Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature


Andy Goldsworthy - 1990
    Illustrates outdoor sculptures created with a range of natural materials, including snow, ice, leaves, rock, clay, stones, feathers, and twigs.

Sacred Mirrors: The Visionary Art of Alex Grey


Alex Grey - 1990
    From anatomically correct rendering of the body systems, Grey moves to the spiritual/energetic systems with such images as "Universal Mind Lattice," envisioning the sacred and esoteric symbolism of the body and the forces that define its living field of energy. Includes essays on the significance of Grey's work by Ken Wilber, the eminent transpersonal psychologist, and by the noted New York art critic, Carlo McCormick.

The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering: Create and Develop Your Own Style - INCLUDES 3 BUILT-IN CHALKBOARDS


Valerie McKeehan - 2015
    Valerie McKeehan, an Etsy standout, teaches us everything we need to know to create gorgeous hand-drawn chalk designs. In over 60 lessons, learn the ABCs of lettering (literally) and basic styles: serif, sans serif, and script. Next, how to lay out a design, combine various styles into one cohesive piece, and add shadows and dimension. Master more advanced letter styles, from faceted to ribbon to “vintage circus.” Use banners, borders, flourishes. And finally, 12 projects to show off your newfound skills, including a Winter Wonderland Snow Globe; a smartphone-themed birthday card to text friends and family; a one-of-a-kind party invitation to create, photograph, and mail; and a bake sale sign guaranteed to put everyone who sees it in the mood for a cupcake! The book is also a practice space, with three foldout “chalkboards”—the inside cover and foldout back cover are lined with blackboard paper.

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.

Hand Lettering for Relaxation: An Inspirational Workbook for Creating Beautiful Lettered Art


Amy Latta - 2017
    Readers will love the opportunity to practice the creative art of hand-lettering in a way that inspires them and helps them relax.As an example of what’s inside, Workshop 1 encourages readers to renew & recharge by writing, “It’s me time,” with the easiest technique for a scripted, calligraphy look. Workshop 2 builds on the theme as readers use their skills from Workshop 1 to write, “Practice makes progress,” and add a new skill of drawing laurels and wreaths that take their calligraphy to the next level. With each workshop, readers are inspired with a brief introduction reminding them to relax and cultivate joy, then learn step by step how to letter each word of an example lettered design and draw embellishments. With plenty of practice space and a page to draw their own final design, this interactive workbook meets readers’ every need. High-quality, thick watercolor paper with perforated edging allows readers to tear out their finished hand-lettered art to display. This book goes beyond basic hand-lettering books to calm and relax, and goes beyond adult coloring books to teach a usable creative skill. It’s the perfect gift for yourself or friends and family who love crafts and coloring.

Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop: Mixed Media Techniques for Embracing Imperfection and Celebrating Happy Accidents


Serena Barton - 2013
    You will come to embrace imperfection and recognize that, yes, in fact, there is such a thing as a happy accident!The wabi-sabi philosophy of art is probably a little different from what you're used to--it's a style that finds inspiration and beauty in the imperfect, impermanent and humble nature of everyday objects. And there is a special freedom in wabi-sabi's abstract aesthetic, a forgiving approach that celebrates so-called mistakes and fosters an experimental spirit, encouraging you to build up and tear back with abandon.Inside Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop You'll Find:Dozens of inspiration photos and tips for taking your own.27 traditional haikus.35 techniques using such diverse media as oil and acrylic paints, alcohol inkers, foils and leaf, pastels, plaster, collage and handmade papers, teabags, paper towels, coffee, crayons, encaustic paints, fibers and more.Lots of Wabi-Sabi Wisdom--tips and troubleshooting.70 big, beautiful finished pieces of art illustrating featured techniques.Links to online bonus content--step-by-step demonstrations illustrating six additional techniques.Add Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop to your artistic library and expand your artistic horizons today!

Botanical Portraits with Colored Pencils


Ann Swan - 2010
    This lavishly illustrated volume offers practical, step-by-step instruction for creating professional quality colored pencil illustrations of flowers, foliage, fruits, and other botanical subjects. Colored pencils serve as an excellent alternative to the traditional practice of rendering botanical art in watercolors because pencils are far easier to use and control, yet can produce equally outstanding results. The author instructs in the use of both water-soluble and oil-based colored pencils, and presents progressive illustrations that demonstrate the rendering of an artwork from start to completion. She advises on choosing materials and offers guidelines for getting to know each flower or plant before starting an illustration. All aspects of working with colored pencils are covered, including underpainting, layering and burnishing, mixing and building up color, and adding those finishing touches that bring a botanical subject fully to life. She also presents works by other botanical artists to show students a wide range of styles. The book features approximately 200 beautiful and instructive color illustrations.

Cat Castles: 20 Cardboard Habitats You Can Build Yourself


Carin Oliver - 2016
     Shoeboxes and paper bags are fine for other cats. But your favorite felines deserve luxurious living spaces! This DIY construction guide includes fun and easy instructions for making cardboard trains, ships, food trucks, rockets, and other hideouts. Also included are tips for climbing towers and scratching pads that they can use to stay sharp.All twenty projects are quick to assemble and require inexpensive and easy-to-find materials. You can customize them to match your cat's wildest desires!

Mixed Media Mosaics: Techniques & Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles Beads & Other Embellishments: Techniques and Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles, Beads and Other Embellishments


Laurie Mika - 2007
    This book contains techniques for creating the tiles such as painting and glazing, stamping, and, embedding items like beads and buttons.

How To Crochet - A Guide For Newbies (Crafty Creations Book 1)


Sarah Taylor - 2012
    I read all of the customer reviews on my books and appreciate everyone who takes the time to give their feedback; your comments have helped me to see where improvements and clarifications needed to be made, and I am very thankful for your input.This book shows you how to do all of the basic crochet stitches with detailed instructions and step-by-step illustrations. You will easily progress from complete beginner to being able to crochet any of the projects in this book, and beyond!This latest edition includes the instructions for four of my best-selling crochet patterns:- Boot Cuffs Slouchy Hat House Slippers Cloche Hat in addition to the quick and easy original patterns for a spa-style wash cloth, mesh scarf, Kindle cover, flower head band, and a basic granny square motif which can be used as a basis for many other projects such as afghans, cot covers, cushion covers........the possibilities are endless! This is the ONLY beginner's book you will need. Scroll up to the top and click on the link to "Buy Now" to deliver almost instantly to your Kindle or other reading device, and make a start on this wonderful craft TODAY.

Freehand Drawing and Discovery: Urban Sketching and Concept Drawing for Designers


James Richards - 2013
    Taking a "both/and" approach, this book provides step-by-step guidance on drawing tools and techniques and offers practical suggestions on how to use these skills in conjunction with digital tools on real-world projects. Illustrated with nearly 300 full color drawings, the book includes a series of video demonstrations that reinforces the sketching techniques.

Colored Pencil Portraits: Step by Step


Ann Kullberg - 1999
    Sounds like quite a challenge. But with Ann Kullberg's help, it's not as difficult as you might think to create lifelike colored pencil portraits.Using her own beautiful portraiture for instruction and inspiration, Kullberg walks you through the process step by step--from basic information about materials and techniques to two demonstrations that show how complete portraits come together from beginning to end.You'll learn how to:choose the right tools and master basic techniquescompose a portrait--examples show right and wrong ways to do ituse light to create mood in your portraitscreate a range of rich, believable skin tonespaint the face--step-by-steps of eyes, mouth, nose and ears make it easypaint realistic-looking clothing--step-by-step demos show you how to paint denim, velvet and other fabricsYou'll also find Kullberg's secrets for making your portrait come alive, along with 17 mini-demos that make it easy to paint realistic features, hair and clothing. Inside is everything you need to get started, as well as advice and important information on painting portraits professionally!

The Monster Book of Manga: Draw Like the Experts


Estudio Joso - 2006
    Estudio Joso creates the ultimate guide to illustration—384 pages of manga instruction. The Monster Book of Manga is divided into sections focusing on the most figures and themes—Girls, Boys, Samurais, Monsters, and more. Each illustration is broken down into six stages accompanied by step-by-step instructions, taking the artist from initial back-and-white sketches to the final color piece. They are all accompanied by practical suggestions, hints, and tips.

The Secret Lives of Color


Kassia St. Clair - 2016
    From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso's blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history.In this book, Kassia St. Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colors and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilization. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of color tell the vivid story of our culture.

Sew Subversive: Down and Dirty DIY for the Fabulous Fashionista


Melissa Rannels - 2006
    The three twenty-something co-owners of Stitch Lounge, an urban sewing studio in San Francisco, teach you, in plain, fun language, how to do it, whether you're hand sewing, machine sewing, or, in a few cases, simply wielding a pair of scissors.The first three chapters lay the ground work: Hand Sewing Basics, You and Your Machine, and Gearing Up, which includes Fabric 101, how to set up a sewing space, and a run-through first project on the sewing machine. Then the fun begins with Embellishing and Customizing projects, including adorning your pant legs with ribboning, turning a computer-scanned image into an iron-on that you can apply to a t-shirt or skirt, taking in a skirt, or untapering a pair of pants (the authors believe tapered pants are the devil's work). Then move onto Refashioning: The Next Life of Your Old Clothes and turn a t-shirt into a skirt, a sweater into a halter top or legwarmers, or a pair of pants into a hip belt. There are 22 projects in all, some of which only require an iron and/or pair of scissors, while others can be sewn by hand, for those readers who haven't yet made the sewing machine plunge.