(English/Japanese Bilingual version)In old Tokyo, known as "Edo" during the early modern period, fashion snaps and entertainment magazines came in the form of "Ukiyo-e" ("pictures of the floating world"). There were many Ukiyo-e shops in Edo, which sold various woodblock prints, just as news agents or book shops sell magazines or posters today. Each Ukiyo-e print was sold individually to customers, who bought these beautifully printed sheets of paper to learn the most up-to-date trends of the day, and who also sometimes enjoyed them as artworks or as interior decor by displaying them on their walls.Following the success of Cats by Kuniyoshi and Surprise! by Kuniyoshi, this new title showcases 60 art reproductions of various animals featured in the woodblock prints of the outstanding Ukiyo-e master UTAGAWA Kuniyoshi (1792-1892). Sparrows, foxes, whales, goldfishes, octopus and many other animals are depicted humorously and satirically alongside human subjects.For added interest, each of the 60 prints can be removed easily, offering today's readers a fun and authentic way to appreciate Ukiyo-e. The simple, yet unique, design on the back side of each page offers readers even more creative ideas.

In this comprehensive, 32-page book, accomplished artist Debra Kauffman Yaun shares her artistic insights and techniques for creating strikingly realistic animal drawings in colored pencil. The book opens with essential information on choosing tools and materials, understanding color theory, and creating basic pencil strokes. It then covers special colored pencil techniques, such as hatching, burnishing, layering, and blending. Finally, the author demonstrates how to accurately depict an assortment of adorable animals––including favorite family pets, wildlife, and birds––in a series of clear, step-by-step lessons. In-depth, easy-to-follow instructions allow aspiring artists to develop their drawing skills, guiding them from simple sketches to the final flourishes.

A whimsically illustrated collection of fascinating, surprising, and funny facts about extinct animals. In this beautifully illustrated book, Swedish artist and author of The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts, Maja Säfström, explores the world of extinct animals. Animals of a Bygone Era features 54 extinct animals from the ancient and modern world--including well-known examples such as wooly mammoths and dodo birds, as well as lesser-known (but no less fascinating) animals like semiaquatic sea minks, marsupial Tasmanian tigers, and tiny Eurasian wild horses.

A fantastic visual voyage into the world of animals, both real and imagined. There is no end to the diverse and unique creatures that Terryl Whitlatch creates for us with her solid knowledge of anatomy and boundless imagination. Especially intriguing are the 100s of anatomical notes that are dispersed among her sketches, educating and enlightening us to the foundation of living bodies and their mechanics.

A fantastic visual voyage into the world of animals, both real and imagined. There is no end to the diverse and unique creatures that Terryl Whitlatch creates for us with her solid knowledge of anatomy and boundless imagination. Especially intriguing are the 100s of anatomical notes that are dispersed among her sketches, educating and enlightening us to the foundation of living bodies and their mechanics.

Microbial marvels Ernst Haeckel, the 19th-century pioneer who captured the artistic beauty of the natural world Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919) was a German-born biologist, naturalist, evolutionist, artist, philosopher, and doctor, who spent his life researching flora and fauna from the highest mountaintops to deepest ocean. A vociferous supporter and developer of Darwin’s theories of evolution, he denounced religious dogma, abandoned an early career in medicine, authored philosophical treatises, gained a doctorate in zoology, and coined scientific terms which have passed into common usage, including ecology, phylum, and stem cell. Haeckel’s colossal legacy has fascinated, confounded, and polarized generations. But what was at the heart of his extraordinary life’s work? Rather like his intellectual forebear, Alexander von Humboldt, Haeckel was motivated not only to discover but also to explain. To do this, he created hundreds of detailed drawings, watercolors, and sketches of his findings which he published in successive volumes during the 20th century, including several marine organism collections and the majestic Kunstformen der Natur (Art Forms in Nature), which could serve as the cornerstone of Haeckel’s entire life project. Like a meticulous visual encyclopedia of living things, Haeckel’s work was as remarkable for its graphic precision and meticulous shading as for its understanding of organic evolution and cellular development. From bats to the box jellyfish, lizards to lichen, and spider legs to sea anemones, he emphasized the essential symmetries and order of nature, and found biological beauty in even the most unlikely of creatures. The prints not only furthered the study of natural history but also influenced generations of 20th-century artists and architects, from the emerging proponents of Art Nouveau to architects such as Hendrik Petrus Berlage, whose Amsterdam Commodities Exchange was inspired by Haeckel’s illustrations. In this book, we celebrate the scientific, artistic, and environmental importance of Haeckel’s work, with a collection of prints from several of his most important tomes on marine biology, including Die Radiolarien, Monographie der Medusen, Die Kalkschwämme: eine Monographie, and Kunstformen der Natur. At a time when biodiversity is increasingly threatened by human activities, the book is at once a visual masterwork, an underwater exploration, and a vivid reminder of the precious variety of life.

These radiant images from the renowned 19th-century biologist and illustrator Ernst Haeckel, featuring marine microorganisms, will enthrall fans of his previous collections and garner renewed attention for Haeckel's unparalleled artistry. From jewelry designers to scientists, graphic artists to naturalists, the range of people inspired by Ernst Haeckel's illustrations continues to grow. Following up on Prestel's books Art Forms in Nature and Art Forms from the Ocean, this new collection features startlingly beautiful images created by Haeckel for the report of the HMS Challenger expedition, which circumnavigated the world from 1872-76, discovering and cataloging nearly 5,000 new species from the depths of Earth's oceans. Full page reproductions bring these organisms colorfully to life, drawing readers into a world at once hypnotic and highly ordered. Divided into three sections; Siphonophores, Medusae, and Radiolarians. These illustrations display Haeckel's remarkable artistic skill and understanding of the architecture of organic matter. The authors provide a brief history of the Challenger expedition, background on Haeckel's scientific and artistic accomplishments, as well as informative texts on each group of organisms. A guide to the natural world and an inspiration to artists of every stripe, this collection of Haeckel's work is a fitting tribute to a 19th-century genius.--

Art Journey Animals is the first-ever compendium of the most soulful and inspiring animal and wildlife artworks, culled from the winners of North Light's popular competition-books series. More than 100 hand-selected drawings and paintings by a wide variety of top contemporary artists have been carefully curated to capture the wonder of nature, from the family room to the farm and the sea to the savanna. The best of the best masterworks from AcrylicWorks, Splash, Strokes of Genius and INCITE have been compiled into this gorgeous, oversized full-color book, which includes observations into the texture, innovation, style and significance of each piece. Accompanying in-depth interviews with the artists offer meaningful insights into nature, the creative process and the human condition. "I hope to bring the viewer into a more intimate view and greater connection with the animal, and through that animal, with themselves." --Heather A. Mitchell, Shepherd Pause

Inventing American Still Life, 1800?1960, offers a fresh look at the myriad ways that American artists of the 19th and 20th centuries?both familiar names and recently rediscovered artists?approached the subject of still-life painting. A stunning array of works, some never before published, are beautifully illustrated in more than 250 color images. Four thematic essays address the connections between still life and other aspects of American culture, including literature and philosophy; the intersection of still-life painting, natural-history illustration, and commercial photography; the Philadelphia region’s defining impact and lasting influence on American still life; and the reception of still life by American critics and art historians from its earliest days to the present. Among the works featured are Raphaelle Peale’s celebrated Blackberries (c. 1813), Severin Roesen’s majestic Flower Still Life with Bird’s Nest (1853), William Michael Harnett’s landmark trompe l’oeil painting After the Hunt (1885), and Charles Sheeler’s modern masterpiece Rolling Power (1939).

The Art of Botanical & Bird Illustration is a guide for contemporary artists aspiring to master shape, color, and texture and render beautiful, realistic, and vibrant botanical artwork! An expert botanical artist educates you about the tools and materials traditionally used in botanical illustration, including pencils, colored pencils, watercolor, gouache, and pastels. This thorough yet easily digestible guide includes overviews of key illustration techniques and basic color theory and mixing and is loaded with exercises designed to help you learn to see shape, value, and form. By learning to understand plant life and anatomy, you can craft elegant flowers, leaves, trees, and much more in no time! To bring it all together, The Art of Botanical & Bird Illustration includes step-by-step demonstrations to follow along with as you practice taking sketches and transforming them into fully rendered, colorful pieces of fine art.