Brett Charles Seiler lives and works in Cape Town, South Africa, where he also graduated from the Ruth Prowse School of Art in 2015. Seiler's work has elements of painting, installation, and object art, with a strong emphasis on the use of text and language. Sometimes poetic, nostalgic, or romantic, it is an integral part of his art or stands on its own as a piece as well. In his paintings, the space is indeterminate, the figures are not located and sketchily fleeting, the writing elements seem spontaneous like statements from street art. The colour scheme moves in a narrow spectrum between black, grey, white and brown tones, often using wood. His themes are sexual interaction, oppression, homosexuality, gender, men. Originally from Zimbabwe, a state where human rights violations are commonplace, his work also makes a mark in the struggle for equal sexual orientation in education, media, and institutions. "[My work] is a deep longing for understanding. It is from the point of view of something that I've missed, something that I cannot go back to. It's a process of research." Text in English and German.

Get up close to the beauty and detail of nature through the artwork of award-winning UK artist, Julia Trickey. See how ordinary and sometimes overlooked subjects, such as leaves and fading flowers, can be centre stage and come to life in this beautiful showcase of some of Julia's best-loved botanical watercolours. Having been a tutor of botanical art for many years, teaching as far afield as Moscow and New York, Julia loves to help others explore the potential of watercolour and to discover the keys to a good botanical portrait. In this book she shares some of these insights as well as the motivation behind her favourite projects, together with some of the processes and watercolour techniques involved. Take inspiration from these glowing, contemporary watercolours in a book that is both beautiful and useful.

As Kylie Jenner put it, "Check out this inspiring photograph from...@vladamua! " From opulent to optical illusion, Vlada's art is a blend of make-up and magic that transform her lips into canvases. MUA royalty, her work is washed across the internet, lips dripping and bedazzled, transformed by talent and a vision that's helped shape the beauty industry. Featuring over 200 photographs of Vlada's work, Art of the Lip is a sumptuous tome to flip through and marvel at the minute, painted details on her lips in each photo. Gloss, lipstick, sequins and jewels transform Vlada's skin in hundreds of different images, with looks inspired by nature, jewellery, pop culture and more. Much more than just lipstick, Vlada's art is a showcase of makeup's power and an artist's innovation.

This miniature bestiary contains some 250 illustrations of more than 100 mythical beings: fire-breathing dragons, sinuous sea serpents, mischievous leprechauns, high-spirited unicorns, the lumbering Golem, fluttering fairies, and many other wondrous creatures drawn from global folklore and mythology. They are depicted in a wide variety of artistic media, from painting and sculpture to jewellery and ceramics, from ancient times to the present. An insightful text explores the history of these creatures and their cultural roles. All lovers of myth and fantasy will delight in this Tiny Folio.

Includes all of the pupil book plus additional instructions on each lesson for the teacher. An outline of each lesson helps in presenting the lesson. Answers to workbook exercises are included.

Since first published in 1991 Pocket Jackson's, as it is most often called, has enjoyed enormous success and is constantly rated as a best seller in the Arts & Antiques category. During the last twenty three years important developments have taken place in the Hallmarking system. Most notably the introduction within Europe of a universally accepted system of marking has lead not only to the addition of new marks, but also, to a change of status of several historic marks. This edition brings up to the present day all the date letters and commemorative marks. It also includes the recently introduced marks for Palladium and a section illustrating the Assay Office identification marks of those countries that are signatories to the International Convention marking system. In addition and of importance are the changes made in the early cycles of Dublin date letters which result from recent research by silver scholars in Ireland.

This lavishly illustrated book showcases the highlights of the Tolkien archives held at the Bodleian Library. From J.R.R. Tolkien's childhood in the Midlands and his experience of the First World War to his studies at school and university; his exquisite illustrations for The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and his creation of intricate and beautiful maps showing the topography of Middle-earth - the land he invented - this stunning book is a perfect introduction to Tolkien's creative imagination, giving a unique insight into the life of this extraordinary writer, artist and scholar.

As the book's provocative title indicates, a woman reading was once viewed as radical. In chapters - such as: Intimate Moments and The Search for Oneself - Bollmann profiles how a woman with a book was once seen as idle or suspect and how women have gained autonomy through reading over the years. Bollmann offers intelligent and engaging commentary on each work of art in Women Who Read Are Dangerous, telling us who the subject is, her relationship to the artist, and even what she is reading. With works ranging from a 1333 Annunciation painting of the angel Gabriel speaking to the Virgin Mary, book in hand, to 20th-century works, such as a stunning photograph of Marilyn Monroe reading Ulysses, this appealing survey provides a veritable slideshow of the many iterations of a woman and her book; a compelling subject to this day. An excellent gift for graduates, teachers, or Mother's Day, this elegant book should appeal to anyone interested in art, literature, or women's history.

History and science collide in the fascinating history of anatomy, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci, and the pioneering, lavishly illustrated book by Andreas Vesalius, to the crimes of William Burke and William Hare in 19th-century Edinburgh. This history of how anatomy was studied focuses on Edinburgh and the West Port murders in 1828 and acknowledges the science's reliance on dead bodies taken without consent. Edinburgh was an important centre for medical teaching at this time but the sixteen murders exposed the darker side of the practice and study of medicine - the bodies were sold by Burke and Hare to the Edinburgh anatomist Dr Robert Knox. The book accompanies a major exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland 2 July-30 October 22 which charts five hundred years of medical exploration.

The glittering gem that is the City of Gold is brilliantly captured in artists’ graphite. The greyscale carbon does not mute the dazzling sparkle of the city founded on gold but, rather, sets it ablaze in a myriad of stark contrasts; black and white, masculine and feminine, positive and negative. It speaks to the observer and reader in a delightful style that is, at once, light-hearted, informative and compelling.

Gold in Graphite – Jozi Sketchbook is a beautiful collection of sketches of some of Johannesburg’s celebrated as well as forgotten masterpieces. Done by a single artist, it is accompanied by well-crafted prose and poetry.

The artist beckons the reader to emerge from the ideologies that prevent us from engaging with the city, her people and her buildings. Each sketch takes us on a journey through time and transformation, where we discover our city and fall in love with her. Through this voyage we exult in an affair that is oblivious to the perceived crime and violence that deter ordinary people from developing a relationship with the city. While our rainbow nation rejoices in the common ground that binds us, our most celebrated city reflects division and class. Breaking through these barriers starts with an exploration of the city and an appreciation of her past with an optimistic look to her future.

Inspired by everyday life, comic artist Matilda Tristram offers an engaging and accessible introduction to the radical potential of diary drawings, small writings and comic strip creativity. Diary comics can tell your personal story; start conversations; describe things that can be difficult to communicate with words alone; and be a creative experiment in expression. Weaving words and images together to tell a story is fun to do; therapeutic; a way to connect with people; political; and even transformational! In My Day in Small Drawings, discover how to practice observation and active listening and use narrative and storytelling techniques to weave drawings and ideas together to craft a unique and delightful visual diary. After an introduction to diary comics and tips on incorporating humour, developing a visual style, creating characters and choosing pens and paper, discover 52 prompts to inspire your observational journey. Use the blank frames that follow each prompt to record your life as it grows with you. In any order you choose, document and explore: Yourself and your home - Find inspiration in your daily chores, activities and favourite clothing and objects. The world around you - Look outwards, at the people and things you pass on walks and in public places. Modern life - Examine how you feel about politics, the environment, online content, exercise, things that annoy you and things that make you happy. Family and friends - Write and sketch about your relationships, socialising, disagreements, holidays and love. Describe your real and imagined worlds by adding text to images and become a storyteller to create your own graphic narrative! Observational, personal, overheard conversations taken out of context, objects given a voice, locations and memories they inspire are all woven deftly into this charming book to cherish.

One of the world's greatest and most thoughtful architects recounts his extraordinary career and the iconic structures he has built--from Habitat in Montreal to Marina Bay Sands in Singapore--and offers a manifesto for the role architecture should play in societyOver more than five decades, legendary architect Moshe Safdie has built some of the world's most influential and memorable structures--from the 1967 modular housing scheme in Montreal known as "Habitat" and the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel, to the Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas and the Marina Bay Sands development and extraordinary Jewel Changi airport interior garden and waterfall in Singapore. For Safdie, the way a space functions is fundamental; he is deeply committed to architecture as a social force for good, believing that any challenge, including extreme population density and environmental distress, can be addressed with solutions that enhance community and uplift the human spirit. Safdie always refers to the "silent client" an architect must ultimately serve: the people who live in, work in, or experience a building.If Walls Could Speak takes readers behind the veil of an essential yet mysterious profession to explain through Safdie's own experiences how an architect thinks and works--"from the spark of imagination through the design process, the model-making, the politics, the engineering, the materials." Relating memorable stories about what has inspired him--from childhoods in Israel and Montreal to the projects and personalities worldwide that have captured his imagination--Safdie reveals the complex interplay that underpins every project and his vision for the role architecture can and should play in society at large. Illustrated throughout with drawings, sketches, photographs, and documents from his firm's voluminous archives that illuminate his stories, If Walls Could Speak ends with a chapter outlining seven projects Safdie would pursue around the world if resources and will were no issue and the choices were his to make.A book like no other, If Walls Could Speak will forever change the way you look at and appreciate any built structure.

Creative growth is a journey and there's much fun to be had in the ride-the unknowing of what could happen next, whether it's on paper or a canvas or with a publishing/licensing company. Author Kim Anderson encourages the reader to be excited about the magic that awaits her around the corner when she believes in her artistic dreams. Important steps in the journey include nourishing bravery and being wiling to take the risks that bring about growth. In this book, the reader will not only learn fun techniques for incorporating mixed-media collage into happy bits of doodling, she'll be led through the author's own inspiring stories of how to stay on the path to creative happiness.

With Barry Flanagan is a vivid account of a friendship that evolved into a working relationship when Richard McNeff became 'spontaneous fixer' (Flanagan's description) of the sculptor's show held in June 1992 at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Ibiza, where they were both living. McNeff was to gain a privileged insight into the sculptor's singular personality and eccentric working methods, learning to decipher his memorably surreal turns of phrase and to parry his fascinating, if at times unsettling, pranksteresque quirks . In September 1992 Flanagan and McNeff took the show to Majorca, resulting a lively visit to the celebrated Spanish artist Miquel Barcelo. The following year McNeff was involved in Flanagan's print- making venture in Barcelona and in his Madrid retrospective. Flanagan rescued him from a rough landing in England in 1994 by commissioning a tour of stone quarries there. Subsequently McNeff ran into a fourteen- year-old profoundly deaf girl who turned out to be his unknown daughter. She had a talent for art and the superbly generous sculptor was instrumental in helping with her studies. Late in 2008 Barry was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. By June 2009 he was wheelchair- bound. Two months later he died, and McNeff read the lesson at his funeral. Fleshed out with biographical detail, much of it supplied by the sculptor himself, supplemented by photographs and details of the work, this touching memoir is the first retrospective of a major Welsh-born artist. With Barry Flanagan captures the spirit of this remarkable Merlinesque figure in a moving portrait that reveals a true original.

Photographs have always evoked strong emotions - special memories caught on camera have their own special magic. But photos must be displayed for us to share their magic with others. Now there are many more display possibilities than placing them in an album or simply framing them.

This book shares more than 75 ideas for turning your photos into attractive and interesting displays. It is the result of much experimenting and trial and error. While some projects are both functional and decorative, others are delightfully quirky. They all have one thing in common: the creative use of photographs, and whatever you have at hand for embellishment. Bases used include canvas, glass, porcelain and ceramics, wood (MDF and soft wood), fabric, candles and skirting boards. In fact, there is hardly a surface that cannot be covered with a photograph in some way or another.

Various techniques are used, including several transfer methods, decoupage, photomontage and covering with resin. Use these ideas to turn your photos into valued gifts by personalising general-use items or simply create eye-catching decor for your home. Once you start, you may not want to stop! Illustrated with step by step photographs as well as magnificent photos of each finished project, the book will both teach and inspire.

So give your creativity free rein and fill your life with your special moments.

Degas was a celebrity in Britain in his lifetime, thanks originally to George Moore's pioneering essay, The Painter of Modern Life. When Degas died Moore reprised the essay with some further recollections, in part as a riposte to the memoir published by Degas's great admirer and follower, Walter Sickert. Sickert's essay, sparkling, engaged, witty and occasionally combative, is amongst the best of his writings. Together these memoirs represent some of the most vivid responses to Impressionism in English - as well as painting an intimate picture of arguably the most important and most influential - and the most humane - of the painters of the later 19th century. Hitherto difficult to find, these essays are reprinted here with an introduction by Anna Gruetzner Robins and are illustrated with 30 pages of colour plates covering the span of Degas's dazzling career.

After twenty years, return to the wild world of Crash Bandicoot with this epic behind-the-scenes look at the new Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time! The Crash Bandicoot (TM) series has remained a beloved staple of platform gaming ever since the first game's release in 1996, The Art of Crash Bandicoot (TM)4: It's About Time (TM) is a rich repository overflowing with interviews, quotes, observations and anecdotes, accompanied by a treasure trove of concept art detailing the characters and environments of the game. Gamers of every type will cherish this all-encompassing look into the zany, wild and unpredictable world of Crash Bandicoot (TM).