One key element is composition—the creative arrangement of components in the shot, and the way a viewer’s eye travels through an image. With Composition: From Snapshots to Great Shots, author and photographer Laurie Excell starts with the basics of composition and explores how the elements of color, shape, angles, and contrast work to create compelling images. Contributing photographers, John Batdorff, David Brommer, Rick Rickman, and Steve Simon, provide unique perspectives on black and white, sports, art history, and other subjects related to composition. Beautifully illustrated with large, vibrant photos, this book teaches you how to take control of your photography to get the image you want every time you pick up the camera. Follow along with your friendly and knowledgeable guides, and you will learn about: Key camera features that affect composition, including the exposure triangle (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed) Shadow and light and how to direct the viewer’s eye to your subject Lines and shapes that create visual paths to points of interest in your image The role of color—using complementary or contrasting colors—to add your own unique artistic expression Spatial relationship and placing your subject within the frame for portraits, action shots, or landscapes And once you’ve got the shot, show it off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you use your camera to get great shots at flickr.com/groups/composition_fromsna....

    Period. Crocheters can never get enough of granny squares--the cheerful, colorful motifs that are the basis of countless afghans, pillows, and baby blankets. The Big Book of Granny Squares is just that--the most comprehensive collection to date. Readers will enjoy 365 unique squares with swatches and step-by-step written instructions for each granny square pattern. A lay-flat binding makes it easy for readers to check the crochet pattern while they work. Easy to use and inspirational, this is a go-to reference that crocheters will reach for again and again. Crocheters love granny squares and are sure to adore this--the biggest and best compendium of granny square patterns ever.

    Learn to make creativity a daily habit!Whether you're just beginning to trust your artistic voice or you've been refining it for years, Marisa Anne is the loving guide and caring mentor you need to help you commit to moving through resistance, stepping outside of your comfort zone and making creativity a regular part of your life.

    In her groundbreaking first book, she brings together Zen meditation and writing in a new way. Writing practice, as she calls it, is no different from other forms of Zen practice--"it is backed by two thousand years of studying the mind." This edition includes a new preface and an interview with the author.

    With this book you will learn the basics of:- How to Choose Yarn and Needles- Casting On- The Most Popular Knitting Stitches- How to Start a New Ball of Yarn- Binding Off- Basic Color Knitting- How to Read a Knitting Pattern- Seaming and Finishing- Increases and Decreases- Knitting in the Round- PurlingThe book also includes a BONUS section that includes a beginners knitting dictionary and 10 videos to help you get started! Get started right now, on the incredibly fun hobby of knitting!

    Captivating pieces from Kass and a slew of other artists will further satisfy your craving for inspiration!Inside you will find:- 12 step-by-step demonstrations of tangle patterns to make getting started easy! - Different ways to introduce color, a variety of art materials, photography, and much more to your pieces. - How to take your pen-and-ink tangles to the next step by enhancing them digitally!

    Lenzen. Like Paracord Fusion Ties - Volume 1, PFT-V2 reveals innovative and stylish ways of storing paracord for later use. So once again you'll find crisp, clear, full-color photographs (over 1,000 in all!), coupled with succinctly written, easy to follow step-by-step instructions for bracelets, straps, and key fobs, as well as medallions and other storage ties that will keep your paracord on-hand and ready for deployment. Still PFT-V2 doesn't stop there! It also provides directions for ties and techniques that represent the next level in paracording knowledge—the making of practical paracord objects.Primarily designed to provide survival and/or tactical advantages, practical paracord objects are in themselves useful. That is, they provide benefits to those who tie them, in real time; as opposed to when they’re unraveled and the cord within them used. Examples of the practical paracord objects in PFT-V2 include: Bush Sandals, Emergency Snow Goggles, No-Slip Machete Grip, Single-Cord Rock Sling, and more; including pouches, baskets, secret compartment fobs, and tactical ties.Featuring instructions for 36 awe-inspiring paracord designs (35 book ties plus an eBook Bonus Tie!), PFT-V2 is an epic step forward in the craft of fusion knotting and a must have book for anyone serious about learning paracord ties!

    Michael Theune's breakthrough concept encourages students, teachers, and writers to use structure as a tool to see the fundamental affinities between strikingly different kinds of poetry and radically different literary eras. The book includes examination of the mid-course turn and the elegy, as well as the ironic, concessional, emblem, and retrospective-prospective structures, among others. In addition, 14 contemporary poets provide an example of and commentary on their own work.

    At once a memoir, meditation on the artistic process, and advice on craft, Still Writing is an intimate and eloquent companion to living a creative life.Through a blend of deeply personal stories about what formed her as a writer, tales from other authors, and a searching look at her own creative process, Shapiro offers her gift to writers everywhere: an elegant guide of hard-won wisdom and advice for staying the course. "The writer's life requires courage, patience, empathy, openness. It requires the ability to be alone with oneself. Gentle with oneself. To be disciplined, and at the same time, take risks." Writers--and anyone with an artistic temperament--will find inspiration and comfort in these pages. Offering lessons learned over twenty years of teaching and writing, Shapiro brings her own revealing insights to weave an indispensable almanac for modern writers.Like Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, Virginia Woolf's A Writer's Diary, and Stephen King's On Writing, Dani Shapiro's Still Writing is a lodestar for aspiring scribes and an eloquent memoir of the writing life.

    A selection of 30 beautiful designs suggests the range of this increasingly popular material, and the illustrated instructions make the craft's fundamentals easy to learn. Because the simplest projects come first, beginners can work their way through the book progressively, building on their skills. Novices will have fun making the carved trough, sandcast bowl, and elegant relief panel. More sophisticated projects, including a decorative walkway and polished table, come next, and they'll bring charm to any outdoor space. More adventurous artists can unleash their creativity on a "Garden Guardian" sculpture or water feature. A Selection of the Crafters Choice and Homestyle Book Clubs.

    Whether you are an absolute beginner or looking for fresh ideas, The Crochet Bible is for you! Getting back to basics is simple, with clear instructions, diagrams and photographs on how to crochet. Once you've got to grips with your hooks, you'll be spoilt for choice with versatile and tempting crochet moves such as picots, fur stitch and Solomon's knots. Becoming clever with your crochet means that shaping, decorative details and working with beads are just a few of the tricks that even experienced crochet fans will love. These creative crochet techniques will stretch your skills, showing you how to crochet stunning patterns, textures, colour effects and shapes for endless variation and possibilities. Over 35 alternative stitch patterns make this an indispensable library, which you can browse for even more ways to develop your own style. More than 30 original, bright and beautiful projects let you put your crochet techniques into action, resulting in home accents, clothes and accessories, from classic baby clothes to contemporary cushions and throws, allowing you to learn a new technique and crochet a project straight away. The Crochet Bible will inspire you to keep learning, experimenting and creating!

    The patterns are suitable for almost everyone, whether adventurous beginner or expert. You can create a single-colour bear, a two-tone bear, a striped bear and even a panda – all from one basic pattern. There are also instructions to create a host of clothes, including bride & groom outfits, a graduation outfit, a Santa costume, a ballet outfit, and a sports outfit. If you’re after a cute dress, nightshirt, coat, hat, sweater or dungarees – you’ll find patterns for these, too. The designs can be personalized and you can ‘mix and match’ items to create the perfect gift, not just for new babies and children, but for all bear lovers and almost any occasion! The teddy bears and outfits are all knitted using light worsted/double knitting/8-ply yarn and size US3 (3.25mm) straight knitting needles. The bears are about 7in/18cm tall. The patterns include both US and UK knitting terms. INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO KNIT? More years’ ago than I now care to remember! My Mum’s twin sister Sheelagh taught me when I was about seven years old, just before she emigrated from the UK to Canada. HOW DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS? Partly from the toys and dolls I loved when I was little, but I’m also as addicted to online browsing all the beautiful creative websites out there as anyone else. WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT KNITTING? With toys and dolls, which are my knitting of choice, it’s about seeing the little creatures develop their own personality when you sew them together and embroider the features. I’m always amazed that you can create something so cute from just some oddments of yarn and a pair of needles. There’s a bit of effort needed too… but really, not that much. WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE TO BEGINNER KNITTERS? Like any skill, knitting takes a bit of patience. So start with something small. Think baby hats, fingerless mitts or a knitted lavender bag… definitely not a scarf. They’re simple but they take too long for beginners. And choose some lovely yarn. If you’re putting in all that effort, you’ll appreciate it! WHICH OF YOUR KNITTING BOOKS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? Well it has to be my Knit Your Own Royal Wedding back in 2011 when William and Kate tied the knot. Suddenly I found myself being interviewed by newspapers and magazines across the world… I still find it hard to believe. And frankly, it's going to be hard for me to top that! WHAT WAS THE FIRST PATTERN YOU EVER DESIGNED? Apart from some pretty dodgy dolls’ clothes when I was about eight, it was a pink and blue striped owl. I still have it perched on a shelf in my little work room upstairs. The first knitting book I designed was called Knitivity which was a knitted nativity. WHAT NOTIONS CAN'T YOU MANAGE WITHOUT? I’m actually quite a good improviser but I was quite annoyed recently when I lost one of my favourite very short knitting needles which are ideal for knitting small items. Thankfully my son eventually found it by accident, behind my row of knitting reference books. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE KNITTING STITCHES? I love simple combinations of stitches like wide ribbing stitch and waffle stitch. They’ve got enough interest to keep you alert but are still simple enough to keep mistakes and unravelling to a minimum. WHAT'S THE MOST IRRITATING THING THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE KNITTING? Well there’s the obvious one of knots in a ball of yarn that you don’t see till you’re mid-row.

    According to Amy Sedaris, it's often been said that ugly people craft and attractive people have sex. In her new book, Simple Times, she sets the record straight. Demonstrating that crafting is one of life's more pleasurable and constructive leisure activities, Sedaris shows that anyone with a couple of hours to kill and access to pipe cleaners can join the elite society of crafters. You will discover how to make popular crafts, such as: crab-claw roach clips, tinfoil balls, and crepe-paper moccasins, and learn how to: get inspired (Spend time at a Renaissance Fair; Buy fruit, let it get old, and see what shapes it turns into); remember which kind of glue to use with which material (Tacky with Furry, Gummy with Gritty, Paste with Prickly, and always Gloppy with Sandy); create your own craft room and avoid the most common crafting accidents (sawdust fires, feather asphyxia, pine cone lodged in throat); and cook your own edible crafts, from a Crafty Candle Salad to Sugar Skulls, and many more recipes. PLUS whole chapters full of more crafting ideas (Pompom Ringworms! Seashell Toilet Seat Covers!) that will inspire you to create your own hastily constructed obscure d'arts; and much, much more!

    Filled with do-it-yourself projects, Steampunk Gear, Gadgets, and Gizmos: A Maker's Guide to Creating Modern Artifacts shows you how to build exquisite, ingenious contraptions on a budget.Learn from Lord Featherstone as he distills his wealth of hard-learned skills, describes how to use the readily available tools of the modern mad scientist, and expounds on the art and philosophy of scavenging unique components and raw materials. The perfect companion for the hobbyist and advanced machinist alike, this inventive volume will guide you through the creation of your very own infernal devices.Get steamed with these provocative projects: Aetheric ray deflector solid brass gogglesCalibrated indicator gaugesFerromagnetic self-scribing automated encyclopedia (or, the Steampunk book drive)High voltage electro-static cannon (or, the lamp gun)Tesla-pod chrono-static insulating field generator (or, the mobile device enclosure)Altitude mask with integrated respiratory augmentationArmoured pith helmetMark I superior replacement arm with integrated Gatling gun attachmentVisit the companion website, www.mhprofessional.com/steampunk, for videos, images, and more bonus content!Make Great Stuff!TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.