Drawing With The Brush


Book Description

Draw nature your own, unique way inspired by East Asian artistic traditions. This practical book introduces the art of brush drawing to complete beginners. It explains how to recreate the serene beauty of the natural world, including the Four Noble Plants, with minimal marks. All you need is a brush, ink and paper. Learn about brush drawing through the simple exercises that this book demonstrates and discover a place to 'be' that arises through doing rather than thinking. The brush – explore mark, line and textures Inspiration from nature – draw leaves and flowers, as well as trees and landscapes Practical exercises – be guided through step-by-step instructions Contemplation – find peacefulness through the brush and the process.




Drawn by the Brush


Book Description

Oil sketches by Peter Paul Rubens—created at speed and in the heat of invention with a colorful loaded brush—convey all the spontaneity of the great Flemish painter’s creative process. This ravishing book draws from both private and public collections to present in full color 40 of Rubens’s oil sketches. Viewers will find in these informal paintings an enchanting intimacy and gain a new appreciation of Rubens’s capacity for invention and improvisation, and of his special genius for dramatic design and coloristic brilliance. The book investigates the role of the oil sketch in Rubens’s work; the development of the artist’s themes and narratives in his multiple sketches; and the history of the appreciation of his oil sketches. It also explores some of the unique aspects of his techniques and materials. By revealing the oil sketches as the most direct record of Rubens’s creative process, the book presents him as the greatest and most fluent practitioner of this vibrant and vital medium.




I Can't Believe I'm Stenciling


Book Description

Simple instructions and inspiring ideas make it easy to get the handpainted look you love-- in next to no time!




The Brushstroke Handbook


Book Description

Beautiful brushstrokes step by step! This is the one! The Brushstroke Handbook is your complete reference for mastering more than 50 fabulous strokes. Inside you'll find visual, step-by-step instruction divided into two sections that detail techniques for working with both round and flat brushes in acrylics. Flip through and find the stroke you want, featuring a range of comma strokes, pressure strokes, fan strokes, teardrop strokes, scroll strokes and much more. From the very basics of supplies and techniques to more in-depth guidance for creating unique compositions, this guide offers everything you need to build confidence, have fun and paint successfully--whether you're a beginner or a more experienced decorative painter. This comprehensive guide includes: • Quick-reference photos for finding the right stroke, fast. • Step-by-step stroke instructions that actually build a little painting with every lesson. • Easy-to-follow worksheets for combining strokes to make complete flowers, birds, butterflies, lace, ribbons and more. • 20 fresh and pretty borders painted with round and flat brushes. • Two sections highlighting common mistakes and how to fix them. Plus, this guide offers a bonus section that shows you how to create six gorgeous compositions that feature today's most popular colors and stroke styles. It's all here! The Brushstroke Handbook gives you everything you need to master every stroke and explore a range of decorative painting possibilities. It's the one reference you'll want to have handy for virtually every project.




Digital Painting in Photoshop


Book Description

Have you ever considered using Photoshop to create fine art? Photoshop is usually used for enhancing photos, but this extremely powerful software package is capable of so much more. Every feature, from brushes to background, can be customised and optimised for artistic effect. With a little guidance from a pro, your photoshop results can go from competent retouching of images to visually stunning re-interpretations of them, turning everyday pictures into breathtaking works of art. In this beautiful and inspiring book, acclaimed artist, author and lecturer Susan Bloom shows you how to do just that. Starting with the fundamentals: creating your own artistic brushes and textured papers virtually, she goes on to demonstrate how to create a variety of classic artistic styles in Photoshop, with chapters on watercolours, pastels, charcoal and oil. Further chapters cover illustration techniques in photoshop, and using third-party software to create painterly effects. While the results are highly polished and realistic, this is not a book written specifically for artists. The techniques are aimed squarely at the Photoshop user looking to broaden their pallette, with emphasis on altering photographs to create artwork, rather than creating artwork from scratch. Beautifully written, clearly laid out, and guaranteeing inspiring results, this book is a must-have for every Photoshop user.




Fast & Fun Flowers in Acrylics


Book Description

Paint a Garden of Gorgeous Flowers, Instantly! Let the sun shine in! In one afternoon you can learn to paint a gorgeous garden of colorful flowers, even if you've never held a brush before. Open this guide and see how easy and fun it is. Just follow along step by step and in no time, you'll be painting pansies, jasmine, hydrangeas, roses, tiger lilies, zinnias and dozens more of your favorite blooms.Fast & Fun Flowers in Acrylics features: • 66 flower-painting demonstrations that require only three to eight simple steps to complete • 11 demonstrations for adding decorative embellishments, including dragonflies, bees, water droplets and tendrils • Step-by-step instructions for creating six complete floral compositions • An inspiring gallery of ideas for painting your new creations on greeting cards, scrapbook pages, frames, bookmarks, and more Designed to be fun and easy to use, this guide includes a stay-flat binding and a handy visual index for finding the flower you want - even if you don't know what it's called. There's also complete guidance for getting started quickly, from painting supplies to basic stroke techniques. Fast, fun and foolproof, this guide will give you a "green thumb" for painting flowers!




Wood Finishing, Plain and Decorative


Book Description

This vintage book contains a complete guide to wood finishing, with information on methods, materials, and tools for natural, stained, varnished, waxed, oiled, enamelled, and painted finishes. With helpful illustrations and simple instructions, this volume is ideal for those with little previous experience, and is not to be missed by DIY enthusiasts. Contents include: “Wood Finishing in General”, “Preparation of New and Old Surfaces”, “Stains in General”, “Factory Prepared Stains”, “Water Stains”, “Chemical Water Stains, Acid and Alkaline”, “Color Pigment Water Stains”, “Spirit Stains—Aniline and Coal Tar Dye Stains”, etc. Many vintage books like this are becoming increasingly rare and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality addition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on woodworking.




The Quick & Easy Home DIY Manual: 324 Tips


Book Description

"Extreme How-To, the enthusiast's guide to home improvement"--Cover.




The Quick & Easy Home DIY Manual


Book Description

Your guide to tools, skills, quick fixes, weekend projects, and even major upgrades—packed with pro tips! Developing your do-it-yourself skills can save you significant money, make your dream home a reality—and be just plain fun. Whether it's simple projects like a busted pipe or clogged toilet, or bigger upgrades like a new floor or a deck, you’ll find all the information you need to fix trouble spots, handle the unwelcome surprises of homeownership, and increase the value of your property. Learn about: Tools & Skills: How to build the ultimate DIY toolbox, outfit your workspace, and gain the pro skills that make even challenging projects surprisingly fun and easy. Quick Fixes: Quick yet durable fixes made easy. Fix a wonky toilet, ground an outlet, patch drywall, upgrade furniture frames and everything in between. Weekend Projects: Dozens of clever projects you thought would take you ages! Paint a room, redo a kitchen floor, spiff up cabinets, replace a toilet, patch a leaky roof. Big Jobs: Think you need a contractor? Think again. Create built-in shelving, install new flooring, construct a fence, build a deck, and more. With over three hundred handy tips, Matt Weber and the editors of Extreme How-To have you covered on all things home repair.




The Art of Childhood and Adolescence


Book Description

The text is composed of research on the development of representational thinking from infancy through to adolescence. It makes a contribution to the theory of children's development and to practitioners' understanding.