A photographer/designer encourages painters to use their digital cameras as part of their painting process. The book illustrates how the camera and the human eye are alike and yet different. Rather than a deep dive into camera functionality, the author points to the several functions that are important to a painter. White balance and its relationship to painting is also discussed. The book is amply illustrated with examples of the author's paintings and the photos from which they were painted.

A unique system for jump-starting artistic creativity, encouraging experimentation and growth, and increasing sales for artists of all levels, from novices to professionals. Have you landed in a frustrating rut? Are you having trouble selling paintings in galleries, getting bogged down by projects you can’t seem to finish or abandon, or finding excuses to avoid working in the studio? Author Carol Marine knows exactly how you feel—she herself suffered from painter’s block, until she discovered “daily painting.” The idea is simple: do art (usually small) often (how often is up to you), and if you’d like, post and sell it online. Soon you’ll find that your block dissolves and you’re painting work you love—and more of it than you ever thought possible! With her encouraging tone and useful exercises, Marine teaches you to: -Master composition and value -Become confident in any medium including oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolors, and other media -Choose subjects wisely -Stay fresh and loose -Photograph, post, and sell your art online -Become connected to the growing movement of daily painters around the world

Margaret Evans shows how to blend and work with pastels, using their soft velvety tones and subtle changes of colour to reflect the beauty of flowers in the landscape, in gardens and in still life studies. Both drawing and painting techniques can be applied, creating stunning effects with light, shade, varied textures and detail.

Transform your photographs into stunning works of art with this fully updated, authoritative guide to the all-new Painter 12. Whether you are new to Painter or a seasoned pro wanting to go further with your digital art, Painter 12 for Photographers will show you how to get the most of Corel's powerful painting software. Starting with the basics and moving on to cover brushes, textures, cloning, toning, and other effects, Martin Addison will help you master the techniques needed to transform photographs into beautiful painterly images. Packed with vivid images to illustrate what can be achieved with the right skills and know-how, Painter 12 for Photographers will inspire you to get creative with your photographs.

Assembled from the wisdom of 36 legendary art teachers – all of them artists or critics at the top of their field – Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life is an ideal curriculum for the aspiring artist. Each of the book’s "tutors" has provided a unique lesson that aims to provoke, inspire and stimulate the aspiring artist. These lessons cover some combination of the following: technical advice (e.g. don’t make a sculpture bigger than your studio door), assignments (some of which will take five minutes to complete, others five years), tips for avoiding creative ruts (including suggestions for mind‐expanding materials to read, watch or listen to), principles of careful looking (demonstrated with images of artworks, photographs, films or even billboard advertisements), advice on the daily practice of art (how to balance time alone in the studio with building an artistic community), career pointers (how to prepare for a studio visit from a curator or gallerist) and personal anecdotes (e.g. stories from the instructor’s own humble beginnings). Taken together, these lessons offer the reader a set of tools for thinking, seeing and living as an artist. Not only is Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life the first illustrated text book of its kind for artists, but it will also appeal to anyone interested in contemporary art, providing first hand revelations into the philosophies and techniques of some of the world’s best artists and writers.

Rachel Lyon's first novel – soon to be made into a major motion picture starring Zoë Kravitz and Thomasin McKenzie Lu Rile is a relentlessly focused young photographer struggling to make ends meet. Working three jobs, and worrying that the crumbling warehouse she lives in is being sold to developers, she is at a point of desperation. Until, by pure chance, Lu discovers she’s captured a tragedy in the background of a self portrait; a boy falling to his death. The photograph turns out to be the best work of art she’s ever made. It’s an image that could change her life – if she lets it. Set in early 90s Brooklyn on the brink of gentrification, Self-Portrait with Boy is a provocative commentary about the emotional dues that must be paid on the road to success. ‘Beautifully imagined and flawlessly executed’ Joyce Carol Oates ‘A sparkling debut’ New York Times Book Review

“There are more than 50 creative prompts for the artist (or artist at heart) to explore. Take the title of this book as affirmation, and get started.” —Fast Company More than 50 assignments, ideas, and prompts to expand your world and help you make outstanding new things to put into it Curator Sarah Urist Green left her office in the basement of an art museum to travel and visit a diverse range of artists, asking them to share prompts that relate to their own ways of working. The result is You Are an Artist, a journey of creation through which you'll invent imaginary friends, sort books, declare a cause, construct a landscape, find your band, and become someone else (or at least try). Your challenge is to filter these assignments through the lens of your own experience and make art that reflects the world as you see it. You don't have to know how to draw well, stretch a canvas, or mix a paint color that perfectly matches that of a mountain stream. This book is for anyone who wants to make art, regardless of experience level. The only materials you'll need are what you already have on hand or can source for free. Full of insights, techniques, and inspiration from art history, this book opens up the processes and practices of artists and proves that you, too, have what it takes to call yourself one. You Are an Artist brings together more than 50 assignments gathered from some of the most innovative creators working today, including Sonya Clark, Michelle Grabner, The Guerrilla Girls, Fritz Haeg, Pablo Helguera, Nina Katchadourian, Toyin Ojih Odutola, J. Morgan Puett, Dread Scott, Alec Soth, Gillian Wearing, and many others.

Liberate Your Creativity with Acrylic Paints! Acrylic Revolution is your essential, all-in-one guide for acrylic painting techniques and more. It features over 101 ways to break through the boundaries of conventional painting and re-define the creative potential of this all-purpose medium. Every page provides insight on how to use acrylic paint in ways you never thought possible to create stunning visual effects and textures. Ten complete sections detail a range of empowering applications, including how to: • Prepare and paint on virtually any surface • Create textures of all kinds • Work with transfers, collage, resists and mixed media • Achieve innovative stenciling and line work • Customize your paint to adjust thickness, transparency and drying time • Simulate other mediums, such as oil, tempera or watercolor • Create faux finishes, magical effects, sheens and more To give you additional insight and inspiration, this book features a gallery of finished works by fellow painting revolutionaries that blend various acrylic techniques to create amazing effects. You'll also find practical advice that covers the basics and beyond—from selecting materials and cleaning your brushes to finishing and preserving your artwork. There's even a complete glossary of terms for fast and easy referencing. Pick up a brush and start your own acrylic revolution today! Use the techniques in this book to free your creative spirit and create the paintings you've always dreamed of.

Photo Quest - Discovering Your Photographic & Artistic Voice is a sequel to Rick Sammon's internationally best-selling book, Photo Therapy Motivation and Wisdom - discovering the power of pictures. This book, Rick's 41st, was written for photographers, as well as for all types of artists - because the lessons and philosophies on these pages are universal to all creatives. Like Photo Therapy, Photo Quest includes only words of wisdom motivation and inspiration. There are no photographs in this book. Rick says there are two reasons for not including photographs (unlike his 40 other books and 18 online classes that are richly illustrated with hundreds of photographs from his travels around the world): "One, I want you to slow down and read the text carefully; Two, I want you to think about your photography and art when you are reading about an idea or technique - and not be distracted by my colorful images." Rick Sammon has assembled an all-star team of photo and creative mentors for this important book - a team that offers advice and insight on finding one's photographic and artist voice. As Rick says, "You'd be hard pressed to find this much talent between the covers of one photography book." This list of contributors reads like a "Who's Who" in the world of photography in 2020. These pros include Erin Babnick, Martin Baily, Richard Bernabe, Steve Brazill, Jeff Cable, Tony Corbell, Patricia Davidson, Dave DeBaermaeker, Ron Clifford, Ed Cooley, Unmsh Dinda, Frank Doorhof, Piper Mackay, Scott Kelby, Karen Hutton, Don Komarechka, Ian Plant, Trey Ratcliff, Art Wolfe - and more! If you are in search of becoming a more creative photographer, and not just ways of taking better pictures (there is a big difference), you have come to the right place. And if you are thinking about "changing lanes" - changing your career or making creative changes in your life - this book is for you. On these pages you will learn about (in chapter titles of the same name): Finding Your Superpower and Inner Voice, Your Secret Weapon, Idea to Image, Specializing or Not Specializing, The Rollercoaster Ride of Creatives, The Importance of Your Conversation, Changing Lanes, Creating a Sense of Mystery, Photography & The Death of Reality, Know Your Audience & Build Your Brand - and more. Each of the 22 chapters in the book ends with a Mission - an assignment - that will help you on your personal photo quest, which Rick feels will be one of the most rewarding adventures in your photographic and artistic life. This book is also filled with dozens of inspirational quotes relating to photographs and all artists. Here is one of Rick's favorites: An artist cannot fail; it is a success to be one. - Charles Cooley

Fresh new ways to create fabulous paintings with mixed media techniques! Acrylic Solutions provides the "hows" behind a multitude of effects you've admired in other artists' works--and then some! Based on the popular online teaching collaboration of Chris Cozen and Julie Prichard, this book illustrates a wealth of layering methods and techniques. Mix and match to achieve countless variations, building layer upon layer to create unique and wonderfully complex abstract art. • Learn more than 30 step-by-step techniques for developing texture and visual interest, including collage, monoprinting, carving, color blocking, paint skins, raised stencils, glazing and so much more. • Chapters explore the phases of a multi-layered painting, from surface preparation through adding structure, developing complexity and adding finishing touches. • Follow the development of two paintings as each layer adds to the finished result, with tons of additional artwork throughout. • Gain insight on how to make paints, mediums and grounds work for you. Embracing a spirit of freedom and spontaneity, Acrylic Solutions is a stimulating guide for contemporary artists of any skill level. Beginners will learn how to make visually compelling paintings from start to finish, while more experienced artists will find the tools and inspiration to take their work to the next level.