Crafts and Decorative arts

A fresh way of approaching drawing, which banishes inhibitions and helps you visualize your thoughts, express your emotions, develop your ideas.

Learn to paint 50 beautiful botanicals in 30 minutes or less. The patterns included, and you can paint right inside the book!  A follow-up to the bestselling first book! In this new edition, 50 beautiful floral motifs are broken down into simple steps that take the intimidation out of painting.

Learn the stages necessary to successfully design and model the most versatile and widely used types of hull construction. Over 180 striking color photos detail completed models and construction stages. Over 40 line drawings provide detailed plans and renderings necessary to successfully complete a high quality model.

If you enjoy the adventure of alternative firing but have only an electric kiln, this is the guide for you. Learn how to use an electric kiln to attain the natural earthy colors and spontaneous patterns of alternative firing methods. Step-by-step instructions together with nearly 200 photos show how to get good results with saggar firing in an electric kiln, without damaging your kiln.

For the first time in English, a complete book about Norwegian pick-up bandweaving—from its fascinating history to beautiful bands you can make yourself, with more than 100 pattern charts from bands in museum collections. Part 1 tells the story of how these bands were used in the rural communities of 18th and 19th century Norway, as stocking bands, swaddling bands, sending bands, and more.

For a Finn, the puukko is the most important tool and at the same time the most feared weapon. You could almost say the puukko has the same importance for a Finn as the samurai sword has for the Japanese. It is a 2,000-year-old mystical weapon that has been used for centuries with the same conviction and dexterity during times of peace and war.

Communicate your ideas using line, shape, color, and texture with this reference and how-to exploration in one. Whether your particular interest is pictorial, portraiture, abstract compositions, or actual text, you can “say” almost anything with thread. More than 350 color photographs translate the techniques of drawing, painting, and good composition into the world of stitch, and “Try This!

In this modern age of technology and speed, what is taught in master crafter Nigel Armitage's renowned workshop follows a very traditional and timeless theme. Here, for the first time, he offers a learning resource and projects for leathercrafters who believe that high quality matters, in how you make things and in the finished results.

Master the art of multi-axis spindle turning! This book offers a strategy for understanding multi-axis turning and the many options available to create unique forms. Dill, a self-professed "experimental turner," takes readers step by step through this complex area of turning.

The queen of the craft Amy Oxford offers to beginners and advanced crafters alike a one-stop resource! This is the guide you'll keep at your fingertips while you learn, and throughout your punch needle adventures for years to come. Enjoy Amy's amazingly effective instruction, tips, inspiration, and in-depth info about every aspect of enjoying punch needle rug hooking.

This extensive reference identifies and describes over 2,400 pieces, including 800 figurines. These Scandinavian porcelain figurines were produced by Royal Copenhagen of Denmark from c. 1910 through 2000. Among the 976 beautiful color photographs are related shop signs, dishes, bowls, and vases.