Beginning scale modelers need a basic set of skills that they can build on as they continue through the hobby. Essential Skills for Scale Modelers, written by FineScale Modeler's Aaron Skinner, lays the foundation needed to build, paint, weather, and display all types of models. This technique-driven how-to book contains a variety of projects that allow modelers to put their new found skills to use.
Layer, Stitch, Scrunch, Pull & Flick 50 fabulous and simple step-by-step techniques that will be valuable for all crafters, from beginner mixed-media artists to advanced papercrafters and scrapbookers. 75+ imaginative layouts and projects using innovative techniques, that can be applied to any medium, whether papercrafter, fiber artist, or messy artist. A mixed-media crossover for all crafters or scrapbookers that will teach you how to make paper resemble lace, to flicking acrylic paint off of a toothbrush, or using household items to create your own stencil! Layer with Ronda Palazzari as she teaches you just how easy it is to get that desired layered look in any project. With five chapters, Art of Layers will help you build your skills, from various paper techniques, to working with fabric and adding embellishing, stamping, and experimenting with paints, mists and gesso. Accompanying projects show each technique in action and illustrate how they can be used in combination, to develop endless possibilities for an even grander project. Layer, play and have fun with Art of Layers !
This self-teaching course instructs beginning and intermediate artists in methods for creating fantasy characters of all kinds, from the classic fairy princess, to witches, wizards, monsters, and aliens from outer space. As important as the fantasy characters themselves are the worlds where they live, whether on space stations, in enchanted forests, dream castles, or on alien planets. This book opens with advice on tools, materials, and media, and then presents practical lessons in basic draftsmanship. Detailed instruction covers lighting and shadows, creating surface textures, capturing the illusion of movement, exaggerating human features to produce fantasy characters, placing characters in lifelike poses, and telling stories with pictures. The text is complemented with more than 150 instructive color illustrations.
Discover how to add that really personal touch to all your projects by using fabrics you designed yourself! A Field Guide to Fabric Design is a comprehensive and refreshingly straightforward guide that teaches you everything you need to know to get started from design and colour basics to creating repeat patterns, screen-printing tips, even selling your designs! This volume also includes expert advice on using both traditional and new digital design and production techniques.
Now in its second edition, this innovative look at the history of graphic design explores its evolution from the 19th century to the present day. Author Stephen J. Eskilson demonstrates how a new era began for design arts under the influence of Victorian reformers, tracing the emergence of modernist design styles in the early 20th century, and examining the wartime politicization of regional styles. Richly contextualized chapters chronicle the history of the Bauhaus and the rise of the International Style in the 1950s and '60s, and the postmodern movement of the 1970s and '80s. The book's final chapter looks at current trends in graphic design, with in-depth discussions of grunge, comic book, and graffiti aesthetics; historicism and appropriation; and the influence of technology, web design, and motion graphics. The second edition features over 80 new images, revised text throughout, a new chapter on 19th-century design, and expanded sections on critical topics including the Swiss Style, Postmodernism, and contemporary design.
A treasured guide beloved by knitters everywhere, the classic book is finally available again in a revised and updated edition. Hiatt presents not only a thorough, thoughtful approach to the craft, but also a passion for carrying on the art of knitting to future generations. She has repeatedly tested the various techniques and presents them with clear, easy-to-follow instructions. 704 pp. 75,000 print.
"Mommy bloggers" are a hugely popular source of advice for parents on everything from discipline to which stores have the best deals. And one of the top trending topics is crafting with your kids. Hand in Hand offers the best of the best: 20 superstar parenting bloggers share exclusive, photo-rich insights into their creative lives along with a favorite how-to craft for parent and child to make together. The 20 projects feature a well-balanced mix of techniques, materials, colors, and styles for a range of ages.
Ready to Capture Your Story with Beautiful Photos? Let professional photographers Rachel Devine and Peta Mazey show you how to use that fancy DSLR to photograph the story of your life, from falling in love and having a baby, to the everyday moments that are no less precious. You'll learn: Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them How to take portraits of your children, friends, pets-even yourself How to capture light to make your photos more dramatic How to make colors pop, eyes sparkle, and skin tones more realistic How to capture the uniqueness and wonder of your family, friends, and world After all, why trust your memories to regular snapshots when with just a little knowledge, you can create beautiful photographs? Be inspired to see the beauty around you, every day.
Join 14 very special artists on a Creative Pilgrimage as they share exciting projects that they teach through the various art retreat venues from across the nation. As they teach their special projects, we experience what it's like to learn from this celebrated cohort of talented artists. Hear their unique perspectives about the importance of teaching-a process where through sharing knowledge, they also gain knowledge and develop community. Featured artists include: -Alisa Burke -Julie Haymaker Thompson -Lisa Kaus -Mary Beth Shaw -Maya Donenfeld -Roxanne Padgett -Sarah Ahearn Bellemare -Stephanie Jones Rubiano -Tracie Lyn Huskamp -Heather Smith Jones -Carla Sonheim -Mati Rose McDonough -Alma Stoller -Flora Bowley Peppered throughout the book are snapshots that give us a glimpse of some of the most amazing art retreats from across the nation. They are: -Squam Art Workshops -The Makerie -Artfest -An Artful Journey -Artistic Bliss -Valley Ridge Art Studio -Art & Soul -Silver Bella You'll get a special behind-the-scenes look at these special gatherings from the unique points of view of the coordinators, students, and instructors alike. Take a leap of faith into your quest to learn, teach, grow, and create with Creative Pilgrimage !
The garden is a rich canvas of visual ideas, all waiting to be skillfully captured and evoked by the camera. With in-depth discussions on creative technique and technical literacy, The Photographic Garden is an inspiring guide for understanding the complexities of light and design in the garden and a primer on the latest digital image-making tools, from cameras to postproduction software.Professional photographer Matthew Benson shows you how to become a better, more intuitive artist in the landscape; helps you foster a deeper understanding of design and aesthetics; and encourages you to develop your own visual sensibility--through hundreds of his own thoughtprovoking, evocative garden images. You'll learn how to explore the garden with your camera; how to apply the fundamentals of composition, light, and color to image-making; and how to use digital technology to improve and enhance (and even rescue!) the images you've taken. Most of all, you'll be motivated to see like a camera, work like a professional, and imagine and create like an artist.
In a world where most products are manufactured by machines, Etsy offers an online platform for makers of handmade products and crafts to market and sell their goods to a vast network of buyers who demand unique, genuine products. To date, the site has attracted over 400,000 sellers who collectively have sold 1.3 million items, generating $180.6 million in revenue. The only resource of its kind, How to Make Money Using Etsy --written by Tim Adam who has successfully been selling his products all over the world through his Etsy shop since 2007--guides readers step-by-step through the many stages of selling online. How-to topics include: Establish your Etsy shop Effectively photograph your products Post your products to optimize visibility and increase sales Brand your business Use social media like blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with buyers and grow your business
Have fun and go green with Diana Schoenbrun's Mom's Choice Award-winning Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycled Mittens, Towels, Socks, and More . A puppet builder, an illustrator, and an author, Schoenbrun presents 20 puppet projects made with recycled materials easily found around the house. A lonely sock becomes a wizard puppet. A glove without a mate turns into five little pig puppets. And that tired dishtowel transforms into a lively banjo player puppet--all at very little cost. Diana Schoenbrun's easy-to-follow directions are accompanied by how-to illustrations. Also included are full-color photographs of puppets, as well as a chapter that guides children through creating and presenting their own puppet show. So, the next time the dryer eats a single sock, get crafty, go green, and go play with Puppet Play .
Children love getting their hands dirty. Putting their fingers into clay and other squishy stuff gives them a chance to create and have fun while strengthening important developmental skills. These open-ended activities focus on the process of creation, not the final product, and allow imagination to flourish.
With over 400,000 sellers on Etsy, how can you make YOUR shop stand out and increase your sales? This is a key question for many crafters and artists who are selling online these days. Now here are all the answers and much more from author and Etsy seller Derrick Sutton. Based on his self-published guide, and drawn from his practical experience, you will learn how to boost your Etsy sales, attract more customers, and expand your online presence. Derrick shares his proven online sales and marketing knowledge in an easily accessible format, complete with simple actions steps at the end of each chapter. Learn how to completely optimize your Etsy shop, website, or blog, and much more. Some of the topics covered include: -How to design a catchy Etsy banner -How to gain an instant analysis of your shop and where you need to focus your efforts -A crash course on photographing your items and key mistakes to avoid class -Fail-safe copywriting secrets -How to take advantage of Etsy's forums, Treasury, and more -The effective way to use Facebook and Twitter, and why so many people get it wrong How to Sell Your Crafts Online offers crafters and artists practical internet marketing techniques from an experienced Etsy seller that will pave the way for a profitable online business! Praise for Derrick Sutton's e-Guide Crafting Success : "This is really a great guide through the mind-boggling thicket of internet selling. It's so easy to follow and straight forward... " - - Etsy seller jenniferwhitmer "I definitely saw a difference in my sales after doing many of the things suggested." - - Etsy seller mishmishmarket "A true wealth of useful information." - - Etsy seller helixelemental "[The steps are] easily presented, so making changes to your shop can be done instantly as you are reading." - Licky Drake, HappyGoLicky Custom Silver Jewelry "A tremendous amount of information. I learned more from [this book] than from anything I have purchased in five years." - - Etsy seller HandpaintedGifts
A classic reference enters the digital age! The long anticipated update of Steve Meltzer's Photographing Your Craftwork is here-and finally artists have a guide that helps them produce high quality images of their work. Cutting through the jargon and hype around digital photography, Meltzer explains in plain language how digital cameras operate, and explores specific techniques for lighting and photographing jewelry, pottery, glass, installed art, stamps, coins, dolls, and other collectibles. Because a great portfolio and smart use of the internet are so important for professional success, there's also advice on using such photo editing programs as Adobe™ Photoshop® and CorelPHOTO-PAINT Pro® to turn images into great photographic prints, exciting websites, eye-catching marketing materials, and submissions for exhibition jurying. A Selection of the Crafter's Choice Book Club.
Way back in the 1980s, personal computers were touted as the perfect tools for dormant da Vincis and underground Tolstoys. The computer could make you a star. As it turned out, the ads were right in a way, and millions have found the technology an element of their precious muse, at least that portion that concerns lucre. Artist and writer Rowley is well aware that talent may or may not blossom digitally, but markets will, and gives craftspeople, musicians, photographers and artists step-by-step instructions on creating market identities for themselves and their products, building a web site, establishing a presence in the market, attracting visitors, building links, outsourcing writing, getting your web site into search engines and directories, using business software, marketing through email and newsletters, packing and using auction systems. He also describes marketing techniques specific to art, crafts, music, and photography. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
It's an exciting new world for crafters. Handmade is hip, creativity is what the market wants, and there are many profitable sales opportunities that didn't exist a few short years ago. For crafters who have more confidence running a sewing machine than setting up a Web site, The Handmade Marketplace breaks down and makes sense of the global possibilities for marketing and selling crafts. First, determine the right price for every item - not too expensive and definitely not too cheap. Whether the product is beaded jewelry or felted slippers, illustrations or tote bags, author Kari Chapin helps crafters determine cost of goods, market competition, and the pros and cons of wholesale and retail sales. If the price is right, customers will buy. Then it's on to selling. The boom in indie craft fairs and sites such as Etsy ("Your place to buy & sell all things handmade") is providing artisans with an ever-expanding marketplace for handcrafted items. Chapin demystifies every venue. She explains the guidelines that craft fairs impose on exhibitors, the typical yearly calendar of shows, and how to start a new craft fair. For the crafter interested in online sales, there are tips on styling and propping crafts for photographs and technical explanations of how the most popular Web marketplaces run. Traditional brick and mortar consignment stores are still very good options for many crafters. Chapin explains how to approach shopkeepers and build strong relationships. Wrapping everything up with media advice and tips on how to get the word out, The Handmade Marketplace is the sales and marketing bible that today's crafters need.
With 35 simple yet striking projects, Super-cute Felt is a must-have book for anyone with an appreciation of adorable, hand-crafted objects. Start with the Homewares chapter, where you will find coasters, tea cosies and hot water bottle covers, all with a touch of vintage glamour. Gifts is next, with plenty of inspirational ideas, such as the fruity pincushion that any keen crafter will use again and again. In Accessories, discover pretty brooches, necklaces and scarves to keep you warm and snug “ try the cute kitty purse that is sure to delight any little girl. Finally, Celebrations has unique decorating ideas for all the holidays, including Christmas, Halloween and Easter. There are projects for all skill levels, so you don "t have to be an old hand in order to create something really special. Every design comes complete with clear step-by-step instructions and illustrations to guide you through each step. And at the back is a helpful techniques section explaining all the stitches and skills required, plus tips and tricks to make your creations really stand out. Felt is the ideal material to work with and is so versatile. Clear step-by-step instructions make stitching the cute projects a cinch. Visit Laura "s craft blog “bugsandfishes.blogspot.com.
Unleash Your Inner Mechanical Mastermind Welcome to the wondrous world of Thomas Willeford, aka Lord Archibald "Feathers" Featherstone, in which he shares his closely guarded secrets of Steampunkery. Filled with do-it-yourself projects, Steampunk Gear, Gadgets, and Gizmos: A Maker's Guide to Creating Modern Artifacts shows you how to build exquisite, ingenious contraptions on a budget. Learn from Lord Featherstone as he distills his wealth of hard-learned skills, describes how to use the readily available tools of the modern mad scientist, and expounds on the art and philosophy of scavenging unique components and raw materials. The perfect companion for the hobbyist and advanced machinist alike, this inventive volume will guide you through the creation of your very own infernal devices. Get steamed with these provocative projects: Aetheric ray deflector solid brass goggles Calibrated indicator gauges Ferromagnetic self-scribing automated encyclopedia (or, the Steampunk book drive) High voltage electro-static cannon (or, the lamp gun) Tesla-pod chrono-static insulating field generator (or, the mobile device enclosure) Altitude mask with integrated respiratory augmentation Armoured pith helmet Mark I superior replacement arm with integrated Gatling gun attachment Thomas Willeford is an artist, mechanologist, and inventor. His company, Brute Force Studios, has been producing Steampunk products and spearheading the Steampunk movement since 1990. Willeford and his designs have been featured on MTV, BBC, ABC, Wired.com, and at Steampunk events and exhibits worldwide. His alter ego is Lord Archibald "Feathers" Featherstone.
The greatly revised and expanded edition of The Elements of Photography is a new kind of textbook for a new generation of photographers. Moving far beyond the usual technical manual, Angela Faris Belt dives deep into merging technique and vision, allowing you to master craft while adding meaning to your images. Here you'll really learn to see photographically, expand your creative and conceptual use of apertures and shutter speeds, and choose the right media to create the look and feel you want. The 2nd Edition Includes: A new introductory chapter with thorough explanations and training exercises in metering and exposure Advice throughout the text to help you expand your personal research Extended exploration of how photography's technical attributes affect visual outcomes and the meaning of your images Image discussions that provide additional perspective about the chapter concepts This book provides a wealth of information and guidance to help all photographers improve skills, learn new techniques, and expand ways of seeing. Excellent practical exercises allow you to use the knowledge you'll gain to build a solid portfolio. More than 300 stunning, full-color images including portfolios from over 40 prestigious artists provide visual inspiration and a gorgeous collection of artwork to add to any photography enthusiast's bookshelf. Whether you do fine art or commercial, documentary or editorial, or just enjoy making pictures for yourself, The Elements of Photography will take your images to the next level. *Learn from an expert author how to combine your creative vision with technical accuracy to produce images that are visually provoking as well as technically inspiring *Includes over 300 stunning full color images and highlights the portfolios of 40+ prestigious artists *Contains screenshots, before-and-after images, and how-to information to help both students and photographers practice skills and learn new techniques *Follow the suggested exercises at the end of each chapter to develop your own portfolio of images
Ellen G. Horovitz, an inspiring artist and teacher, guides readers through imaginative photo projects that transform cherished analog and digital images into works of art. Horovitz expands on traditional photo transfer, taking it to an entirely new level using digital software techniques and a wide array of innovative materials and methods, including cocoa powder, Citrasolve, copper, and packing tape. Starting with traditional photos, digital files, and instant photo emulsions, Horovitz fashions 2D and 3D art pieces, showing readers how to use conventional processes and new exploratory techniques-even left-over materials-in the creation of meaningful photo art.
"This collection of the very best techniques-focused articles from the first six years of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine includes unusual and classic methods for making mixed-media art, along with projects, tips and tricks, resources, and more"--