.
Now you need to decide if you will use the entire page or a portion of the page. Blackout poetry art typically takes up the entire page. However, you can cut the page down into smaller sections if you choose to do so.
I almost always cut mine down into artist trading cards so I can trade them to other artists when they’re finished.
You should do whatever works for you. After all, it is your artwork!
How to Find a Blackout Poem the Creative Way
When finding your poetry within the text, you want to avoid reading the entire page. You don’t want to know what the text is actually about. It will be easier if you don’t know, and will help to push your creativity.
Choose a random page from your book and scan through the text, looking for words that can be connected to one another to form a poem. You want to find one main word that has a powerful meaning to it, or something you can work with to create your art around.
If you’re using only a portion of the page, you can choose to cut it down either before or after you find your poem.
Use a pencil to circle the text you want to use for your poem. Your blackout poetry can make sense. Or it can be a silly selection of words that are entertaining to read.
The simplest form of creating blackout poetry art is just use a black marker to cover up all of the words not included in your poem.
Although this is a perfectly acceptable way to create your blackout poetry art, it’s right boring. Wouldn’t you agree?
Another option would be to use black acrylic paint to cover the rest of the page.
The Art of Poetry
But there are more creative, and interesting, ways to draw attention to your poem. You can draw abstract designs on top of the words you want to hide. Or you could draw something related to your poem, which is what I did with my example.
This poem that I found mentions a tide, so I decided to draw a wave around my words. I used a black illustrator pen and some Bic markers to color in my wave. A white Gelly Roll pen was also used to add in some white highlights. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.
How to Do Blackout Poetry Art & Improve Creativity
As you can see, making blackout poetry art is both challenging and rewarding. The more you do these the easier they will get. And it’s a great way to work on improving your creativity. If it feels difficult it just means you need to practice more.
Anyone can learn how to draw and create art. It’s a learned skill that takes time and practice to master. If you can spend a few minutes everyday you’ll see your art skills improve. Keep it fun and relaxing. And never give up.
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very interesting and I learn a lot reading your blog. Poetry is feeling placed into the measure. The feeling should stop essentially, however the measure can be procured by art.
Thank you. I’m glad you like the blog.