Addictive Sketcher


Book Description

Giving an insight into how this inspiring and talented artist works, The Addictive Sketcher passes on Adebanji Alade's infectious enthusiasm and will have the reader reaching for a pencil or pen to have a go. Adebanji has a skill and a passion for speaking and motivating his audience in a fun and engaging way, and this is reflected in his writing style. Lively, stimulating and instructive, it is packed with numerous examples of the author’s sketches as well as examples of his vibrant finished paintings. Covering pencils, coloured pencils, charcoal and graphite, along with finished oil paintings, this book provides a fascinating insight into the author’s techniques. Adebanji’s work covers a broad range of subjects, including landscapes, portraits, crowd scenes, urban scenes and seascapes. He’s particularly well known for his portraits and working outdoors capturing the life of London where he lives. This book includes examples from a range of subject areas.




The Urban Sketcher


Book Description

Make the world your studio! Capture the bustle and beauty of life in your town. Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll find everything you need to tackle subjects ranging from still lifes and architecture to people and busy street scenes. • 15 step-by-step demonstrations cover techniques for creating expressive drawings using pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor. • Expert tips for achieving a balance of accuracy, spontaneity and speed. • Practical advice for working in the field, choosing subjects, coping with onlookers, capturing people in motion and more. • Daily exercises and creative prompts for everything from improving essential skills to diverse approaches, such as montages, storytelling portraits and one-page graphic novels. Whether you are a habitual doodler or a seasoned artist, The Urban Sketcher will have you out in the world sketching from the very first page. By completing drawings on the spot, in one session, you achieve a fresh impression of not just what you see, but also what it feels like to be there . . . visual life stories as only you can experience them.




The Urban Sketching Handbook: Techniques for Beginners


Book Description

In The Urban Sketching Handbook: Techniques for Beginners, artist and Urban Sketcher correspondent Suhita Shirodkar shares essential skills for sketching architecture, people, and everyday objects on location. You'll learn the basics of value, color mixing, and perspective through helpful studies and exercises, whether at home, in studio, and on location. The Urban Sketching Handbook: Techniques for Beginners is perfect for anyone who’s just getting started in this fascinating art form, or who wants to develop their observational and drawing aptitude by reinforcing basic concepts. TheUrban Sketching Handbook series offers location artists expert instruction on creative techniques, on-location tips and advice, and an abundance of visual inspiration. These handy references come in a compact, easy-to-carry format with an elastic band closure—perfect to toss in your backpack or artist’s tote.




Fashion Is Spinach


Book Description

After working as a stylist in Paris, Elizabeth Hawes (1903–71) launched one of the first American design houses in Depression-era New York. Hawes was an outspoken critic of the fashion industry and a champion of ready-to-wear styles. Fashion Is Spinach, her witty and astute memoir, offers an insider's critique of the fashion scene during the 1920s and '30s. "I don't know when the word fashion came into being, but it was an evil day," Hawes declares. Style, she maintains, reflects an era's mood, altering only with changes in attitude and taste. Fashion, conversely, exists only to perpetuate sales. Hawes denounces the industry's predatory practices, advising readers to reject ever-changing fads in favor of comfortable, durable, flattering attire. Decades ahead of her time, she offers a fascinating and tartly observed behind-the-scenes look at the fashion industry's economics, culture, and ethics.




Urban Watercolor Sketching


Book Description

A guide that shows painters, drawers, doodlers, and urban sketchers how to bring their drawings to life with colorful, bold, yet accessible painting methods. Watercolor sketching is a rapidly emerging technique that enlivens sketches done in pen or pencil with the expressive washes, glazes, and luminous hues of watercolor . This lushly illustrated resource teaches artists on the go how to sketch with watercolor, rendering subjects efficiently and without inhibitions. Readers are guided through all aspects of the medium, from fundamental techniques including wet-on-wet, glazing, and washes; materials and supplies; and little known tips and tricks for getting the most out of watercolor (for example, just sprinkling a little salt on your painting creates a texture that's impossible to achieve with a brush.) A strong focus color theory provides a solid foundation for enhancing drawings with vibrant hues.




Autonomous


Book Description

"When anything can be owned, how can we be free? Earth, 2144. Jack is an anti-patent scientist turned drug pirate, a pharmaceutical Robin Hood traversing the world in a submarine, fabricating cheap scrips for poor people who can't otherwise afford them. But her latest drug hack leaves a trail of lethal overdoses as people become addicted to their work, repeating job tasks until they become insane. Hot on her trail, an unlikely pair: Eliasz, a brooding military agent, and his partner, Paladin, a young indentured robot. As they race to stop information about the hacked drugs at their source, they form an uncommonly close relationship that neither of them fully understands, and Paladin begins to question their connection - and a society that profits from indentured robots" --




The Devil's Keepsake


Book Description

"Don't become worthless to me, Miss Murphy. You won't like the way I'll discard you." Aged nine, I saw the Devil. Those glowing amber eyes, they sliced through the darkness and filled my nightmares. Aged fifteen, he staked his claim on me. He held a fake funeral and told my father that I belonged to him now. Aged nineteen, he made good on his promise. Snatched me from the life I'd carved out for myself. Threw me in his private museum along with some of the rarest, most expensive artifacts in the world. I'm his new, shiny obsession. Nothing more than a keepsake. But Lorcan Quinn doesn't want to admire me from the other side of the glass, or even handle me delicately with white gloves. He wants to break me. Ruin me. Then he wants to acquire the rarest thing of all. My innocence. *** SOMME'S NOTES: The Devil's Keepsake is a deliciously dark, enemies to lovers mafia romance. It can be read as a standalone, but it's best devoured with the rest of the trilogy. You should know that I write dark romance, and my stories--including this one-- aren't for the faint of heart. They are deliciously dark and somewhat disturbing, so are not suitable for everyone. You won't find Prince Charming or a damsel in distress within these pages, so if that's what floats your boat, I kindly encourage you to move along!




Sketching Techniques for Artists


Book Description

Learn dynamic sketching and watercolor techniques for creating cityscapes, landscapes, figures and faces, still lifes, and more, enhancing the story you want to tell with form, line, and color. Discover incredible methods and tips for creating dramatic street scenes and vivid landscapes, and capturing dynamic figures and graphic architectural details. Artist Alex Hillkurtz—a top Hollywood storyboard artist, international workshop instructor, and Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society—presents fundamental concepts of sketching with pencil and pen for a number of popular genres. Discover simple ways to jot down spontaneous ideas in pencil, capture rough details in ink, and add watercolor for extra depth and interest. Make sketching more enjoyable by adopting innovative techniques that will make a difference in your practice, and your artwork. No matter your experience or skill level, you’ll benefit from learning: Compositions that draw the eye How to avoid common sketching mistakes Ways to create light and shadow to define shapes and add interest Successful ways to use negative space The importance of perspective in creating depth Easy color washes that create drama Get started today, and fill your sketchbooks with unique drawings and paintings you will be proud of. The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.




Wildlife Photography at Home


Book Description

**Richard Peters - Winner of the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year award 2015** Capture amazing pictures of your furry and feathered visitors. Richard Peters won the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 2015 for a photograph taken in his very ordinary suburban back garden. In this book, he shares the methods he used to get stunning professional nature photos without having to head out on safari. Starting with the basics, this book will show a complete beginner how to capture pro-level pictures from their garden. It covers where to place your camera, how optics can completely change your shot, reveals the gadgets that can enhance your photos, and even how to overcome the elements. This is the perfect book for bird-watchers and animal lovers who want to capture what they see and share their passion with the world. Social media definitely loves a good animal photo!




Sinners Anonymous


Book Description

Sinners Anonymous gives us a harsh look at our world that is tainted by sin and how this sin affects us. The book allows the reader to participate in an intimate retelling of the narrator's personal story while challenging the reader to confront the sin in his or her own life. The narrator gives very clear, concise instructions on how to face sin, fight sin, and put it to death. This reformed publication was written from the perspective of a young adult author who is a Christian in an evangelical reformed church. The narrator chose to write anonymously due to the sensitive and emotional nature of the narrator's personal story, and she wants the focus to be centered around Christ and His beautiful sacrifice He made for His bride, the church. This story is not for the faint of heart as there are some emotionally triggering details that could potentially be disturbing to some readers, specifically those who may have experienced abuse or sexual trauma. There is a warning in the book before this section appears, should the reader wish to skip it. Overall, Sinners Anonymous was written to convict us that we should be taking sin more seriously and fighting it more often. Should you decide to pick up this book, there will be no more excuses as to how you deal with sin in your own life. You've been warned.