Chinese brush painting is an ancient art steeped in history symbolism & ritual & closely linked to Chinese calligraphy. This beautifully illustrated book takes you on a journey through the history techniques & materials that will enable you to produce stunning paintings of flowers birds animals & landscapes. Written by a respected artist & teacher it covers traditional techniques as well as more recent innovative ideas & reveals the beauty & mastery behind this art. ...

The modern world can get messy. Fortunately Swiss artist Ursus Wehrli is a man of obsessive order as he demonstrates with eye-catching surprise in The Art of Clean Up. Already a bestseller in Germany this compulsive title has sold more than 100 000 copies in less than a year & the fastidiously arranged images have garnered blog love from NPR Brain Pickings swissmiss & more. Tapping into the desire for organization & the insanity of uber-order Wehrli humorously categorizes everyday objects & situations by color size & shape. He arranges alphabet soup into alphabetical order sorts the night sky by star size & aligns sunbathers accoutrements--all captured in bright photographs sure to astonish even the pickiest of neat freaks. ...

A small practical handbook on choosing & mixing colours successfully. It shows how to create the maximum colour range from the minimum number of paints. The authors address watercolours acrylics & oils showing how to mix blend & dilute in order to achieve a range of effects. ...

Every day we use our mobiles & computers to communicate but ironically we are losing touch with face-to-face talk. Catherine Blyth reveals the endless possibilities of conversation & shows that when it works it can come close to heaven. With examples from Elizabeth I to Tommy Cooper courtesans to nomads The Art of Conversation is full of tips on listening the perfect handshake talking shop & surviving conversational bores. Be it sharing a joke with a stranger sparking a new idea or just letting off steam with a friend there are infinite adventures to be had if you break the ice & say hello.. . ...

Alain Passard is chef who astonished the food world in 2001 by removing red meat from his three-Michelin-starred Paris restaurant LArpege & dedicating himself to cooking with vegetables supplied exclusively from his own organic farm. Today LArpege is widely acknowledged as one of the worlds great restaurants while its visionary owner has inspired a new generation of chefs. Here is a collection of forty-eight wonderful recipes illustrated with Alain Passards own joyful collages. Ranging through the year the recipes include: * Asparagus pear lemon & sorrel in April & May * Peas pink grapefruit almond & thyme in July & August * Beetroot blackberry sage & lavender in September & October * Red potatoes red chicory sage lemon & nutmeg in December & January. The Art of Cooking with Vegetables is made up of unexpected combinations complex flavours created with a few simple elements a passion for fresh & seasonal ingredients. Simple & simply perfect. ...

Throughout his 25-year career cartoonist & screenwriter Dan Clowes has always been ahead of the artistic & cultural movements. In the late 1980s his groundbreaking comic book Eghtball defined indie culture. With wit venom & even a little sympathy Clowes voiced the worries of slacker culture even while he comically lacerated its values. For his graphic novels he has received a slew of awards & his screenplay for Ghost World based on his graphic novel was nominated for an Oscar. His comics appear in the New York Times & on the covers of the New Yorker. Clowes even appeared as himself on an episode of The Simpsons in 2007 (alongside creators Art Spiegeknan & Alan Moore). The Art of Dan C/owes: Modern Cartoonist is the first monograph on this acclaimed artist & will be created with unprecedented & fully co-operative access to his personal archives. The book will be heavily illustrated with work spanning his entire career & the text a collection of essays about the various facets of Clowess oeuvre. The book will include his most important & well know images characters & creations as well as rare sketchbook selections previously unpublished comic & illustrations & ephemera from his personal collection. ...

The Art of Dead Space" is the ultimate gallery of the " Dead Space" universe with over 300 images sketches & concept art pieces by acclaimed game artists showcasing breathtaking spacescapes to terrifying Necromorphs character designs to creating an in-game religion plus commentary from the artists. It

Includes:: art from the entire " Dead Space" video game franchise."

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The worlds most infamous hacker offers an insiders view of the low-tech threats to high-tech security. Kevin Mitnicks exploits as a cyber-desperado & fugitive form one of the most exhaustive FBI manhunts in history & have spawned dozens of articles books films & documentaries. Since his release from federal prison in 1998 Mitnick has turned his life around & established himself as one of the most sought-after computer security experts worldwide. Now in The Art of Deception" the worlds most notorious hacker gives new meaning to the old adage " It takes a thief to catch a thief." Focusing on the human factors involved with information security Mitnick explains why all the firewalls & encryption protocols in the world will never be enough to stop a savvy grifter intent on rifling a corporate database or an irate employee determined to crash a system. With the help of many fascinating true stories of successful attacks on business & government he illustrates just how susceptible even the most locked-down information systems are to a slick con artist impersonating an IRS agent. Narrating from the points of view of both the attacker & the victims he explains why each attack was so successful & how it could have been prevented in an engaging & highly readable style reminiscent of a true-crime novel. & perhaps most importantly Mitnick offers advice for preventing these types of social engineering hacks through security protocols training programs & manuals that address the human element of security." ...

In THE ART OF DISCWORLD Terry Pratchett takes us on a guided tour of the Discworld courtesy of his favourite Discworld artist Paul Kidby. Following on from THE LAST HERO THE ART OF DISCWORLD is a lavish 112-page large format sumptuously illustrated look at all things Discworldian. Terry Pratchett provides the written descriptions while Paul Kidby illustrates the world that has made Pratchett one of the best-selling authors of all time. Here you will find favourites old & new: the City Watch including Vimes Carrot & Angua the three witches
- Granny Weatherwax Nanny Ogg & Magrat Garlick
- & the denizens of the Unseen University Library not forgetting the Librarian of course: they're all here in sumptuous colour together with the places: Ankh-Morpork Lancre Uberwald & more.. . No Discworld fan will want to be without this beautiful special gift book.

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Inside five talented artists reveal their professional secrets for drawing all the features that are unique to our furry & feathered friends
- from wet noses & expressive eyes to thick fur & delicate whiskers. The book opens with essential information about drawing tools & materials followed by instruction on how to approach a drawing
- such as building up forms with basic shapes transferring a reference & using a projected photo image. Then the authors demonstrate their unique approaches to drawing through an array of inspiring projects guiding readers from initial sketches through the detailed shading process to the finishing touches. As readers progress from project to project they will find a range of helpful topics such as portraying accurate proportions creating dynamic compositions & using coloured pencils. Packed with convincing illustrations & expert instruction The Art of Drawing Animals" is a comprehensive & indispensable resource for all artists smitten with the animal kingdom."

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