Create a More Beautiful World with a Little Hand-Lettered Love!Messages from your own hand are an intimate and powerful means of expression and communication. Happy Hand Lettering offers you instruction and encouragement to begin creating beautifully written words right away. From selecting the best tools and supplies, to forming your first simple letters, everything you need to begin your calligraphic journey is here.• Learn beginning-level techni...

Novelists stake their claim as artists on works that encapsulate a whole world of characters and narrative across many, usually hundreds of pages. Some also take in other disciplines; plays, short stories, essays but many have also written poetry. For some it is even their first love but for their audience it is too often forgotten; relegated behind their longer works. Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, The Brontes, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy are but a few of our illustrious authors who here re...

A comparative international perspective challenges conventional narratives about unacknowledged intervention"Covert action" is generally understood as politically motivated and plausibly deniable interference by one state in the affairs of another state. It includes propaganda, political or economic subversion, paramilitary action, and assassinations. Covert action is the most consequential and controversial form of secret statecraft, and it has become a ubiquitous...

Say it with chalk! Learn the art of hand-drawn chalk lettering from an Etsy superstar in a book complete with chalkboards!Ubiquitous at boutiques and cafés, on Etsy and Pinterest, in stationery and home decor, the art of chalk lettering is hotter than ever. Valerie McKeehan, an Etsy standout, teaches us everything we need to know to create gorgeous hand-drawn chalk designs.In over 60 lessons, learn the ABCs of lettering (literally) and basic styles: serif, ...

With just average drawing skills you can learn how to create realistic portraits with colored pencils. Fully illustrated in color, this book will show you how. Starting with required materials and continuing with subjects such as how to compose and make your sketch, simple pencil drawing techniques, what colors you should have and how to use them to get realistic skin tones, values and contrast, and much more. Included is one of the most complete step-by-step tutorials you will find in any...

You won’t be disappointed with the basic instruction based on the popular print book Drawing for the Absolute Beginner (North Light 2006) by Mark and Mary Willenbrink. Learn all about value and shadows, and get more than 15 step-by-step technique exercises on how to draw still lifes, animals and people. Also includes a glossary of common art terms. The Absolute Beginner series of e-books will inspire anyone who wants to make art to create realistic artwork for any subject, inclu...

Calligraphy, the art of elegant, beautiful lettering, has increased in popularity over the last several years. From brides who want to address their wedding invitations to do-it-yourselfers who want to prepare certificates or make a family tree, and even for art journalers and scrapbookers who like creative text in their works, calligraphy books and classes are hot. This new-in-paperback book will spark the interest of the calligraphy novice by introducing a new approach to lettering, one ...

With engaging, hands-on exercises and expert advice, this inspiring guide makes drawing in a realistic style easier than you may think—and more fun than you ever imagined!It’s never too early and never too late to discover the pure joy of drawing. In Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, husband and wife duo Mark and Mary Willenbrink, authors of Watercolor for the Absolute Beginner, teach you everything you need to become more confident with drawing....

Today's scrapbookers are always looking for fresh new ideas to enhance their creativity in their work as memory keepers. Do you keep creating pages with the same look? Are you ready to explore some scrapbooking techniques to add some sensational looks to your layouts? My book covers many versatile techniques like pop ups, hidden journaling, embossing, masking and the use of Glimmer Mist just to name a few, thirteen in all, so break out those supplies and lets create something spectacular!

Overcome the obstacles to your artistic expressionImproving your artwork can be as simple as learning how to trust your eyes. Your Artist's Brain shows you how to portray even the most complex subjects by focusing on what you really see - not what you think you see.Expert art instructor Carl Purcell shows you how to overcome dependency on the "intellectual brain" and listen carefully to the more observant "artist's brain."W...

How to paint oil portraits like the Old MastersMona Lisa. Girl with a Pearl Earring. Madame X. The infinite variety and beauty of humankind--like the mysteries behind sparkling eyes, a sly smile or an averted gaze--has captivated artists since the beginning of time. This expanded edition of Chris Saper's best-selling guide, Classic Portrait Painting in Oils, reveals keys for mastering how to paint beautiful portraits in oil to create soulful works of art. ...

To keep a meaningful journal, you need to feel comfortable and believe your secrecy is respected, right?If so, you have two options. You might choose to journal in a way in which your secrets are hidden away forever from everyone, including yourself--"lock them up and throw away the key! Or perhaps you'd prefer to be able to check in on them in the future; there are many ways to hide your words that can be reversed later. An excerpt from the popular book, Raw Art Journaling...