NEW IN PAPERBACK Learn how to paint realistic fruit, vegetables and blossom with this beautifully illustrated watercolour course. Billy Showell's amazing paintings and vibrant palette are showcased here as she clearly explains how to create a huge selection of shapes and textures using detailed step-by-step instructions. Starting with basic techniques and use of colour, she shows how to capture the individuality of spiralling artichokes, the smooth contours of aubergines, the sumptuous reds of glossy peppers, the cool yellows of bananas, the subtle hues of blossom and more. Using traditional methods, overlaying washes, dry brush techniques, glazing, masking - she develops pictures that are exciting and different, sometimes with an unconventional and amusing twist that takes the images on to new, contemporary levels. Explanations on drawing, composition, lighting, painting white subjects are included, along with many different ideas and dozens of useful and helpful tips.

This is the first-ever monograph dedicated to the theme of horses in works of art from the collection of the Russian Museum in St Petersburg. Home to a rich and diverse collection, the museum has embraced the long relationship between man and horse, as well as all the leading themes and genres of equine art. Generations of Russian artists have created an astounding variety of equine images. These works - encompassing painting, sculpture and graphic art - are stunning, lyrical representations of this noble animal. The gorgeous illustrations are accompanied by an introductory essay, as well as artists' biographies.

In the year 2000, world-renowned wildlife photographer Frans Lanting set out on a personal journey to photograph the evolution of life on Earth. He made pilgrimages to true time capsules, like a remote lagoon in Western Australia, spent time in research collections photographing forms of microscopic life, and even found ways to create visual parallels between the growth of organs in the human body and the patterns seen on the surface of the earth. The resulting volume is a glorious picture book of Planet Earth, depicting the amazing biodiversity that surrounds us all. Lanting's true gift lies beyond his technical mastery: it is his eye for geometry in the beautiful chaos of nature that allows him to show us the world as it has never been seen before. From crabs to jellyfish, diatoms to vast geological formations, jungles to flowers, monkeys to human embryos, LIFE is a testament to the magical beauty of life in all its forms and is one of Lanting's most remarkable achievements.

Rain Later, Good is the award winning story of Peter Collyer's extraordinary journey around the Shipping Forecast areas. The Shipping Forecast is a national institution, relied upon by mariners but also strangely comforting and poetic to landlubbers. Published in 1998 to great acclaim, Rain Later, Good was chosen by the RNLI to celebrate their 175th anniversary, and has since sold over 25,000 copies. Fifteen years later, this gorgeous book will be available in paperback for the first time, completely revised and updated, with several new paintings. Peter Collyer's brilliant and detailed paintings offer a series of images which help conjure up the most mythical locations, whilst his delightful idiosyncratic text provides a wealth of fascinating insights. He introduces us to the people who live and work in these areas, and passes on snippets of tantalising information to give a powerful impression of the place and convey a real feeling of being there. The beautiful paintings from his travels truly capture the spirit of these wild and isolated spots, and this new edition includes new paintings, sketches and up to date text. This is a much-loved book celebrating an iconic broadcast, and its reissue will be welcomed by Peter's many admirers. 'A very remarkable painter. His work is simply stunning with an observed intensity which makes him very special indeed.' Chris Beetles in The Daily Telegraph 'The most delightful and unexpected book I've encountered this year... a wonderful book.' John Naughton, The Times 'He is not only a marvellous, delicate draughtsman and watercolourist...but a drily observant writer and amateur naturalist.' Libby Purves

From a totally fresh perspective, with unique access to some of the remotest regions and species living beyond the confines of captivity, Wild Africa is a contemporary photographic record that takes you into the heart of one of the world's last natural paradises. The result of painstaking expeditions across the continent, Alex Bernasconi's photographic document contains some of the most novel, surprising and spectacular images of Africa and its wildlife. In the one thousand eight hundred images a week that Bernasconi takes of some of nature's finest and most endangered animals, wildlife photography is embodied at its most honest and creative. These are unique images by a photographer motivated to preserve for posterity the most exceptional panoramas of wildlife in its true habitat that we have today. This is a visual testament to the best of our planet.

Not suitable for children. This book of scratch-off colouring cards offers a great way to relax. Make yourself comfortable then make a start and find how your stress levels reduce as you gradually reveal these stunning unicorns using the stylus provided. You can then use the finished cards to decorate your walls or give to others.

Painting flowers has a long and rich tradition in China, having evolved out of the classic bird-and-flower style to become its own distinct genre of painting. Tracing its history and evolution through centuries of artistic endeavor this amazingly researched book leaves no stone unturned. With chapters following the sequence of the four seasons, it brings to life the historical relevance of the most popular flowers by season as well as the most famous painters and their representative works, providing context and perspective on the development of this unique style. The book concludes with 80 exquisite flower paintings, masterworks of time and place selected as among the most beautiful and culturally important paintings of ancient China.

In The Natural World, celebrated nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen takes the reader on a visual odyssey, from the wildebeest migration on the plains of the Serengeti to the penguins of Antarctica, from the grizzlies of Alaska to the frozen landscape of polar bears on Hudson Bay. Featuring excerpts from his journals detailing his experiences in the field, this book offers an intimate look into the natural world that has inspired artists, conservationists, and adventurers for centuries. With a foreword written by renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, this book contains Mangelsen s selection of 120 of his most important panoramic images out of a library of more than 20,000. A quiet call to action, an inventory of our planet as it battles climate change, and a celebration of wildness and its intrinsic value, The Natural World is a record of Earth s last great locales, one that will inspire present and future generations with the message that what we have can, and must, be saved.

Dreamscapes is a long-term artistic series by Swiss photographer Dominic B ttner. In it, B ttner records performances at night, both in natural and built environments. Holding a torch, he walks slowly away from a large-format view camera as a time exposure captures the scene, illuminated by moving light from which the artist himself is subsequently erased. By turns strange and yet somehow familiar, the fascinating landscapes show what an eerie place our everyday surroundings can be, depending on the light in which we experience them. Dominic B ttner--Dreamscapes is the first book to collect B ttner's art, and it features eighty of his Dreamscapes alongside essays by photography and film expert Elisabeth Bronfen and freelance cultural publicist and editor Nadine Olonetzky.

British flower painting has its own unique, if relatively recent, history, but it can only be judged in the light of the wider history of the subject and by comparison with other, particularly European, countries. The first chapter of "A History and Dictionary of British Flower Painters", therefore, sets the scene with a brief introduction to floral art world wide before the next four chapters concentrate on British flower painting in the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Over ninety colour plates illustrate these five chapters. The Dictionary gives the biographical details of more than 970 British flower painters from 1650-1950 including their specialities, awards, exhibitions an bibliographical details. The work of many is illustrated in black and white.

Snow scenes are a popular subject of painters all year round. In this inspiring and accessible guide, best-selling author and popular tutor Terry Harrison shares a wealth of tips and techniques for painting snow in watercolour. Suitable for artists of all abilities, Terry shows you how to capture the beauty of snow-covered landscapes using easy techniques. The book begins with guidance on colour mixes and brushes for achieving different effects, and moves on to step-by-step demonstrations of painting snow-laden trees, frozen streams, wintry skies, falling snow, and the warm glow of a low winter sun. He provides valuable tips on using photographs for reference, and turning a summer landscape into a snow-covered one. There's also a section on how to create a traditional Christmas scene, and how to turn it into a Christmas card. With numerous examples of Terry's beautiful artwork, this book is a truly indispensable guide for anyone wishing to paint snow scenes in watercolour.

Nature is full of fleeting wonders. This breathtaking collection of nature photography reveals rare creatures, transports us to distant landscapes, and captures uncommon moments of drama and beauty in the natural world. From a heart-pounding shot of the Wildebeest Migration to a glimpse of the elusive Pampas cat, each image tells a story about the diversity and grandeur of life on earth. Bold, surprising, and jaw-droppingly beautiful, these photographs are all winners of the California Academy of Sciences' BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition. With more than 100 photographs and captions explaining the scientific phenomena and photographic techniques behind each picture, this book will captivate nature lovers, science enthusiasts, photographers, and adventurers.

From the fifteenth century onwards, as European explorers sailed forth on grand voyages of discovery, their encounters with exotic plants and animals fanned intense scientific interest. Scholars began to examine nature with fresh eyes, and pioneering artists transformed the way nature was seen and understood. In Amazing Rare Things, renowned naturalist and documentary-maker David Attenborough joins with expert colleagues to explore how artists portrayed the natural world during this era of burgeoning scientific interest. The book focuses on an exquisite selection of natural history drawings and watercolors by Leonardo da Vinci, Alexander Marshal, Maria Sibylla Merian, and Mark Catesby, and from the collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo-works all held in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. Attenborough and his coauthors offer lucid commentary on topics ranging from the 30,000-year history of human drawings of the natural world, to Leonardo's fascination with natural processes, to Catesby's groundbreaking studies that introduced Europeans to the plants and animals of North America. With 160 full color illustrations, this beautiful book will appeal to readers with interests that extend from art and science to history and nature.

This award-winning contemporary art book is made completely from the perspective and language of bugs, from the front page to the final chapter, with no human writing and text, only the "writing" of bugs. Inspired by the marks left behind by a cicada walking across his sketchbook, contemporary artist Zhu Yingchun placed boards and "ink ponds" of dark-coloured vegetable juices in his garden for the bugs to crawl through. The resulting marks, were thousands of twisted characters, each with a charm of its own - the language of the bugs. The accompanying booklet explains the artist's concept and QR code links the reader to a video of the process. "The bugs seem insignificant, but their strokes are beautiful," says Zhu Yingchun. "Art is not just those pieces hanging on walls and placed in exhibition halls. Everything in the world, including every life in nature, has the power to create beauty, and art is all around us.

From the author of adult-colouring sensations 'Botanical Wonderland' and 'Desert Wonderland', as well as the bestselling 'Color Workshop', comes a stunning guide to drawing a garden full of flowers. Rachel Reinert is the perfect artist to explain the intricacies of drawing flowers. With the straightforward, step-by step instructions that are the hallmark of her teaching style, 'In Bloom' covers more than 30 flowers from around the world, from beloved tulips, roses, violets and tiger lilies to the more exotic proteas, kangaroo paws and birds of paradise. Featuring matte paper stock and instructions on colouring your drawings, this is an exceptionally beautiful book with a decidedly modern feel.

This beginner's guide to drawing in graphite pencil uses step-by-step exercises to teach fundamental methods for rendering all aspects of the natural landscape, with additional lessons on using charcoal, colored pencil, pastel, and other media. Following in the footsteps of author, artist, and art instructor Suzanne Brooker's previous title The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting, this book pairs the most universally-pursued topic for artists (drawing) with the popular subject matter of the natural landscape. Brooker breaks down landscapes into their various elements--including the earth, water, air, and trees--to convey how the fundamentals of drawing are applied to capture each aspect. Using the graphite pencil as her baseline instrument, Brooker provides you with step-by-step lessons that help you improve your rendering skills and re-create the beauty of the world outdoors. Examples from art history and contemporary masters supplement these lessons. The end result is a drawing instruction book that provides artists with everything they need to render landscapes no matter their skill level.

Explore the beauty and diversity of the animal world through more than 300 captivating images from across time and from every corner of the globe

Animal: Exploring the Zoological World is a visually stunning and broad-ranging survey that explores and celebrates humankind's ongoing fascination with animals. Since our very first moments on Earth, we have been compelled to make images of the curious beasts around us - whether as sources of food, danger, wonder, power, scientific significance or companionship. This carefully curated selection of images, chosen by an international panel of experts, delves into our shared past to tell the story of animal life.

From the first cave paintings, extraordinary medieval bestiaries and exquisite scientific illustration, to iconic paintings, contemporary artworks and the incredible technological advancements that will shape our futures together, the huge range of works reflects the beauty and variety of animals themselves – including butterflies, hummingbirds, bats, frogs, tigers, dogs, jellyfish, spiders and elephants, to name a few.

Arranged in a curated and thought-provoking sequence, this engaging compilation includes iconic works by some of the great names in zoology, such as Conrad Gesner, Charles Darwin and John James Audubon, as well as celebrated artists and photographers, indigenous cultures and lesser-known figures who have made important contributions to the study and representation of animals throughout history.

ROUGH TRADE AND CAUGHT BY THE RIVER BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Lark Ascending, Ralph Vaughan Williams' 'pastoral romance for orchestra' was premiered on 14 June, 1921. Over the course of the twentieth century this piece of music, perhaps more than any other, worked its way into the collective consciousness to seemingly define a mythical concept of the English countryside: babbling brooks, skylarks, hayricks. But the birth and legacy of the composition are much more complex than this simplified pastoral vision suggests. The landscape we celebrate as unsullied and ripe with mystique is a living, working, and occasionally rancorous environment - not an unaffected idyll - that forged a nation's musical personality, and its dissenting traditions.

On a chronological journey that takes him from postwar poets and artists to the late twentieth century and the free party scene which emerged from acid house and travelling communities, Richard King explores how Britain's history and identity has been shaped by the mysterious relationship between music and nature. From the far west of Wales to the Thames Estuary and the Suffolk shoreline, taking in Brian Eno, Kate Bush, Boards of Canada, Dylan Thomas, Gavin Bryars, Greenham Common and The Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, The Lark Ascending listens to the land and the music that emerged from it, to chart a new and surprising course through a familiar landscape.

Wilhelm Kuhnert was a pioneer. He was one of the first European artists to travel to the largely unexplored savannahs and jungles of the German colonies in North and East Africa. Under hazardous conditi ons he documented at close quarters the fascinating animal and plant world and then created in his Berlin studio monumental paintings which were much sought - after on the art market. Like no other artist of his time Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865 - 1926) has moulded our image of Africa. In his seductively realistic drawings, watercolours and paintings he recorded with almost scientific accuracy the characteristics of the animals and their habitat. It is not surprising, therefore, that his pictures illustrated on the o ne hand legendary reference works like Brehms Tierleben and adorned on the other the popular collector cards of the chocolate manufacturer Stollwerck. The volume shows a comprehensive, exciting portrait of Kuhnert's unusual life and works and takes into account at the same time the current debate on attitudes to Germany's colonial past.

Paul Nash, the British landscape and Surrealist painter, lived through both the First and Second World Wars. His depictions of these human catastrophes, with their damaged landscapes and broken machinery are much remembered today. His painting life moved from representational landscapes, through to the Surrealist and symbolist styles of his later years where he experimented with abstraction and the everyday. He was regarded as a fine book illustrator and often created work for other graphic and theatrical forms. This new book offers 100 images, with an introduction to his art and contribution made by Nash to the cultural sophistication of the modern world.

Robert L. McGrath surveys -- often at an exhilarating pace -- the topographic and metaphoric landscape of New Hampshire's White Mountains through the artistic and tourist life of the region as it appears in paintings and illustrations. Extending from the late eighteenth to the late twentieth century, he includes by far the most extensive collection of pictorial works relating to the White Mountains to date.

Although the scenic beauty of the White Mountains attracted many of America's most significant artists during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such as Thomas Cole, Frank Stella, Winslow Homer, Fernand Leger, John Marin, and Marsden Hartley, no comprehensive account of this region's rich contribution to the history of American art has ever been published.

Written in a vital, concise prose style, full of fresh insights, comparisons and juxtapositions, this study promises to command and hold the attention of anyone with an interest in the interplay of art, nature, and American culture.