A Little Course in Knitting

James Danziger

Cecil Beaton: The Art of the Scrapbook

As one of the 20th century's most important photographers, Cecil Beaton documented lives both famous and quotidian in dozens of scrapbooks now held by Sotheby's London. In the course of his decades-long career as a photographer for Vogue and Vanity Fair, as well as a British war correspondent, Beaton helped invent the cult of the celebrity image. In these pages, reproduced here for the first time, you will enter a fabulous and surreal party where Tallulah Bankhead rubs shoulders with a bust of Voltaire and a portrait of Stravinsky, and where Beaton's first trip on the Queen Mary coincides with Queen Elizabeth's coronation.

Alwyn Crawshaw

Alwyn Crawshaw's Ultimate Painting Course: A Complete Beginner's Guide to Painting in Watercolour, Oil and Acrylic

In Alwyn Crawshaw's Ultimate Painting Course, the artist encapsulates 50 years' of painting and teaching in one volume. He begins with the basics: brushes, paints, and surfaces; choosing a medium; and the fundamentals of simple perspective, color-mixing, composition, and tonal values. He then starts you off with simple three-color exercises, which are followed by a number of helpful half-hour exercises. He also shows you how to work from photos and sketches and includes a section on painting outdoors. Finally, there are more than 20 step-by-step demonstrations - in watercolor, acrylics, and oils - that feature landscapes, seascapes, and human figures. An outstanding guide for aspiring artists.

Natalie Avella

Paper Engineering: 3-D Design Techniques for a 2-D Material

"Paper Engineering" explores graphic design that extends beyond 2D. From a simple fold in a letterhead to the structural intricacies of a pop-up book, the construction of a 3D paper object requires as much input as its surface decoration. This stylish and inspirational book unfolds the conceptual complexities of paper engineering, studying the techniques of eminent international designers. Case studies are illustrated with photographs of finished work, as well as detailed diagrams and commentary. Now available in a fully revised and extended edition, "Paper Engineering" also explores the functions of paper architecture in graphic design, ranging from greeting cards to invitations and from point-of-sale to packaging.