Darby's bookshelf: art-crafts en-US Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:48:17 -0700 60 Darby's bookshelf: art-crafts 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Art at the Speed of Life: motivation + inspiration for making mixed-media art every day]]> 18865005
Each chapter in "Art at the Speed of Life" includes both essays and project ideas from a variety of contributors, including Suzi Blu, Lisa Bebi, Christy Hydeck, Paulette Insall, Cate Calacous Prato. It all begins with prepatory advice on how to manage your supplies and physically make space for you to work. This is followed by more than 15 projects that are inspiring, yet easy to complete on even the tightest of schedules and includes fun techniques such as assemblages, image transfers, and collages that are sure to keep you motivated. Plus, a bonus seven-day project journal helps you track your work as you go. Offering a unique combination of realistic time-management tips, inspiring essays, and easy-to-fit-in projects, "Art at the Speed of Life" will help you realize your dream of making art every day easily and happily.]]> 146 Pam Carriker 1620333775 Darby 4 4.07 2011 Art at the Speed of Life: motivation + inspiration for making mixed-media art every day
author: Pam Carriker
name: Darby
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/08/17
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library, read-again
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery: Mixed-Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals, and More (Quarry Book S)]]> 20331732 A wide range of techniques borrowed from both traditional and digital art has recently begun to blend into one art form, known as altered art. The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery is the only book currently on the market that provides fascinating tips and creative ideas solely focused on this new form of art. An in-depth discussion manipulation techniques is supplied, making this an essential handbook for all artists and crafters looking for creative ways to alter and enhance various types of imagery in new and traditional ways, and then to integrate this altered art into their work.

]]> 315 Karen Michel 161673793X Darby 5 3.37 2005 The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery: Mixed-Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals, and More (Quarry Book S)
author: Karen Michel
name: Darby
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2013/03/11
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, wishlist, inspirational, non-fiction
review:

]]> Metropolitan Stories 43680369 From a writer who worked at the Metropolitan Museum for more than twenty-five years, an enchanting novel that shows us the Met that the public doesn't see.

Hidden behind the Picassos and Vermeers, the Temple of Dendur and the American Wing, exists another world: the hallways and offices, conservation studios, storerooms, and cafeteria that are home to the museum's devoted and peculiar staff of 2,200 people--along with a few ghosts.

A surreal love letter to this private side of the Met, Metropolitan Stories unfolds in a series of amusing and poignant vignettes in which we discover larger-than-life characters, the downside of survival, and the powerful voices of the art itself. The result is a novel bursting with magic, humor, and energetic detail, but also a beautiful book about introspection, an ode to lives lived for art, ultimately building a powerful collage of human experience and the world of the imagination.]]> 249 Christine Coulson 1590510585 Darby 4 3.67 2019 Metropolitan Stories
author: Christine Coulson
name: Darby
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/11
date added: 2024/03/11
shelves: 2024, audiobook, chirpbooks, contemporary, drama-romance, own, art-crafts, scifi-fantasy, short-stories
review:

]]> Poemcrazy 3038741 Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge Darby 5 4.29 1996 Poemcrazy
author: Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge
name: Darby
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2013/01/24
date added: 2023/10/24
shelves: 2013, poetry, inspirational, non-fiction, art-crafts, favorites, own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words]]> 222035 210 Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge 0609800981 Darby 5 4.15 1996 Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words
author: Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge
name: Darby
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2013/01/24
date added: 2023/10/24
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, inspirational, poetry, non-fiction, favorites, 2014, own
review:

]]> Ways of Seeing 2784 John Berger’s Classic Text on Art

Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the (London) Sunday Times a critic commented: "This is an eye-opener in more ways than one: by concentrating on how we look at paintings . . . he will almost certainly change the way you look at pictures." By now he has.

"Berger has the ability to cut right through the mystification of the professional art critics . . . He is a liberator of images: and once we have allowed the paintings to work on us directly, we are in a much better position to make a meaningful evaluation" —Peter Fuller, Arts Review

"The influence of the series and the book . . . was enormous . . . It opened up for general attention to areas of cultural study that are now commonplace" —Geoff Dyer in Ways of Telling.]]> 176 John Berger 0140135154 Darby 4 3.93 1972 Ways of Seeing
author: John Berger
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1972
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/11
date added: 2022/10/11
shelves: 2022, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction, own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Art Journal Your Archetypes: Mixed Media Techniques for Finding Yourself]]> 28627375
And where else to practice expressing your newly discovered self than in an art journal--a place where you are free to create with no rules, no wrongs. Art journaling is a colorful, non-critical way to explore your archetypes.

In this unique book, you will learn processes for discovering your core archetypes and using that knowledge to create highly personal visual expressions, all the while embracing the personal revelations and creative breakthroughs that result.

A fun 33-question quiz will help you discover and embrace your guiding archetypes.
Find out how 11 professional artists draw on their archetypes as inspiration for their art journal pages.
Follow along with 26 step-by-step demonstrations to learn how to use altered magazine images, layered stencils, Gelli Plate printing and other awesome mixed-media art techniques to enhance your art journal pages.
No matter what your experience level, you will learn how to use your guiding archetypes as inspiration. Whatever your motivation for opening this book, you will discover a fun, creative path to gaining confidence, happiness and clarity in every aspect of your life.]]> 128 Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli 1440342717 Darby 4 3.84 2016 Art Journal Your Archetypes: Mixed Media Techniques for Finding Yourself
author: Gabrielle Javier-Cerulli
name: Darby
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/29
date added: 2022/09/29
shelves: 2022, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction, own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor]]> 20613619
She showed me ways of using these simple things � our hands, a pen, and some paper � as both a navigation and expedition device, one that could reliably carry me into my past, deeper into my present, or farther into a place I have come to call "the image world" � a place we all know, even if we don't notice this knowing until someone reminds us of its ever-present existence.

I wasn't quite 20 years old when I started my first notebook. I had no idea that nearly 40 years later, I would not only still be using it as the most reliable route to the thing I've come to call my work, but I'd also be showing others how to use it too, as a place to practice a physical activity � in this case writing and drawing by hand � with a certain state of mind.

This practice can result in what I've come to consider a wonderful side effect: a visual or written image we can call 'a work of art,' although a work of art is not what I'm after when I'm practicing this activity.

What am I after? I'm after what Marilyn Frasca called "being present and seeing what's there."

This book is a collection of bits and pieces from the many notebooks I kept during my first three years of trying to figure out how to teach this practice to my students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison."]]> 200 Lynda Barry 1770461612 Darby 5 4.39 2014 Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor
author: Lynda Barry
name: Darby
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2022/09/29
date added: 2022/09/29
shelves: 2022, art-crafts, contemporary, humor, inspirational, memoir-truestories, own, picture-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Writing Memior: Finding the Past in the Present]]> 11871229 TOPICS INCLUDE HOW
Crack Open Structure
Listen Effectively
Use Specific Detail
Quiet Your Monkey Mind
Find a New Angle
Fail Successfully
Make Connections with Your Mind]]> 0 Natalie Goldberg 1880717859 Darby 4 4.09 The Art of Writing Memior: Finding the Past in the Present
author: Natalie Goldberg
name: Darby
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/07
date added: 2022/09/29
shelves: 2021, art-crafts, non-fiction, kindle, library, memoir-truestories
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear]]> 24453082 Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.]]> 276 Elizabeth Gilbert 1594634718 Darby 5 3.95 2015 Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
author: Elizabeth Gilbert
name: Darby
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/30
date added: 2022/09/29
shelves: 2022, art-crafts, favorite-authors, favorites, non-fiction, inspirational, kindle, library, memoir-truestories, read-again, self-help
review:

]]> <![CDATA[This I Know: Notes On Unraveling The Heart]]> 12892387 This I Know chronicles Susannah’s journey through bereavement and healing, taking the reader on a ride into the possibilities of unravelling � and healing � her own life too. It’s a guidebook of sorts, a collection of thoughts and theories, with creative exercises for you to try, and dreamy light-filled Polaroids dotted throughout the text. It’s a cosy blanket for your heart.]]> 234 Susannah Conway 0762770082 Darby 5 4.21 2012 This I Know: Notes On Unraveling The Heart
author: Susannah Conway
name: Darby
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2014/05/06
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: inspirational, spirituality, non-fiction, 2014, art-crafts, home-life, self-help, read-again, wishlist, library, memoir-truestories, favorite-authors
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera]]> 92199 128 Nick Bantock 081184305X Darby 4 3.99 2004 Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera
author: Nick Bantock
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: art-crafts, inspirational, 2007, own, favorite-authors
review:

]]> The Forgetting Room 92220
So begins Nick Bantock's latest novel, in which readers are invited to delve into the journal of Armon Hurt, a sad, discontented man who discovers his inner fire. When his artist grandfather dies, leaving him the family home in Spain, Armon travels to Andalusia with the intention of selling the property. Once there, however, he finds a sealed cardboard case containing a small oil painting and a surreal booklet.

As he examines these mysterious artifacts, Armon realizes that he is holding both his grandfather's last communication to him and a puzzle. He begins to decipher the conundrum, and as each new answer leads to more questions, Armon finds himself painting furiously in his grandfather's old studio strangely compelled to create a picture that is somehow linked to his legacy.

Featuring paintings, drawings, collages and paper foldouts, this in no ordinary novel. Captivatingly imagined and genuinely memorable in its deeply personal account of a man in search of himself, "The Forgetting Room" is a handmade treasure, a seamless blend of artistry and language and a tantalizing read.]]> 112 Nick Bantock 0060931264 Darby 5
But I don't think what I got from it...is what most people reading the book would get out of it. The story is a good story and if you liked the Griffin and Sabine Series then you'll most likely enjoy The Forgetting Room too.

Currently reading again - 1/22/09]]> 3.98 1997 The Forgetting Room
author: Nick Bantock
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2009/01/27
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: favorites, art-crafts, own, 2009, favorite-authors
review:
The images and imagery provided by the words are beautiful. I put this book on my list of favorites because of what it did for my art. It opened me up in my art more then I can ever explain.

But I don't think what I got from it...is what most people reading the book would get out of it. The story is a good story and if you liked the Griffin and Sabine Series then you'll most likely enjoy The Forgetting Room too.

Currently reading again - 1/22/09
]]> <![CDATA[The Venetian's Wife: A Strangely Sensual Tale of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis]]> 343806 132 Nick Bantock 0811811409 Darby 4 ]]> 3.90 1996 The Venetian's Wife: A Strangely Sensual Tale of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis
author: Nick Bantock
name: Darby
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2008/08/18
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: 2008, art-crafts, scifi-fantasy, inspirational, historical-fiction, favorite-authors
review:
The art and the words of this book are beautiful, sensual and captivating. I found myself drawn in - wondering where it would go and what image I would see when I turned the page. As always with Bantock - his collages just amaze and inspire me. It didn't get 5 stars because I didn't like how it ended. It wasn't a neat package that answered questions. Instead it left me with more questions then answers.

]]> <![CDATA[The Golden Mean (Griffin & Sabine #3)]]> 402022 I received your Paris card. I waited but you did not return the 23rd. I waited until the 31st, but you did not return. What happened? Where are you?
Ա

Sabine's Notebook ended with a disturbing disclosure—Gڴھ and Sabine had somehow eluded each other once again. The Golden Mean beings with an even more disturbing development:

I was sure I understood. Yet you were not here when I returned and there was no sign that you ever had been here... Today comes your card saying you were in this house for three days after my return. I am bewildered...
—Gڴھ

It seems that each cannot exist in the presence of the other. Yet neither can continue without the presence of the other. And so, in this final volume of the Griffin & Sabine trilogy, they struggle against the mysterious forces that keep them apart. Time is running out: Sabine's crystalline visions of Griffin's artwork grow cloudy and dim, and a threatening stranger begins to appear everywhere she goes. The Golden Mean is the tale of Griffin and Sabine's journey towards one another, sometimes dreamy, sometimes desperate, sometimes nightmarish. The golden mean—the harmony of perfect balance—is what they seek in the haunting conclusion of this extraordinary correspondence.

Told in the compelling style of the first two best-selling volumes of the trilogy, The Golden Mean allows readers to open richly decorated envelopes and draw forth intricately illustrated letters, to decipher the quirky handwritten postcards with their macabre and magical artwork, to indulge, in other words, in the wonderfully illicit activity of reading someone else's mail.]]> 46 Nick Bantock 0811802981 Darby 5 4.17 1993 The Golden Mean (Griffin & Sabine #3)
author: Nick Bantock
name: Darby
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 1995/08/01
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: art-crafts, 2007, own, favorite-authors
review:
Again amazing artwork...beautiful and engaging!
]]> <![CDATA[Sabine's Notebook (Griffin & Sabine #2)]]> 85730 Griffin

Foolish man. You cannot turn me into a phantom because you are frightened. You do not dismiss a muse at a whim. If you will not join me—then I will come to you.

Sabine

Sabine was supposed to be imaginary, a friend and lover that Griffin had created to soothe his loneliness. But she threatens to become embodied—to appear on his doorstep, in fact. So he runs.

Faced with the terrifying prospect of meeting his own fictional character, Griffin runs. His journey begins conventionally—tracing a course through Europe and the Mediterranean—but slowly Griffin begins to realize that he is traveling backward in time, drifting through layers of dead civilizations and his own soul. His precarious link to reality is the possibly unreal Sabine, who is living in his house in London and keeping a notebook of his letters and her responses.

Once again, the story is told in strangely beautiful postcards and richly decorated letters that must actually be removed from their envelopes to be read. But Sabine's Notebook is also a sketchbook and a diary, filled with her delicately macabre drawings and notations, adding yet another layer to the visual intrigue that haunted readers of Griffin & Sabine and welcoming new readers to an even more complex and mysterious world.]]> 48 Nick Bantock 0811801802 Darby 5
I love that it is so interactive -- like we the readers are eavesdropping on the exchange between London card-designer Griffin Moss and South Pacific islander Sabine Strohem. As a collage artist the images and imagination behind it I can appreciate and enjoy!]]> 4.20 1992 Sabine's Notebook (Griffin & Sabine #2)
author: Nick Bantock
name: Darby
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 1995/08/01
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: art-crafts, 2007, own, favorite-authors
review:
The second book in the series and it is just as magical and artful as the first one. It again invites readers to examine postcards, open envelopes and read letters.

I love that it is so interactive -- like we the readers are eavesdropping on the exchange between London card-designer Griffin Moss and South Pacific islander Sabine Strohem. As a collage artist the images and imagination behind it I can appreciate and enjoy!
]]> <![CDATA[Griffin & Sabine (Griffin & Sabine #1)]]> 381102
But Griffin had never met a woman named Sabine. How did she know him? How did she know his artwork? Who is she? Thus begins the strange and intriguing correspondence of Griffin and Sabine. And since each letter must be pulled from its own envelope, the reader has the delightful, forbidden sensation of reading someone else's mail. Griffin & Sabine is like no other illustrated novel: appealing to the poet and artist in everyone and sure to inspire a renaissance in the fine art of letter-writing, it tells an extraordinary story in an extraordinary way.]]> 46 Nick Bantock 1551924013 Darby 5 4.02 1991 Griffin & Sabine (Griffin & Sabine #1)
author: Nick Bantock
name: Darby
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at: 1995/08/01
date added: 2022/01/11
shelves: art-crafts, 2007, own, favorite-authors
review:
The first in the series and it is a magical artful book that invites readers to examine postcards, open envelopes and read letters. I love that it is so interactive -- like we the readers are eavesdropping on the exchange between London card-designer Griffin Moss and South Pacific islander Sabine Strohem. As a collage artist the images and imagination behind it I can appreciate and enjoy!
]]> <![CDATA[Brave on the Rocks: If You Don't Go, You Don't See]]> 81050 --from the Foreword by Hilary Swank, actor

From the acclaimed twenty-five-year-old author/artist of the stunning visual memoir Spilling Open comes the all-new multimedia installment of her intimate journey Brave on the If You Don't Go, You Don't See.

Picking up where Spilling Open left off, Sabrina Ward Harrison tells us about the surprising reaction to her first book. Via her readers' letters and e-mails, she realized that through her journal she had become an identifying voice for women around the world. However, along with recognition came a certain pressure to uphold her new image. Overwhelmed by her attempt to live up to what she thought she had to become, Sabrina decided to head out on her own. She chose as her destination Italy, a place she had always dreamed and written about, a place she felt she could go to "recolor" herself. In her journey she discovered a universal identity with other travelers and a particular kinship with the women she met. But back home she struggled to keep her newfound confidence intact as she navigated her life.

Harrison writes and illustrates with a powerful and creative voice. Her thoughts are real and brave. She explores with sensitivity questions of love, faith, growing pains, being true to oneself, and what it means to be unique. With unfaltering honesty, she allows us to witness and share in her reconnection with herself, her growing and reaching, and, ultimately, her voyage home again.]]> 160 Sabrina Ward Harrison 0375756639 Darby 5 4.16 2001 Brave on the Rocks: If You Don't Go, You Don't See
author: Sabrina Ward Harrison
name: Darby
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2008/08/23
date added: 2022/01/10
shelves: 2008, art-crafts, picture-books, memoir-truestories, wishlist, inspirational, self-help, favorites, favorite-authors
review:
I haven't read the first book and so maybe I am biased because of it. I have seen lot of bad reviews of this one. But I enjoyed it. It came along at time I was needing it. Her art inspired me. Her thoughts were thoughts I have had as an artist. It was what I needed it to be and that is all.
]]> <![CDATA[Messy Thrilling Life: The Art of Figuring Out How to Live]]> 81049 –from the Foreword by Laurie Wagner

Sabrina Ward Harrison, creator of the stunning visual memoirs Spilling Open and Brave on the Rocks , now shares her vibrant new work, which continues her personal journey of growth and discovery. Through striking multimedia collages and prose that is raw and touching and refreshingly authentic, Sabrina explores aspirations, dreams, and commitment–and brings herself to the threshold of true independence.

In the summer of 2001, Sabrina moved from California to New York City, the place where, she felt, any serious artist must eventually wind up. The city struck her as exhilarating and daunting, a brilliant assault on the senses, a concrete landscape of hope and failure. Three months later the horror of September 11 unfolded a few blocks away. Like the rest of the world, Sabrina began to look outside herself with a new clarity and urgency. And on the horizon appeared a man who looked like The One–friend, lover, life partner. With this relationship came larger, more complicated and unanswerable Am I ready for marriage? Where does a career fit in? Does love mean losing my self? Does permanent mean forever? What will I never know about where I’m going if I don’t go?

Harrison reflects on her journey from starry-eyed innocent to responsible adult and expresses it with dazzling visuals and candid insights in Messy Thrilling Life . It is a singular book sure to resonate with readers who have laughed, wept, and grown along with her.]]> 160 Sabrina Ward Harrison 0812967666 Darby 5 4.21 2004 Messy Thrilling Life: The Art of Figuring Out How to Live
author: Sabrina Ward Harrison
name: Darby
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2014/04/12
date added: 2022/01/10
shelves: inspirational, favorites, 2014, art-crafts, wishlist, favorite-authors
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself]]> 81048 Spilling The Art of Becoming Yourself is the creative expression of one young woman's attempt to understand herself as she grows into adulthood. Sabrina Ward Harrison shares her private journal and art, offering us lessons in life and empowerment that resonate with fresh, youthful wisdom.
Written when Harrison was between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, Spilling Open captures the artist's journey of self-discovery with a powerful and courageous voice. This book is an intimate and moving picture of what it means to enter a contemporary adult world that is filled with contradictions about womanhood. Harrison reveals with tender honesty that, in spite of the women's movement, she has found more questions than answers about growing up female.
Harrison's writing and multimedia art explore questions about love, faith, growing pains, being true, peer groups, and identity. A truly unique experience, Spilling Open will help open your heart and your mind.]]> 176 Sabrina Ward Harrison 0375756485 Darby 5 4.04 2000 Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself
author: Sabrina Ward Harrison
name: Darby
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2013/05/03
date added: 2022/01/10
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, wishlist, memoir-truestories, library, favorite-authors, favorites
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Better Homes and Gardens: Christmas Comfort & Joy (501 CRAFTS, DECORATING, AND FOOD IDEAS TO MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY UNFORGETTABLE)]]> 7104550
Doable projects offer novice and expert crafters detailed instructions and patterns for guaranteed success.

Ideas for making one-of-a-kind projects to give away, decorate the house, and entertain guests.]]> 0 Carol Field Dahlstrom 0696224275 Darby 4 4.00 2002 Better Homes and Gardens: Christmas Comfort & Joy (501 CRAFTS, DECORATING, AND FOOD IDEAS TO MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY UNFORGETTABLE)
author: Carol Field Dahlstrom
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2009/11/08
date added: 2020/05/11
shelves: 2009, art-crafts, holiday, home-life, inspirational, non-fiction, food
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Carve Stamp Play: Designing and Creating Custom Stamps]]> 17326820
After carving your own unique stamps, you'll also learn:
* How to combine and layer stamps into original designs.
* How to design stamps that work together as well as individually.
* How to create stamps that combine with or enhance other stamps (hand carved or commercial).
* And, how to create complex, layered effects that resemble screen-printing.

This book also includes simple projects that explore various applications for stamping, including printing on different surfaces, such as fabric, leather, paper, and canvas. Find your "authentic" design voice and get carving today!]]> 144 Julie Fei-Fan Balzer 1596688866 Darby 5 4.39 2013 Carve Stamp Play: Designing and Creating Custom Stamps
author: Julie Fei-Fan Balzer
name: Darby
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2015/01/06
date added: 2016/02/25
shelves: 2014, art-crafts, non-fiction, wishlist, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[SnApp Shots: How to Take Great Pictures with Smartphones and Apps]]> 13529036 224 Adam Bronkhorst 1452107122 Darby 3 2.83 2012 SnApp Shots: How to Take Great Pictures with Smartphones and Apps
author: Adam Bronkhorst
name: Darby
average rating: 2.83
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2015/03/28
date added: 2015/03/28
shelves: 2015, art-crafts, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects]]> 9960622
Go ahead, look inside. You will see that you do not need a fancy studio to print a T-shirt or a picnic blanket. There is no specialized machine required to print anything you want in any room you want. A mural, a dartboard, a deck of cards, these are all possible.

In a week or a month, you will wake up to find you know words like acetate and substrate . You will be comfortable talking about ink and shopping at military supply stores. Perhaps most important of all, you will be printing images of things onto other things.]]> 176 Christine Schmidt 0307586545 Darby 3 4.07 2010 Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects
author: Christine Schmidt
name: Darby
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2015/03/28
date added: 2015/03/28
shelves: art-crafts, inspirational, 2015
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum]]> 2525285 120 Lotta Jansdotter 081186037X Darby 4 3.97 2008 Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum
author: Lotta Jansdotter
name: Darby
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2009/08/26
date added: 2015/03/28
shelves: 2009, art-crafts, home-life, non-fiction, inspirational, 2015
review:
I keep going back and forth between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. The style of the prints, the photos, the set up of the book - inspiring. Just lovely. The actual instructions to techniques used - lacking. Most of it is basic printing information that is found online or in other books - with better instructions. So it didn't give me any new ideas as far as techniques but as far as inspiration - yes it did! Really easy designs that would leave anything you print on looking lovely. One such inspiration I can't wait to try is the wall hangings. They were ceiling to floor simple cloth wall hangings with a simple print on them. Very pretty - giving a room a splash of color with a minimalistic approach. I don't know if it is a book I need to own but I do think it would provide me inspiration print design if I had it on my shelf but probably wouldn't inspire me one which technique to use. Another plus to this book - many of the print designs could go for either male or female. They are very unisex friendly. Often prints books I have seen are very hearts, flowers and sunshine type designs but this book often has geometric designs put together in a very pleasing way that would work for any gender.
]]> <![CDATA[The Art of iPhone Photography: Creating Great Photos and Art on Your iPhone]]> 17346879
Key features of the book

Always on, always at hand, and inconspicuously deployed, today's smartphones empower us to record the world in ever newer and more personal ways. By leveraging the photo-editing applications found on the iPhone, professional and amateur photographers alike are able to create not only editorial imagery, but also creative art.

"Nicki Fitz-Gerald and Bob Weil, at iPhoneographyCentral.com, have built a community dedicated to the burgeoning collaboration between art and technology that is iPhoneography. Their site, and now this book, offer extensive, in-depth tutorials both for budding iPhoneographers looking to advance their craft, and professionals attempting to harness a new toolkit in service of their vision.

What they bring to the table is their belief that 'revealing the man behind the curtain' does not diminish the teacher. Technique does not the artist make, but it does enable the newcomer to find his or her own voice. With thousands of apps available and more flooding the market daily, every new iPhoneographer wonders, What apps should I use? The answer to that question is so complex, with so many variables, that an illustrated tutorial such as this becomes an invaluable tool. There is really nothing like it.

It does not offer the advice of a single artist or showcase images from a small artistic segment. Indeed, it offers up stories, knowledge, tips, and secrets from many of the key players in the formation of this movement, showcasing more than 40 artists and tutorials and 80 pages of iPhonic art."

- Daria Polichetti, Co-Founder of Los Angeles Mobile Arts Festival]]> 352 Bob Weil 1937538184 Darby 4 4.26 2013 The Art of iPhone Photography: Creating Great Photos and Art on Your iPhone
author: Bob Weil
name: Darby
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/28
date added: 2015/03/28
shelves: 2015, non-fiction, inspirational, art-crafts
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Creative Stamping with Mixed Media Techniques]]> 487186 128 Sherrill Kahn 1581803478 Darby 4 4.17 2003 Creative Stamping with Mixed Media Techniques
author: Sherrill Kahn
name: Darby
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2015/03/28
date added: 2015/03/28
shelves: 2015, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Art Journal Kickstarter: Pages and Prompts to Energize Your Art Journals]]> 21992718
With back-to-back journal pages from more than 100 art journaling enthusiasts, you'll embark on an exploration filled with top-notch techniques and the kind of journal fodder that your artistic soul has been craving! So soak it up and discover the stories behind each artist's personal pages.

Look inside for creativity at every turn!

•�140+ original art journal pages
•Dozens of journaling prompts
•Time-tested advice
•Unbelievable inspiration
•Mixed-media secrets
•Funky materials
•Astounding layering techniques
Let your art journaling transformation begin today as you uncover the simple strategies that will take you to the next level in your artistic journey!

So go ahead. Start journaling your way!]]> 144 Kristy Conlin 1440337012 Darby 5 3.82 2015 Art Journal Kickstarter: Pages and Prompts to Energize Your Art Journals
author: Kristy Conlin
name: Darby
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/02/10
shelves: art-crafts, own, inspirational, 2015
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mixed-Media Self-Portraits: Inspiration and Techniques]]> 3347715 128 Cate Coulacos Prato 1596680822 Darby 4 2014, art-crafts 3.73 2008 Mixed-Media Self-Portraits: Inspiration and Techniques
author: Cate Coulacos Prato
name: Darby
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2015/02/05
date added: 2015/02/05
shelves: 2014, art-crafts
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Contemporary Craft of Paper Mache: Techniques, Projects, Inspirations]]> 191748 208 Helga Muller 1887374116 Darby 0 2015, art-crafts 3.56 1996 The Contemporary Craft of Paper Mache: Techniques, Projects, Inspirations
author: Helga Muller
name: Darby
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/01/25
shelves: 2015, art-crafts
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Making an Impression: Designing & Creating Artful Stamps]]> 13586276 136 Geninne D. Zlatkis 1454701250 Darby 4 4.11 2012 Making an Impression: Designing & Creating Artful Stamps
author: Geninne D. Zlatkis
name: Darby
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/09/12
date added: 2015/01/02
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library, read-again, 2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Art Journal Freedom: How to Journal Creatively With Color & Composition]]> 14523577
It's true, art journaling has no \rules\" and is a safe place for free expression of your one-of-a-kind life. But knowledge is power and knowing the \"rules\" of color and composition gives you the freedom to use and break them willfully to create the effects you want. Dina shares these principles in a fun and approachable way with dozens upon dozens of unique journal pages to show you just some of the many possibilities.

Inside You Will Find: Lessons and tips about composition and color including dominance and repetition, symmetry, contrast and the power of black and white.10 step-by-step technique demonstrations.Dozens of color and design tips and page challenges."]]> 128 Dina Wakley 1599636158 Darby 5 4.11 2013 Art Journal Freedom: How to Journal Creatively With Color & Composition
author: Dina Wakley
name: Darby
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2013/09/11
date added: 2014/12/29
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, favorites, non-fiction, inspirational, library, wishlist, 2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mixed Media Workshop: A multifaceted approach to creating unique works of art-step by step]]> 12266799 144 Isaac Anderson 1600582389 Darby 2 art-crafts, 2014 3.66 2012 Mixed Media Workshop: A multifaceted approach to creating unique works of art-step by step
author: Isaac Anderson
name: Darby
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2014/12/29
shelves: art-crafts, 2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Simple Printmaking: A Beginner's Guide to Making Relief Prints with Rubber Stamps, Linoleum Blocks, Wood Blocks, Found objects]]> 374602 128 Gwen Diehn 1579901581 Darby 3 2014, art-crafts, non-fiction 3.87 2000 Simple Printmaking: A Beginner's Guide to Making Relief Prints with Rubber Stamps, Linoleum Blocks, Wood Blocks, Found objects
author: Gwen Diehn
name: Darby
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 2014/12/23
date added: 2014/12/23
shelves: 2014, art-crafts, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paper and Ink Workshop: Printmaking techniques using a variety of methods and materials]]> 17318759 192 1592538606 Darby 4 art-crafts, 2014 3.71 2013 Paper and Ink Workshop: Printmaking techniques using a variety of methods and materials
author: John Foster
name: Darby
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/12/20
date added: 2014/12/20
shelves: art-crafts, 2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Photo Craft: Creative Mixed Media and Digital Approaches to Transforming Your Photographs]]> 14618508 Photo Craft will help you elevate the average into the extraordinary! Using Adobe Photoshop Elements and following thorough, easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, you'll learn to make basic adjustments to your photographs that will yield stunning and artistic results. You'll also learn to use those photographs -- along with some everyday mixed-media supplies -- to create unique and personal art.
Inside You'll
So get to it! Take new pictures today (and every day!), look through those boxes of old and long-forgotten photos, and free those lonely images from your hard drive. Make them better, make them new and make them art. Soon you'll be seeing things in a whole new way!]]> 144 Susan Tuttle 1440318700 Darby 4
This book gives good basic first time knowledge as well as those of us who have been transforming our photos already. It has in-depth step by step instructions. It gives good break out sections that give other options or tips to help in the process. It includes digital projects using Photoshop Elements as well as mixed media art projects that incorporate your photography.

I like how this book is set up as it is by 2 authors Susan Tuttle and Christy Hydeck. They alternate, but also add in their own tips to each other's projects. It is great to have both views coming together to create amazing ways to transform your photography.

You will learn to transform your photos by using this book.]]> 3.84 2012 Photo Craft: Creative Mixed Media and Digital Approaches to Transforming Your Photographs
author: Susan Tuttle
name: Darby
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/06/24
date added: 2014/12/07
shelves: 2013, non-fiction, art-crafts, inspirational, own, 2014
review:
I really love this book. If you are new to digital photography and want to transform your photos into some more artistic - then this book is great place to jump into exploring all the variations you can do to create interesting artistic photographs.

This book gives good basic first time knowledge as well as those of us who have been transforming our photos already. It has in-depth step by step instructions. It gives good break out sections that give other options or tips to help in the process. It includes digital projects using Photoshop Elements as well as mixed media art projects that incorporate your photography.

I like how this book is set up as it is by 2 authors Susan Tuttle and Christy Hydeck. They alternate, but also add in their own tips to each other's projects. It is great to have both views coming together to create amazing ways to transform your photography.

You will learn to transform your photos by using this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Playing with Stencils: Exploring Repetition, Pattern, and Personal Designs]]> 15850815 144 Amy Rice 1592538290 Darby 4 3.42 2013 Playing with Stencils: Exploring Repetition, Pattern, and Personal Designs
author: Amy Rice
name: Darby
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/06/09
date added: 2014/06/09
shelves: inspirational, art-crafts, 2014, non-fiction, read-again, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stones, Bones and Stitches: Storytelling through Inuit Art (Lord Museum)]]> 1775135 -Cape Dorset boasts the largest number of artists per capita in Canada (22.7 percent � almost one-quarter of the labor force and thirty times the national average!)
-The word Eskimo is a derogatory term meaning “eaters
of raw flesh�
-Some Inuit artists quarry stone for their sculptures in the winter, but have to wait until the summer to bring it back to their workshops
-An igloo uses the same design principles found in the great cathedrals of Europe
-According to legends, the stone figures, called Inukshuks, protect travelers and point them to the safest pathway
-The Inuit have been carving for over 4,000 years

Stones, Bones and Stitches is a fascinating and beautiful introduction to the art of the North. Focusing on several important works from the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, curators Shelley Falconer and Shawna White take you on an impressive journey through the artistic landscape. The evolving character of the North is explored through the lens of some of Canada’s most significant Inuit artists, past and present.

Included are eight different works from sculpture to prints, each highlighted with introductions to the artists, the materials they used, geography, legends, and stories. Photographs together with intriguing facts give the reader insight into the artists� lives, communities, and working conditions along with brief histories of the region.]]> 48 Shelley Falconer 0887768547 Darby 4 4.23 2007 Stones, Bones and Stitches: Storytelling through Inuit Art (Lord Museum)
author: Shelley Falconer
name: Darby
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/05/13
shelves: art-crafts, library, childrens, 2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alter This!: Radical Ideas for Transforming Books Into Art]]> 1114125 Alter This! shows children how to turn telephone, picture, and even those boring grammar books into something exciting. Budding artists will decorate pages with collage, paint, stamps, pockets, and pop ups, and transform entire tomes into shadow boxes, picture frames, purses, or tools for passing notes in the hallway. Kids will want to own this book…and make it their own, too!]]> 96 Alena Hennessy 1579909485 Darby 3 3.36 2007 Alter This!: Radical Ideas for Transforming Books Into Art
author: Alena Hennessy
name: Darby
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2014/04/01
date added: 2014/05/13
shelves: 2014, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library
review:
I think this book would be really fun to use when introducing kids to altered books, but also adults new to altered books. It has some fun projects.
]]> <![CDATA[Alternative Art Journals: Explore Innovative Approaches to Collecting Your Creativity]]> 14618459 128 Margaret Peot 1440310645 Darby 3 3.77 2012 Alternative Art Journals: Explore Innovative Approaches to Collecting Your Creativity
author: Margaret Peot
name: Darby
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2014/05/13
date added: 2014/05/13
shelves: 2014, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational
review:
This book is as the title says Alternative Art Journals - so no necessarily using books, but other surfaces such as making a card set (like tarots/playing cards), nested boxes, accordion books, a scroll and many others. Some have how-to's on creating some of those books. It is a good inspiration.
]]> <![CDATA[Homemade, best made (Reader's Digest General Books)]]> 326699 352 Reader's Digest Association 0762100761 Darby 4 4.07 Homemade, best made (Reader's Digest General Books)
author: Reader's Digest Association
name: Darby
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2010/03/13
date added: 2014/05/07
shelves: 2010, art-crafts, food, non-fiction, home-life
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility]]> 8982736 108 Daniella Woolf 0984517901 Darby 4 4.00 2010 Encaustic With a Textile Sensibility
author: Daniella Woolf
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/05/07
shelves: 2014, art-crafts, inspirational, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Collage: Unusual Designs from Everyday Materials (Golden Hands)]]> 4281084 104 Elizabeth Ashurst 0856851604 Darby 3 2014, art-crafts, library 3.00 1976 Collage: Unusual Designs from Everyday Materials (Golden Hands)
author: Elizabeth Ashurst
name: Darby
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/05/07
shelves: 2014, art-crafts, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Weekend Crafter: Rubber Stamp Carving: Techniques, Designs & Projects]]> 897698 80 Luann Udell 1579903002 Darby 4 3.93 2002 The Weekend Crafter: Rubber Stamp Carving: Techniques, Designs & Projects
author: Luann Udell
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/05/07
shelves: art-crafts, inspirational, 2014, non-fiction, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Art Made from Books: Altered, Sculpted, Carved, Transformed]]> 17557492 176 Laura Heyenga 1452117101 Darby 4 4.20 2013 Art Made from Books: Altered, Sculpted, Carved, Transformed
author: Laura Heyenga
name: Darby
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/05/07
shelves: inspirational, library, art-crafts, 2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[WARM: A Feminist Art Collective in Minnesota]]> 5290296 224 Joanna Inglot 0816650381 Darby 3 art-crafts, 2014 4.00 2007 WARM: A Feminist Art Collective in Minnesota
author: Joanna Inglot
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2014/04/21
date added: 2014/04/21
shelves: art-crafts, 2014
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media]]> 6318088 144 L.K. Ludwig 1592535208 Darby 4

It is a how-to on setting a round robin or other type of collaborative mixed media art project, but I wouldn't call it an in depth how too. It gives good overview and suggestions. This book includes quotes on several topics including blogging, artist interviews about collaborating, and a few projects with basic instructions such as one on creating a book from paper bags. But what I love about this book best is that it has good inspiration by including amazing photo examples.]]> 3.97 2009 Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media
author: L.K. Ludwig
name: Darby
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2014/04/20
date added: 2014/04/20
shelves: art-crafts, 2014, inspirational, library
review:
Collaborative art journals - really good inspiration for those that are involved in or looking to collaborate with someone or group.


It is a how-to on setting a round robin or other type of collaborative mixed media art project, but I wouldn't call it an in depth how too. It gives good overview and suggestions. This book includes quotes on several topics including blogging, artist interviews about collaborating, and a few projects with basic instructions such as one on creating a book from paper bags. But what I love about this book best is that it has good inspiration by including amazing photo examples.
]]> <![CDATA[The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration]]> 4210378
Thanks to the guidance of an experienced calligraphy teacher, anyone can add a touch of elegance to invitations, handwritten poems, and a variety of surfaces. Annie Cicale provides a complete, easy-to-follow course in the art of beautiful writing and an attractive resource filled with breathtaking images. She’ll guide your pen as you master broad pen alphabets, including classic uncial, Roman and italic caps, as well as playful invented styles with added variations. Copy a historical letter technique, and understand the basics of layout, design, texture, and color. Seventeen projects include a traditional certificate with decorative contrasts and flourishes; journals and scrapbooks; and even a colorful silk-screened pillow.]]> 192 Annie Cicale 1579904033 Darby 3 art-crafts, 2013, library 3.83 2004 The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration
author: Annie Cicale
name: Darby
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2014/01/10
date added: 2014/01/10
shelves: art-crafts, 2013, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Art Lab for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages (Volume 1) (Lab for Kids, 1)]]> 12480369
Each lesson features and relates to the work and style of a contemporary artist and their unique style. The labs can be used as singular projects or to build up to a year of hands-on fine art experiences . Grouped by medium, the labs are set up loosely to build skills upon the previous ones; however, you can begin anywhere.

Have fun

Color photos illustrate how different people using the same lesson will yield different results, exemplifying the way the lesson brings out each artist’s personal style . Art Lab for Kids is the perfect book for creative families, friends, and community groups and works as lesson plans for both experienced and new art teachers.

The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics , including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus—all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list , clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples . The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.]]> 144 Susan Schwake 1592537650 Darby 4 4.09 2012 Art Lab for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages (Volume 1) (Lab for Kids, 1)
author: Susan Schwake
name: Darby
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2014/01/10
date added: 2014/01/10
shelves: art-crafts, 2013, childrens, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alphabetica: An A-Z Creativity Guide for Collage and Book Artists]]> 756360 144 Lynne Perrella 1592531768 Darby 3 Alphebetica because each of artists that participated had a letter and then used something into their project that showed that letter that could help inspire us -- such a P for Pattern and then shows a project using pattern. One project is S for stitching and it a fabric art book. It has some truly beautiful projects in it. And it is a good source of inspiration. ]]> 4.03 2006 Alphabetica: An A-Z Creativity Guide for Collage and Book Artists
author: Lynne Perrella
name: Darby
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2008/06/01
date added: 2014/01/05
shelves: 2008, art-crafts, inspirational, own, 2009, 2013
review:
This book is purely a book to inspire. It is there to give you ideas but not teach you techniques. The book is called Alphebetica because each of artists that participated had a letter and then used something into their project that showed that letter that could help inspire us -- such a P for Pattern and then shows a project using pattern. One project is S for stitching and it a fabric art book. It has some truly beautiful projects in it. And it is a good source of inspiration.
]]> <![CDATA[Craft-a-Doodle: 75 Creative Exercises from 18 Artists]]> 17166372 144 Jenny Doh 1454704225 Darby 5 4.00 2013 Craft-a-Doodle: 75 Creative Exercises from 18 Artists
author: Jenny Doh
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2013/11/05
date added: 2013/11/05
shelves: art-crafts, non-fiction, 2013, inspirational, wishlist, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Creative Illustration Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists: Seeing, Sketching, Storytelling, and Using Found Materials]]> 8498582 144 Katherine Dunn 1592536360 Darby 4 3.92 2010 Creative Illustration Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists: Seeing, Sketching, Storytelling, and Using Found Materials
author: Katherine Dunn
name: Darby
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2013/09/15
date added: 2013/09/23
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library, read-again
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop: Mixed Media Techniques for Embracing Imperfection and Celebrating Happy Accidents]]> 15871950
With Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop, you'll learn to use your appreciation for the simple things in life—the ordinary, the aged, the humble—as your inspiration for making expressive, intuitive art. You will come to embrace imperfection and recognize that, yes, in fact, there is such a thing as a happy accident!

The wabi-sabi philosophy of art is probably a little different from what you're used to—it's a style that finds inspiration and beauty in the imperfect, impermanent and humble nature of everyday objects. And there is a special freedom in wabi-sabi's abstract aesthetic, a forgiving approach that celebrates so-called mistakes and fosters an experimental spirit, encouraging you to build up and tear back with abandon.

Inside Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop You'll Find:

� Dozens of inspiration photos and tips for taking your own.
� 27 traditional haikus.
� 35 techniques using such diverse media as oil and acrylic paints, alcohol inkers, foils and leaf, pastels, plaster, collage and handmade papers, teabags, paper towels, coffee, crayons, encaustic paints, fibers and more.
� Lots of Wabi-Sabi Wisdom—tips and troubleshooting.
� 70 big, beautiful finished pieces of art illustrating featured techniques.
� Links to online bonus content--step-by-step demonstrations illustrating six additional techniques.
� Add Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop to your artistic library and expand your artistic horizons today!]]> 128 Serena Barton 1440321000 Darby 3 3.80 2013 Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop: Mixed Media Techniques for Embracing Imperfection and Celebrating Happy Accidents
author: Serena Barton
name: Darby
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2013/09/17
date added: 2013/09/17
shelves: 2013, non-fiction, inspirational, art-crafts, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Zentangle Untangled: Inspiration and Prompts for Meditative Drawing]]> 14618499
In Zentangle Untangled , Kass Hall introduces you to the fun and relaxing "doodling" process of Zentangle©--an engaging art form that uses repetitive patterns to create striking works of art that anyone can achieve regardless of age or artistic ability.

Following an explanation of the Zentangle© process, inside you will find 12 step-by-step demonstrations showing you how to create enticing tangle patterns, followed by several examples of how to add eye-popping color to your pieces, as well as fun ways to use tangles in your art journals. Captivating pieces from Kass and a slew of other artists will further satisfy your craving for inspiration!

Inside you will

•�12 step-by-step demonstrations of tangle patterns to make getting started easy!
•Different ways to introduce color, a variety of art materials, photography, and much more to your pieces.
•How to take your pen-and-ink tangles to the next step by enhancing them digitally!]]> 128 Kass Hall 1440318263 Darby 3 3.67 2012 Zentangle Untangled: Inspiration and Prompts for Meditative Drawing
author: Kass Hall
name: Darby
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2013/09/17
date added: 2013/09/17
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library, own
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Brave Intuitive Painting-Let Go, Be Bold, Unfold!: Techniques for Uncovering Your Own Unique Painting Style]]> 13082721
This inspiring and encouraging book for both novice and experienced painters teaches how to create colorful, exciting, expressive paintings through a variety of techniques, combining basic, practical painting principles with innovative personal self-expression. Flora S. Bowley's fun and forgiving approach to painting is based on the notion that “You don't begin with a preconceived painting in mind; you allow the painting to unfold.� Illustrating how to work in layers, Flora gives you the freedom to cover up, re-start, wipe away, and change courses many times along the way. Unexpected and unique compositions, color combinations, and subject matter appear as you allow your paintings to emerge in an organic, unplanned way while working from a place of curiosity and letting go of fear.]]> 128 Flora S. Bowley 1592537685 Darby 5 4.22 2012 Brave Intuitive Painting-Let Go, Be Bold, Unfold!: Techniques for Uncovering Your Own Unique Painting Style
author: Flora S. Bowley
name: Darby
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2013/09/12
date added: 2013/09/12
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, favorites, non-fiction, inspirational, library, memoir-truestories, read-again, wishlist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series)]]> 7959264
Her innovative ideas are now collected and elaborated on in this unique volume. Carla offers a year's worth of assignments, projects, ideas, and techniques that will introduce more creativity and nonsense into your art and life. Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists offers readers a fun way to learn and gain expertise in drawing through experimentation and play. There is no right or wrong result, yet, the readers gain new skills and confidence, allowing them to take their work to a new level.]]> 144 Carla Sonheim 1592536131 Darby 5 4.04 2010 Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun (Lab Series)
author: Carla Sonheim
name: Darby
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2013/09/12
date added: 2013/09/12
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library, read-again
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Cloth Paper Scissors Book: Techniques and Inspiration for Creating Mixed-Media Art]]> 11061053 160 Barbara Delaney 159668397X Darby 4 3.93 2011 The Cloth Paper Scissors Book: Techniques and Inspiration for Creating Mixed-Media Art
author: Barbara Delaney
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/08/15
date added: 2013/08/15
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Flavor for Mixed Media: A Feast of Techniques for Texture, Color and Layers]]> 10286690 128 Mary Beth Shaw 1440303177 Darby 3 3.78 2011 Flavor for Mixed Media: A Feast of Techniques for Texture, Color and Layers
author: Mary Beth Shaw
name: Darby
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2013/08/15
date added: 2013/08/15
shelves: 2013, non-fiction, art-crafts, inspirational, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Creative Lettering: Techniques & Tips from Top Artists]]> 15850847 Andy Ainger•� Francois Begnez•� Flora Chang•� Barbara Close•� Philippe Debongnie•� Karyn Denten•� Aimee Dolich•� Lisa Engelbrecht•� Pam Garrison•� Stine Kaasa•� Rhianna Lederman•� Martha Lever•� Linda Schneider•� Jessica Swift•� Madeline Tomkins•� Lori Vilegen•]]> 144 Jenny Doh 1454704004 Darby 3 3.98 2013 Creative Lettering: Techniques & Tips from Top Artists
author: Jenny Doh
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2013/08/11
date added: 2013/08/11
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Unfurling: Creative Exercises and Ideas for Blossoming as an Artist]]> 10507479 Unfurlingis a creative workshop in book form, offering a unique mix of motivation and technique exercises to get your creative juices flowing. Written by Misty Mawn, these pages will inspire anyone who wishes to open up more to the process of making art.

The book begins with art exercises in drawing and painting that include portraiture, contour drawing, backgrounds, layering, and working with a still life, followed by collage and image transfer techniques.The second section offers exercises and projects in stamp carving, paper pottery, sculpture, origami, paper dollmaking, and surface design. These tactile explorations offer an enjoyment of the process as well as wonderful handmade projects.The last section shares a variety of approaches to visual journaling. There are instructions for binding your own journal, prompts and ideas for working on your pages, and a variety of exercises using photography and poetry as ways to inspire and inform your journal keeping. You'll also find a set of gift book plates and a beautiful paper doll designed by the author and printed on perforated cardstock in the back of the book.

Tap into your inner creativity and explore new artistic processes with Unfurling!

]]> 127 Misty Mawn 1592536883 Darby 5 4.17 2011 Unfurling: Creative Exercises and Ideas for Blossoming as an Artist
author: Misty Mawn
name: Darby
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2013/08/11
date added: 2013/08/11
shelves: art-crafts, 2013, inspirational, non-fiction, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Print & Stamp Lab: 52 Ideas for Handmade, Upcycled Print Tools (Lab Series)]]> 7839071 144 Traci Bunkers 1592535984 Darby 5 4.15 2010 Print & Stamp Lab: 52 Ideas for Handmade, Upcycled Print Tools (Lab Series)
author: Traci Bunkers
name: Darby
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2013/08/11
date added: 2013/08/11
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, favorites, non-fiction, inspirational, library, wishlist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Zentangle A Day: A 6-Week Course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun (One A Day)]]> 13590561
The Zentangle method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas as a way to practice focus and meditation through drawing by using repetitive lines, marks, circles, and shapes. Each mark is called a "tangle," and you combine various tangles into patterns to create "tiles," or small square drawings.

Each of the six chapters explores a different aspect of Zentangle: Each exercise includes newtangles to draw in sketchbooks or on Tiepolo (an Italian-made paper), teaches daily tile design , offers tips on related art principles, and contains an inspirational "ZIA" (Zentangle Inspired Art) project that incorporates patterns, art principals, and new techniques.

Drawing Zentangles is a relaxing and replenishing diversion that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. In addition to its soothing benefits, a Zentangle practice can also help with self-image , phobias , addictions , pain management , conflict resolution , and coping with grief .

Step away from the daily hustle and untangle with a Zentangle.]]> 128 Beckah Krahula 1592538118 Darby 4 4.14 2012 One Zentangle A Day: A 6-Week Course in Creative Drawing for Relaxation, Inspiration, and Fun (One A Day)
author: Beckah Krahula
name: Darby
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/07/23
date added: 2013/07/23
shelves: art-crafts, 2013, read-again, inspirational, non-fiction, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stamp Artistry: Combining Stamps With Beadwork, Carving, Collage, Etching, Fabric, Metalwork, Painting, Polymer Clay, Repousse, and More]]> 905186 144 Ricë Freeman-Zachery 1592530117 Darby 4
I went between 3 and 4 stars but gave it 4 in the end. I thought of giving it 3 because if someone bought this as simply a project book to follow along and do, I don't think some of the items are easily available or needs new supplies that one might not have around. Not all the projects are that way so that is why it got a 4 along with the other reason stated above.

Again this book inspired me and made me want to try a several new things. ]]> 3.42 2003 Stamp Artistry: Combining Stamps With Beadwork, Carving, Collage, Etching, Fabric, Metalwork, Painting, Polymer Clay, Repousse, and More
author: Ricë Freeman-Zachery
name: Darby
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2008/06/10
date added: 2013/07/13
shelves: 2008, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational
review:
This book is a project book. It gives many projects to follow along step by step. You have to have some knowledge of stamping and just crafts in general. I am really not a project following type of person. I like to go off on my own direction and this book did give me ideas and techniques to us in my art. The pictures of the projects are beautiful because the projects range from fun to exquisite. The steps seemed clear but again you need some understanding of crafts.

I went between 3 and 4 stars but gave it 4 in the end. I thought of giving it 3 because if someone bought this as simply a project book to follow along and do, I don't think some of the items are easily available or needs new supplies that one might not have around. Not all the projects are that way so that is why it got a 4 along with the other reason stated above.

Again this book inspired me and made me want to try a several new things.
]]> <![CDATA[Cultivating Your Creative Life: Exercises, Activities & Inspiration for Finding Balance, Beauty & Success as an Artist]]> 13195710 Cultivating Your Creative Life: Exercises, Activities, and Inspiration for Finding Balance, Beauty, and Success as an Artist is a multi-faceted book where creativity and wonder intermingle to show how to live a creative and balanced life while moving toward your goals. You’ll find ideas for keeping your creative well full, an illustrated guide to healing herbs and plants, basic yoga poses and breathing exercises, and tips for moving your artistic career forward. Alena Hennessy's illustration style combines nature, whimsey, delicacy, and a modern sensibility; vibrant pen and ink illustrations accompany relevant quotes ofinspiration, tips, and creative journal exercises. Cultivating Your Creative Life is not only an interactive creativity guide; it is a work of art, in itself—a beautiful, collectible volume—to save and to savor, or to give as a gift to the special creative person in your life.]]> 128 Alena Hennessy 1592537863 Darby 4 3.69 2012 Cultivating Your Creative Life: Exercises, Activities & Inspiration for Finding Balance, Beauty & Success as an Artist
author: Alena Hennessy
name: Darby
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/07/13
date added: 2013/07/13
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, self-help, spirituality
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Collage Lab: Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects (Lab Series)]]> 6657389
Collage Lab is illustrated with brilliant full-color images and multiple examples of each exercise, offers a visual, non-linear approach to learning art techniques, and reinforces a fun and fearless approach to making art.]]> 144 Bee Shay 1592535658 Darby 4 4.00 2010 Collage Lab: Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects (Lab Series)
author: Bee Shay
name: Darby
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/07/01
shelves: art-crafts, library, non-fiction, 2013, inspirational, read-again
review:
Full of techniques with good instructions. Each lab has several variations of the technique. Think it would be a good book to have around to get ideas and inspire ones collage work.
]]> <![CDATA[The Journal Junkies Workshop: Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict]]> 7745467 Discover the tactical secret of self expression–the art journalHarness the artistic explosion ticking in your head, just looking for a creative way to detonate. Prepare to be bombarded with ideas, techniques and suggestions as you allow your creativity to take hold. "The Journal Fodder Junkies" are on a mission, ready to arm you with all that you need to explore artistic ways of recording your life and thoughts. Part sketchbook, part diary, part notebook, part dream journal, part daily planner, part to-do list and part doodle pad, the art journal is different things to different people. Whatever it is for you, the Journal Junkies Workshop contains all the covert inspiration and know-how you'll need to get started. Uncover your own path, your own voice, your own style. Inside you'll find:


Basic information on the supplies and materials you'll need to start your journal experience


Step-by-step presentation of techniques using water colors, acrylic paint, image transfers and more


Chapter-by-chapter demonstration that follows the Junkies' techniques as they layer a page, taking it from blank canvas to dynamic document


Ideas on how to get started writing in your journal, covering both what to write and inventive ways of writing it


Gallery spreads taken straight from the authors' journals that give you a unique opportunity to peer inside the heads of two experienced art journalists
Grab a journal and begin basic training today with Eric Scott and David Modler to become a Journal Fodder Junkie!]]> 160 Eric M. Scott 1600614566 Darby 4 4.09 2010 The Journal Junkies Workshop: Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict
author: Eric M. Scott
name: Darby
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2013/05/25
date added: 2013/07/01
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction, library
review:
I think this book jams a lot into it to help someone new to art journaling or some one who has hit a road block in their process. it gives good technique instructions, supply lists, ideas for travel kits, workspace and writing prompts.
]]> <![CDATA[Layered Impressions: A Poetic Approach to Mixed-Media Painting]]> 12984460 128 Katie Kendrick 1440311471 Darby 4 3.95 2011 Layered Impressions: A Poetic Approach to Mixed-Media Painting
author: Katie Kendrick
name: Darby
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/06/30
date added: 2013/06/30
shelves: art-crafts, 2013, non-fiction, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Surface Treatment Workshop: Explore 45 Mixed-Media Techniques]]> 9032967
Pondering how to begin a new piece of art? Surface Treatment Workshop has the answer! The authors of Image Transfer Workshop are back to show you 45 stepped-out mixed-media techniques that will add depth and texture to your artwork. These techniques are the perfect jump-off point for creating art you will love to look at, and, in some cases, touch!

In this comprehensive guide, youÆll

•� 45 techniques . Exciting new applications such as the use of WonderUnder, pulled paper and plaster-dipped gauze will provide you with fresh ideas--many previously unpublished.
•� Multiple variations . Each technique features swatches and descriptions to take the techniques in multiple directions with multiple mixed-media products.
•� Inspirational style . Fully stepped-out projects from two artists will show you how to combine the techniques into finished works of art that can go in any artistic style.


Take Surface Treatment Workshop with you on your artistic journey for beautiful beginnings.]]> 144 Darlene Olivia McElroy 1440308241 Darby 2 2013, art-crafts, library 4.24 2011 Surface Treatment Workshop: Explore 45 Mixed-Media Techniques
author: Darlene Olivia McElroy
name: Darby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2013/06/30
date added: 2013/06/30
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, library
review:
I only gave this book 2 stars because I felt the instructions on each treatment/technique lacked. The instructions weren't complete and when attempting techniques - they didn't turn out. To get ideas to experiment on your own without the instructions is probably the best way to use this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed]]> 12463841
Can you hear the voices? Thoughts, insights, confessions from the creative community sharing ideas, trading secrets, venting frustrations; asking and answering questions such as, "What color rarely shows up in your work?" or "How do you express vulnerability in your art?" Or "What is one current trend that you wish would go away?" As artists, we are curious by nature and there is a longing to see inside the hearts and minds of artistic souls of our own kind. That is the beat of our lives - The Pulse of Mixed Media !

In this book - a complex survey of artists around the globe - there is much for you to

Visual Many questions are answered not only in words, but often through visual art, and includeself-portraits from 31 spotlight artists such as Pam Carriker, Danny Gregory and Judy Wise.

A diverse sampling of provocative Over 100 artists share their thoughts on everything from color,media and tools, to emotions, secrets and self-revelations.

Insightful sidebar Data from thousands of participants collected through polls on the author's blogreveal a remarkable analysis of the creative community at large.

Indulge your inner voyeur and soak up some inspiration with The Pulse of Mixed Media today!]]> 144 Seth Apter 144031070X Darby 4 3.71 2012 The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed
author: Seth Apter
name: Darby
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/06/23
date added: 2013/06/23
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, inspirational, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Art Saves: Stories, Inspiration and Prompts Sharing the Power of Art]]> 9977887
Inside Art Saves , experience the stories of 20 artists who found that artistic expression and the artistic process is worth living for. Whether you are a calligraphy/graffiti artist like Lisa Engelbrecht , a metal artist like Michael DeMeng , or digital collage artist like Susan Tuttle , art has a way of giving you beauty, meaning, spiritual richness, community... even salvation.

The stories in this book come from every medium, because the power of the creative process can be found everywhere.

Hear

•� Drew Emborsky , a crochet artist, provides comfort through his creations by donating his work to hospitals and shelters.
•� Rebecca Sower puts craft materials—and hope—into the hands of Haitian women through Haiti By Hand.
•� Marie French who, through art, creates personal miracles of healing.
•� Suzi Blu , who discovered the real, therapeutic effect of art-making, shows you many simple, effective ways you can give back.


INSIDE ART SAVES , YOU'LL ALSO

•Mixed media techniques and projects. Throughout the book you'll find practical ideas to put you on the art-making path. Karen Michel shares instructions on creating prayer flags, Lynn Whipple shows you how to construct a permission plaque, Susannah Conway gives advice on revealing the soul of a place though inspired photography.
•Inspired Lessons. Each artist lists the lessons they have learned about living life artfully.
•�"When the Going Gets Tough..." Sidebars suggest ways you can remain strong, even when things get challenging. Hear how different artists deal with difficulty head-on.
•�"In the artist's own words..." Advice and wisdom shared directly from each artist to you. The act of art-making is an act of life. So thread a needle, lift a paintbrush, put pencil to paper, focus the camera—find salvation.]]> 144 Jenny Doh 144030906X Darby 5 3.98 2011 Art Saves: Stories, Inspiration and Prompts Sharing the Power of Art
author: Jenny Doh
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2013/06/02
date added: 2013/06/19
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, library, memoir-truestories
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doodles Unleashed: Mixed-Media Techniques for Doodling, Mark-Making & Lettering]]> 11849687 128 Traci Bautista 1440310890 Darby 3 3.96 2012 Doodles Unleashed: Mixed-Media Techniques for Doodling, Mark-Making & Lettering
author: Traci Bautista
name: Darby
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2013/05/27
date added: 2013/06/19
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, library, read-again, non-fiction, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Journal Fodder 365: Daily Doses of Inspiration for the Art Addict]]> 13312049 144 Eric M. Scott 1440318409 Darby 3 4.02 2012 Journal Fodder 365: Daily Doses of Inspiration for the Art Addict
author: Eric M. Scott
name: Darby
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2013/06/19
date added: 2013/06/19
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait]]> 904485 Frida Kahlo 0810932210 Darby 4 4.51 1995 The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait
author: Frida Kahlo
name: Darby
average rating: 4.51
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2013/06/06
date added: 2013/06/06
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, memoir-truestories, inspirational, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Daring Adventures in Paint: Find Your Flow, Trust Your Path, and Discover Your Authentic Voice-Techniques for Painting, Sketching, and Mixed Media]]> 13195716 128 Mati Rose McDonough 1592537707 Darby 5 3.99 2012 Daring Adventures in Paint: Find Your Flow, Trust Your Path, and Discover Your Authentic Voice-Techniques for Painting, Sketching, and Mixed Media
author: Mati Rose McDonough
name: Darby
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2013/05/24
date added: 2013/05/24
shelves: art-crafts, favorites, non-fiction, 2013, inspirational, wishlist
review:
Just a quick note with a longer review later...I read this book and Rose's message just when I needed to hear it.
]]> <![CDATA[My Story: Easy Digital Tools to Archive Your Life With Photos, Music, Videos, and Keepsakes]]> 2957663 176 Adam Juniper 0762108894 Darby 3 3.71 2008 My Story: Easy Digital Tools to Archive Your Life With Photos, Music, Videos, and Keepsakes
author: Adam Juniper
name: Darby
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2013/05/08
date added: 2013/05/08
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, library, home-life
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations + Explorations]]> 3347717
Amidst a full-color feast for your eyes, you will: Discover ways to turn your art mistakes" into meaningful creationsSit in on mixed-media demonstrations, guiding you through techniques for layering, transferring, altering and moreBe introduced to the works and inspiration of 36 artists, including: Lisa Falzon, Sheri Gaynor, Claudine Hellmuth, Katie Kendrick, Deryn Mentock, Karen Michel, Ted Orland, Izabella Pierce, Richard Salley, Suzanne Simanaitis, Roben-Marie Smith, Jonathan Talbot and many more!Take on creative challenges to push your art-making into new directions Enter the "Exhibition 36" experience--your ticket to an amazing gallery of mixed-media inspiration."]]> 160 Susan Tuttle 1600611044 Darby 4 3.94 2008 Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations + Explorations
author: Susan Tuttle
name: Darby
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2013/05/01
date added: 2013/05/01
shelves: 2013, non-fiction, art-crafts, inspirational, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Zenspirations: Letters & Patterning (Design Originals) Beginner-Friendly Techniques for Frames, Doodles, Lettering, Patterns, and Borders to Decorate Your Journals, Drawings, Crafts, Gifts, and More]]> 12630121 48 Joanne Fink 1574216996 Darby 4 4.19 2011 Zenspirations: Letters & Patterning (Design Originals) Beginner-Friendly Techniques for Frames, Doodles, Lettering, Patterns, and Borders to Decorate Your Journals, Drawings, Crafts, Gifts, and More
author: Joanne Fink
name: Darby
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/04/29
date added: 2013/04/29
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction, library
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mixed Media Revolution: Creative Ideas for Reusing Your Art]]> 14618509
Leftovers, little bits and scraps, pieces of art that didn't turn out quite right...we all have them. And it hurts to have to throw them away. But what if someone could suggest another way? Another way, perhaps, to get one more use out of that transparency. Or cut up a piece of art and put it back together differently. Or use leftover paint to create one-of-a-kind transfers? Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson, in their groundbreaking third book, will show you how to do all those things and more!

Inside You'll Find:


10 themed chapters
More than 50 fully stepped-out, photographic mixed media techniques
More than 80 additional fast and easy techniques
Dozens of troubleshooting tips and variations
More than 70 big, beautiful finished pieces of art illustrating the techniques
Links to online bonus content
You'll find something new and exciting on every page--add "Mixed Media Revolution" to your creative toolbox and expand your artistic horizons today!]]> 144 Darlene Olivia McElroy 1440318719 Darby 2 3.84 2012 Mixed Media Revolution: Creative Ideas for Reusing Your Art
author: Darlene Olivia McElroy
name: Darby
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2013/04/23
date added: 2013/04/23
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, library
review:
Many of the ideas in this book uses images transfers - using an ink jet printer. Not something I have or would want to be using in my art as the ink for printers isn't cheap. Also I felt many of the instructions weren't complete and just lacking.
]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around The World]]> 12635188
Authored by the founder of the nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers (]]> 320 Gabriel Campanario 1592537251 Darby 4 4.24 2012 The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around The World
author: Gabriel Campanario
name: Darby
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/04/20
date added: 2013/04/20
shelves: 2013, non-fiction, art-crafts, library, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Shambhala Library)]]> 7215047 288 Natalie Goldberg 1590307941 Darby 5 4.29 1986 Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Shambhala Library)
author: Natalie Goldberg
name: Darby
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at: 2013/04/11
date added: 2013/04/11
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, poetry, memoir-truestories, non-fiction, inspirational, wishlist
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements]]> 7601175
Imagine flying through an inky night sky tethered to a red, heart-shaped balloon. Now imagine expressing that dream artistically. With Digital Expressions you can take ordinary photos and, with the help of Adobe Photoshop Elements, voice your flights of fancy.

Digital Expressions guides you through 25 digital art projects created with Adobe Photoshop Elements. With this easy-to-follow guide, you'll get inspired to tackle all kinds of digital mixed-media techniques using stock photography, custom brushes, textured backgrounds and your own digital photos.

Use your digital palette

· Manipulate single images by adding texture layers, color fills and text

· Re-create the look of traditional art like drawings and abstract paintings

· Build collages using transparent layers and photo filters

· Blend seamless montages with various effects

· Incorporate your own traditional art into digital works

Mixed-media artists, art journalers and scrapbookers alike can turn the ordinary into extraordinary! Express yourself in digital form as you learn to master creative digital art techniques.

**Bonus CD includes assorted brushes, photos and textures you can use to create on your own digital canvas.** PLEASE NOTE that one of the images was left off of the CD by mistake. You can download it from the "Books" section of the author's website at ilkasattic.com**]]> 144 Susan Tuttle 160061454X Darby 4 3.97 2010 Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements
author: Susan Tuttle
name: Darby
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2013/04/10
date added: 2013/04/11
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women]]> 132608
Research by Craft Trends Magazine reveals that 89% of all crafters are women, and that they want to work in an environment conducive to creating their art. This invaluable and very special guide helps them achieve that goal, whatever their passion. It goes straight to the successful women who have made their mark in more than 10 different creative fields. These top designers and artisans offer insights gleaned from years of experience, reveal how they constructed their own creative spaces, and explain how the reader can make practical use of these decorating, organizational, and inspirational techniques as they go about designing their own work areas. Among the pertinent questions they Where did you like to work as a child? What's the most important thing about having your own place to work? Are women's creative spaces different from men's? How important is it for you to organize your work, and how do you do it? Do you listen to music when you work--and what kind? The featured designers include Wendy Addison, Dena Fishbein, Jill Schwartz, and Suze Weinberg and their fields range from paper crafts to gardening.
A Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club & the Homestyle Book Club.]]> 80 Jo Packham 1402712294 Darby 4 4.05 2005 Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women
author: Jo Packham
name: Darby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2013/03/13
date added: 2013/04/10
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, home-life, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art Journal Workshop: Break Through, Explore, and Make it Your Own]]> 9482646 128 Traci Bunkers 1592536840 Darby 4 4.05 2011 The Art Journal Workshop: Break Through, Explore, and Make it Your Own
author: Traci Bunkers
name: Darby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2013/03/31
date added: 2013/03/31
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational
review:

]]> iPhone Artistry 11967561 144 Dan Burkholder 1454701277 Darby 3 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction 3.27 2011 iPhone Artistry
author: Dan Burkholder
name: Darby
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2013/03/30
date added: 2013/03/30
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success]]> 10373612
Do you dream of making a living doing what you love but find the process of creating a viable business plan like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? Jennifer Lee knows what it’s like to make the entrepreneurial leap � and how to do it successfully. The key is using, rather than stifling, imagination and intuition. Lee’s illustrated, colorful worksheets and step-by-step instructions are playful yet practical, transforming drudgery into joy. They’ll enable you to define your vision and nail down plans for funding, marketing, networking, and long-term strategy.

Discover how to:

* Develop a financial plan with fun and flair
* Select your circle of support to get the work done
* Clarify your business values and goals
* Paint a picture of your business landscape
* Understand your competition and what makes you stand out from the crowd
* Identify your perfect customers and create a marketing plan to reach them
* Map out concrete action steps to bring your Right-Brain Business Plan to life]]> 240 Jennifer Lee 1577319443 Darby 3 4.03 2011 The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success
author: Jennifer Lee
name: Darby
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2013/03/28
date added: 2013/03/28
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, self-help
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where Women Create: Book of Inspiration: In the Studio and Behind the Scenes with Extraordinary Women]]> 7671508 144 Jo Packham 1600595642 Darby 4 3.93 2010 Where Women Create: Book of Inspiration: In the Studio and Behind the Scenes with Extraordinary Women
author: Jo Packham
name: Darby
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2013/03/13
date added: 2013/03/13
shelves: art-crafts, 2013, home-life, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Where Women Create: Book of Organization: The Art of Creating Order]]> 13194859 176 Jo Packham 1402791518 Darby 4 3.82 2012 Where Women Create: Book of Organization: The Art of Creating Order
author: Jo Packham
name: Darby
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/03/13
date added: 2013/03/13
shelves: 2013, inspirational, art-crafts, home-life
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Collage Workbook: How to Get Started and Stay Inspired]]> 13195047 132 Randel Plowman 1454701994 Darby 4 4.05 2012 The Collage Workbook: How to Get Started and Stay Inspired
author: Randel Plowman
name: Darby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/02/26
date added: 2013/03/11
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love]]> 14358654
This debut book by bloggers Sherry and John Petersik is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up a home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts, 5 million blog hits per month, and an ever-growing audience since the launch of "Young House Love" in 2007, Sherry and John are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Whether an experienced decorator or a total novice, on a tight budget or with money to spend, any homeowner or apartment dweller will find ideas for his or her own home makeovers here. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

Packed with 243 tips and ideas--both classic and unexpected--every project pictured was exclusively executed for the book (so there are no photos that you've already seen on the blog). With more than 250 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Adding a little wow factor to your home has never been more fun!]]> 336 Sherry Petersik 1579654789 Darby 5 3.98 2012 Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love
author: Sherry Petersik
name: Darby
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2013/02/13
date added: 2013/02/13
shelves: 2013, art-crafts, home-life, non-fiction, inspirational, memoir-truestories
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Inner Excavation: Exploring Your Self Through Photography, Poetry and Mixed Media]]> 9606497 144 Liz Lamoreux 1440303096 Darby 5 4.16 2010 Inner Excavation: Exploring Your Self Through Photography, Poetry and Mixed Media
author: Liz Lamoreux
name: Darby
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2012/07/06
date added: 2013/02/09
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, favorites, home-life, inspirational, non-fiction, self-help, own, 2013
review:
I picked this book up at the library and well that was a mistake - a good mistake. Because it made me want to go out and purchase the book right away so I would have time to fall into it the way I wanted...from the moment of reading the first pages I knew it was a book I need to have available in my studio/home always. It is a book for exploring and that takes time...longer then just having a couple weeks of it checked out at the library. But I am so glad I picked it up there so I knew without a doubt this is a good book and will be deeply personal but playful and fun. I can't wait to buy it and jump into ready to explore myself in a different way. Thank you Liz Lamoreux for creating such a lovely book.
]]> Essential Klimt 2020416 256 Laura Payne 0752534874 Darby 5 4.15 2000 Essential Klimt
author: Laura Payne
name: Darby
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/12/23
shelves: art-crafts, own, picture-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking]]> 11722628
You don't have to be a world traveler or a professional cartographer to embark on a grand journey of self-discovery through mapmaking. Personal Geographies gives you the tools and techniques you'll need to create artful maps of your self, your experiences and your personal journey. Chart the innermost workings of your mind, document your artistic path and create an unfolding maze of your future dreams and goals.

Inside Personal Geographies you'll

•�21 mixed-media map projects featuring artistic techniques like working with alcohol inks and pochoir, painting on a black surface and carving custom stamps
•Insight into the world of traditional and contemporary maps and how they relate to and inspire personal mapmaking
•A gallery of maps by contributors from around the world to spark your own creativity


From mapping your head, hands and heart to recording powerful memories or experiences, the maps in Personal Geographies are a gateway into the fascinating and meaningful world of you.]]> 144 Jill K. Berry 144030856X Darby 2 2012, art-crafts 4.05 2011 Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking
author: Jill K. Berry
name: Darby
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2012/11/12
date added: 2012/11/28
shelves: 2012, art-crafts
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Creative Is a Verb: If You're Alive, You're Creative]]> 7966174 Life Is a Verb, and in the tradition of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Patti Digh here presents a book that leads readers by both heart and head to acknowledge, reinforce, and use their own creative spirit. Creative Isa Verb is equally a book for people who say, “I’m not creative� or “I’m just a dabbler� or “I’m an artist.”]]> 224 Patti Digh 1599218836 Darby 5 4.21 2010 Creative Is a Verb: If You're Alive, You're Creative
author: Patti Digh
name: Darby
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2012/11/26
date added: 2012/11/28
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, spirituality, self-help
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom For Complex Lives]]> 8490442 176 Patti Digh 1599219808 Darby 5 4.18 2010 Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom For Complex Lives
author: Patti Digh
name: Darby
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2012/11/12
date added: 2012/11/28
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, inspirational, self-help, spirituality
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist]]> 5166361 128 Karen Michel 1592535186 Darby 5
* Greening your Studio: talking about product safety and just being safe in the studio, green paints, mediums, canvas and such
*Green Recipes: making paints, paint recipes and adhesive recipes
* Green Projects: bookmaking, paper-mache, using found objects and other green projects
* Green Artist Gallery - info about each artist in the gallery and examples of their green art, it also has a resource guide

Each section had such great information. Often much of the information was things I didn't know, recipes that I could make right now in my kitchen without much effort, projects and inspiration that made me want to create right away.

The book itself is so lovely to look at just thumbing through it. But it is just so full of good information for artist who want to start using green in their studio. You might be able to find all the info online, but I would much rather have it in my studio and use because it just a great book.
]]> 3.84 2009 Green Guide for Artists: Nontoxic Recipes, Green Art Ideas, & Resources for the Eco-Conscious Artist
author: Karen Michel
name: Darby
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2012/08/02
date added: 2012/10/19
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, favorites, inspirational, non-fiction, own
review:
I love this book! I checked it out from the library and can't wait to purchase it. It is a must have for artists who want to use safer, nontoxic, greener materials in their art. It is divided into 4 chapters/sections...

* Greening your Studio: talking about product safety and just being safe in the studio, green paints, mediums, canvas and such
*Green Recipes: making paints, paint recipes and adhesive recipes
* Green Projects: bookmaking, paper-mache, using found objects and other green projects
* Green Artist Gallery - info about each artist in the gallery and examples of their green art, it also has a resource guide

Each section had such great information. Often much of the information was things I didn't know, recipes that I could make right now in my kitchen without much effort, projects and inspiration that made me want to create right away.

The book itself is so lovely to look at just thumbing through it. But it is just so full of good information for artist who want to start using green in their studio. You might be able to find all the info online, but I would much rather have it in my studio and use because it just a great book.

]]> <![CDATA[Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World]]> 12062126 144 Christine Mason Miller 1440310734 Darby 3 4.37 2011 Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World
author: Christine Mason Miller
name: Darby
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2012/09/05
date added: 2012/09/05
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, inspirational, self-help
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ultimate Self-Sufficiency Handbook: A Complete Guide to Baking, Carpentry, Crafts, Organic Gardening, Preserving Your Harvest, Raising Animals, and More]]> 13455138
- Grow Vegetables yy Raise Chickens

- Keep Bees

- Preserve Your Harvest

- Cure Meats

- Build a Treehouse

- Spin Wool

- Make a Toboggan

- And Much More!]]> 272 Abigail R. Gehring 1616087102 Darby 5 3.89 2012 The Ultimate Self-Sufficiency Handbook: A Complete Guide to Baking, Carpentry, Crafts, Organic Gardening, Preserving Your Harvest, Raising Animals, and More
author: Abigail R. Gehring
name: Darby
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2012/09/02
date added: 2012/09/02
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, food, home-life, holiday, non-fiction, inspirational, self-help
review:

]]> The Sound of Paper 498501 336 Julia Cameron 1585422886 Darby 4 4.01 2004 The Sound of Paper
author: Julia Cameron
name: Darby
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2012/07/17
date added: 2012/08/31
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, inspirational, memoir-truestories
review:
I am really stuck. I am scared of creating. This book is what I needed to read right in this moment. Working through some of the exercise has helped me pinpoint some of the fears and I believe will help me start moving forward. I checked this book out of the library, but have put it on my wishlist as I do think it would be a good book to have when needing when having doubts, insecurities and just being blocked in general.
]]> Collage Techniques 391172
Conceived and written by renowned artist, author, and teacher Gerald Brommer, Collage Techniques first presents the medium within the context of a wide variety of materials, including washi (oriental and rice papers) and watermedia; stained, prepared, and found papers; photographs; and fabrics and fibers. Each category of material is examined through a step-by-step demonstration and works by artists who approach collage in original and refreshing ways. The latest trends in technologically enhanced collage, including such high-tech applications as multiple photocopying and digital scanning, are also discussed. The author then explores how the elements and principles of design are used in collage, and how they in turn are employed in all the major genre, including still life, landscape, the human figure, abstraction, and nonobjective imagery.

Beautifully illustrated with the work of more than eighty noted artists, including Edward Betts, Jae Carmichael, Margo Hoff, Katherine Chang Liu, and Fred Otnes, Collage Techniques is an essential reference for all artists and illustrators, regardless of their creative focus or choice of medium.]]> 160 Gerald F. Brommer 0823006557 Darby 3 4.04 1994 Collage Techniques
author: Gerald F. Brommer
name: Darby
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2012/08/12
date added: 2012/08/12
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, inspirational, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin]]> 6631044 144 Terry Taylor 1600593941 Darby 5 3.72 2009 Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin
author: Terry Taylor
name: Darby
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2012/08/02
date added: 2012/08/02
shelves: 2012, art-crafts, non-fiction, inspirational, wishlist
review:

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