LITMIR.BIZ

Written by an expert art teacher, this visual drawing dictionary offers thousands of instructive illustrations in alphabetical order — from abdomen to zodiac. Simplified for beginners and intermediate students, it presents a tremendous wealth of images: animals, people performing a variety of activities, and common and uncommon objects, including fruits and flowers, clothing, furniture, and much more.The twofold purpose of this manual is to demonstrate how to construct figures and objects using the «scaffold» forms depicted here, and to serve as a source of information and research. Many of the sketches show basic structures in their simplest elements. In other cases, a relatively complete drawing serves as a base for the display of a costume or demonstration of an activity. A guide to simplification and an essential reference, this book represents a vital resource for artists of all levels, amateur and professional.

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In this thought-provoking practical guide, a noted artist and educator demonstrates that learning to violate the rules of perspective (profitably) is as important for the practicing artist as learning the principles of perspective themselves. Only in this way can students free themselves from the constraints of tradition and find their own imaginative paths. However, it is vital that students first have a solid grasp of classical perspective before they can think about adapting it creatively.In presenting the principles of perspective drawing, Mr. Watson devotes a chapter each to step-by-step discussions of such topics as the picture plane, foreshortening and convergence, the circle, the cone, three-point perspective, universal perspective, figures in perspective, and much more. To illustrate his points he offers expert analysis of the works of such leading illustrators as John Atherton, V. Bobri, R. M. Chapin, Jr., Albert Dorne, Robert Fawcett, Constantin Guys, W. N. Hudson, Carl Roberts, Ben Stahl, and Aldren A. Watson, as well as drawings by Pieter de Hooch and Paul Cézanne. The result is a ground-breaking study that artists, illustrators, and draftsmen will find invaluable in learning to create works with convincing perspective.Ernest W. Watson taught at Pratt Institute for over 20 years, co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of the magazine American Artist, and co-founded the prestigious art publishing house of Watson-Guptill.

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This is D. V. Thompson's definitive English translation of Il Libro dell'Arte, an intriguing guide to methods of painting, written in fifteenth-century Florence. Embodying the secrets and techniques of the great masters, it served as an art student's introduction to the ways of his craft.Anyone who has ever looked at a medieval painting and marveled at the brilliance of color and quality of surface that have endured for 500 years should find this fascinating reading. It describes such lost arts as gilding stone, making mosaics of crushed eggshell, fashioning saints' diadems, coloring parchment, making goat glue, and regulating your life in the interests of decorum — which meant shunning women, the greatest cause of unsteady hands in artists. You are told how to make green drapery, black for monks' robes, trees and plants, oils, beards in fresco, and the proper proportions of a man's body. («I will not tell you about the irrational animals because you will never discover any system of proportion in them.») So practical are the details that readers might be tempted to experiment with the methods given here for their own amusement and curiosity.Today artists are no longer interested in specific directions on keeping miniver tails from becoming moth-eaten. The Craftsman's Handbook, in which these are ordinary parts of the artist's work, appears quaint and naïve to us. And that is much of its charm. But when we remember the magnificent mosaics, paintings, and frescoes these methods produced, the book takes on an even greater value as a touchstone to another age."Recommended to the student of art." — Craft Horizons."Obviously of great merit." — Art Material Trade News."Delightful flavor." — New York Herald Tribune.Recommended in Harvard List of Great Books on Art, Shaw's List of Books for College Libraries.

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Over thousands of years, the art of Chinese paintings has been refined into an exquisitely developed system of visual representation. But until the publication of this volume, there was no single source that bridged the gap between the philosophical and imitative methods of instruction. Alison Stilwell Cameron, daughter of famed World War II General Joseph Stilwell, spent her early childhood and teenage years in China where she studied under two renowned Chinese artists — Yu Fei-am and Prince P'u Ju of the imperial family. Having achieved wide recognition for her mastery of Chinese painting, she distilled her knowledge in this book, providing step-by-step instruction for those with no art training at all.Starting with an explanation of the physical tools of the art, she describes the basic strokes and the creation of Chinese characters before moving on to demonstrate the use of these strokes to represent trees, flowers, rocks, boats, insects, birds, and other subjects. These elements are then combined to produce finished Chinese paintings, «the kind of pleasing and satisfying pictures that thousands of amateurs have been producing in China for centuries.»Enhanced with hundreds of illustrations, including 36 in full color, this handsome volume also contains a chapter on the mounting process, a valuable bibliography, and an index. It is an invaluable guide to an art, which — once mastered — will not only delight viewing audiences but will bring satisfaction throughout the artist's lifetime.

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At the turn of the twentieth century, Arthur Wesley Dow literally «wrote the book» on composition—and this is it! Dow's Composition exercised an enormous influence on emerging modern artists of a century ago. A thought-provoking examination of the nature of visual representation, it remains ever-relevant to all the visual arts.A well-known painter and printmaker, Dow taught for many years at Columbia University and acted as a mentor to countless young artists, including Georgia O'Keeffe. His text, presented in a workbook format, offers teachers and students a systematic approach to composition. It explores the creation of freely constructed images based on harmonic relations between lines, colors, and dark and light patterns. The author draws upon the traditions of Japanese art to discuss a theory of «flat» formal equilibrium as an essential component of pictorial creation. Practical and well-illustrated, this classic guide offers valuable insights into modern design.

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Anyone who has mastered the art of writing can learn to draw, according to this accomplished artist and author of several fine art books. Confident that most people have the ability to express themselves artistically once they have acquired the right techniques, Richmond offers his tried-and-true methods of drawing and composition in this easy-to-follow guide."The short road to success" begins with a brush. Richmond advises novices to forego the use of a pencil, since it demands a higher degree of accuracy than the beginner possesses. When a brush is used, the ink glides over the paper easily and is more likely to bring desired results. Starting with simple lines and curves, then moving on to various elements—from clouds and trees to castles and cottages—Richmond offers exercises to train the eyes and hand to work together. In step-by-step pictorial sequences, he effectively illustrates how to construct a successful landscape, offers tips on perspective—and even uses several great works of art for lessons in composition. Invaluable for students and teachers, this guide will help artists at every level bring landscapes to life.

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The author of this superb guide was not only a renowned watercolor painter but also a brilliant teacher with an unmatched talent for conveying to his students the techniques and aesthetic philosophy underlying great paintings. Years after becoming award-winning painters themselves, his students still quote his «Whitneyisms» to remind themselves of all that is most important in creating art. This fine guide, the distillation of Edgar Whitney's teaching, is one of the most useful, comprehensive, and popular watercolor painting books every published — almost a cult classic. Starting with the nuts-and-bolts basics — including choice of paper, colors, palette, and brushes — and with exercises to give the beginner experience in using washes on both dry and wet paper, the book presents a full course of watercolor painting. The author gives specific, detailed instructions for creating landscapes and for painting portraits and figures — instructions that come vividly to life in two 16-page full-color sections showing the steps involved in creatiang seven of his own watercolors. Other chapters focus on drawing; the principles and elements of design; and matting, framing, and selling completed works of art. Beautifully designed and illustrated, this invaluable book will be treasured by all watercolorists — from complete beginners to experienced painters looking for ways to improve their own paintings.

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This concise guide features easy-to-follow steps for capturing the natural beauty and magnificence of trees. Over 100 illustrations spotlight dozens of different varieties, including Oak, Willow, Pine, and Palmetto. Topics include shading techniques, composition, portraying shadow and light, and approaches to outlining.Author and illustrator Victor Perard, a graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, was an art instructor at New York City's Cooper Union for twenty years. This informative volume reflects his extensive teaching experience and provides practical advice for artists at every level.

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Students, designers, and craftspeople who want to create their own abstract patterns and designs will find this profusely illustrated guide one of the best books available on the subject. After an introductory chapter dealing with the geometric basis of design, the author goes on to discuss implements and their use (T-square, compass, dividers, ruling pen, etc.), borders, textile patterns, nature study, and treatment.Over 380 illustrations include many diagrams, designs for title pages, border patterns, allover patterns, textile patterns, and historical examples from an extraordinary number of cultures and periods: Assyrian stone carvings, Greek and Roman jewelry, 18th-century English silverwork, and more. Thorough and comprehensive, Abstract Design and How to Create It will be an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to learn the principles and techniques of creating nonrepresentative designs.

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The invention in the late eighteenth century of lithography, or «writing on stone,» reshaped the course of graphic arts. Some years later, the father of this world-changing technology, Alois Senefelder, published a description of the process. This English translation of the original German work, Vollständiges Lehrbuch der Steindruckerey, vividly describes Senefelder's struggles to develop and popularize the medium and the lithographic techniques employed in the process. The work is divided into two parts: the first presents a history of the invention and its different processes; the second provides practical instructions for its application—the varieties of stone, ink, instruments, paper, and presses used for different tasks, and the pitfalls to be avoided in working with these materials. An essential reference for graphic artists and students, the classic 1819 treatise remains the definitive work on this topic.

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