It is an inexhaustible mine of anecdotes, quotations, images, curious facts and useless information, oddities, serious science, jokes and memories, all concerned with the interplay between the verbal and the visual, and the limitless resources of the human mind. Loosely arranged in 72 chapters, all this material is presented in a wonderfully inventive series of pages that are themselves masterly demonstrations of the expressive use of type, space, color and imagery.This book does not set out to teach lessons, but it is full of wisdom and insight collected from all over the world. Describing himself as a visual jackdaw, master designer Alan Fletcher has distilled a lifetime of experience and reflection into a brilliantly witty and inimitable exploration of such subjects as perception, color, pattern, proportion, paradox, illusion, language, alphabets, words, letters, ideas, creativity, culture, style, aesthetics and value.The Art of Looking Sideways is the ultimate guide to visual awareness, a magical compilation that will entertain and inspire all those who enjoy the interplay between word and image, and who relish the odd and the unexpected.

    It's used widely among artists of many types with both fine and bold lines, creating different variations. Botanical Line Drawing teaches you how to start with the simplest doodles, building into more elaborate, delicate illustrations. This book focuses on the extremely popular subject matter of the natural world and includes flowers, leaves, succulents, houseplants, trees, branches, mushrooms, and more. These simple line drawings will allow you to branch out and have fun with your own personal style, as well as inspire you to add flourishes to other projects.

    A member of the prestigious Magnum agency since 1954, he has photographed all over the world and his images have been the subject of many books and exhibitions.Containing over 500 pictures, over half of which have never been published before, Elliott Erwitt Snaps is a unique and comprehensive survey of his work. From famous images such as Nikita Khrushchev and Richard Nixon arguing in Moscow in 1959 and Marilyn Monroe with the cast of the movie The Misfits, to his many more personal images of places, things, people and animals, Erwitt's unmistakable, often witty, style gives us a snapshot of the famous and the ordinary, the strange and the mundane over a period of more than half a century, through the lens of one of the period's finest image-makers.The book is arranged in nine chapters, each with a one-word title: Look, Move, Play, Read, Rest, Touch, Tell, Point, Stand. For Erwitt, whose photography is a study and celebration of life, these are the basic actions of life - the things people do. The photographs are not intended to illustrate the words, but the words act as a means of grouping and organizing, making broad connections and also playing with pun and ambiguity, in keeping with the visual games Erwitt plays.

    Work with an arsenal of creative tools, from markers, pencils and pens to stamps, stencils, inks and paints, to find unique, intuitive ways to make your mark.Inside Doodles Unleashed, you'll learn how to:Doodle spontaneous marks, repetitive patterns, stylistic scrawls and moreCreate textured and doodled backgrounds for your mixed-media artUse photographs, vintage fabric and typography as inspirations for doodlingWork with unusual tools--skewers, toothpicks, sequin waste and more--to create surprising and unique marksDevelop a doodling style that's all your ownAnd if that isn't enough, you'll find links for additional downloads and video tutorials sprinkled throughout the pages, for even more doodle insight.With over 60 doodling techniques and exercises, you'll find plenty of ways to unleash your creative spirit and make your mark!

    This works well in simple situations - but we are at a loss when this approach fails. What then?Lateral thinking is all about freeing up your imagination. Through a series of special techniques, in groups or working alone, Edward de Bono shows how to stimulate the mind in new and exciting ways.Soon you will be looking at problems from a variety of angles and offering up solutions that are as ingenious as they are effective. You will become much more productive and a formidable thinker in your own right.

    Against this backdrop, space exploration is on the cusp of new technological breakthroughs. Jim Atteberry, a mid-30s English professor at City College in San Francisco, spends his free time listening for alien signals on the amateur radio astronomy bands. His life as a single parent to his precocious daughter is turned upside-down when he hears an intelligent cry for help from the Ross 128 system and realizes we are not alone. First Contact This signal unleashes a chain of events pitting Jim and his brilliant, mysterious colleague Kate against a power-hungry scientist with his own secret agenda. Jim must learn the truth about the signal, the strange disappearance of his wife Janet, and the meaning of true love before it's too late in this first contact science fiction thriller. The Human Side of Hard Science Fiction The Crying of Ross 128 is a sci fi mystery thriller and will appeal to fans of Robert J. Sawyer, Ted Dekker, Michael Crichton, and Ursula Le Guin. As well, readers of Star Trek will recognize the human side of hard science fiction presented here.This is the first book in the Ross 128 Science Fiction First Contact Trilogy.

    Central air and mini-vans were out. Spoiled food, outhouses, and wild-west lawlessness were in. Before long, Nick and his group were in serious trouble. The gravest danger people faced turned out to be each other. There was a way out, but it involved the toughest choice Nick ever had to make. Constantly weighing the circumstances and doing the math, he’s fighting to save as many of his own as he can, while battling his own demons at the same time. Survival or loyalty. Ultimately, Nick must learn for himself which matters more…

    This inspiring and encouraging book for both novice and experienced painters teaches how to create colorful, exciting, expressive paintings through a variety of techniques, combining basic, practical painting principles with innovative personal self-expression.Flora S. Bowley's fun and forgiving approach to painting is based on the notion that “You don't begin with a preconceived painting in mind; you allow the painting to unfold.” Illustrating how to work in layers, Flora gives you the freedom to cover up, re-start, wipe away, and change courses many times along the way. Unexpected and unique compositions, color combinations, and subject matter appear as you allow your paintings to emerge in an organic, unplanned way while working from a place of curiosity and letting go of fear.—Learn techniques for working with vibrant color and avoiding mud.—Make rich and varied marks with a variety of unexpected tools.—Break compositional rules.—Embrace nonattachment as a way to keep exploring.—Keep momentum by moving your body and staying positive.—Work with what's working to let go of struggle.—Connect more deeply to the world around you to stay inspired.—Embrace layers to create rich complex paintings.—Find rhythm by spiraling between chaos and order.

    The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses shows that the same basic principles of psychology that work for board games, card games and athletic games also are the keys to making top-quality video games. Good game design happens when you view your game from many different perspectives, or lenses. While touring through the unusual territory that is game design, this book gives the reader one hundred of these lenses—one hundred sets of insightful questions to ask yourself that will help make your game better. These lenses are gathered from fields as diverse as psychology, architecture, music, visual design, film, software engineering, theme park design, mathematics, writing, puzzle design, and anthropology. Anyone who reads this book will be inspired to become a better game designer—and will understand how to do it.

    You decide how simple or elaborate your journal will be, and what goes in there:- Lists of your to-dos, to-don’ts, and more- Symbols that will make those lists efficient and effective- Spreads to plan your day, week, month, or year- Trackers for your habits and goals (think health, money, travel)- Accoutrements such as washi tape, book darts, and more!

    The most comprehensive, step-by-step, hands-on creative workbook for creating art with Sharpie markers.

    Brady Cassidy was always around. The girl next door. But as we grew up, my time in the military made us grow apart. She isn’t my little Ladybug anymore. She’s a confident, curvy beauty. And I want her to climb my ladder. Until her mom got sick and everything changed. Her mother’s dying wish? To see her baby walk down the aisle. I never expected Cass to ask me. Cassidy Brady is hot. So hot I can barely be near him. Always has been. And he has no idea I have loved him since I was four. But our timing has never been right, however now, my mom has little time left. My idea to get married is totally insane, but for some reason he goes along with it. At night, our passion ignites, and by day, he saves lives while I pick out cakes and favors. Everything is perfect. Until it isn’t. Our lie could end up burning everyone we love. She doesn’t want to get married, but she’s having my baby. Josh Vanessa and I are practically strangers. Except that we had a one-night stand. And now she’s having my baby. But I want to be more, more than strangers, more than friends. I want to come home to Vanessa every night, throw her over my shoulder and have my way with her. She’s putting up walls. I break down walls for a living, she doesn’t stand a chance. I’ll prove to her I’m here for her, and for our child. Every step of the way. Vanessa Josh is on fire. The way he looks at me, I can’t get enough. But we’re having a baby, family has to come first. We hardly know each other. Can we really make this work? He thinks so. When he’s in his uniform and tossing his cocky attitude around, I almost believe him. I never thought I would want to get married, but being a fireman’s wife… Can I take the heat? Playboy, firefighter, and now homeless? Not gonna happen. If the new EMT doesn’t agree to be my roommate I don’t know what I’ll do. Since my parents took away my trust fund, things have been tight. But my new roommate isn’t what I was expecting. That doesn’t stop me from wanting HER. Olivia wants to be treated like one of the guys. I have to try. I only have a few months left to convince my parents I’ve cleaned up my act. So I can get my billions back. For now Olivia will just have to be my roomie. We need to keep it platonic. But one night after a fire call we’re both hot and bothered. And when she tells me she’s never had an O, I have to turn up the heat. Now I’m willing to give up everything to get what I want...her. She was the one that got away. Desiree is beautiful, kind, and everything I've always wanted. But didn't deserve. I was rough, a criminal, a kid who needed help. I'm the one who does the saving now. I'm a firefighter. And a father. I'm ready to ignite our passion once again, And this time the flame won't go out. Debut author Chase Jackson invites you to meet the men of Firehouse 56. You're going to need a hose down after all this heat.

    Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like: all art not made by Mozart. After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people; essentially-statistically speaking-there aren't any people like that. Geniuses get made once-a-century or so, yet good art gets made all the time, so to equate the making of art with the workings of genius removes this intimately human activity to a strangely unreachable and unknowable place. For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius."--from the Introduction

    Whether you’re just broaching this unique skill or are already an expert, these step-by-step instructions are an invaluable reference guide, written by one of the nation’s leading experts in the field, Wendy Hollender.  Each lesson here increases in complexity to build your skill set in a clear, concise, and accessible way. With a focus on the natural world through the botanical life-cycle, each project is not only a technical study, but a beautiful piece of artwork in and of itself.  Learn:    • Single light source toning technique   • Principles of perspective for drawing flowers   • The fundamentals of plant anatomy   • Colored pencil techniques and color theory of the natural world

    This is the how-to guide for becoming a better artist and a more attentive naturalist. In straightforward text complemented by step-by-step illustrations, dozens of exercises lead the hand and mind through creating accurate reproductions of plants and animals as well as landscapes, skies, and more. This book provides clear, practical advice for every step of the process for artists at every level, from the basics of choosing supplies to advanced techniques. While the book’s advice will improve the skills of already accomplished artists, the emphasis on seeing, learning, and feeling will make this book valuable—even revelatory—to anyone interested in the natural world, no matter how rudimentary their artistic abilities.Ways to use your journal to enhance curiosity, creativity, and sharpen your naturalist’s eye.Simple techniques to improve your visual memory and help you draw what you see.Lessons on how to use graphite, pen, watercolor and gouache for fast field sketches.Lessons on how to draw wildflowers, trees, mushrooms, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, landscapes, seascapes, and skies.Paperback, 8.5 x 11, 368 pages, with full-color and black-and-white illustrations throughout.