Written by one of the world's best-selling authors of practical art titles.

A groundbreaking examination of Mel Bochner's inventive drawing practice produced collaboratively with the artist Encompassing both works on paper and oversized wall drawings made from the 1960s to the present, this handsomely designed volume documents the first-ever museum retrospective of drawings by Mel Bochner (b. 1940). Drawing has long been critical to the work of this pioneering conceptual artist, and essayists explore the theoretical framework and playful experimentation of his decades-long practice. The book, conceived and designed in close collaboration with the artist, features his own writings about his philosophy of wall drawings and reflections on significant exhibitions of his work. Bochner was a key figure of the Minimalist and Conceptual Art movements whose first exhibition in 1966 is now recognized as seminal. Today the artist is known for works in a range of media that explore the conventions of language and visual art as well as the relationships between them; his experimental works on paper, canvas, and wall-all of which are celebrated here-are a foundational facet of his practice and a critical influence on contemporary art. Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago Exhibition Schedule: Art Institute of Chicago (April 23-August 22, 2022)

If you want to draw cats but don't know where to start, this is the book for you! 10 Step Drawing: Cats will help you turn simple shapes into beautiful cat drawings in just ten steps. Each drawing starts with easy, geometric shapes and simple guide lines, and the cats are drawn in a variety of poses that typify the particular breed. Each drawing includes a helpful colour palette so readers can easily find the right colours to finish their drawing. There are even instructions for adding simple details to give each creature its own personality.

The illustrator Andrew Loomis (1892-1959) is revered among artists - including comics superstar Alex Ross - for his mastery of figure drawing and clean, Realist style.
His hugely influential series of art instruction books have never been bettered, and "Figure Drawing "is the first in Titan's programme of facsimile editions, returning these classic titles to print for the first time in decades.

Beautiful bird illustrations by Madeleine Floyd Details of the wonderful songs and sounds of our birds A celebration of our feathered creatures and their songs for all bird lovers A celebration of British birds and their songs, from the sought-after artist Madeleine Floyd. Some 50 of her exquisite drawings of birds, along with their specific eggs are captured here for fans of her work and wildlife enthusiasts. It includes details of the songs and sounds made by each of the birds, from sparrows, tits, to the lyrical nightingale. The latter has up to 250 different phrases in his song and each performance is made up of a unique composition. The art of Madeleine Floyd is beautifully presented in this gem of a book and should delight all bird lovers.

The act of field sketching allows us to experience the landscape first-hand - rather than reliance upon plans, maps and photographs at a distance, back in the studio. Aimed primarily at landscape architects, Janet Swailes takes the reader on a journey through the art of field sketching, providing guidance and tips to develop skills from those starting out on a design course, to those looking to improve their sketching. Combining techniques from landscape architecture and the craft and sensibilities of arts practice, she invites us to experience sensations directly out in the field to enrich our work: to look closely at the effects of light and weather; understand the lie and shapes of the land through travel and walking; and to consider lines of sight from the inside out as well as outside in. Full colour throughout with examples, checklists and case studies of other sketchers' methods, this is an inspirational book to encourage landscape architects to spend more time in the field and reconnect with the basics of design through drawing practice.

Chinese brush painting is a traditional style of painting that has evolved over many centuries. Artists use ink and colour pigments to paint onto rice paper or silk. An important characteristic of this kind of painting is holding and directing the brush in the right way to produce strokes that are delicate and refined. The four co-authors of this book - Sun Chenggang, Ning Xiangying, Ning Jialu and Miao Hongbo - are particularly gifted proponents of this style, which has connections with traditional calligraphy. Chinese brush painting typically includes themes such as birds, plants and flowers, landscapes, fruit and vegetables and fish. This book explores these themes through the four seasons, with the peony depicted in spring, the lotus flower in summer, the vegetable harvest in autumn and the bamboo bud in winter. Many of the subjects are symbolic and have connotations of good fortune, auspiciousness, good health, a long life, a good harvest, a flourishing family, wealth - even immortality! Explained in the introduction to each project, the symbolism is followed by clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations. There is a short section at the beginning of the book describing tools, materials and techniques to help readers achieve the almost ethereal beauty and delicacy of this style of painting.

Unleash your inner beasties! Unlike their villainous cousins, the monsters in this book exist to make people smile, not scream. Wonderfully weird and relatively harmless (aside from the occasional nibble on a toe), these are some of the most likeable monsters you'll ever encounter--from Stephanie, who wants to wrap her tentacles around you in a big hug, to Patience, the bug-eating rock, to Peeperpillar, a cute caterpillar-parakeet. They are the quirky creations of three professional monster artists, here to share their techniques and character-building processes. With a fun, anything-goes approach to monster-making, they show you how to bring to life the beasties running wild in your own imagination. Draw 43 crazy-cool monsters step by step! Learn to draw a variety of eyes, mouths, horns, legs and feet, and make mix-and-match monsters. Create four breeds of monsters, including freestyle, alien, mashups and robots. Spot monster-making inspiration all around you, from animals and insects to jelly beans and toasters. No humans were harmed in the making of this book.

Building on the fundamentals taught in Shoujo Basics (a previous title in the Draw Manga Now series), this title shows readers how to embellish and amplify their shoujo characters by drawing the characteristic outfits, hairstyles, accessories, and even animal friends of the genre. After an introduction to all of these accoutrements, readers will have a chance to follow along Hart's in-depth step-by-steps, and will even be invited to draw on their own, right in the book's pages.

Master manga with 100 creatures, characters and super-cute chibis. This is the ultimate introduction to drawing manga: 100 simple, step-by-step drawings of everything from superheroes to super-cute pets. Practise drawing different hair and facial expressions then create your own elaborate and colourful manga characters; draw up a battling universe of manga superheroes and villains; start your own collection of super-cute chibi chums. Whether you're looking for inspiration or just getting started, professional comic creator Yishan Li will be your guide. Every project is broken down into a handful of simple stages that lead you effortlessly through to the final coloured drawing. There are no written instructions to follow – just basic shapes and pencil strokes. Even if you’ve never drawn anything before, you will be amazed at how quickly you will achieve your own cute and characterful manga drawings! This title contains content from two books in the How to Draw series: Manga Heroes and Manga Faces.

Master drawing human eyes, hands, faces, and every aspect of the human figure! Best-selling author, Christopher Hart, teaches budding artists how to create proportional, realistic people in this essential how-to-draw volume.

An icon of 1980s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) first made his name under the graffiti tag "SAMO," before establishing his studio practice and catapulting to fast fame at the age of 20. Although his career lasted barely a decade, he remains a cult figure of artistic social commentary, and a trailblazer in the mediation of graffiti and gallery art. Basquiat's work drew upon diverse sources and media to create an original and urgent artistic vocabulary, biting with critique against structures of power and racism. His practice merged abstraction and figuration, poetry and painting, while his influences spanned Greek, Roman, and African art, French poetry, jazz,and the work of artistic contemporaries such as Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly. The results are vivid, visceral mixtures of words, African emblems, cartoonish figures, daubs of bold color, and beyond. This book presents Basquiat's short but prolific career, his unique style, and his profound engagement with ever-relevant issues of integration and segregation, poverty and wealth. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

In 365 Days of Art in Nature, Lorna Scobie, invites the reader to take a closer look at the natural world - whether that's outside on location, or inside their own home - reminding us all that regardless of whether we live in the city or the countryside, wildlife is just on our doorstep.

Observe the slow, constant pace of the nature that surrounds you every day, and use it to inspire you in your art and creativity. Activities may include visiting a particular tree, four times in the year and drawing it. How has it changed? Study the colours you find in autumn leaves. Explore drawing them in different materials.

Featuring nature-inspired quotes, breakaway activities to get you outdoors and plenty of supportive prompts and tips, this book will spark your imagination and help you to open your eyes and appreciate the natural beauty in our world.

Many people crave a creative outlet, but more often than not, don't know where to start. In Colours, Giovanna Ranaldi invites you to nurture your creativity and build your confidence by taking inspiration from famous works of art that celebrate colour. Each section explores a particular aspect of colour, from basics such as the history of the colour wheel and using complementary colours, to understanding the impact colour has on our emotions and dreams. Throughout the book, Giovanna provides creative and fun prompts that will encourage you to draw or paint on the pages using various techniques. Colours is full of information on how to see colour and use it in your own artwork and is packed with inspiration from the world's most celebrated artists, including Paul Klee, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Sonia Delaunay and more. Colours is a short course in unlocking your creative self - perfect for budding artists of all ages who are keen to try out different artistic techniques and materials, and begin their artistic journey.

This is an accessibly written, illustrated biography of Venetian painter Rosalba Carriera (1673-1757), one of the most famous women artists in 18th-century Europe. It presents an overview of her life and work, considering Carriera's miniatures alongside her better-known, larger-scale works. Focusing on interpretation of her paintings in the historical context of her life as a single woman in Venice, the book offers an easy guide through Carrieras life, the people she met, her clients and her artistic approach. The author's new iconographic analysis of some of Carriera's works reveals that she was an erudite painter, drawing on antiquity as well as the work of Renaissance virtuosos such as Leonardo da Vinci and Paolo Veronese.

Simple step-by-step lessons for drawing 60 animals + video tutorials via QR codes! Drawing Class: Animals is a collection of 60 fun, beginner-level lessons for drawing whimsical animals in pencil and colored pencil. Written and illustrated by artist and author Heegyum Kim, the fun, easy lessons-one for every animal-present step-by-step illustrations and instructions demonstrating how each one is drawn in pencil, with each step showing how and where to add simple shapes to create a wide variety of comical creatures, including: Home and Farm: Cat, Dog, Horse, Pig Woodlands, Plains, and Grasslands: Brown Bear, Moose, Elephant, Wolf Crawlers and Fliers: Cricket, Dragonfly, Hummingbird, Quail Rainforest: Iguana, Jaguar, Sloth, Orangutan Sea, Shore, and Wetlands: Alligator, Walrus, Frog, Shark Legendary Creatures: Dinosaur, Dodo, Unicorn For extra inspiration, several colored pencil versions of each animal are shown, along with a special feature-QR codes that give you access to a bonus video tutorial for every animal! Sharpen your pencils-it's time for Drawing Class: Animals!

This comprehensive book offers a guide to all the materials, techniques and approaches an artist needs to start painting and drawing with confidence. As well as step-by-step instruction for beginners, it offers expert tips, advice and ideas to offer inspiration to more advanced practitioners. Throughout, lively and original works by contemporary artists illustrate the skills in action. Special 'focus' features are included on painting and drawing popular subjects such as portraits and figures, landscapes, buildings and flowers. With tried-and tested techniques and expert guidance, this book provides an invaluable practical reference for every amateur artist looking to hone their skills in oils, pastels, acrylics, watercolours, charcoals, pen and ink or coloured pencils.

This inspiring book makes drawing in a realistic style easier than you may think and more fun than you ever imagined! Authors Mark and Mary Willenbrink (Watercolor for the Absolute Beginner) cover it all-from choosing materials and the correct way to hold your pencil, to expert advice on the tricky stuff, like getting proportions and perspective right, drawing reflections, and designing strong compositions. (It's not as scary as it sounds...not with Mark and Mary as your guide!) At the heart of this book, a series of fun, hands-on exercises help you practice and perfect your strokes-24 mini-demos lead up to 9 full step-by-step demos. Each exercise builds on the previous one as you develop your skills, build your confidence, and enjoy yourself along the way. The lessons you learn by drawing simple subjects such as coffee mugs, clouds and trees will help you take on progressively more challenging matter like animals, still lifes, landscapes and portraits...the kinds of subjects and scenes you've always dreamt of drawing. This book is just the ticket for budding artists of any age. It's never too early and never too late to discover the pure joy of drawing!

If a person is struggling with feelings that involve pain or anxiety, then we find a complex network of difficulties affecting that person s capacity to express what torments him. Whatever the person s age, they very often have no access to the words that might convey their internal conflicts. People interacting with that person may believe he is deliberately refusing to express what affects him, but it is certainly true that most times this is not the case. When dealing with children, these difficulties are even more acute. Many years ago it was found that children often expressed in their drawings elements of the conflicts they were experiencing of themselves and the world in which they lived. The author followed this practice in his work not only with children and adolescents, but at times also with adults.This fascinating book arose from his discovery that single drawings could at times represent only a part of an underlying emotional experience that "completed" its expression in another picture drawn after that first one. At first, it seemed a mere coincidence, but time came to show him that this was a strategy similar to what we find in ordinary verbal language and that drawings clearly constituted a language of their own. He therefore subjected the phenomenon he now found to further investigation. The author s hope is that his subsequent findings may prove to be a valuable clinical tool for colleagues in their work. This research should give closer and more detailed understanding of this splitting mechanism, so well known in actual words, but apparently not previously describe in drawings."