Craft-a-Doodle: 75 Creative Exercises from 18 Artists


Jenny Doh - 2013
    From quick “try it” ideas using shapes and patterns to doodled portraits and contour drawings, these step-by-step projects are wild creative fun. The featured artists include Cori Dantini, who provides a “Recipe for a Face”; Flora Chang with innovative watercolor designs; and Teesha Moore who offers ideas for adding personality to doodled characters.

Feminist Cross-Stitch: 40 Bold Fierce Patterns


Stephanie Rohr - 2019
    Whether you want to proudly announce to the world that you're a nasty woman or remind others that a woman's place is in  the revolution, you’ll find edgy slogans, sharp one-liners, and cheeky images that make fabulous wall art or wonderful handmade gifts. An illustrated basics section will get you started, with information on materials, tools, techniques, and framing your finished pieces.

The Simple Secret to Better Painting


Greg Albert - 2003
    It's an insightful artistic philosophy that boils down the many technical principles of composition into a single master rule that's easy to remember and apply: Never make any two intervals the same.You can make every painting more interesting, dynamic and technically sound by varying intervals of distance, length and space, as well as intervals of value and color. The rule also applies to balance, shape and the location of your painting's focal point.Greg Albert illustrates these lessons with eye-opening examples from both beginning and professional artists, including Frank Webb, Tony Couch, Kevin Macpherson, Charles Reid, Tony Van Hasselt and more.You'll discover that the ONE RULE is the only rule of composition you need to immediately improve your work - the moment your brush touches the canvas.

Spin Control


Amy King - 2009
    Focusing at first on the spinning wheel, emphasis is placed on the importance of adjusting and customizing the wheel for best results. Instructions on core spinning and less traditional techniques lead off the beaten path to novelty yarns. Each type of yarn is explored in detail with instructions on how to make them.

Creative Walls: How to display and enjoy your treasured collections


Geraldine James - 2011
    In this inspirational guide, Geraldine James, veteran collector of all things beautiful, shows you ways to organize and display your treasured collections to celebrate their uniqueness and your creativity. Collections of quirky items can illuminate a little corner, whereas a teenager’s bedroom will transform instantly when hoarded sports memorabilia makes the leap from the floor to the wall in a bold, clever arrangement. Look for unusual spaces and items: line up a series of themed prints above a picture rail, set heaps of floral china plates in grand style above the fireplace or simply add a mirror into a display to instantly create another in its image. Chapter by chapter, discover how to arrange virtually anything from scratch, rearrange the collections you treasure to best effect and begin a journey into colour, texture and themes to create elegant displays that give a home character and charm. From a memory wall of sepia family photographs to witty collections of kitsch art, this clever guide shows how to create a look that will bring any space to life.

The Opinionated Knitter


Elizabeth Zimmermann - 2005
    Long time fans will welcome these old friends and new knitters may discover the freedom and creativity that Elizabeth's patterns encourage." 35 designs for hats, coats, sweaters, stockings, tights and more. Over 75 clor photos plus heretofore unpublished excerpts from Elizabeth's journals. The woman was a genius, there's no other word for it, and this is destined to become another Zimmermann classic, a must-have addition to any knitter's library.

Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun


Carla Sonheim - 2010
    Her innovative ideas are now collected and elaborated on in this unique volume. Carla offers a year's worth of assignments, projects, ideas, and techniques that will introduce more creativity and nonsense into your art and life. Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists offers readers a fun way to learn and gain expertise in drawing through experimentation and play. There is no right or wrong result, yet, the readers gain new skills and confidence, allowing them to take their work to a new level.

The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes


Justina Blakeney - 2015
    They embrace free-spirited, no-rules lifestyles and apply that attitude to all areas of their existence, including their homes. With little distinction between work and play, the new boho home often includes an office, art gallery, showroom, photography studio, restaurant, or even a pop-up shop. The New Bohemians explores 20 homes located primarily on the East and West coasts. Exclusive interviews with the owners, 12 DIY projects created by Blakeney and inspired by objects found in the homes, and a "Plant-O-Pedia" offer insight into achieving this aesthetic. In addition, each home is accompanied by an Adopt-an-Idea section that offers general decor, styling, and shopping tips for easy duplication in your own home.

Knit Along with Debbie Macomber: Friendship Shawls


Debbie Macomber - 2008
    Similar to prayer shawls, friendship shawls are handmade gifts of caring. They're perfect for special occasions or simply as friendship gifts. In addition, these shawls make wonderful gifts for individuals in nursing homes, hospitals, and shelters. Includes 10 shawls to knit.

Keys to Drawing


Bert Dodson - 1985
    Anyone who can hold a pencil can learn to draw.In this book, Bert Dodson shares his complete drawing system--fifty-five "keys" that you can use to render any subject with confidence, even if you're a beginner.These keys, along with dozens of practice exercises, will help you draw like an artist in no time.You'll learn how to:Restore, focus, map, and intensifyFree your hand action, then learn to control itConvey the illusions of light, depth, and textureStimulate your imagination through "creative play"

Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color


Felix Scheinberger - 2014
    Whether you’re an amateur artist, drawer, doodler, or sketcher, watercolor is a versatile sketching medium that’s perfect for people on the go—much like pen or pencil. Accomplished designer and illustrator Felix Scheinberger offers a solid foundation in color theory and countless lessons on all aspects of watercolor sketching, including: Fundamentals like wet-on-wet, glazes, and washes Materials and supplies to bring on your travels Little-known tips and tricks, like painting when water isn’t handy and seeking out inspiration Vibrant watercolor paintings grace each page, and light-hearted anecdotes (why do fish make great subjects to paint, you may be wondering...) make this a lively guide to the medium. With an open mind and sketchbook, you will be ready to capture the moments around you in luminous color with confidence, creativity, and ease—no matter what your skill level may be.

Jane Austen Embroidery: Regency Patterns Reimagined for Modern Stitchers


Jennie Batchelor - 2020
    Derived from Lady's Magazine (1770–1832), a popular monthly periodical of fashion, fiction, and gossip, the projects consist of embroidered clothes, accessories, and housewares. Designs include an evening bag, a muslin shawl, an apron, a floral napkin set and tablecloth, and other pretty and practical items with timeless appeal. These authentic patterns — many of which have not been reprinted in more than 200 years—are enlivened by vivid glimpses into the world of Regency women and their domestic lives. Fascinating historical features, quotes from Austen's letters and novels, enchanting drawings, clear instructions, and inspirational project photography trace the patterns' origins and illustrate their imaginative restoration for modern use. A must-have for every Jane Austen fan, this book is suitable for needleworkers at every level of experience.

Creative Watercolor: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners--Create with Paints, Inks, Markers, Glitter, and More! (Art for Modern Makers)


Ana Victoria Calderón - 2018
    In Creative Watercolor, popular watercolor artist and workshop instructor Ana Victoria Calderon shares her step-by-step techniques for painting modern motifs in this classic medium. Through a series of easy tutorials and projects, you will: Get an overview of basic materials and tools, plus options for embellishing your paintings Master essential techniques, starting with easy warm-up activities, learning to layer, and getting into the flow with watercolor, plus an introduction to scanning and digital editing for making multiples Learn to paint a variety of simple, beautiful motifs: flowers and leaves, butterflies and critters, fruits and vegetables, and delightful lettering Use what you've learned to create unique, stylish  stationery, including beautiful invitations, place cards, menus, monograms, recipe gift cards, thank you notes—any project you can imagine, for any kind of event you can think of! There's never been a better time to dive into the world of watercolor, so why wait? Grab a brush and get painting! Perfect for creative beginners, the books in the Art for Modern Makers series take a fun, practical approach to learning about and working with paints and other art mediums to create beautiful DIY projects and crafts.

Color Me Calm: 100 Coloring Templates for Meditation and Relaxation


Lacy Mucklow - 2014
    Constant stimulation and expectation have left us burnt out and distanced from the present moment. "Now" has become something that happens online, not in the space and time that we physically occupy. Color Me Calm is a guided coloring book designed for harried adults. Art therapist Lacy Mucklow and artist Angela Porter offer up 100 coloring templates all designed to help you get coloring and get relaxed. Organized into seven therapeutically-themed chapters including Mandalas, Water Scenes, Wooded Scenes, Geometric Patterns, Flora & Fauna, Natural Patterns, and Spirituality - the book examines the benefits of putting pencil to paper and offers adults an opportunity to channel their anxiety into satisfying, creative accomplishment. Part of the international bestselling Color Me series, Color Me Calm is the perfect way step back from the stress of everyday life, color, and relax!Don't forget to try Color Me Happy and Color Me Stress-Free!

Origami to Astonish and Amuse: Over 400 Original Models, Including Such "Classics" as the Chocolate-Covered Ant, the Transvestite Puppet, the Invisible Duck, and Many More!


Jeremy Shafer - 2001
    Filled with hundreds of entertaining models and folding ideas, ranging from amazingly simple to ridiculously complex, this is origami at its most fun and creative.