The "Song" series of artbooks have covered the sky and the earth - it was only a matter of time before we explored the seas for some inspiration! Mermaid Song Volume One contains an exquisite collection of portraits that celebrate the fabled water-breathers in all their sea-foam sexiness! Any fisherman would gladly crash his boat on the reef for a peek at these aquatic creations, as seen by artists like Arantza, Fastner & Larson, Bruce Colero, Pelaez, James Hottinger, David Dunstan, Malachi Maloney, and many more. Follow the call of these sirens -- their song is the sweetest yet!

Learn how to confidently draw the human form from head to toe with this comprehensive, richly illustrated guide. Expert drawing instructor and storyboard artist Tom Fox knows exactly how to capture the figure in poses that are both dynamic and true to human anatomy. The book details the central figure-drawing elements and techniques that are essential to every artist of every skill level. From understanding the XYZ axis and basic skeleton, to thinking in 3D space and creating mannequins of all levels of detail, the book deals with everything the reader needs to know before moving on to the figure itself. Tom presents in step-by-step details exactly how to add the muscles and depict truly believable poses. Every part of the body is presented in detail, with easy-to-follow breakdowns of the torso, arms, and legs, and the often-tricky head, hands, and feet. The author also shares insightful, game-changing anatomy tips, many learned from years of working for major clients in the entertainment industry and teaching others to draw the human figure, both in person and online. This combination of experiences and skills make Tom an outstanding author of this must-have book for artists in all areas of figure drawing.

Oh, you got ropes, and boots, and leather, and gals that just LOVE to get into trouble! What's more fun than Cowgirls gone plumb loco, a rassling and a'tussling under the wide open spaces! When two guys get friendly while wearing big floppy hats, it's a major motion picture event! See just how wild the Wild West can get, with artful eyefuls by artists like Pelaez, Arantza, Maraschi, Sosa, Ponce, Flores, and a whole posse more! Yippie ki yay, mutha ...well, you get the idea! These ladies have more than just their spurs jingling and janglin'!

This book examines how African-American writers and visual artists interweave icon and inscription in order to re-present the black female body, traditionally rendered alien and inarticulate within Western discursive and visual systems. Brown considers how the writings of Toni Morrison, Gayl Jones, Paule Marshall, Edwidge Danticat, Jamaica Kincaid, Andrea Lee, Gloria Naylor, and Martha Southgate are bound to such contemporary, postmodern visual artists as Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, Betye Saar, and Faith Ringgold. While the artists and authors rely on radically different media-photos, collage, video, and assembled objects, as opposed to words and rhythm-both sets of intellectual activists insist on the primacy of the black aesthetic. Both assert artistic agency and cultural continuity in the face of the oppression, social transformation, and cultural multiplicity of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This book examines how African-American performative practices mediate the tension between the ostensibly de-racialized body politic and the hyper-racialized black, female body, reimagining the cultural and political ground that guides various articulations of American national belonging. Brown shows how and why black women writers and artists matter as agents of change, how and why the form and content of their works must be recognized and reconsidered in the increasingly frenzied arena of cultural production and political debate.

The premise of this volume is that the ubiquity of lactation imagery in early modern visual culture and the discourse on breastfeeding in humanist, religious, medical, and literary writings is a distinct cultural phenomenon that deserves systematic study. Chapters by art historians, social and legal historians, historians of science, and literary scholars explore some of the ambiguities and contradictions surrounding the issue, and point to the need for further study, in particular in the realm of lactation imagery in the visual arts. This volume builds on existing scholarship on representations of the breast, the iconography of the Madonna Lactans, allegories of abundance, nature, and charity, women mystics' food-centered practices of devotion, the ubiquitous practice of wet-nursing, and medical theories of conception. It is informed by studies on queer kinship in early modern Europe, notions of sacred eroticism in pre-tridentine Catholicism, feminist investigations of breastfeeding as a sexual practice, and by anthropological and historical scholarship on milk exchange and ritual kinship in ancient Mediterranean and medieval Islamic societies. Proposing a variety of different methods and analytical frameworks within which to consider instances of lactation imagery, breastfeeding practices, and their textual references, this volume also offers tools to support further research on the topic.

-- Twenty of the most notorious Florida pirates from the 1500s to the present
-- Meet Sir Francis Drake, Black Caesar, Blackbeard, Jean Lafitte, Jose Gaspar
-- Piracy continues today, though the cargo is more likely to be drugs or other contraband instead of gold and silver
-- A lively read for adults and older children

This book examines how African-American writers and visual artists interweave icon and inscription in order to re-present the black female body, traditionally rendered alien and inarticulate within Western discursive and visual systems. Brown considers how the writings of Toni Morrison, Gayl Jones, Paule Marshall, Edwidge Danticat, Jamaica Kincaid, Andrea Lee, Gloria Naylor, and Martha Southgate are bound to such contemporary, postmodern visual artists as Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, Betye Saar, and Faith Ringgold. While the artists and authors rely on radically different media photos, collage, video, and assembled objects, as opposed to words and rhythm both sets of intellectual activists insist on the primacy of the black aesthetic. Both assert artistic agency and cultural continuity in the face of the oppression, social transformation, and cultural multiplicity of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This book examines how African-American performative practices mediate the tension between the ostensibly de-racialized body politic and the hyper-racialized black, female body, reimagining the cultural and political ground that guides various articulations of American national belonging. Brown shows how and why black women writers and artists matter as agents of change, how and why the form and content of their works must be recognized and reconsidered in the increasingly frenzied arena of cultural production and political debate.

Slave Portraiture in the Atlantic World is the first book to focus on the individualized portrayal of enslaved people from the time of Europe's full engagement with plantation slavery in the late sixteenth century to its final official abolition in Brazil in 1888. While this period saw the emergence of portraiture as a major field of representation in Western art, slave and portraiture as categories appear to be mutually exclusive. On the one hand, the logic of chattel slavery sought to render the slave's body as an instrument for production, as the site of a non-subject. Portraiture, on the contrary, privileged the face as the primary visual matrix for the representation of a distinct individuality. The essays in this volume address this apparent paradox of slave portraits from a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives. They probe the historical conditions that made the creation of such rare and enigmatic objects possible and explore their implications for a more complex understanding of power relations under slavery."

A revelatory study of one of the 18th century's greatest artists, which places him in relation to the darker side of the English Enlightenment Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), though conventionally known as a 'painter of light', returned repeatedly to nocturnal images. His essential preoccupations were dark and melancholy, and he had an enduring concern with death, ruin, old age, loss of innocence, isolation and tragedy. In this long-awaited book, Matthew Craske adopts a fresh approach to Wright, which takes seriously contemporary reports of his melancholia and nervous disposition, and goes on to question accepted understandings of the artist. Long seen as a quintessentially modern and progressive figure - one of the artistic icons of the English Enlightenment - Craske overturns this traditional view of the artist. He demonstrates the extent to which Wright, rather than being a spokesman for scientific progress, was actually a melancholic and sceptical outsider, who increasingly retreated into a solitary, rural world of philosophical and poetic reflection, and whose artistic vision was correspondingly dark and meditative. Craske offers a succession of new and powerful interpretations of the artist's paintings, including some of his most famous masterpieces. In doing so, he recovers Wright's deep engagement with the landscape, with the pleasures and sufferings of solitude, and with the themes of time, history and mortality. In this book, Joseph Wright of Derby emerges not only as one of Britain's most ambitious and innovative artists, but also as one of its most profound. Distributed for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

Continuing the tradition of creating the next level of breathtaking pin-up girls in the modern world, internationally acclaimed photographer and pin-up artist Celeste Giuliano presents her classic style of pin-ups in stunning 3-D for the first time ever. The pin-up girl has been a staple of classic American culture since the 1920s. Featured on advertisements and novelty items, their coy smiles and flirtatious ways captivated millions while selling everything from colas to cars. During the 1950s, a whole new dimension of tease gained popularity once these timeless beauties were presented in 3-D. This book features all new images of the classic girl next door that tease both on and off the pages in breathtaking realism.

The Zombie Pinup Collection is a compendium of inventive photography from Gorgeous & Gory. For years their photography has helped the world to plan for the Apocalypse and other daily occurrences with their signature style: Dangerously deadly pinups are imagined in the fantastical balance between glamorous and gruesome. The picturesque undead are fashioned with both vintage precision and sensuous abandon. Set in a vibrant, surreal landscape, the locations range from agelessly elegant to decrepit decay. Now, all of the exquisitely bizarre beauty has been compiled into one essential anthology of over 200 photos. Included are images from all four calendars, plus many additional photos that have never been seen before. A special behind the scenes look has also been added. Lustfully arousing and surprisingly fun, this collection is essential for undead enthusiasts and pinup admirers alike."

From post-apocalyptic Earth to extraterrestrial civilizations, get ready to explore the farthest reaches of your imagination and evoke your own original sci-fi worlds. With Sci-Fi Fashion Art School you will learn to draw everything from scavenger-wear and exosuits to alien garb and space explorer uniforms. Starting with simple guidelines, you'll discover how to create distinct characters just by varying facial features, body mass and hair. Beyond the mechanics of drawing, you'll learn to make strategic creative choices by asking questions like: What drives your characters? Do they dress for survival or social status? What materials are at their disposal? The answers help you develop fashions, weapons and accessories uniquely suited to the environmental and cultural conditions of your particular world. The Sci-Fi genre has no limits. With the instruction and inspiration inside, neither will you.

Cleopatra has been dead for twenty centuries, but her name still resonates in the west. Her story has the status of a foundation myth. As such, artists of all periods have drawn on it in order to raise questions concerned with the world in which they found themselves living.
This study chooses a number of key occasions from European history on which writers and painters re-imagined Cleopatra. In doing so Mary Hamer takes the reader on a pleasurable intellectual treasure hunt through the ages. In addition, by restoring these works to their original context - political, philosophical and aesthetic - the author opens up unexpected new readings of images and texts which had previously appeared to be self-explanatory.
The purpose of this book is to raise questions about how these images of a dead Egyptian queen were read. Through careful analysis Hamer traces attempts to manipulate attitudes to women and power, women and sexuality and to desire itself. In the case of Tiepolo's Cleopatra, for example, the Queen embodies the desire for knowledge; in post-Revolutionary France, she symbolises political freedom. In the new introductory essay we discover that Cleopatra's role as a focus for cultural debate continues, and that, as previously, much is at stake: it is now the question of her race that is highly contested.

Hey, let's face facts - it's cold up at the North Pole. If you think hot chocolate and Mrs. Claus in a flannel nightie is all Santa has to keep himself warm - think again! Ol' St Nick keeps those handy lists of who's naughty and nice, but there's a special scrool of the very naughty that he keeps in a secret spot in his sock drawer! No wonder the fat ol' guy's so damned jolly! Ho, ho, ho indeed - here's an-all collection of Christmas-time cuties that might put the X in Xmas and keep it there! Eye-popping gifts of spicy holiday illustrations by such evil elves as Pelaez, Buci, Maraschi, Flores, Danilo, Lencina, and many other Gallery Girl faves! With a cover painting by Dave Nestler, another theory about ice-caps melting might be in order!

This book reveals how art and sex promoted the desire for the genetically perfect body. Its eight chapters demonstrate that before eugenics was stigmatized by the Holocaust and Western histories were sanitized of its prevalence, a vast array of Western politicians, physicians, eugenic societies, family leagues, health associations, laboratories and museums advocated, through verbal and visual cultures, the breeding of 'the master race'. Each chapter illustrates the uncanny resemblances between models of sexual management and the perfect eugenic body in America, Britain, France, Communist Russia and Nazi Germany both before and after the Second World War. Traced back to the eighteenth-century anatomy lesson, the perfect eugenic body is revealed as athletic, hygienic, 'pure-blooded' and sexually potent. This paradigm is shown to have persisted as much during the Bolshevik sexual revolution, as in democratic nations and fascist regimes. Consistently posed naked, these images were unashamedly exhibitionist and voyeuristic. Despite stringent legislation against obscenity, not only were these images commended for soliciting the spectator's gaze but also for motivating the spectator to act out their desire. An examination of the counter-archives of Maori and African Americans also exposes how biologically racist eugenics could be equally challenged by art. Ultimately this book establishes that art inculcated procreative sex with the Corpus Delecti - the delectable body, healthy, wholesome and sanctioned by eugenicists for improving the Western race.

Guns, knives, swords, bare-handed or bare-assed -- these ladies are lovely and VERY lethal. A cunning collection of deadly divas being showcased by artists Paco Diaz, Rafa Lopez, and Jose Manuel. Non-stop beat-downs and furious fighting, all while looking good doing it is the hallmark of these honeys, with a blending of those two American favourites -- sex and violence in perfect harmony! If you like your blood sport served up raw and delicious, this is the gallery of guns and gals for you! Kick-ass cover art by Dave Dunstan.

When your name becomes a way to describe a style of pin-up, you know you're arrived! Dave Nestler's unique portraits of stunning young ladies in perfect poses has made this former commericial artist a colossal success! Taking the plunge from steady/safe work in advertising, Dave's approach and appeal in the art market has made him a bit of a rock-star, complete with an adoring fan base and a delightful collection of top-flight models/muses! In this latest showcase of Dave's work, we get a gallery viewing of his latest pencils, studies, and most delightfully - his full color paintings. His airbrushed angels fairly float off the page - fantasy never looked this real! Nestler Girls 1 is a deluxe oversized presentation.

As one of the first books to treat portraits of early modern women as a discrete subject, this volume considers the possibilities and limits of agency and identity for women in history and, with particular attention to gender, as categories of analysis for women's images. Its nine original essays on Italy, the Low Countries, Germany, France, and England deepen the usefulness of these analytical tools for portraiture. Among the book's broad contributions: it dispels false assumptions about agency's possibilities and limits, showing how agency can be located outside of conventional understanding, and, conversely, how it can be stretched too far. It demonstrates that agency is compatible with relational gender analysis, especially when alternative agencies such as spectatorship are taken into account. It also makes evident the importance of aesthetics for the study of identity and agency. The individual essays reveal, among other things, how portraits broadened the traditional parameters of portraiture, explored transvestism and same-sex eroticism, appropriated aspects of male portraiture to claim those values for their sitters, and, as sites for gender negotiation, resistance, and debate, invoked considerable relational anxiety. Richly layered in method, the book offers an array of provocative insights into its subject.

With his first collection of amazing illustrations Heavenly Bodies, digital wizard Bruce Colero created other-worldly beauties with an inspired mixture of talent and technology. The reaction was, to say the least, overwhelming! Colero's approach to fantasy artwork heralded a new master to the realm! Now, in a more "adults-only" addendum, Bruce let's his mojo loose and breathes life and fire into some pretty hot babes! Here is a collection of women far out of anyone's league, but sure to haunt your wildest daydreams! These ladies are scorching, state-of-the-art super-heated eye-candy! If you're over 18 and ready to have the back of your head explode (always fun!), then Skin Deep will be on your must-have list for June! The book is produced in an oversized 9x12 inch format.

A significant publication of original writing on Lucian Freud, including interviews with leading contemporary artists, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth Lucian Freud (1922-2011) was one of the greatest figurative painters of the twentieth century. With an unflinching eye and an uncompromising commitment to his work, he created masterpieces that continue to inspire contemporary artists to the present day. Spanning nearly 70 years, Freud's career has often been overshadowed by his biography and celebrity. This book re-examines his paintings through a broad series of original approaches. Texts by a variety of rising and established international writers explore topics ranging from the compositional echoes of old master paintings in Freud's works, to the contextualization of his practice within the class struggles of 1980s Britain. Throughout the book, leading contemporary painters such as Tracey Emin and Chantal Joffe give insightful testimony to the relevance of Freud today. Marking the 100th anniversary of Freud's birth, this publication accompanies the first major exhibition of his work in 10 years. Presenting fresh perspectives on his paintings, it introduces Freud to a new generation of scholars and enthusiasts - demonstrating his lasting international importance. Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The National Gallery, London October 1, 2022-January 22, 2023 Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid February 14-June 18, 2023

Of all the Gallery Girls collections, perhaps the most popular is the sea-going sirens of the Seven Seas - Mermaids! Seems they're NOT just for lonely sailors anymore! For centuries, these mystical she-creatures have made those long ocean-going voyages worth the effort! In our fourth instalment of such salty goodness, we've enlisted the aquatic artworks of such expert fisherfolk as Pelaez, Arantza, DelRivero, Colucci, Meriggi, and a boat-load of others! Just wait a half-hour after eating before plunging into this book - we don't want you cramping up!

The human figure in sculpture is a powerful form, capable of great expression and depth. Sculpting the figure in any medium is a rewarding practice, but one that presents special challenges for the maker. Tanya Russell, founder and principal of the Art Academy in London, details the whole creative process for sculpting the figure, from the fundamental conceptual and practical considerations through to the finished and presented work. She covers essential tools and equipment, methods for building armatures, and the processes for creating not only realistic, but also abstract and expressive figures, in a variety of styles and materials. Techniques are supported by practical exercises with step-by-step instructions and images. The book is filled with the inspiring works of contemporary sculptors, all of whom are tutors, students, or alumni of the Art Academy. Modelling and Sculpting the Figure is an essential companion for beginners and established artists alike.

Catalogue and iconography of the extraordinary wealth of images of Sir Isaac Newton, both before and after his death. Sir Isaac Newton [1642-1727] is rare among figures of the past for the number of authentic paintings, engravings and images of him which survive. He was painted by some nine different artists in the latter part of his life, and after his death both portraits and sculptures continued to proliferate, the amazing demand for representations of his image demonstrating his immense fame. This iconography, lavishly illustrated in both colour and black and white, and involving the disciplines of History of Art and History of Science, catalogues 231 icons in two sections, and is thus an invaluable guide to the images. Part I contains 122 portraits and Part II 109 sculptures, about fifty of which were produced before his death, the rest from then until 1800.

Artist, writer, musician, film-maker, Star Wars mega-fan - Matt Busch goes by many titles. "The Detroit Real Press" called him, 'The Rock Star of Illustration', and given his legion of genuine rockers who dig his work, that's a pretty good description of this multi-talented artist. Much beloved for his "Star Wars" paintings and comic work, this particular collection of full colour illustrations focus on another great love of Matt's life - portraits of pretty girls in various states of undress! Get to see the hotter side of Busch's amazing work, including the artist's personal favourites (paintings and the models who pose for him!). Also a nice little step-by-step feature shows Matt's process for all you would-be artists-in-training!