A collection of stark and sophisticated black-and-white images created with x-ray technology features such subjects as a Boeing 777, an mp3 player's circuitboards, and a translucent daffodil, in a computer-enhanced volume that reveals the unlikely beauty within everyday objects. 20,000 first printing.

A richly illustrated, in-depth overview of relatively new field of video art offers a detailed history of the medium from 1965 to the present day, discussing the technology involved, its creative use of artistic concepts and theories, its primary practitioners, and more. 10,000 first printing.

Learn to draw amazingly realistic portraits in seven easy stages This book is the perfect guide for creating lifelike representations of the human head in graphite. Experienced artist Lance Richlin begins by explaining drawing tools and materials, shading techniques, and the important anatomical structures of the head. Following these basics, he shows how to light the subject, block in and render each feature of the face, and address a variety of expressions-from subtle smiles to toothy grins. Then he guides the reader through four impressive projects, showing how to develop a lifelike head drawing in seven simple stages: the lay-in, plumb lines, volume, outline, tonal pattern, value, and finishing. Readers also will find an in-depth troubleshooting section to help them identify and solve any problems that lessen the realism and accuracy of their drawings. In an age full of technological shortcuts, this book emphasizes drawing from life and seeks to preserve the methods of the old masters.

This book of the grotesque creatures who love to torment unsuspecting humans--and most of whom starred in the movie Labyrinth--features detailed illustrations and humorous tales depicting the goblins' mind and spirit.

Subverted signs, spontaneous drawings, powerful monolithic symbols, and curious characters represent a worldwide outdoor gallery of free contemporary art. Graffiti art is constantly changing. Fresh coats of paint and newly pasted posters appear overnight in cities across the world. New artists, new ideas, and new tactics displace faded images in a perpetual process of renewal and metamorphosis. From Los Angeles to Barcelona, Stockholm to Tokyo, Melbourne to Milan, wall spaces are a breeding ground for graphic and typographic forms as artists unleash their daily creations. Current graffiti art is reflective of the world around it. Using new materials and techniques, its innovators are creating a language of forms and images infused with contemporary graphic design and illustration. Fluent in branding and graphic imagery, they have been replacing tags with more personal logos and shifting from typographic to iconographic forms of communication. Street Logos is a worldwide celebration of these new developments in twenty-first-century graffiti, an essential sourcebook for all art and design professionals, and a delight to everyone excited by the vitality of the street. 423 color illustrations.

“More street artists are turning to stencil art’s speed, efficiency, and neatness as a means of expression. All it takes is a piece of cardboard, an X-Acto knife, and a can of spray paint to pose an idea or tell a story with the potential to change the gait of pedestrians and make them stop and think.”—San Francisco Weekly Without a doubt, stencils are the fastest, easiest, and cheapest method for painting an image on a wall, a sidewalk, or practically anywhere. Stencil Nation focuses on the unexpected mix of this lively, accessible medium—from famous artists including Banksy to international street stencils and gallery shows—to reveal engaging aspects of an intentionally secretive creative community. With dynamically illustrated perspectives from the niches of the art form, female artists, documentarians, and the growing online community of the international scene are featured in this fresh collection of photographs and essays curated by StencilArchive.org’s founder, Russell Howze. New artists, often utilizing stencil art in unconventional ways, are also featured. Stencil Nation also represents the art of lesser-known urban scenes, including Poland, Romania, and Israel. Additionally, Stencil Nation builds upon previous published works to give the most extensive and up-to-date history of stencil art, as well as how-to tips from the artists themselves. Russell Howze is the curator of StencilArchive.org. He lives in San Francisco.

Art and Spiritual Transformation presents a seven-stage journey of transformation from the darkened soul to the light of spiritual illumination, revealing the primal role of art in liberating the soul. Includes a meditation practice to experience the spiritual energy in art.

At the same time Andy Warhol was changing American art in New York City, Lillian Colton, owner of the Cinderella Clip ’n’ Curl in Owatonna, Minnesota, launched her own version of pop art. From her patient hands, practiced at embroidering linens and crocheting lace, came captivating portraits of Jesus, Elvis, Oprah, Lady Diana, Clinton, and Prince, intricately rendered in timothy, bromegrass, canola, poppy seeds, salsify, alsike, bird’s-foot trefoil, grits, and wild rice. Seed Queen brings to light the story of this crop artist extraordinaire—how she developed her matchless aesthetic by merging rural traditions from her childhood on a farm with a love of Hollywood movies, training as a hairstylist, and skills in drawing and painting—and the larger story of crop art as it has evolved over time. This lively illustrated volume features dozens of color images of Colton’s crop art and of the work of those she has continued to inspire since she took home the blue ribbon for her portrait of Nixon at the 1969 Minnesota State Fair. Countless artists have taken the genre in new directions in recent years, opening up the pantheon of the famous, taking on political issues, and satirizing those in power—all through the meticulous positioning of thousands of individual seeds. Colleen Sheehy is the director of education at the Weisman Art Museum and teaches art history at the University of St. Thomas.

Speel, an independent expert and enthusiast of painted enamel artwork, discusses the long history of this medium and how methods of enamelling have changed over the years. Using over 80 photographs and illustrations, the author examines details of the artwork, covering such topics as painting miniatures, photographic transfers to enamel and the pioneering work done at the Limoges School. This large, thorough study should be of interest to anyone who appreciates enamel art. Distributed in the US by Ashgate. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)