Tom Wolfe returns to an old friend of his, Santa Claus. In his own special way he leads the carver through each step of the carving process. The result is a traditional Santa in stride, heading for the reindeer pen to hook up for the Christmas flight. He is accompanied by old Rudolph, who looks a bit bewildered by the night that lies ahead. Every step, from the blank to the painted Santa, is documented with a color photograph and a clear instruction. Patterns are provided for the project, the reindeer, and several other interesting Santas. A gallery of the other Santas is included for reference to the other possibilities. This is a book for all to enjoy and learn from!

Get nose to bloom with one of the most beloved subjects of painters for generations of artists with Expressive Flower Painting and master pedals, stems, colors, and more. It's almost always one of the first things someone tries to paint--center, petals, stem, voila! Expressive Flower Painting's exercises have a loose, free, contemporary style the likes of which you'd see in galleries, in shops, and even on clothing and home design goods. It's not intimidating, and yet the paintings are colorful, immediate, and joyful and speak to the artist's desire to play, be loose, and to create freely. Lynn Whipple paints wildly and in small to large formats with a combination of acrylic paint, charcoal, and colorful soft pastel. Expressive Flower Painting presents a range of creative painting exercises that help readers develop vibrant nature paintings. This exciting book is an in-depth expansion of Lynn's class called Big Bold Bloom Wild Painting, with additional content. Expressive Flower Painting covers mark making, layering techniques, how to do "spin drawings," color methods, painted backgrounds, working from life, and how to successfully combine a wide variety of media for the maximum effect.

Open this book as an absolute beginner, and come away as a proud portrait artist

Mark and Mary Willenbrink's"Absolute Beginner" books have helped thousands of novices tap into their inner artists. In this book, Mark and Mary help the beginning artist take on portraits, showing that absolutely anyone can draw faces. Their encouraging, easy-to-follow instruction style makes learning fun--you'll be amazed by how quickly you achieve impressive results.

You may be a beginner now, but not for long "Drawing Portraits for the Absolute Beginner" covers everything from warming up with sketches, and capturing facial expressions, to framing your finished work. Page by page, you'll build the skills and confidence you need to draw lifelike portraits of your friends and family.

What's Inside:

• A simple two-stage approach to drawing portraits: sketch a likeness, then build up values to bring it to life
• Step-by-step instruction for drawing eyes, noses, mouths, hairstyles, hands, glasses and other tricky elements
• 13 complete demonstrations featuring a range of ages and ethnicities
• Tips for evoking more personality in your portraits by using props, costumes and accessories

Unlock the secrets to creating stylized animals that enchant and entertain their audience, resulting in characters that follow in the popular paw-prints of much-loved creatures from Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, and other great studios. Creating Stylized Animals focuses on the art and craft of developing stylized characters from the animal kingdom, both real and imagined. Some of the best professional illustrators and animators dedicated to creating characters for video games, TV, and books, guide the reader through accessible step-by-step tutorials. These experts create specially commissioned animals, demonstrating their process from the all-important research stage and experimenting with thumbnails, to manipulating shape language, exploring gesture, and assessing color palettes. Animal-focused design fundamentals include anatomy and anthropomorphism, and how to imbue these animals with the personality and characteristics essential to capturing the attention of audiences of all ages. This book is perfect for artists of all mediums, ensuring newcomers to drawing the animal kingdom are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to create their own eye-catching characters. Whether tasked with creating an adorable comedy critter to captivate the audience, or an imaginary creature to carry an adventure-packed narrative, this book is the artist's best friend from start to finish.

A book of 25 floral sketches printed on lovely watercolor paper invites artistic experimentation with only a brush and paint. Each page is double-sided, offering the opportunity to paint the same page in different ways. The author shares painting tips for each sketch and advice for discovering the artist within. Also included is a painting tutorial and handy color wheel. Each book is small enough to carry anywhere and simple to use. Creativity is an escape, and this book offers a delightful way to make art regardless of skill level.

This easy-to-use easel format book is ideal for both complete beginners and more experienced artists who want to expand their skills. It contains clear instructions, reliable advice and friendly encouragement to unleash your creativity. It features over 600 illustrations and photographs lead you step by step through each project. It features carefully planned lessons that teach you how to draw the detailed features of people and pets. It offers easy-to-follow guidance on composition, perspective, medium, and the best sitting position for drawing. In this title, projects include household objects, winter tree, Victorian house, portrait of a girl, and ducks on the pond. From flowers and still lifes to landscape and family portraits - you can learn how to draw in just 15 simple, fun lessons. All you need to get started is some basic equipment and a sketchbook. Then just follow the step-by-step directions to learn time-tested techniques for using pencils, pens, pastels and charcoal, and watch your artwork form before your eyes. A useful introduction contains guidance on types of easel, sitting positions, basic equipment and choosing a sketchbook, as well as simple instructions for basic shapes. The chapters that follow cover Still Life, Flowers and Trees, Landscape, People and Portraits, and Animals. Each project is illustrated with detailed stage-by-stage pictures, including close-ups of difficult sections. The practical easel format makes this book easy to use by any aspiring artist.

Fall in love with watercolours and create beautiful paintings that you can be proud of! Positive, inspiring messages and quotations are the perfect subject for expressive watercolour lettering. This skill-building portfolio book for absolute beginners will teach you everything you need to know to get started with watercolour art. Talented artist Robin Pickens introduces you to all the basics of paint, brushes, palette and water, with easy-to-follow advice on opacity, blending, shading and mixing colours. She then guides you step-by-step through eight complete inspirational watercolour calligraphy projects. Each project features soft, muted patterns printed on real 90# thick and tactile watercolour paper. The pages are perforated so you can easily remove your art for gifting or display. Just Add Watercolor Happy Thoughts also provides gorgeous fully coloured finished examples to inspire your work on each design.

This book introduces the concept of realistic abstract painting - a loosely impressionistic form of painting that leaves much to the imagination of the viewer. The subject, though recognisable, is executed with freedom and fluidity, resulting in a painting that is far from photographic. It has been described as the 'grey' area between figurative and abstract painting, yet there is nothing dull about this style, as the numerous colourful examples in this book show. Aimed at those with some experience of painting, all the examples in this book use various forms of water-based media, including gouache, acrylics and watercolours. Designed to inspire, this book will stimulate your imagination; encourage you to try out the various methods described; and help you develop your own way of painting in this exciting style.

The Bargue-Gerome Drawing Course is a complete reprint of a famous, late nineteenth-century drawing course. It contains a set of almost two hundred masterful lithographs of subjects for copying by drawing students before they attempt drawing from life or nature. Consequently it is a book that will interest artists, art students, art historians, and lovers and collectors of drawings. It also introduces us to the work and life of a hitherto neglected master: Charles Bargue. The Drawing Course consists of three sections. The first consists of plates drawn after casts, usually of antique examples. Different parts of the body are studied in order of difficulty, until full figures are presented. The second section pays homage to the western school of painting, with lithographs after exemplary drawings by Renaissance and modern masters. The third part contains almost 60 academies, or drawings after nude male models, all original inventions by Bargue, the lithographer. With great care, the student is introduced to continually more difficult problems in the close observing and recording of nature. Charles Bargue started his career as a lithographer of drawings by hack artists for a popular market in comic, sentimental and soft-porn subjects. By working with Gerome, and in preparing the plates for the course, Bargue was transformed into a spectacular painter of single figures and intimate scenes; a master of precious details that always remain observation and never became self-conscious virtuosity, and colour schemes that unified his composition in exquisite tonal harmonies. The last part of the book is a biography of Bargue, along with a preliminary catalogue of his paintings, accompanied by reproductions of all that have been found and of many of those lost.

Delve into the enchanting world of dragons, wizards, and warriors with Beginner's Guide to Fantasy Drawing - an accessible, entertaining introduction to creating fantasy concepts with only a few simple traditional tools and no prior drawing knowledge needed. Beginning with the key subjects of draftsmanship, anatomy, and poses, before venturing into the step-by-step creation of quintessential fantasy subjects such as elves and orcs, this book enables readers of any skill level to draw magical characters and epic monsters with confidence. Packed with insightful tips, exciting tutorial projects, and fundamental art theory simply explained by industry professionals, this attractive volume is a perfect beginning to your fantasy art journey.

For the cigar aficionado, a proper humidor is absolutely essential for the safe storage of favorite cigars. Dick Sing offers his design for an eye-catching cylindrical humidor to the discriminating craftsman and connoisseur. In this book, he provides detailed instructions on the design, turning, and finishing of this distinctive humidor. Helpful hints and practical advice useful to woodturners of all levels are provided. The instructions are accompanied by over 180 color photographs, illustrating each step. Details are presented not only on the construction of the humidor, but also on the proper lining materials and equipment necessary to maintain the optimal humidity level within the confines of the humidor. A photo gallery at the end of the book provides additional inspiration.

Veteran carver and instructor Al Streetman cleaned up his shop and came up with yet another hot book, this one presenting a thin cast of characters carved from leftover wood scraps. Streetman takes novice and advanced carvers alike through a step-by-step process of carving and painting these unique creations made from piles of narrow leftovers. The task is made simpler with 126 photos and more than 25 illustrations, including the cutout patterns for 20 unique figures, such as Santas, elves, and the featured pirate project. In addition to sharing Al's tips and secrets regarding head, hand, and body carving, this informative book provides detailed suggestions regarding carving tools, paintbrushes, and paint colors.

New York Times bestselling author Marjorie Sarnat's illustrates a wealth of fabulous and fun fashions for you to color! Everyone loves to strut their own style. Choosing dresses, coats, hats, bags, and shoes that compose your outfits is always an exciting adventure! We love to wear our favorite clothes both for elegant evenings out and for get-togethers with close friends. Whether you've got a flair for modern or vintage, cutting edge or traditional, dressing up is always fun. Now, you can decorate different fashions within the pages of a coloring book. Designed by the bestselling coloring book artist Marjorie Sarnat, this book features a wardrobe of jeans, dresses, sweaters, and more all looking for a designer's colorful touch. There are forty-nine ornate and imaginative line illustrations adorned with florals, patterns, and dizzying design motifs ready for the runway. Get your thinking cap on and dress these designs with your own creative color choices. These pages are perforated and printed on one side, allowing colorists to remove and display their finished designs easily. With a parade of pages flaunting a variety of off-the-hanger outfits, Marjorie Sarnat's Fanciful Fashions will be sure to put a bee in your bonnet. It's a chic and cheeky coloring experience you won't be able to resist.

91 designs for workable projects: abstract patterns in both straight-line and curve; men and women in characteristic 1920s garb; geometrically stylized birds, trees and animals; and more. Intermediate to advanced level. 60 plates.

Following in the successful paw and hoof prints of The Daily Zoo: Volume One comes another exotic menagerie of creative fauna from Hollywood artist Chris Ayers. The Daily Zoo 2 offers more furry and feathered friends along with continuing reflections on his life as an artist and cancer survivor. And, as with Volume 1 and perhaps more so, regardless of your artistic experience, this book will leave you inspired to grab the nearest pencil, pen, brush or crayon and start drawing ... for fun and perhaps as a way to bring healing!

Get lost in your creativity with 365 Days of Drawing, a thoughtful and inspiring art journal designed to help you carve out moments of self-expression. Lorna shows you that drawing does not have to be scary - it can be done with any materials, in any colour, in any style and can be done anywhere. Each activity has been given a loose category: imagination, tutorial, relaxation, colour theory and observational, so that you can practice a broad range of drawing skills. Each 'theme' is designed to expand your creative skills and spark the artist within. With helpful prompts and pages that encourage you to try new materials to draw with, 365 Days of Drawing is guaranteed to stir your imagination and put a little creativity into every single day.

This is the definitive instructional guide to the art of botanical illustration, published in association with The Society of Botanical Artists and featuring detailed step-by-step demonstrations by members of the Society. Botanical illustration has been a popular art form for many centuries, with its appealing traditions of detail and beauty. This beautifully illustrated book covers all aspects of the subject and is an essential book for all serious students of botanical painting. The book includes useful information about materials, basic plant anatomy, flower and leaf shapes, and then explores the techniques for drawing and coloured pencil work, as well as painting with watercolour and gouache. Subjects include exotic and common plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables, as well as flowers in the garden. Packed with step-by-step demonstrations and stunning illustrations, this is an inspiring, practical guide, as well as a visual treat.

Happy Campers is a colouring book for adults that contains 30 amazing art activities, all designed to take you on a delightful camping adventure involving patterning, shading and colouring. Each vibrantly detailed illustration of fun on the open road offers an easy way to de-stress, while allowing you to unleash the artist within.Thaneeya McArdle's transcendental art explores a visual language of shape, form, line and colour, and can be easily personalised with felt- tips, coloured pencils, crayons, gel pens or watercolours.Beautifully coloured finished examples are provided, along with a handy guide to basic art techniques, from patterning and combinations to shading and colour theory.This therapeutic colouring book is printed on high-quality, extra-thick paper that won't bleed through, and all of the pages are perforated for easy removal and display.

Perfect for kids and crafters, this fun guide will teach you how to paint flowers, cottages, houses, and towns on stones! New painters wanted! No experience necessary! With Lin Wellford's instruction, thousands have discovered the thrill of turning rocks into works of art. Her bestselling books have helped to awaken interest in modern rock painting. It's the perfect hobby-fast, fun, and inexpensive. Rock Painting Flowers, Cottages, Houses, and Towns offers a variety of easy projects designed to introduce basic painting techniques yet still appeal to seasoned painters. Learn to paint your favorite scenery elements, including: Daisies Tulips Petunias Daffodils Pansies Mums Wreaths of Roses Flower Baskets Cottages A-Frames Chalets Gnome Homes Barns Country Church Small Town Shops Farmhouses Produce Markets Colonial Style Buildings Tudor-Style Homes Victorian Mansions Rock Villages With tips on proper proportion and perspective, these projects will brighten any home or garden. Grab a brush, find a stone, and get ready to rock! Experience the magic of this fun and exciting art activity.

Learn to draw by sketching what surrounds you everyday. In Observational Sketching, author Mariko Higaki-an ISDA Gold Award-winning industrial designer based in Japan-teaches you how to practice and learn to sketch by using well-established observational techniques. Perspective, proportion, lines, shapes, shading, and many other techniques can be learned through everyday practice and observation of the items you come in contact with everyday, from a backpack to your sunglasses. This book addresses how to approach sketching a range of shapes and materials and how to disassemble each object to accurately capture its unique design elements. Inspiration and examples from the author and other well-known artists accompany a variety of projects that you can try right away and skill-building projects that will strengthen your talent. Find within: An introduction to observational sketching The basic concepts and tools used in observational sketching Observation techniques Illustrated step-by-step instructions for creating observational sketches of 20 common objects, from a alarm clock to a wooden stool Hone your artistic skills with this daily sketching practice. Whether you are an urban sketcher or an industrial designer, this books should be part of your reference collection.

Part of the infographic 4-Letter Word series, each containing 4 chapters to teach how to PLAN, MAKE, PLAY and GROW. The words are kept to a minimum as an expert author employs illuminating and entertaining illustrations, infographics, charts, tips and cheat-sheets, to guide you through all the essentials you need to discover and develop your new craft. DRAW is a complete, but easy to study, course in sketching and drawing - the perfect handbook for the aspiring artist. In a series of simple but beautifully illustrated steps, and with a focus on drawing the human form, our expert author describes and demonstrates all the essentials and more. You will discover how to PLAN your studies and plot your equipment; how to observe and understand proportion, and MAKE your first sketches; how to PLAY with different materials and techniques to develop your own style; and how to GROW your drawing and sketching into a business, a mindful meditation, a sociable pastime or a lifelong passion.

Stan Lee, the Mighty Man from Marvel, and John Buscema, active and adventuresome artist behind the Silver Surfer, Conan the Barbarian, the Mighty Thor and Spider-Man, have collaborated on this comics compendium: an encyclopedia of information for creating your own superhero comic strips. Using artwork from Marvel comics as primary examples, Buscema graphically illustrates the hitherto mysterious methods of comic art. Stan Lee's pithy prose gives able assistance and advice to the apprentice artist. Bursting with Buscema's magnificent illustrations and Lee's laudable word-magic, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way belongs in the library of every kid who has ever wanted to illustrate his or her own comic strip.

Featuring more than 600 sketches depicting a diverse assortment of animals drawn in classic cartoon styles, Draw Like an Artist: 100 Cartoon Animals is a must-have drawing and visual reference book. For student and aspiring artists, illustrators, character designers, and more, this modern step-by-step drawing guidebook demonstrates fundamental art concepts like proportion and anatomy as you learn to draw a wide array of cartoon-style animals and their poses and expressions, all shown from a variety of perspectives. Each set of illustrations takes you from beginning sketch lines to a finished drawing. Artist and author Keilidh Bradley's expert drawing technique will make this a go-to sourcebook for cartoonists, artists, and designers for years to come. Draw Like an Artist: 100 Cartoon Animals is a library essential for any artist interested in learning the fundamental techniques for drawing animals in classic cartoon styles. The books in the Draw Like an Artist series are richly illustrated visual references for learning how to draw classic subjects through hundreds of step-by-step images created by expert artists and illustrators.