Henri Matisse: A Second Life


Alastair Sooke - 2014
    In a body of work spanning over a half-century, he was variously a draughtsman, a printmaker, a sculptor and a painter. This short book is both a biography and a guide to his art. It focuses on the extraordinary works that Henri Matisse made during the last period of his life - the large-scale cut-outs on coloured paper, including his famous Blue Nudes, The Snail and Large Composition with Masks.

Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection: Lightsabers from the Skywalker Saga, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and more (Star Wars gift, Lightsaber book)


Daniel Wallace - 2020
    It’s one of the most exquisite books I’ve had the honor of reviewing" – WookieRadio  "Each and every page in this book is absolutely beautiful!" – Anakin and His Angel "It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing" – SWNNStar Wars: The Lightsaber Collection is a comprehensive visual guide exploring the iconic and legendary lightsabers found within the Star Wars galaxy, featuring fan-favorite hilts from the Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, comics, novels, and video games. • Own the definitive lightsaber guide. This book features the hilts of characters such as Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Kylo Ren, Rey, Ahsoka Tano, and more. Learn about the creation and history of lightsabers from all of Star Wars, including Darth Maul’s double-bladed saber and the Darksaber. • Discover never before seen art and illustrations. Featuring photo-realistic renders of lightsabers from Star Wars animation and comics, including Ezra Bridger’s blaster-saber hybrid, the Grand Inquisitor’s spinning blades, and a new lightsaber from The High Republic, this book is a must-have for Star Wars fans.

Sketch!: The Non-Artist's Guide to Inspiration, Technique, and Drawing Daily Life


France Belleville-Van Stone - 2014
    Urban sketching--the process of sketching on the go as a regular practice--is a hot trend in the drawing world. In this aspirational guide, French artist France Belleville-Van Stone offers motivation to move beyond the comfort zone, as well as instruction on turning rough sketches into finished work. By sharing her own creative process, which includes sketching by hand and digitally, Belleville-Van Stone emboldens readers to craft a method of their own and devote more time to art, even if it's just 10 minutes a day. "Sketch Your World" will inspire artists both established and aspiring to rethink their daily practice, sketch for the pure joy of it, and document their lives and the world around them.

The Calligrapher's Bible: 100 Complete Alphabets and How to Draw Them


David Harris - 2003
    Each of its 100 sections shows a complete A-to-Z calligraphy alphabet, with lessons on correct pen strokes and advice on avoiding errors. Beginners will find sound basic instruction, while experienced calligraphers can extend their repertoire with letter styles that range from classic Roman to clean and elegant contemporary styles. In addition to analysis of each alphabet's features, the book's detailed instruction provides information on -- Tools and materials * Layout basics * Numerals and punctuation * Illumination and ornamentation * Tips for the left-handed calligrapher . . . and more. Readers will also find examples by master calligraphers from past eras. This book's spiral binding ensures that pages lay flat when opened, allowing calligraphers to study and copy each pen stroke with ease. The Calligrapher's Bible is printed in color and features more than 350 illustrations.

The Ricky Gervais Guide to... THE ARTS


Ricky Gervais - 2009
    The third in a new series of authoritative analyses dealing with all aspects of humanity's achievements.Join Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant and Karl Pilkington as they bring enlightenment to THE ARTS in their usual unenlightened manner.In this episode we ask the question, "What is art?"; Karl offers his thoughts on Hirst's oeuvre; Practical considerations regarding art in the home; Karl through the looking glass; Primeval paintings; Gratuitous graffiti; Sculptures in the Square; Karl on political works of art; Karl on film; Outsider art; Whistler's mother-in-law; Music - from Vaughan Williams to Whittaker; Shakespeare's plays on words; Harry the war poet.

The Dragonology Handbook: A Practical Course in Dragons


Dugald A. Steer - 2005
    Among the volume's charming novelty elements are:—Dr. Drake's own school report card— A pullout official ID card from the Secret & Ancient Society ofDragonologists—Four sheets of stickers featuring dragons, gems, vintage ads and posters — and more!

Hardware: The Definitive SF Works of Chris Foss


Chris Foss - 2011
     Dramatically raising the bar for realism and invention, his trademark battle-weary spacecraft, dramatic alien landscapes and crumbling brutalist architecture irrevocably changed the aesthetic of science fiction art and cinema. Featuring work for books by Isaac Asimov, E. E. ‘Doc’ Smith, Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. Van Vogt and Philip K. Dick, and film design for Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick, this volume brings together many rare and classic images that have never been seen or reprinted before. The first comprehensive retrospective of Chris Foss’s SF career. “Chris Foss’ name has become pre-eminent among sf artists... He is in love with the monstrous, with angular momentum, with inertia-free projectiles and irresistable objects.” — Brian Aldiss “[Foss’] creations are real machines, not just an artist’s dreams. They combine the two elements so essential to science fiction: realism and a sense of wonder... A medieval goldsmith of future eons.” — Alejandro Jodorowsky

Goth-Icky: A Macabre Menagerie of Morbid Monstrosities


Michael J. Nelson - 2005
    What is it about vampires, zombies, skeletons, and other mutants brought to life in the darkest recesses of the imagination? Goth-Icky celebrates modern-day goths, their culture, and the morbid monstrosities that inspire them. Containing over 200 images from the print and advertising archives of the Charles S. Anderson Design Company in combination with a hilarious text by the legendary Michael J. Nelson, this book is an amazingly rich and weird testament to the pervasiveness of goth aesthetics, the appeal of kitsch, and our love of horror.

The Urban Sketcher: Techniques for Seeing and Drawing on Location


Marc Taro Holmes - 2014
    Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll fi nd everything you need to tackle subjects ranging from still lifes and architecture to people and busy street scenes.15 step-by-step demonstrations cover techniques for creating expressive drawings using pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor.Expert tips for achieving a balance of accuracy, spontaneity and speed.Practical advice for working in the field, choosing subjects, coping with onlookers, capturing people in motion and more.Daily exercises and creative prompts for everything from improving essential skills to diverse approaches, such as montages, storytelling portraits and one-page graphic novels.Whether you are a habitual doodler or a seasoned artist, The Urban Sketcher will have you out in the world sketching from the very first page. By completing drawings on the spot, in one session, you achieve a fresh impression of not just what you see, but also what it feels like to be there . . . visual life stories as only you can experience them.

A Picnic with Monet


Julie Merberg - 2003
    In A Picnic with Monet, Claude Monet's light-filled paintings take children on an enchanted picnic in the countryside. This board book is a fun introduction ot art and an imaginative adventure all rolled into one!

The Cat Who Wanted To Be A Princess: A Children's Book About Manners, Empathy, and Kindness (Perfect For Princess And Cat Lovers)


Sonica Ellis - 2021
    But what does being a princess really mean? With wise advice from her Gramma ringing in her ears, Sophia learns to stay true to her values, treat others with fairness and to find ways to make the world a better place.Will standing tall and using good manners make Sophia a real princess? A perfect read for little ones to learn that they don’t need to be like others to be special!

The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving: With Project Patterns for Line Carving, Relief Carving, Carving in the Round, and Bird Carving


Charles Beiderman - 1983
    That is creativity," say award-winning craftsmen Beiderman and Johnston in this well-organized and highly instructive guidebook that tells you everything you need to know to create attractive woodcarvings.Especially written for the novice, it shows how to produce realistic animals, flowers, and humorous figures in a variety of forms: in the round, in relief, and as line carvings. A wide spectrum of more than 60 project patterns offers practical plans and ideas for carvers at all levels of expertise.The authors provide a detailed yet easy-to-follow introduction to carving tools and how to use them. There are also helpful hints to guide beginning carvers through difficult stages of carving, and expert advice on painting and finishing, woodcarving as gifts, how to exhibit and enter carvings in competition, and much more. You'll even find a whole chapter devoted to carving birds.Abundantly illustrated with over 200 photographs and detailed line drawings, this first paperback edition of The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving will be welcomed by any would-be woodcarver seeking a thorough, reliable, and crystal-clear introduction to the age-old art of carving wood.

Memoirs of a Geisha: A Portrait of the Film


David James - 2005
    The story begins in the years before WWII when a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a servant in a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang). Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man who is out of her reach (Ken Watanabe).The Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook explores the intricate process of re-creating the period and world of the geisha. Special sections showcase production design, makeup, choreography, and costumes, featuring kimonos created especially for the movie by five-time Oscar®-nominated costume designer Colleen Atwood. Sidebars throughout also provide fascinating historical background on the geisha culture.

Starving to Successful | The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries and Selling More Art


J. Jason Horejs - 2009
    Written by J. Jason Horejs, owner of Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, Starving to Successful will give you pragmatic advice and concrete, actionable steps you can begin implementing immediately to become more successful in marketing your work to galleries.Gain insight into what a gallery owner is thinking as he or she reviews your portfolio. Understand why the most common approaches artists make to galleries are largely ineffective. Learn what most artists fail to do in preparing their work for sale.Starving to Successful will change the way you look at the artist/gallery relationship, and will set your art career on a new path.About the AuthorArt flows through Xanadu Gallery owner J. Jason Horejs veins. Second generation in the art business, (Horejs father is a nationally recognized oil painter John Horejs) Horejs life has always been filled with art. Though not interested in pursuing a life as an artist, Horejs fell in love with the business side of art at an early age. At age 12, the future gallery owner was employed by his father building custom canvas stretchers.In 1991, at the age of 17, Horejs began working for Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, where he learned the gallery business from the ground up. Horejs handled logistics, shipping and installation, eventually working into a sales position at the western art gallery. Horejs worked in the gallery s Scottsdale and Jackson Hole, WY, locations.In 2001, Jason and his wife, Carrie, opened Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale. In spite of opening on September 11th into a completely changed art world, Horejs built the gallery into a successful venture, showing dozens of artists and selling to collectors from around the world, including major municipal and private collections.In 2008, Horejs developed a series of art marketing workshops designed to help artists better understand the gallery business and better prepare themselves to approach galleries. This series of workshops has helped hundreds of artists get organized to show and sell their work through galleries."I discovered," says Horejs, "there was very little information out there for the aspiring professional artist regarding the business side of art, especially in terms of the crucial relationship between the artists and the fine art gallery. Even artists who have graduated with master s degrees leave school having never heard a word about how to approach galleries."Horejs observes that artists approaching his gallery are making many of the same mistakes, not because their work isn t gallery-ready, but simply because they don t have a clear idea of how to proceed. Horejs designed his workshops working closely with his parents and other artists who have learned the ropes of working with galleries by trial and error. The clear-headed advice the gallery owner gives is designed to give the artists concrete steps they can take to prepare their work, research galleries and approach galleries for representation.

Fairyopolis: A Flower Fairies Journal


Cicely Mary Barker - 2005
    Learn what really happened during that magical summer of 1920 when she discovered the secret world of the Flower Fairies.