Best Mixed Media
Each exercise includes new tangles to draw in sketchbooks or on tiepolo (an Italian-made paper), teaches daily tile design, and offers tips on related art principles, and contains an inspirational "ZIA" (Zentangle Inspired Art) project on a tile that incorporates patterns, art principals, and new techniques. Beckah Krahula is an artist, writer, consultant, product designer, and industry expert. She began her career with the first graphic rubber stamp company in the U.S., and has worked as a full-time mixed media artist ever since. With the pen, initial the front, and sign, date, and comment on the back.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Attached pictures are from my first tangles ever done (the single picture is Tangle no 1, the others are done in the order displayed in the book). If you are starting out.. you could not buy a better book!"
"I have many, many books about zentangle - this is the BEST by far!"
"I am an artist, have been for many years, but I have been struggling with an essential tremor in my dominant hand (the left) which has forced me to start training myself to use my right hand for things like eating soup or bringing a glass of water across the room without spilling it. Instead of doing one Zentangle a day, I have been using my left hand for one Zentangle the first day, and the next day I do the same lesson (using the assigned pattern but not the same composition) but I use my right hand. I had never been able to draw or paint with my right hand."
"She has thoughts about what makes an interesting Zentangle and tries to communicate them through examples of her own work, that of guest artists, and suggestions. Unfortunately, her command of written English is poor enough that in several places I really didn't understand what she was trying to explain, including her suggestions for interesting Zentangles. In others, I was merely annoyed: she uses "transcend" when she means "transition" and calls established rules about what is a Zentangle "historic' or "traditional", which is a bit pretentious for an art less than ten years old. Several squoosh a couple of steps together, others are unclear as to which aspects of the example are basic to the tangle and which are just the artist's whimsy."
"This book takes you through one zentangle a day (as it says), with each drawing being just a little more difficult as the previous one."
"I bought myself a different Zentangle book but have now decided to order myself a copy of One Zentangle a Day."
The Handbook contains: 25 original tangle patterns with many variations divided into 5 sections from beginner to expert level.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Also, the designs are all different but have similar design elements from page to page so the lack of variety in the details might not appeal to some, Otherwise I love the book myself and highly recommend it."
"Who would have thought that my little doodles could really turn into a something besides a post it note scribble. If you are thinking about learning how to turn your post it note desk art into something beautiful this might be the book for you..maybe."
"Release the creative beast within you with this very unconventional book."
"Excellent book with easy-to-understand instructions and detail."
"So with this regards, Doodle Art is one of the best to have."
"There is a good variety of doodles and levels of difficulty, but favourite doodle style is speculo - it looks awesome :)."
"Love the instruction and inspiration with examples!"
"I have seen this book but would not pay $9.99 for a kindle book."
Topher Kearby explores the themes of heartbreak, love, happiness, wonder, and so much more through poetry, words, and art. Incredible book filled with all sorts of wonderful pieces!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Topher Kearby quickly became one of my favorite poets after finding him on Instagram."
"He stays out of the lines of the typical and invokes feelings that are not easily forgotten."
"Like poetry ON ART?!"
"Watercolor Words makes you feel and think."
"Its such a beautiful read."
"I absolutely loved this book!!!"
"A brilliant stringing together of words evoking emotion and touching both the light and the dark places of ones soul."
"I highly recommend this collection of art and poetry to everyone."
Best Printmaking in Graphic Design
A story-driven collection of essays on the twelve powerful phrases we use to sustain our relationships, from the New York Times bestselling author of Glitter and Glue and The Middle Place “Kelly Corrigan takes on all the big, difficult questions here, with great warmth and courage.”—Glennon Doyle. In her New York Times bestselling memoirs , Corrigan distilled our core relationships to their essences, showcasing a warm, easy storytelling style. “With full-bodied humor and radical sensitivity, Kelly Corrigan transforms the mundane pain of life into a necessary spiritual text of sorts, one that reminds us that we have the right to grieve but the obligation to be grateful. Advance praise for Tell Me More “ Tell Me More is a testament to the idea that the things we say matter, that our words have the power to comfort and uplift, empower and inspire. “With full-bodied humor and radical sensitivity, Kelly Corrigan transforms the mundane pain of life into a necessary spiritual text of sorts, one that reminds us that we have the right to grieve but the obligation to be grateful.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I fell in love with Corrigan in her memoir The Middle Place and although I've read her subsequent books since then, I haven't loved another of Corrigan's books as much as her first one until now."
"The author reflects on phrases we all use in life which are: - It's Like This. - Tell Me More. - I Don't Know. - I Know. - No. - Yes. - I Was Wrong. - Good Enough. - I Love You. - No Words at All. - Onward. - This Is It. For instance, in the "I Know" chapter, she reflects with raw emotion her relationship with Liz who she became very close to but who dies way too young."
"By the concluding pages of that essay, where Corrigan is herself settling in to what she realizes is her life (“It’s like this ... this is how [life] goes”), I realized these essays were going to be far more substantive (important, even) than I’d expected."
"These are the author's personal reflections as seen through 12 short things to say to loved ones. Also, one can go through an entire life avoiding these things in the context described. Even though events in her life are recounted, I found myself accessing my own life events in a similar way while in the book."
"On getting pregnant right after her honeymoon, she says, “I dragged Edward straight from the honeymoon right to the breeding shed.” It’s part memoir, a tiny bit how to, and all inspiration. It reminds me a bit of Erma Bombeck, with less humor and satire."
"The reader will be conscious how these phrases, each reflecting a particular attitude are helpful, but really, all that is just sort of a sideline here."
"Each of the twelve chapters in the book tell stories to illustrate her sayings."
Best Mosaic Arts
Discover the magic of mica powders and the regal look they can give to mosaics Learn quick and easy ways of adding paint to handcrafted and commercial tile See how easy it is to create molds and cast your own relief tiles Find ways to add personal meaning to your work with the addition of text tiles Experiment with the addition of beads, jewelry and other embellishments by embedding them right into the tile! Mika has also appeared on HGTV's Crafters Coast to Coast and the DIY network's Craft Lab , and has taught workshops at Artfest in Port Townsend, Washington, Art Unraveled in Phoenix, Arizona, and Art and Soul in Dallas.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In all, it's a great bible for polymer clay mosaics, and a really good resource on what materials work in what projects, and where to find them."
"If you are not looking for a mixed media book that is mostly polymer clay projects, then this is not for you."
"It is very clear and perfect for someone who has never worked with polymer clay before - as well as providing inspiration for those who have moved on to more advanced techniques."
"Highly recommend the book and the art of Laurie Mika.Mixed-Media Mosaics: Techniques and Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles, Beads & Other Embellishmentska."
"I personally do use a pasta maker to roll my clay, the thin tiles work just fine,I use a water based acrylic varnish and before stamping images into the clay, I "paint" on a little baking soda to eliminate sticking."
"I'd never been particularly interested in mosaics, even though I have extensively explored many of the various components on their own...stained glass, beadwork, polymer clay...I just never thought to put all of them together in this kind of expression."
"I love it!"
"Even seasoned artist will find this book to be a source for renewed and fresh ideas for projects and techniques."
Best Ceramic Arts
The Ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who "burned like a comet" in nineteenth-century Paris and Vienna society. Yet by the end of World War II, almost the only thing remaining of their vast empire was a collection of 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox. Ephrussi and his cosmopolitan family were imprisoned or scattered, and Hitler's theorist on the "Jewish question" appropriated their magnificent palace on the Ringstrasse. Amazon Best of the Month, September 2010 : At the heart of Edmund de Waal's strange and graceful family memoir, The Hare with Amber Eyes , is a one-of-a-kind inherited collection of ornamental Japanese carvings known as netsuke. He's also drawn to the story behind them, and for years he put aside his own work as a world-renowned potter and curator to uncover the rich and tragic family history of which the carvings are one of the few concrete legacies. Beginning with his art connoisseur ancestor Charles (a model for Proust's Swann), who acquired the netsuke during the European rage for Japonisme, de Waal traces the collection from Japan to Europe--where they were saved from the brutal bureaucracy of the Nazi Anschluss in the pockets of a family servant--and back to Japan and Europe again.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"His efforts with the innumerable German, Viennese and French words in de Waal's book go from bad to comically miserable to utterly mystifying."
"Instead of a predictable tale from Mitteleuropa about lost grandeur, the author takes a (slightly Proustian) shortcut that leads to unexpected and sometimes deeply moving places. One of the illustrious ancestors collected tiny but incredibly intricate Japanese carvings called netsuke used in early modern Japan as toggles for purse strings. Through this device, De Waal manages to both narrate the story of the rise and fall of the Ephrussi and also sketch the myriad objects they owned and collected during their century and a half of eminence."
"Having just completed this book, I feel so genuinely overwhelmed with a strange emotion and expect, that for the near future, my perception of life will be altered from what it was before."
"I read the paperback version, using Google to follow along when paintings/artists were mentioned: the fate of his mistress; the identification of the young JEWISH girls in Renoirs portraits, etc."
"This is the story of the author's amazing family history, which opens up art, architecture, and the history of the last 140 years in Paris, Vienna, and Japan. The book is also the story of his obsession with researching his family around the world."
Best Conceptual Arts
Save your marriage right now and get back to where you started when you first said "I Do" When you download Marriage: Save Your Marriage- The Secret to Intimacy and Communication Skills , your marriage and family life will improve every day! These essential steps transform the tumultuous times we all face in marriage into the building blocks to make a relationship stronger, not weaker.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is fantastic!"
"I especially liked when the book touched based on men and how they should show emotional support. This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to achieve a successful marriage by increasing the quality of your sex life. When I get married, I hope to apply all I have gathered while reading this book because it is an entire wealth of Knowledge."
"But opposite to what we envisioned before getting married, couple nowadays usually has a conflict with each other and later files complaint asking for legal separation or divorce wherein a sad thing to know."
"I read the 5 Love Languages before that and I find this book to outline in a more practical way how to actually use the 5 Love Languages and how to handle conflict better."
"It would actually help you in understanding each other better because it emphasizes on the differences between the love languages of the male and the female and how the husband and wife can support each other by understanding each others' needs and working on it, instead of trying to change their fundamental beliefs."
"This book tackles the most important ingredient in marriage: effective communication; it’s benefits and how to cultivate effective and healthy communication patterns. I have read my share of marriage books but I still find this book helpful in so many levels."
"A major reason why I really found this book worthwhile was because; it brought my attention to so many small facts and actions that seems to NOT help in my relationship."