Overview

True beauty is found in nature, making this the perfect sketch book for your art inspiration! As if being responsible for dazzling sunsets and the aurora borealis were not enough, nature is also guardian to the universal principals of design. With mathematical perfection, its recurring structures seem to magically adapt as they show up in hundreds of ways: the radial star at the center of snowflakes, fruits and flowers, and the arms of starfish; spirals at the heart of nautilus shells, unfurling plants, and swirling storm systems. Borrowing the beauty of nature's forms can help you create beautiful artwork. Observing the structure of nature's forms can help you to be a better designer. The inspiration is limitless. Nature's design magic is a balancing act found in its perfect ratios. The sections of this sketchbook - Star, Branch, Spiral, and Fan - focus on four of those disceptively simple design principles and why they work. The artist/author will use her own nature-based sketches and drawings to guide readers toward looking closely at each design form and the myriad places where it occurs. Readers will discover ways to use each form in their own artwork, realistically, abstractly, or as motifs in repeat borders and patterns. Drawings created for the book will be paired with photographs of the forms as they occur naturally. And, in a non-academic way, the text will touch on nature's beautiful balances, and the art of using them when you draw and design.

Full Product Details

Author:   Yellena James
Publisher:   Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc
Imprint:   Rockport Publishers Inc.
Dimensions:   Width: 19.40cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.458kg
ISBN:  

9781631591495

ISBN 10:   1631591495
Pages:   128
Publication Date:   02 February 2017
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Elements of Design Principles of Design Introducing four shapes   Chapter 1: Stars Introduction to Stars           Looking at stars:           -star shaped sea life           -star shaped plants           -star shaped seeds and fruits           -star shaped crystals           -3d stars           -snowflakes Draw a perfect five-point star Draw nearly perfect star by hand Draw star ornaments Add stars to underwater scene Draw star shaped ornaments Draw a star centered sea anemone Add star shaped elements Add black and white star motifs Finish this composition Animated sea creature Draw your own sea creature   Chapter 2: Branches introduction to Branches Fractal branching Draw a branch              Looking at branches:             - plants             - corals Inflorescence Draw branches based on inflorescence Sketching branches Movement in branches exercise Add branches to composition Finish this drawing Add branching to leaves Branch pattern exercise   Chapter 3: Spiral Introduction to spirals Fibonacci spirals Different types of spirals Draw some fern exercise               Looking at spirals:              - spiral shaped shells              - spiral shaped sea life              - spiral shaped plants Draw your own pinwheels How to draw a shell step by step Add color to shells Draw spiral seashells Draw spiral ornaments Add spirals to jellyfish Finish this composition   Chapter 4: Fans Introduction to Fan chapter               Looking at fans:              - fan shaped branches              - fan shaped sea life              - fan shaped plants              - fan shaped mushrooms Fan mushrooms exercise Modify this fan shape exercise Draw fan shaped plants Draw black and white fan motifs for patterns How to make a perfect tile for pattern Add fan elements to composition Complete this fish drawing Guided fan drawing exercise   Chapter 5: Putting it all together Introduction to putting it all together Coloring page Guided drawings Finish this composition Background for sketching   About the author Resources Acknowledgments  

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Author Information

Yellena James grew up and attended art school in Sarajevo, BiH. At the age of 18 she moved to the U.S. After gaining her BA in painting and graphic design at UCF, she eventually made her way to Portland, OR. Preferring pens, inks, markers and acrylics, she combines complex abstract forms into dazzling images which take on lives of their own. Her colorful arrangements of organic shapes and tangled lines are at once floral and alien, organic and sci-fi. Each intimate world she creates seems to posses its own ethos and its own special ability to radiate emotion.James has participated in shows around the U.S. and overseas, including: solo exhibitions at Giant Robot (San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA), the Here Gallery (Bristol, UK), the Hijinks Gallery (San Francisco, CA) and more. She also has done illustration work for Anthropologie, Crabtree and Evelyn, Crate and Barrel, Relativity Media and many others (see client list below).

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