What is a tangram? It is more easily seen and understood than defined in words. But to put it briefly, it is a geometric dissection puzzle in which seven standard pieces (five triangles, one square, one rhomboid) are used to make images of various objects. The origin of the name is not known, but the game itself is of Chinese origin, and for centuries it has been one of the most popular diversions in the Orient.The tangram is not entirely new to America, since Yankee sea captains br...

Lessons, demonstrations, definitions, and tips on what to expect in art school, what it means to make art, and how to think like an artist.What is the first thing to learn in art school? “Art can be anything.” The second thing? “Learn to draw.” With 101 Things to Learn in Art School, artist and teacher Kit White delivers and develops such lessons, striking an instructive balance between technical advice and sage concepts. These 101 maxims, meditations, and...

To untangle the knot of interlocking meanings of these painted words, logophile and mythologist Phil Cousineau begins each fascinating word entry with his own brief definition. He then fills it in with a tint of etymology and a smattering of quotes that show how the word is used, ending with a list of companion words. The words themselves range from commonplace — like biscuit, a twice-baked cake for Roman soldiers — to loanwords including chaparral, from the Basque shepherds who came to th...

A guidebook for beating the monotony of the everyday by purposefully cultivating the surprising joys that come from living an off-kilter lifeIt's all too easy to get caught up in the often monotonous nature of our day to day--moving from one rote task to the next, only to rinse and repeat the next day. Weirdness, however, is an easily accessible antidote to these feelings of languishing. The quirky, eccentric, and peculiar can take us out of our normal habits of th...

To draw a caricature is to simply draw an image that is very distinguishable to your model/subject's identity with or without being photographically identical. In early forms of this genre, the type of figures used was animals to represent a certain person. A painting or any type of artwork cannot be called a caricature if the piece does not involve an actual person, because involving a real person as a model is the critical part of this genre.TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction

Learn how to create the illusion of three-dimensional space in your drawingsIt is as mundane as it is astounding: placed in the right way, a couple of lines on paper create three-dimensional space. To be more exact, the illusion of space.The interest in three-dimensional drawing may initially arise from the intention to depict visible reality. However, the creation of depth is a fascinating challenge in every artistic composition. Drawi...

Thirty popular expressions such as "straight from the horse's mouth" and "white elephant" are amusingly explained and illustrated.What makes these common sayings so confusing and funny?Hilarious Wordplay: Laugh-out-loud illustrations show what it would really look like to have butterflies in your stomach or to let a cat out of a bag.Vocabulary Builder: Clearly explains the real meanings behind 30 common phrases, helping kids...

This book will teach you how accurately sketch simple and complex shapes in seconds.There are two methods: 1) using basic shapes (square, triangle and circle), 2) using polygons. Both methods are complementary. They can be used alone or together.These are absolutely essential skill sets for the artist. If you already paint or draw, these exercises will help you clarify your skill sets and speed them up.

This magical book, drawn from the Great Library of Atlantis, presents us a real-imaginary civilization, which is an ideal point of arrival for all peoples of the human race, surfaced from the water of the past or seen in the spheres of the future. In the cristal city there is an advanced human race, whose thought, as alchemical result producing a deep creativity, has built a way of life where the focus are balance and armony. Study and research of knowledge are noble pursuits and peace and...

In May Sarton's seventeenth and final collection of poetry, the writer reflects on life, aging, and mortalityComing into Eighty presents a poet's look at age. Herein, Sarton gives readers a glimpse into her quotidian tasks, her memories, her losses, and her triumphs. The volume explores topics ranging from the war in Iraq to the struggle of taking a cat to the vet. Dark and immediate, this work catalogues both the tedium and the splendor of life with equal...

The Lichtenberg Figures, winner of the Hayden Carruth Award, is an unconventional sonnet sequence that interrogates the relationship between language and memory, violence and form. “Lichtenberg figures” are fern-like electrical patterns that can appear on (and quickly fade from) the bodies of people struck by lightning.Throughout this playful and elegiac debut—with its flashes of autobiography, intellection, comedy, and critique—the vocabulary of academic theory collides w...

The UK's 1st Bariatric Cookery Book 'Return to Slender' has been written specifically to help those who are considering or who have undergone weight-loss surgery. Written by Carol Bowen Ball, a gastric bypass patient herself and prolific food writer, it has been developed to nourish, feed and inspire those whose diet now has to make every bite count!Packed full of practical advice on stocking up with the best ingredients; tips on food preparation, cooking and serving; WLS savvy on f...