Art & Photography

Drawing expert Jake Spicer introduces you to the most important skill in the artist's repertoire: life drawing. Life class remains (read more)

Drawing expert Jake Spicer introduces you to the most important skill in the artist's repertoire: life drawing. Life class remains a key component of nearly every art degree in the UK. From understanding relationships and proportions and considering basic anatomy, to learning about mark-making and tonal values, Jake takes you through the process of drawing the most rewarding of subjects.
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The first authoritative collection of drawings by legendary modern architect Lina Bo BardiLina Bo Bardi (1914-92) was one of the (read more)

The first authoritative collection of drawings by legendary modern architect Lina Bo BardiLina Bo Bardi (1914-92) was one of the most prolific and visionary architects of the twentieth century. Raised in Italy under Mussolini's Fascist regime and emigrating to Brazil after World War II, she championed the power of architecture and design to embrace everyday life. Her boldly modernist designs range from concrete-and-glass structures like the S o Paulo Museum of Art and the culture and leisure center SESC Pomp ia to furniture and jewelry.

This is the first book to examine one of the most intimate and expressive features of her life and work, but one she rarely shared with the public--drawing. Bo Bardi produced thousands of drawings in her lifetime, from picturesque landscapes drawn when she was a child, to sketches made as part of her daily routine as an architect, to fanciful drawings that show different aspects of her private life. In this beautifully illustrated book, Zeuler Lima, the world's leading authority on Bo Bardi, brings together a careful selection of these and other drawings, many of them never published until now.
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In the era of celebrity culture, we are now more fascinated than ever with the lives of our leading artists. Creative personalities (read more)

In the era of celebrity culture, we are now more fascinated than ever with the lives of our leading artists. Creative personalities are always intriguing, and to learn something new about the greatest artists of the 20th and 21st centuries be they eccentric or sober, outspoken or reclusive is compelling. Presented here are some of the most engaging life stories of our time, eventful, intimate and poignant.

Lively short biographies, clearly grouped according to style and era, are illustrated with important works, self-portraits and photographs. Lucie-Smith vividly evokes the lives of these great personalities, from Picasso and Duchamp to Joseph Beuys and Louise Bourgeois, guiding the reader through the maze of different styles and movements with authority and verve. New entries on rising stars such as Marlene Dumas, Shirin Neshat and Zhang Xiaogang extend the books scope to reach from 1900 to today. (hide)

The lives of the sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf have long been celebrated for their central roles in the development of (read more)

The lives of the sisters Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf have long been celebrated for their central roles in the development of modernism in art and literature. Inspired by European post-impressionism, Vanessa's experimental work places her at the vanguard of early twentieth-century art, as does her role in helping introduce many key names - Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso - to an unsuspecting public in 1910. Virginia took these artistic innovations and applied them to literature, pushing the boundaries of form, narrative and language to find a voice uniquely her own.

Yet their private lives were just as experimental. Forming the core of the Bloomsbury Group, they welcomed into their London and Sussex homes a host of their talented peers and followed their hearts in the pursuit of love. Vanessa's marriage to art critic Clive Bell was shaken early on by his flirtation with her sister, but this allowed her to find happiness with fellow artist Roger Fry. (hide)

***Stocked 28/05/13***This is a fascinating exploration of the mystery that surrounds of Ruben's most well-known and intriguing drawings. (read more)

***Stocked 28/05/13***This is a fascinating exploration of the mystery that surrounds of Ruben's most well-known and intriguing drawings. Peter Paul Rubens was one of the most talented and successful artists working in 17th-century Europe. During his illustrious career as a court painter and diplomat, Rubens expressed a fascination with exotic costumes and headdresses.

With his masterful handling of black chalk and touches of red, Rubens executed a compelling drawing that features a figure wearing Asian costume - a depiction that has recently been identified as Man in Korean Costume. Despite the drawings renown - both during Ruben's own lifetime and in contemporary art scholarship - the reasons why it was made and whether it actually depicts a specific Asian person remain a mystery. The intriguing story that develops involves a shipwreck, an unusual hat, the earliest trade between Europe and Asia, the trafficking of Asian slave, and Jesuit missionaries. (hide)

This is a beautiful new colouring book that takes you on a magical journey beneath the waves, from the creator of the worldwide bestsellers, (read more)

This is a beautiful new colouring book that takes you on a magical journey beneath the waves, from the creator of the worldwide bestsellers, Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest. Also features a large double-sided pull-out poster to colour and keep. With Lost Ocean, Johanna Basford invites colour-inners of all ages to discover an enchanting underwater world hidden within the depths of the sea.

With intricate pen and ink illustrations to complete, colour and embellish, readers will meet shoals of exotic fish, curious octopuses and delicately penned seahorses, visit coral reefs and barnacle-studded shipwrecks, and discover intricate shells and pirate treasure. Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest fans and newcomers alike will delight in this creative journey into an inky new world. (hide)

A fantastic, all-new, third volume of tattoo art - both tattoos and original artworks - showcasing the best recent work of the world's (read more)

A fantastic, all-new, third volume of tattoo art - both tattoos and original artworks - showcasing the best recent work of the world's most outstanding tattoo artists. The format is compact, but contains over 600 full-colour photographs of the work of international tattoo art stars, including Frank Carter, Camila Rocha, Dan Smith and Horikazu (see full list of contributing artists below), representing outstanding value-for-money. Over the past 20 years, tattoos have emphatically entered the mainstream, perhaps most notably on the person of UK prime minister David Cameron's wife Samantha.

Whether celebratory tattoos, local landmarks, weddings, gravestones, timepieces, song lyrics, club colours, the Olympic rings, something World Cup-related or even a flight of plaster ducks, more and more people are sporting tattoos. There are also ever more artists who have turned their hands to tattooing, and vice versa. Tattoo styles are changing, too, under the influence of other art forms as traditional methods of designing tattoos - using pencil, marker, ink and pain - are joined by computer-generated art and Photoshop creations. (hide)

The latest edition of the bestselling guide to running a successful gallery, told from the expert perspective of art-world insiders (read more)

The latest edition of the bestselling guide to running a successful gallery, told from the expert perspective of art-world insiders What makes an art gallery successful? How do galleries ensure their marketing is right? How should galleries best approach new markets and customers, while still serving their loyal clientele? Based on the results of an anonymous survey sent to more than 8,000 galleries in the US, UK, and Germany, Magnus Resch's insightful examination of the business of selling art, newly updated and revised, is a compelling read, with an approach that is both aspirational and practical.
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The mandala is a design motif that has intrigued people throughout cultures around the world. Mandalas in Mixed Media features a (read more)

The mandala is a design motif that has intrigued people throughout cultures around the world. Mandalas in Mixed Media features a fresh and unique approach to making these motifs in a variety of mediums (watercolor, Inktense pencils, collage ...) and modern techniques (using decorative papers with acrylic paint; combining markers and charcoal; painting on rocks, maps and other surfaces ...), all delivered to the reader in clear step-by-step instruction. But this book doesn't stop at the mechanics of making these beautiful designs; mandala work is also incredibly useful and the reader will see how to use mandalas to solve problems, let go of fear, lean into love and gain clarity and insight-powerful results for such a fun and relaxing activity! Finally, inspiring gallery pieces from artists all over the world (including well-known names such as Alisa Burke, Tiffany Lovering, Anahata Katkin, Jane LaFazio and Louise Gale) further illustrate the possibilities of this sacred circle. (hide)

Discover the meditative power of the mandala. In this book there is a collection of 50 unique designs, including mesmerising geometric (read more)

Discover the meditative power of the mandala. In this book there is a collection of 50 unique designs, including mesmerising geometric patterns, calming nature-inspired motifs and spiritual symbols. Each colourful mandala is created by painting dots onto a stone or pebble - a simple yet soothingly effective process.

With no specialist tools or skills required, you can immerse yourself in the process of creating these intricate designs. The stresses of modern life can be left behind, and meaningful, tactile pieces of art can be created to present as a perfect gift, to decorate the home, or to keep as a personal talisman. With clear and easy-to-follow instructions and beautiful photography, you will soon be gently crafting your way to a calmer, more creative self.
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