Stan Lee, the founding father of Marvel Comics, and John Buscema, artist of the classic Silver Surfer series, give professional advice and instruction for budding comics artists. Learn how to draw the Marvel way, courtesy of this lavishly illustrated, step-by-step guide to all facets of the process.

Start painting today - it's easier than you think

If you've ever dreamed of painting in watercolor, this is the book for you. It's designed to help you start experiencing the joy of watercolor immediately - even if you've never picked up a brush.

Mark and Mary Willenbrink provide all the guidance and encouragement you need. Their painting techniques, tips and tricks help make every step you take a success, from selecting colors to designing a composition. It's like having two private art instructors right there at your side.

In no time at all you'll be hanging original works of art - pieces you'll be proud to show to family and friends. The Willenbrinks' easy-to-follow instruction ensures it. Don't put off your artistic life another day

Learn how to make the most of nature in on-location drawings and paintings with artists and Urban Sketcher educators Gail L. Wong and Virginia Hein. In The Urban Sketching Handbook Spotlight on Nature, Gail and Virginia share their secrets for getting beyond basic greenery. Presenting a variety of approaches, including detailed step-by-step examples and quick, insightful tips, this book explains and clarifies important fundamentals for composition and color and inspires unique treatments and points of view. Whatever your skill level, you can bring nature to life on the page for urban parks as well as expansive landscapes with The Urban Sketching Handbook: Spotlight on Nature. The Urban Sketching Handbook series offers artists expert instruction on creative techniques, on-location tips and advice, and an abundance of visual inspiration. These handy references come in a compact, easy-to-carry format-perfect to toss in your backpack or artist's tote.

Step into fabulous forests and take some time for yourself to relax with this gorgeous colouring book. From the publisher of the hugely successful Creative Colouring series. Discover the magical world of the forest and the curious creatures that lie within, delve into the woodlands with their wonderful wildflowers and walk along the tree-lined paths towards tranquility. Specifically designed to encourage relaxation and foster an atmosphere of peace and calm, these beautiful illustrations inspired by the natural world will help you switch off from your worries and let your inner artist free. The Colour Yourself Calm series celebrates the natural world and will help you to forget your stresses, as you fill the pages with beautiful colours. The only limit is your imagination. Also available: Colour Yourself Calm: Flowers, Bees and Butterflies

Joints: A Woodworker's Guide takes one of the most important and challenging aspects of woodworking and demystifies the all-important subject of choosing, designing and cutting woodworking joints. Strong, appropriate and well-fitting joints are one of the hallmarks of the skilled woodworker. Making them properly and accurately calls for good planning and marking out as well as a good degree of care in the cutting, fitting and final assembly. It is essential to approach making joints methodically, this book provides all the necessary information to ensure success. Aimed at both those new to woodworking as well as the experienced woodworker. Joints: A Woodworker's Guide is broken down into three main sections: planning and preparation, basic techniques of joint making and individual joints in detail. Areas covered include: planning the work and preparing the wood; measuring and marking; cutting and fitting, glues and assembly.

This fourth book in the 'Kawaii' series is packed with adorable creatures from a range of cultures and mythologies. In the hands of author-teacher Angela Nguyen, even a three-headed dog is drawn in a style that will have any young artist cooing! This book teaches young readers what kawaii is all about and how to draw any mythical animal in an adorable style. There are clear step-by-step diagrams that are great for visual learners and make it super-easy to follow the instructions. The wonderful beasts are organized by the terrain in which they are found: air, water and land. There is also a section devoted to how young readers can create their own creatures: elephants with tiny wings, bunnies with unfeasibly large ears, and 'mash-ups' like giant bats. Angela has created 'feature spreads' showing imagined landscapes where some of these creatures might safely graze. Taking cuteness to the next level, this wonderful resource makes drawing instantly achievable and great fun!

This book features a wonderful collection of clock projects from the editors of "Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts" magazine. Learn how to make beautiful time pieces including grandfather clocks and pendulum clocks! It includes projects for all abilities and tastes, from learning to cut pieces and assemble parts to finishing and personalising. The editors of "Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts" magazine have selected a collection of the most beloved clock projects - from fancy fretwork grandfather clocks to classic pendulum clocks and whimsical desk clocks. This book offers something for everyone - no matter what their level of scrolling expertise. Beginners will learn how to cut their pieces like an expert and assemble clock parts. More advanced crafters will appreciate the section on finishing clocks and personalising special gifts. The articles, that represent the most popular clocks since the inception of "Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts" in 2000, have been fully updated to reflect current clock part sizes.

Lamps are the light and life of every room. Discover how easy it is to enhance your rooms with this complete introduction to the art of making lampshades. Many creative project ideas are presented in this illuminating book. You will learn how to cover, line, and trim an existing lampshade, as well as create your own distinctive lamps and shades in a variety of stunning styles. Clear, concise, and easy to follow instructions and illustrations will make it easy. For the designer and decorator, the silhouettes of lamps and the shapes of lampshades are named and defined. A section shows you how each base and shade complement each other, so you can combine them using good design techniques. Learn how you can change the look of a room instantly with the versatility of lampshades. And if you are interested in selling your wares, a section on pricing your work is included. This comprehensive how-to will inspire everyone to experiment with the art of making lampshades.

The third in a series of seasonal watercoloring books based on artist Kristy Rice's cutting gardens, this book celebrates autumn's vibrant blossoms such as asters, zinnias, torch lilies, and chrysanthemums. Her easy-to-learn, joy-driven approach includes simple tutorials on how to use watercolor and where to find affordable materials. A stationery-industry tastemaker, Kristy believes that making art, regardless of skill level, has the power to reconnect us to each other and ourselves. Touching brush to paper with water and color releases an inexplicable calm that so many of us long for, and making art, even in short bursts, brings us back to ourselves by slowing time.With 25 detailed, yet whimsical illustrations, artists are invited to continue the journey begun in her first watercoloring book series, Painterly Days.

A beautiful new colouring book that takes you on a magical journey beneath the waves, from the creator of the worldwide bestsellers, Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest. Also features a large double-sided pull-out poster to colour and keep.

With Lost Ocean, Johanna Basford invites colour-inners of all ages to discover an enchanting underwater world hidden within the depths of the sea.

With intricate pen and ink illustrations to complete, colour and embellish, readers will meet shoals of exotic fish, curious octopuses and delicately penned seahorses, visit coral reefs and barnacle-studded shipwrecks, and discover intricate shells and pirate treasure. Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest fans and newcomers alike will delight in this creative journey into an inky new world.

For Lost Ocean, Johanna picked a crisp white paper that accentuates and complements your chosen colour palette. The smooth, untextured pages allows for beautiful blending or gradient techniques with coloured pencils, or are perfect for pens, allowing the nib to glide evenly over the surface without feathering.

This book is not a DIY of framing and frame making – it is brimful of ideas, showing you how to refinish, recycle and re-use old frames, and how to embellish frame blanks to best display your photographs, pictures and other items. It is dedicated to easy and unusual frames to be used in and around the house, for everything from miniature perfume bottles to a large blackboard for a nursery. You will find instructions for very basic frame construction from scratch, as well as loads of information on finishing techniques for frame blanks and ways to repurpose old frames.

Let the book guide you to think out of the box and move beyond wood and mitred corners. Learn to make frames using polystyrene cornices, polymer clay, magazine pages, leather off-cuts, card stock and wadding, wire, fabric, rulers, a discarded bicycle tyre and other findings and decorating materials as diverse as discarded teabags and gold leaf. Also included are frames that are both decorative and functional, acting as organisers for anything from scarves to notes and memos.

Filled with practical hints and tips, illustrated with step-by-step photographs and boasting beautiful pictures of more than 60 completed frames, this book contains everything you need to fill your home with eye-catching creative frames.

Chinese brush painting is an ancient art, steeped in history, symbolism and ritual, and closely linked to Chinese calligraphy. This beautifully illustrated book takes you on a journey through the history, techniques and materials that will enable you to produce stunning paintings of flowers, birds, animals and landscapes. Topics covered include: he history of Chinese painting materials and how to use them; advice on basic brush strokes, colour mixing and brush loading; step-by-step guide to completing a composition of a variety of subjects and finally, instruction on mounting your work for display. Written by a respected artist and teacher, it covers traditional techniques as well as more recent innovative ideas, and reveals the beauty and mastery behind this art.

This early work is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of netmaking, but contains a wealth of information and instructions that are still useful and practical to today's net maker. Contents Include: Foreword; Introductory; Basic Knots; Bindings; Parcel Tying; Square Knotting; Sennets; Netting; Plain Netting; Netting in Square Mesh; Circular Netting; Miscellaneous Netting; Turk's Head Knots; Stopper Knots; and Useful Accessories. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Embroidery has been used through the ages to enhance ordinary household items from tea cloths to bed linen, from towels to monogrammed serviettes. In the rush of modern-day life where everything is mass-produced, embroidery has become something of a lost art. Funky stitches takes a fresh look at this craft and provides ideas for fun and funky designs, inspired by anything from urban graffiti and children's drawings to nature. An introductory section deals with practical matters such as fabrics, threads, needles, designs and how to transfer them, how to make up embroidered items and much more. The stitches are clearly illustrated and are simple enough for a beginner to master. There are more than 30 room-by-room projects, from the nursery to the kitchen, with suggested variations to show how the same basic design can be used to decorate or create a range of items with a similar theme. Every project in the title is accompanied by full instructions, templates and a colour photograph of the finished item.

As we become increasingly aware of the power of nature to lift our spirits, so, too, are we becoming more conscious of the role that mindfulness can play in sparking our creativity. The renowned textile artist and embroiderer Jane E. Hall brings these ideas together in her captivating new book. As a child, Jane loved playing outside and making things using natural materials, from daisy chains and petal-based perfumes to tiny tea sets of acorn cups and leaf saucers. Now, as a successful professional artist, Jane still finds great happiness and inspiration in connecting with nature, and here encourages you to attune to the beauty of the natural world as a way of stimulating your creativity. Jane begins by explaining how spending time in nature helps us to engage the senses and rediscover playfulness, and outlines her belief that one should embrace the process of making art rather than focusing on its final form. She shares the special spaces, both indoors and out, that allow her imagination to have free rein, and then presents 10 creative ideas inspired by nature. These 'Creative Contemplations' first explore building your own treasure collection of materials to use in artistic projects, and then move on to the creation of a range of beautiful designs: stunning mandalas of petals, leaves and shells; delicate dreamcatchers; a dainty purse of honesty seed pods; handmade birds' nests; exquisite embroidered butterflies; 'woodland fairies' composed of lichen-covered twigs and feathers; and much more. Some 'Contemplations' include step-by-step instructions, while others feature the stories behind their making in order to inspire you to push beyond your perceived creative limits. Jane's writing style is uplifting and engaging, and the text throughout is accompanied by specially commissioned photography. No matter how skilled or unskilled you believe yourself to be, The Nature of Creativity will nurture your artistic thoughts and help you find your inner happiness. Journey with Jane through the natural landscape to unlock your artistic potential and breathe creativity back into your life!

Do You Want To Know How To Decorate On A Budget? Are you looking for the best ways to design your home? Do you want to decorate your home but don't want to spend a lot of money? Do you want to maximize your space visually, and inexpensively? When you buy Interior Design: A True Beginner's Guide To Decorating On A Budget, your home will look amazing! You will discover everything you need to know about interior design. These professional techniques will transform your home. You'll be proud to show off your new home and style whenever friends and family stop by. This book breaks down into easy-to-understand modules. It starts from the very beginning of interior design, so you can get great results - even as a beginner!

The gear illustrated and described in this book is made of rawhide. However, leather thongs and plastic string can be worked in the same manner. The illustrations are clear, and detailed drawings show from beginning to end how to make the articles of gear the horseman uses to "work or show" his horse to best advantage. Bridles, hackamores, hobbles, reins, reatas, quirts, and riding crops are just a few of the articles that can be made by following the illustrations and instructions.

Included in the volume is a section titled "How to Make a Western Saddle, " by Lee M. Rice. He explains each step in making a western saddle, with text and drawings.