Landscape designer Michael Cooke presents five of his superbly designed gardens, including his own, which are illustrated by the lyrically beautiful photographs of coauthor Brigid Arnott. The selected landscapes encapsulate the characteristics he considers vital in the making of a truly beautiful, liveable garden. They have a distinct 'voice' of their own, reflecting not only the personality and style of the owners, but also the longstanding relationship and emotional connection between th...

With this book in one hand and a brush in the other, you can learn how to create different finishes and effects with paint to change everyday rooms and furnishings into something special, all for the price of a pot of paint. The first section of the book tells you everything you need to know before you start - how to prepare surfaces properly, choose the right paint for the right place, use the best tools and select a colour scheme that will work with the room in question. 50 different tec...

An easy to read, how-to guide with complete instructions for creating lifelike portraits of wild and domestic animals using colored pencils.In this comprehensive, thirty-two–page book, accomplished artist Debra Kauffman Yaun shares her artistic insights and techniques for creating strikingly realistic animal drawings in colored pencil. The book opens with essential information on choosing tools and materials, understanding color theory, and creating basic pencil str...

Bestselling author and gardening columnist Marjorie Harris offers a timely and entertaining guide for gardeners at every stage of life. Whether you're moving into your first apartment or condo, upgrading to a house, or downsizing to smaller digs, Harris shares the best tips on how to create a beautiful garden for any space — all on a budgetThe highly anticipated sequel to her popular book Thrifty: Living the Frugal Life with Style, Thrifty Gardening marries Harris...

A graceful and sharply observed book of inspiration that uses the garden as its central museA New Leaf traces a year of growing seasons at The Leaf, Merilyn Simonds' acreage in eastern Ontario. A lifelong gardener, Simonds works the soil and the soul for wide-ranging revelations about everything from flowers that keep time, to the strange gift of compost, to great gardens of the world, to things lost and found underground.She is joined on her journ...

Fairy gardens are enjoying an astonishing surge in popularity and now you can begin making your own enchanting miniature landscapes, complete with pint-sized accessories, diminutive plants, and quaint fairy figures. Gardeners Julie Bawden-Davis and Beverly Turner provide you with step-by-step instructions for creating a magical garden that will attract Thumbelina herself!Learn how to design, plant, accessorize, and care for your very own small corner of the world by following seven...

This handy, practical and inspirational little book is perfect for the pocket or art bag. It shows watercolour painters of all levels how to loosen up their paintings and maintain spontaneity by painting simple watercolour studies in no more than 10 minutes.Written by popular artist Hazel Soan, the book is arranged in three parts: the first section explains all about the equipment you will need; the second section covers techniques and shows what can be achieved with watercolour in...

Since 1973, Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletins have offered practical, hands-on instructions designed to help readers master dozens of country living skills quickly and easily. There are now more than 170 titles in this series, and their remarkable popularity reflects the common desire of country and city dwellers alike to cultivate personal independence in everyday life.

Make your first steps in watercolor fun and rewarding!Watercolor's vivid colors and fresh, direct brush strokes make it the most exciting way to paint. "But," you think, "Learning to paint must be hard and frustrating." Not with Cathy Johnson as your teacher! Here, she makes learning to paint in watercolor fun—even easy!With Painting Watercolors, you'll learn to paint by picking up a brush and painting—not by reading about a bunch ...

Learning to paint in oils is an enjoyable and creative process, but from time to time the fledgling artist may hit a creative brick wall, often with a particular issue. This might be with the plague of muddy colours, garish flower heads, trees that resemble lollypops, skies that look bland, darkening the colour of snow or shadows that look like black splodges. Such matters, if persistent may cause the artist concerned to throw in the brushes, but this need not be the end.With no-no...

Packed full of tips for the aspiring watercolourist, its handy format makes it ideal for quick reference either in the studio or out in the field.Contents include:essential tips on all the basic watercolour techniques, plus helpful advice on sketching and drawingguidelines on painting skies, backgrounds, foregrounds, the main subject, trees, details and shadowsclear and straightforward step-by-step instructions for painting a complete landscape in ...

"Delightful!" — The New York Times Book ReviewDiscover a world of beauty and creativity! Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. It is a place of pleasure and learning, relaxing yet filled with ideas to take home. And now those lessons are available for everyone in this stunning book! You'll learn techniques specific to different conditions and plant palettes; how to use hardscape materials in a fre...