Heiner Hertling, PBS host of Your Brush with Nature, shares his painting secrets in this lighthearted, easy-to-follow book. From art students to teachers, beginners to pros, Heiner guides his readers and gives them the tools and confidence needed to awaken their creative talents.

Make nature inspired masterpieces with this friendly all-in-one guide to gouache. From ferns and flowers to seascapes and songbirds, create charming paintings alongside popular designer and illustrator Clare Therese Gray. This book is packed with stunning illustrations accompanied by detailed instructions so that readers can enjoy each step of the way in creating their own painted masterpieces. You will learn to capture the world around you with Clare’s signature, whimsical style, ideal for gifts, invitations, greeting cards and more. Paint woodland mushrooms, beautiful botanicals or calming pastel landscapes; each project is broken into simple steps so you can enjoy the process and let go of perfection. Similar to watercolor yet easier to control, gouache is a fun and approachable medium for artists of any skill level. You’ll find 25 unique tutorials for creating enchanting relaxing artwork. Pieces are organized from beginner—like a jam jar of wildflowers—to advanced—like a twilight owl scene—so you can grow in confidence and expertise as you paint through each chapter. The book includes a thorough introductory section covering everything you need to get started: choosing and mixing colors, handling paint, selecting brushes and mastering basic techniques. Let your creativity soar from riverbed to treetop and beyond with this gorgeous guide to gouache.

This poignant debut novel in verse is a portrait of healing, as a young girl rediscovers life and the soothing power of nature after being freed from her abusive father. For most of her life, Lacey has been a prisoner without even realizing it. Her dad rarely let her, her little sister, or her mama out of his sight. But their situation changes suddenly and dramatically the day her grandparents arrive to help them leave. It’s the beginning of a different kind of life for Lacey, and at first she has a hard time letting go of her dad’s rules. Gradually though, his hold on her lessens, and her days become filled with choices she’s never had before. Now Lacey can take pleasure in sketching the world as she sees it in her nature journal. And as she spends more time outside making things grow and creating good memories with family and friends, she feels her world opening up and blossoming into something new and exciting.

In straightforward text complemented by step-by-step illustrations, dozens of exercises lead the hand and mind through creating accurate reproductions of plants and animals as well as landscapes, skies, and more. Laws provides clear, practical advice for every step of the process for artists at every level, from the basics of choosing supplies to advanced techniques.

The enduring influence of naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt on American art, culture, and politics Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) was one of the most influential scientists and thinkers of his age. A Prussian-born geographer, naturalist, explorer, and illustrator, he was a prolific writer whose books graced the shelves of American artists, scientists, philosophers, and politicians. Humboldt visited the United States for six weeks in 1804, engaging in a lively exchange of ideas with such figures as Thomas Jefferson and the painter Charles Willson Peale. It was perhaps the most consequential visit by a European traveler in the young nation's history, one that helped to shape an emerging American identity grounded in the natural world. In this beautifully illustrated book, Eleanor Jones Harvey examines how Humboldt left a lasting impression on American visual arts, sciences, literature, and politics. She shows how he inspired a network of like-minded individuals who would go on to embrace the spirit of exploration, decry slavery, advocate for the welfare of Native Americans, and extol America's wilderness as a signature component of the nation's sense of self. Harvey traces how Humboldt's ideas influenced the transcendentalists and the landscape painters of the Hudson River School, and laid the foundations for the Smithsonian Institution, the Sierra Club, and the National Park Service. Alexander von Humboldt and the United States looks at paintings, sculptures, maps, and artifacts, and features works by leading American artists such as Albert Bierstadt, George Catlin, Frederic Church, and Samuel F. B. Morse. Published in association with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC Exhibition Schedule Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC September 18, 2020–January 3, 2021

Conversations with Nature is designed to be an illuminating guide to a classic medium and the most popular, universal subject: landscape painting. Most importantly, this book will teach you how to see as an artist. You'll learn to create alluring landscapes bathed with light, engulfed in air, and presented from nature's own shapes, patterns,and colors. Plein air paintingImpressionismOil PaintingLandscape paintingOil painting suppliesKevin MacphersonNatureArtistFine ArtistLandscapesArt BookInstructional Art Book

Begin your voyage into this ancient style of watercolor painting with this georgeous introduction. Learn everything you need to know, from the essential materials and techniques to mounting a completed painting. A selection of classic motifs, freom enchanting flowers to captivating creatures, is accompanied by informative and inspirational textt that guides you through the creative process. With this unique and accesible approach, anyone can experience The Ch'i of the Brush.

Paint with passion, purpose and pleasure What do you want your landscape painting to say about this place, this moment? How do you use the visual vocabulary - line, shape, value, color, edges - to say it? With this book, your conversation with nature will direct your brush. With an exhilarating, synergistic combination of indoor and outdoor painting, Kevin Macpherson shows you how to create personal, poetic landscapes that capture the feeling of being there. Learn how to: • Use a limited palette in a way that is more liberating than limiting • Experience nature to the fullest and capture its vibrancy back in the studio through photos, sketches and outdoor studies • Cope with the fleeting qualities of atmosphere and light by establishing a value plan early and sticking with it • Incorporate impressionistic touches of broken color to give your landscape a depth and vibrancy that enhances its realism • Approach painting as a layering and corrective process that encourages non-formulaic solutions Stimulating warm-up exercises in the studio prepare you for your adventures outside, while eight step-by-step demonstrations show you how to put these methods into action. Throughout, Macpherson's own light-filled landscapes illustrate the power of these techniques. Full of fresh air and fresh art, Landscape Painting Inside and Out will guide and encourage beginners while challenging more accomplished artists to bring greater vitality and a more natural, less formulaic finish to their paintings.

Capture the Natural World with Vibrant Works of Art Nature illustrator Rosalie Haizlett has hiked through countless forests with her sketchbook and watercolors, documenting the plants, animals and landscapes that she encounters. She has also taught tens of thousands of students to paint and appreciate nature’s beauty through her popular online classes and in-person workshops. In this book, Rosalie provides step-by-step instruction on how to paint 20 realistic insects, fungi, birds, botanicals and mammals in her vibrant wet- on-dry watercolor style. Pick up the skills you need to become a better observer in the outdoors, take your own reference photos and paint a wide variety of subjects so that you can continue to draw inspiration from nature long after you finish the projects in this book. You’ll also learn some fun nature facts along the way! Whether you’re a total beginner or ready to take your skills to the next level, Rosalie is here to walk you through every step of the process.

Immersed in the natural world, The Organic Artist for Kids inspires creativity by connecting kids and their adults to our wilderness roots. In addition to offering a wide variety of fun, collaborative projects using nature as a source for art supplies and inspiration, this book also introduces the concepts of awareness and perception that are fundamental to the creative process. Children will be encouraged to learn new skills, build resilience, and be resourceful as part of an urgent struggle to prevent and undo Nature Deficit Disorder. Rooted in experimentation and an understanding that fun is fundamental to learning, kids will refine their drawing skills, as well as increase their appreciation for the visual arts and the natural landscape. Just some of the projects and skills covered include: Making pens and wild inks Making paint from stones and rocks Crafting your own paintbrushes Making simple stencils and rubbings The Organic Artist for Kids encourages you to return to the days when art was made with all-natural materials like charcoal and birch bark.