Books that spark creativity

We enjoy books that spark our creativity and inspire us to try different types of art. We checked out a few books that are good to have as reference or to give as gifts to creative friends and family. Some of the books we have been getting our inspiration from are... The Ultimate Fluid Pouring and Painting Project, LEGO Book of Bedtime Builds, The Art for Joy's Sake Journal, Patchwork Quilt Designs Colouring Book, and Draw Like an Artist series.

Fluid pouring and painting can result in beautiful abstract designs that can be captured on special papers, canvas and board substrates, used to make gorgeous lampshades, poured into moulds or dishes to create coasters, geodes, and agate slices, and can even be formed into vases, vessels, and bowls. I tried a couple of projects using the pouring medium and loved the experience.

The Ultimate Fluid Pouring and Painting Project Book by Jane Monteith teaches how to create fun, trendy but timeless fluid art regardless of skill level. There are detailed, comprehensive techniques for working with high flow inks, acrylic paints, resin, shaving cream, and more. The book guides us through a variety of different fluid projects, from fluid-painted collage to resin-poured paints on different substrates. The 10 projects can be customized to our liking. 

In this book, we will learn about the various tools and solutions to create beautiful colours and textures on paper, how to work with resin and avoid common mistakes to produce a flawless finish, gain an understanding of basic colour theory and which colour combinations go well to create elegant designs, what types of products to use to create various effects, and how to seal and protect our work. 

We like the Draw Like an Artist series of books - 100 Faces and Features by Chris Leaspi, 100 Flowers and Plants  and 100 Realistic Animals by Melissa Washburn. These visual reference books are useful for student artists, scientific illustrators, urban sketchers, and anyone seeking to improve their realistic drawing skills. 

There are over 600 sketches in the 100 Realistic Animals book that depicts a vast array of beautiful animal forms, detailed faces, and more. This contemporary, step-by-step guidebook demonstrates fundamental art concepts like proportion, anatomy, and spatial relationships as we learn to draw a full range of creatures, all shown from a variety of perspectives. Each set of illustrations starts from beginning sketch lines to a finished drawing.

If you are looking for an interesting colouring book for adults, you will enjoy the Creative Haven Patchwork Quilt Designs Colouring Book which has geometric configurations drawn from patchwork quilt motifs. There are thirty-one design that offer endless colouring possibilities that will be enjoyed by quilters, collectors, and those who enjoy colouring. The pages are perforated and printed on one side for easy removal and display. 

Young LEGO fans will enjoy this LEGO Book of Bedtime Builds as they read, follow the instructions to build and play with eight exclusive mini LEGO models with the included LEGO® bricks. 

The stories in this book are fun to read with children especially at bedtime as they unwind. These mini models and stories may even inspire exciting dreams. 

The Art for Joy's Sake Journal features Kristy's botanical artwork and Georgia O'Keeffe quotes. These beautiful pages invite us to be creative, pick up our paintbrush and enjoy the fun of watercolours. This journal has nine patterns, one painted by Kristy and two for us to paint. Each painting page is double sided and printed on hot press smooth watercolour paper, which allows us to paint on both sides using water based medium without worrying about it bleeding. This hardcover book is elegant with rose gold foil cover detailing, satin ribbon bookmark, and elastic journal band. Kristy reminds us to forget the rules and remember the joy of art with encouraging prompts, journaling ideas, and tips throughout the book.

Giveaway: 

If you like to win a copy of The Art for Joy's Sake Journal value of $25 enter this giveaway before December 17th. It is open to everyone in United States (except Alaska and Hawaii). Please leave comments and follow my social media networks to be eligible to win. 
Update: The winner is Crystal M

Entry-Form

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