Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera

by Nick Bantock

His internationally best-selling Griffin & Sabine saga is treasured for its blend of lyrical storyline and compelling, imaginative art. Now Nick Bantock gives a short course in visual creativity in Urgent 2nd Class . A tour through the techniques and materials which constitute his signature style, Bantock shares with readers numerous ways ways of using old paper ephemera -- maps, letters, postcards, ledgers, scraps, photos, and many more items -- to create their own idiosyncratic art. Written for people of all artistic skill levels, the materials mentioned are all easily found and inexpensive, and the processes are simple enough to do at home (and with access to the most advanced machinery used in the book, a photocopier). An inspirational guide to the simple artistic techniques which can alchemically transform ephemera into remarkable works, Urgent 2nd Class is the handbook for a new generation of visual poets.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Crafts, Graphic Novels, Art Design, Reference, Design

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2004

About the author

Nick was schooled in England and has a BA in Fine Art (painting). He has authored 25 books, 11 of which have appeared on the best seller lists, including 3 books on The New York Times top ten at one time. Griffin & Sabine stayed on that list for over two years. His works have been translated into 13 languages and over 5 million have been sold worldwide. Once named by the classic SF magazine Weird Tales as one of the best 85 storytellers of the century. He has written articles and stories for numerous international newspapers and magazines. His Wasnick blogs are much followed on Facebook and Twitter. His paintings, drawings, sculptures, collages and prints have been exhibited in shows in UK, France and North America. In 2010 Nick's major retrospective exhibition opened at the MOA in Denver. His works are in private collections throughout the world. Nick has a lifetime BAFTA (British Oscar) for the CD-ROM game Ceremony of Innocence, created with Peter Gabriel's Real World, featuring Isabella Rossolini and Ben Kingsley. He has two iPad apps, Sage and The Venetian and is working on a third. Three of his books have been optioned for film and his stage play based on the Griffin & Sabine double trilogy premiered in Vancouver in 2006.

Produced artwork for more than 300 book covers (including works by Roth and Updike), illustrated Viking Penguin's new translation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. He's designed theater posters for the London plays of Tom Stoppard and Alec Guinness.

For 20 years Bantock has spoken and read to audiences throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Given keynote and motivational speeches to corporations and teachers state conferences. He's given dramatic readings on the radio and the stage and has been interviewed (way too many times) for TV, radio and print.

Bantock has worked in a betting shop in the East End of London, trained as a psychotherapist, designed and built a house that combined an Indonesian temple and a Russian orthodox church with an English cricket pavilion and a New Orleans bordello. Between 2007 and 2010 was one of the twelve committee members responsible for selecting Canada's postage stamps.

Among the things Bantock can't do: Can't swim, never ridden a horse, his spelling is dreadful and his singing voice is flat as a pancake.

Source: Nick Bantock - profile

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Nick Bantock, and those wishing to emulate his art style, are liable to enjoy Urgent 2nd Class. Fair warning: The book purports to be a guide for replicating Bantock's artistic style, but instructions are minimal.

Chapters are divided into various types of ephemera: stamps, maps, engravings, photographs, etc. More than anything, the various chapters instruct the reader on where to search for such unique items, followed by a few examples on how to maximize their application.

Not everyone has time to rummage antique shops or lives in close proximity to street markets where vintage finds abound, so Urgent 2nd Class has the added appeal of feeling like a veritable snooping through the ephemera Bantock has collected over the course of many years, a chance to admire found objects for the sheer enjoyment of their uniqueness. Lions and music notes commingle on one page, while vintage banknotes on a separate page draw the eye with lurid oranges and robust blues. Turn the page again to admire an old Bingo game, so aged the white paper has turned amber-yellow. Explore the book for its old travel maps, custom-made rubber stamps, hand-drawn illustrations, or retro food labels. And, above all, be inspired to mix and mingle the strange and wonderful objects that can be found in this strange and wonderful world.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting, but not engaging. I would hardly consider this to be an "art class", as the back-of-the-book blurb asserts.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading Nick Bantock's collage based short fiction books for about a decade. The first one I read, The Museum at Purgatory confused the heck out of me but I loved the illustrations. It wasn't until I discovered his Griffith and Sabine series that I really fell in love with his books.

Last year I decided I should read every book of his that I hadn't yet read. The last one on my list was Urgent Second Class. It's part memoir and part collage how-to and completely fascinating.

Bantock goes through the different materials he uses, like old stamps, old money, old business correspondence, contracts and maps to build his pieces of art. He also uses three dimensional items as well when creating shadow boxes.

Besides collecting useful ephemera, Bantock creates his own stamps, postcards and other "dubious documents." There are so many useful techniques I wish I owned a copy of the book to refer to when I am working on collages. Unfortunately I was reading a library book.

[Kate Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to peruse, but not much practical detail. Also, some of his artwork I find a little precious - he'll find a neat piece of old mail, for example, put a fake stamp on it and take credit for its awesomeness. That's not really original art, it's more a sign of you having a good eye and liking to collect weird stuff.

[Iphios · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what I wanted. I have loved Bantock's artwork and have been curious about creating collages such as his. My interest grew as my own love for botanical prints, worn out paper and stamps thrown together has grown. Art makes me go weak. Learning something about art is just wonderful, this books briefly discusses the various ephemera---from old receipts, stamps, documents, and postcards, as well as some simple methods or suggestions that can be used to create them.

This is not as thorough as providing the reader with actual lessons. These are ideas, suggestions, accompanied with picture that allow one to understand how to best approach using old postcards and maps, etc. Hence, there is room for the readers own artistic taste and imagination to re-create and bring to life her own collage.

I can't wait to try my hand in creating this sort of art.

[Jan Polep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Bantock, author of the "Griffin & Sabine" saga, offers up ways to jazz up your walls, your personal histories, your great American novel...whatever you want to embellish using old letters, maps, postcards, old documents to make art that enhances whatever you are writing. Techniques included but not limited to collaging, rubber stamping, typing, cutting, books and magazines, money, and more. Family history buffs, take note.

[Riley M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might be interesting for fans of his work, but I came across it at the library without knowing him. It looked interesting and like it could have some fun exercises, but was quite disappointing. It mostly just lists off types of old ephemera that he likes with some images, with the occasional basic suggestion like “you could add old stamps to other old things”, and then has a few examples of some art pieces he’s done with very brief description of what he did. No instructions or exercises or anything. It was just too basic.

[Violetmyst17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read from the world of ephemera collage...Bantock has a decidedly irreverent take in his collage art that's highly appealing to me. He devotes a chapter to his creation of "dubious documents": improbable passports, envelopes that look as if theyve circled the world several times, ancient postcards that have apparently traveled thru time from sender to recipient. My favourites are his collection of rubber stamps that play on traditional post office jargon, such as "Armageddon: Last Day Cover" or "RETURNED: inept love letter". ( i've since bought several of these for my own collage work). Idiosyncratic inspiration from a collage artist who definitely thinks outside the box....

[Apryl Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit disappointed that my expectations failed me on this one, although I'm not sure why. What more can be said about gathering other people's junk and creating new lives and calling them 'art?' Maybe, "Why am I not doing this, too?" Isn't it obvious? Copying is lame. So what then is my response? The question is too open-ended...

The gluestick is now in my court.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straddling the line between retrospective and collage technique instruction, this gorgeous book by Nick Bantock shares some of the secrets of his elaborate and visually stunning work. The visual equivalent of walking through the musty back rooms of a natural history museum.

[Sherry (sethurner) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there isn't much new in this slim book about the way Bantock works in his otherworldly collages, this is a beautifully illustrated book. He discusses some of the ways he acquires and manipulates ephemera, though never gives explicit directions. There is some lovely eye-candy here.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually hadn't looked too carefully at this when I got it from the library - turns out it's the same guy who did the Griffon and Sabine books! This was more of his collage and stamping. Aah. Now I have more inspiration for working with my leetle bottles - and wacky stuff. :P

[tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Nick Bantock. I've admired his work for so long. This book shows a bit of his creative process and offers examples of how to make it your own.

[Genevieve Dazet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty book, but Bantock's egotism got on my nerves pretty quick. I suppose all artists need a healthy dose of that, though.

[Beth Voecks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Bantock's books are some of the coolest looking and best stories I've ever read! This one is nonfiction but I adore it just the same!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As inspiration for art I would like to create: 5+
Love: "Permission" to let your artistic mind wander where it wants to go, or even to let something stand as-is as art (I agree with him that the King Pelican lettuce label is already art and needed nothing added). The "how to" books I have been reading, looking through really, have good "how to" details but they've all been from artists with an aesthetic very different from mine.

Reviewing this book as a "how to" it might be a 3.
I can't tell from the pictures if he has combined and then scanned the result or if he has been SO precise in his cuts that it just looks completely seamless. No nuts-and-bolts about types of adhesives, sealants, paints, etc.

Page 115 has the closest thing to "directions" I found in this book: Explaining how I put it together would take years. Applying the paint and found material cannot be done to formula - you have to employ your eye, your heart, your gut, and your slow-learned craft. Materials used her include printed scraps (fifty plus), acrylic paint, watercolor, ink, gold powder, colored pencil, glue, matte medium, and tissue paper.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways, this is a how done it book from the guy that brought you all those collages for Griffin and Sabine. Other ways this is a pointer to creativity and construction of ephemeral art objects. The approach described makes it seem so clear that even I, someone who doesn't feel artistic, feels that I could do something that I like from found stuff.

It is confidence boosting and gives permission to try some really cool stuff. Not sure how useful it would be to an artist but for me, it felt liberating.

[Lila · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s no other artist quite in my mind like Bantock. He has an infinite imagination and playfulness to craft together ephemera in the most intriguing way. His collage art does not appear random as much of collage work appears to me, but contrived with hidden meaning which makes the works all the more mysterious. This details his process into collecting and elements that go towards creating collages. Worth a read and keeping as a reference.

[Johannah Gage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Nick Bantock's art -- The Griffin and Sabine series originally inspired me to try art. I didn't realize that art could be so interesting and unusual. Every time I revisit his books (which should only be read in hardcover) I get a new spark of creative inspiration and energy. Plus, they are gorgeous books that are just FUN.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenge: Grinchathon July Edition 2019 - Inspired by another reader (7). A simple yet highly aesthetic and balanced presentation of collage art a "visual poetry." What and how to use collected ephemera to combine "the contrived and organic" by the author of the Griffin and Sabine series. Inspired by Instagram/YouTube offerings and aesthetic sense of Paper Tams.

[Bambi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great source of inspiration if you like vintage engravings, photography, stamps, postcards, or if you've ever found yourself fascinated by foreign currency! Somehow, Nick Bantock has exactly the same interests and collecting habits that I have, and it's interesting to see how he uses those passions to fuel his artwork!

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one enamored with all things having to do with snippets of paper and scissors and glue, this was a charming read. The illustrations are luscious and the author's details about some of the ephemera and his creative endeavors are inspiring. I am snipping and photocopying as soon as I finish writing this! PS The author's Griffin and Sabine books are the pinnacle of paper art:)

[Sarah Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had amazing color images that were created by this artist. However based on the title I thought it would give more instruction but it really did not. The author explained a little how he put things together and where he finds his ephemera. Which it had a bit more how-to in it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspirational but not very pragmatic. A lot of ideas--but not very much a way in process other than "have a lot of eclectic ephemera in your house".

Most of it is not modified so much--its more just embellishing on facet.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nick Bantock fails miserably in attempting to teach anything about his artistic style. This is a tiresome attempt of an artist who seems to care more about his own creations instead of showing the reader, as the book purports, HOW to create their own ephemeral creations.

[Maya Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shallow and stupid

[Mrsculpepper · Rating 3 out of 5]

less of a how to and more of a look what can be done it is nevertheless gorgeous to look at

[Pixie Unger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mr Bantock's art is lovely as expected, however this book wasn't exactly what I was looking for. That said, I'm not sure what I was looking for, so that's likely on me rather than the book.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fin to look at but not much instruction

[GONE HU I-Mael · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's a very good book, i love it, really good book, I highly recommend it