Create uniquely artful words with secrets from Joanne Sharpe! Joanne Sharpe--author of the popular book The Art of Whimsical Lettering--has gathered together 55 of her favorite hand-drawn alphabets for this light-hearted collection. Follow simple illustrated steps to replicate each style...no lengthy instructions or extensive practice required. Any "imperfections" only add to their charm! Try your hand at letterforms inspired by feathers, flowers, postage stamps, vintage type, doodles, taxi cabs, chalkboards and more. Equally exciting are the variety of media used, from colored pencils and markers to paints and inks. Looking to add an artful touch to the world around you? These letters are perfect for personalizing anything from family calendars and daily planners to wall art, art journals, cards and one-of-a-kind gifts. You can even use the techniques and inspiration in this book to invent completely original alphabets of your own. With this A to Z guide, there's no limit to the statements you can make! Awesome alphabets--55 in all, ranging from basic block and stick letters to fanciful illustrated fonts Beginner-friendly instructions--Each alphabet is broken down into just a few simple steps Creative variety of tools and media--pens, markers, brushes, inks, paints, colored pencils, fountain pens, cardstock and much more

Decorative textures and colour are integral to the design of every piece of jewellery. This beautiful book covers a range of techniques and materials, which can be used to bring excitement, meaning and interest to your designs. Written by two experienced designer-makers and tutors, it encourages you to experiment, make samples, bend the rules (safely) and see what results are possible, before following the detailed technical advice to apply the techniques to your work. Topics covered include: embossing - techniques include hammering, stamping and roll printing to imprint a pattern, design and details onto the surface of the work. Heat application is covered and techniques include reticulation, granulation and casting. Further ideas and techniques cover the use of removing metal; colour techniques incorporating coloured metals in a piece of jewellery and the use of mixed media i.e. resin, wood, glass, anodised aluminium and gemstones. There are exercises that demonstrate a technique and experiment with the process, including

Learn how to apply interesting and inspired surface techniques to your ceramic work through 20 step-by-step projects. Carve Your Clay takes you through creative techniques that produce amazing, dynamic results, including inlay, piercing, sgraffito, etching, relief carving, wire cutting, and more. Gain new skills as you complete 20 projects featuring author Hilda Carr's signature style, each with clear step-by-step photography and easy-to-follow instruction to achieve beautiful results. This comprehensive book includes an easy guide on how to create basic forms, as well as glazing and firing techniques. Whether you are new to ceramics or are a more experienced potter looking to explore new surface design techniques, Carve Your Clay will educate and inspire you.

Katja Haas introduces the art of beautiful writing, presenting the different types of lettering, materials, all the basic principles and practical tips and tricks for your own designs. Templates for special occasions, practical exercises and ideas for decorative designs and slogans turn this instruction book into a creative treasure trove. Hand lettering gives you a little time for relaxation with pen and paper. So grab your pens and start lettering!

In recent years, there has been a real revival and appraisal of the works of the mid-century modern movement among architects and interior designers: the furniture, lighting and objects designed by Alvar Aalto, Charles & Ray Eames, Eileen Gray, Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Pierre Jeanneret, Finn Juhl, Vladimir Kagan, Poul Kjaerholm, Florence Knoll, Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Borge Mogensen, Serge Mouille, George Nakashima, George Nelson, Verner Panton, Ico Parisi, Charlotte Perriand, Gio Ponti, Jean Prouve, Sergio Rodrigues, Jean Royere, Eero Saarinen, Arne Vodder, Jules Wabbes, Ole Wanscher, Hans J. Wegner, Jorge Zalszupin and many others is integrated in their most exclusive projects and their best pieces are sold at record prices at Christies, Philipps, Sotheby's... In the U.S., the mid-century modern movement in interiors, product and graphic design and architecture was a reflection of the International and Bauhaus movements including the works of Gropius, Florence Knoll, Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Brazilian and Scandinavian architects were very influential, with a style characterised by clean simplicity and integration with nature. In Europe, the influence of Le Corbusier and the CIAM resulted in an architectural orthodoxy manifest across most parts of post-war Europe that was ultimately challenged by the radical agendas of the architectural wings of the avant-garde. A critical but sympathetic reappraisal of the internationalist oeuvre, inspired by the Scandinavian Moderns and the late work of Le Corbusier himself, was reinterpreted by groups such as Team X, including structuralist architects and the movement known as New Brutalism. This chic, over-sized coffee table book is an essential object for all mid-century design aficionados, interior designers with a passion for the modernist 1950s and for refined readers seeking inspiration for their own interiors. In 20 reports, interior designers and passionate collectors of mid-century furniture, lighting, objects and artworks show how carefully selected touches of high-end mid-century modernism can contribute to a unique living environment.

A reprint of the original 1886 catalog of bronzes from the House of Barbedienne is reproduced with original selling prices in French francs and dimensions plus the line drawings which depict many of these famous works. Barbedienne was one of the foremost French foundries for the production of bronze sculptures in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century.

Founded in Idar-Oberstein in 1847, the company Constantin Wild has left its mark on the world of gemstones like barely any other enterprise. For its 175th anniversary, Constantin Wild, great-grandson of the company's founder, has been out on the trail of history. He now takes us back to the beginnings of the Wild family, which looks back on a tradition of 400 years of artistic stonecutting and also in the trading of one-of-a-kind gemstones. Travel with him around the globe on the quest for the most beautiful and rarest stones. Discover sublime items of jewellery - a selection of the very best, the zenith of international haute joaillerie. Their beauty begins with the stone, and often enough this begins chez Constantin Wild: without that fine cut, by adept craftsmen and artists, the expressive colour of the gemstone fails to come into its own. Only once it has been subjected to these processes can the gemstone unfold its true character, to reach its final fiery, vivacious brilliance. In this publication, Constantin Wild presents a selection of exceptional gemstones in short vignettes. The opulently designed publication Gems, Colours & Wild Stories is an homage to and an affirmation of love for the irrepressible diversity of these extremely valuable gemstones.

As featured in Bookforum, ELLE Decor, and Interior Design Magazine The first and only monograph on the life and work of the iconic Danish-American mid-century furniture designer Jens Risom - an unsung hero of Mid-Century Modern design Jens Risom, a key figure in mid-century modern design, was one of the first designers to introduce Scandinavian design to the United States and his highly collectible original work is currently selling for large sums at auction. In 1942, Risom's designs formed the majority of the inaugural collection of original furniture for the iconic Hans Knoll Furniture Company and many of his key pieces are still in production today, by leading manufacturers including Knoll, Design Within Reach, De Padova, Camira, and Ralph Pucci. This, the first authoritative biography of Risom, spans his education in Denmark, early collaborations with Georg Jensen and Hans Knoll, the creation of his own company - Jen Risom Design - his celebrated prefab house on Block Island, RI, as well as his legacy and presence in the 21st century. With unique access to a plethora of never-before-seen sketches, photographs and ephemera, this book proves, as the immortal slogan in his iconic ad campaign shot by Richard Avedon tells us, 'The answer is Risom'.

ThiS is not only a book of instruction in chainmaking but it is also a work celebrating man's continuous creativity over thousands of years. At times something that man creates has far-reach ing effects; an example that quickly comes to mind is the wheel, which has enabled many devel opments, from pottery to computers. At this point it is important to note that these same wheels could not have been made without metal tools. From early Neolithic times on gold was a favorite choice in the making of jewelry. During the Neolithic period these "shining stones," probably alluvial, were prized. Actually gold was cold worked as if it were a stone. There is a surviving example of cold-worked gold from Catahuyuk (present day Turkey) estimated to have been made in 6500 B. C. There were only four metals on the earth's surface that were found in sufficient quantity to be used: gold, copper, silver, and meteoric iron. An understanding of the malleability of gold, and of the annealing effect of fire, changed jewelry making; new forms were found. Gold was no longer a piece of stone but a material that could be flattened and made very thin. Sheet and foil are the oldest forms of worked gold. The smiths' tools were stone, wood, and horn."

Create your own floral and plant illustrations, with no previous artistic experience necessary! Each project in this beautiful book is broken into easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, making how to draw leaves and flowers (including poppies, pansies, and cherry blossoms!) as easy as 1-2-3. You'll also learn the process of creating patterns and digitising your illustrations!

American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany is most famous for his revolutionary and widely popular glass windows, lamps, and vases, but his contributions to late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century art and design were so much more. Tiffany was also a painter, photographer, interior decorator, and designer of ceramics, enamels, and jewelry. This book presents more than 200 of the artist's works from the renowned Tiffany collection of The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in chronological sequence, providing a biographical view of the man behind the famous glass.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a generation of young Americans rejected the promise of prosperity and the suburban dream embraced by their parents. Furious about the war in Vietnam, fighting for civil rights at home, and eagerly exploring the effects of psychedelic drugs, the delights of free love, and the mystical teachings of eastern religions, thousands followed the advice to "turn on, tune in, drop out," bringing about a counterculture in the process. For many American jewellers, these events and values found their way into the studio, as well as affecting how they lived, worked, and loved. Jewellers, like other studio craftspeople, rode the wave of popularity for the hand-made and authentic that was at the heart of the counterculture. In Flux is the story of how their jewellery contributed to the raucous, contradictory, and enthusiastic clamour for a new kind of society that made the 1960s and 1970s so extraordinary.

Ardmore ceramics are found in major collections in several European countries, the United States and South Africa and have been given as state gifts to, among others, Bill Clinton, Jacques Chirac, Queen Elizabeth II and Empress Michiko of JapanGiraffe stretch out their necks and bat-eared foxes curl their tails to make handles for jugs, vases and tureens. Inquisitive monkeys peer over the edge of a planter, teasing the leopards below them. Magical creatures wear cloaks of flowers, spots and stripes; a turbanned Zulu figure sits astride a hippo Colorful, imaginative, vibrant, delicate and dramatic these are just some of the hallmarks of the artworks that have garnered international accolades for Ardmore Ceramic Art in rural KwaZulu-Natal. It is here, in South Africa s most successful ceramics studio set in the verdant Midlands, that exquisitely handcrafted and highly detailed figurative works and functional ware are created by more than fifty artists who draw on Zulu traditions and folklore, history, the natural world, and their own lives for inspiration.In turn, it is the lives of the sculptors and painters of Ardmore that fire the vision of the woman behind it all: Fee Halsted is an artist whose love of teaching and determination to fight poverty and AIDS have set others on the path of creative self-discovery and ultimately worldwide acclaim."Ardmore We Are Because of Others" tells the extraordinary story of this famous studio from its humble beginnings in a poverty-stricken corner of South Africa to its fame as a producer of exceptional and irresistible objets d art prized by collectors, galleries and museums throughout the world. It is also the story of the indomitable Fee Halsted who is the driving force behind the enterprise, and the artists whose inventive spirit and fearless creativity are at the heart of Ardmore."

From medieval pilgrim badges and Renaissance hat decorations to jewelled brooches and twentieth-century political pins, brooches and badges are often more than practical or decorative dress fasteners; they are expressions of identity. Focusing on the V&A(1)s world-famous collection, Brooches & Badges explores the evolution of these intricate and versatile works of art, and the way in which changes in dress have dictated their use.

th-century handbook, written by a working artist of the day, reveals secrets and techniques of the masters in drawing, oil painting, frescoes, panel painting, gilding, casting, more. Direct link to artists of Middle ages. Translation, introduction by D. V. Thompson. ...delightful flavor...--N.Y. H

This is a collection of fifteen essays dealing with folk art and literary criticism in relation to slavery and freedom in North American history.

Blacksmithing skills are greatly in demand in many rural areas, for making agricultural implements and other metal tools. This book is designed to help skilled blacksmiths who have little or no teaching experience to train others in forge work techniques, using easily obtainable equipment and scrap metal to produce tools such as hoes, sickles, hammers and axes.

Among the many treasures of the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, are hundreds of chess and other games pieces dating from the 7th to the 19th centuries ce. Intricately crafted in a rich variety of materials, including ivory, wood, ceramic, glass, jade and agate, these tiny objects are of enormous historical and artistic significance. They not only mark the evolution of familiar games into their modern forms, but also evoke the imperial palaces, military camps and herders' tents in which they were played over many centuries, from the Sasanian period through the Islamic era in Central Asia, Iran, present-day Iraq and northern India. The chess pieces include both early figural sets and the more abstract forms that later became popular throughout the Islamic world. Dice, pachesi sets and a medieval Arabic treatise on chess complete the collection.

Craft Economies provides a wide-ranging exploration of contemporary craft production, situating practices of amateur and professional making within a wider creative economy. Contributors address a diverse range of practices, sites and forms of making in a wide range of regional and national contexts, from floristry to ceramics and from crochet to coding. The volume considers the role of digital practices of making and the impact of the maker's movement as part of larger trends around customisation, on-demand production, and the possibilities of 3D printing and digital manufacturing.

Calligraphy and lettering, in chalk! Chalk art and lettering are all around: on menu boards at a favorite local coffee shop, brightening sidewalk easels at street fairs, and in lively artwork found in the home. Chalk art and lettering pros Amanda Arneill and Shannon Roberts have teamed up to provide friendly, step-by-step instruction in chalk lettering and art, teaching you all you need to know to create your own chalk masterpieces: - Getting started: the basics of making and seasoning your own chalkboards - Lettering: various alphabets and lettering styles - Illustration: steps and processes in chalk art, including banners, flowers and more - Design: brings lettering and art techniques together with guided chalk projects ideas

The traditional Japanese art of cord braiding--known as kumihimo-- has been around for centuries. The technique, which uses a loom and several strands of silk thread, was once used to create the strong, slender cords that reinforced samurai warrior armor. Today, it is primarily used to make beautiful, color-drenched cords for jewelry and other decorative items. In "Twist, Turn, & Tie 50 Japanese Kumihimo Braids," readers will get everything they need to get started in this ancient craft, including a mini braiding loom They'll also find:

• An overview of tools and materials from looms to bobbins to glues to beads
• Step-by-step instructions for basic loom braiding, handling threads, beads, and more
• 50 gorgeous projects from simple beginner braids to complex beaded cords
• 400 full-color photographs for inspirations and instruction
  With details on kumihimo terminology, starting and finishing braids, and calculating thread and bead counts, this book is an ideal guide for new braiders.

Moving Objects deals with emotive design: designed objects that demand to be engaged with rather than simply used. If postmodernism depended upon ironic distance, and Critical Design is all about questions, then emotive design runs hotter than this, confronting how designers are using feelings in what they make. Damon Taylor's original study considers these emotionally laden, highly authored works, often produced in limited editions and sold like art - objects such as a chair made from cuddly toys, a leather sofa that resembles a cow, and a jewellery box fashioned from human hair. Tracing the phenomenon back to the 'Dutch inflection' that began with Droog designers like Jurgen Bey and Hella Jongerius, Taylor conducts an analysis of the development of Design Art and looks for its origins in the uncanny explorations of surrealism. Offering a critique of Speculative Design, and an examination of the work of designers such as Mathias Bengtsson, whose work involves 'growing' furniture inside computers, Taylor asks what happens when the tangible melts into the datascape and design becomes a question of mobilities. In this way, Moving Objects examines contemporary issues of how we live with artefacts and what design can do.