Books published by publisher Watson-guptill Publications

• Great price point—just 9.95 American dollars!• 15 funky patterns teach knitting skills incrementally• Knitting encourages girls to share and learn from other girls—making it an excellent empowerment tool • Partner Web site provides forum for teen knittersTired of hearing about who's dating who and what Alyssa wore to the last party? Get those teens and tweens started on some practical life skills and girl empowerment! KnitGrrl is an upbeat introduction to knitting, from basic materials, tools, and stitches, to fifteen easy projects designed specifically for teens and tweens. Lower the number of trips to the mall with patterns for an iPod cozy, a ponytail wool beanie, cat toys, text-messaging mittens, starry leg warmers, and ten more great patterns. The organization of the book builds skills incrementally, so friends can learn and share together. Tips on organizing knitting groups, plus quizzes and DIY projects for fun knitting-related items such as stitch markers and hand salve, make this the ultimate BKFF (Best Knitting Friends Forever) guidebook.

THE BACKGROUND OF THIS BOOK -- In the early 1980's, a couple of fresh-faced art students Thomas Kinkade ("The Painter of Light") and James Gurney (Dinotopia) found themselves working as background artists on the Ralph Bakshi/Frank Frazetta sword & sorcery film Fire and Ice. They had met in 1976 as freshman college roommates. Before they became established in their careers, they "sketched their way across America" as art hobos, hopping freight cars, finding adventure, and drawing, drawing, drawing. Much of this attitude and some of this biography made its way into the book, The Artist's Guide to Sketching -- a book firmly committed to the idea that artists need to get outdoors -- into the real world -- and draw from life. ABOUT THIS BOOK -- This is not a traditional "how to" book. The authors place a lot of emphasis on using the environment to capture mood and say that the sketching artist must allow his feelings and impressions to show themselves in the finished work. Sketching isn't rendering. It is expressing feelings. TOPICS COVERED IN THE BOOK -- Realities of sketching outdoors; materials; accuracy; creating mood; sketching people; sketching man-made objects; capturing motion; sketch vs. a study; the sketchbook as a chronicle of the artist's daily life. BOOK DETAILS -- hardback with dustjacket; cloth over boards with a sewn binding; 160 pp; b&w illustrations throughout.

A child's guide to drawing angels, elves, fairies and more. It contains step-by-step instructions and the lessons progress incrementally, starting with the basic head shape and anatomy and continuing through a wide range of stretching and action poses and with a variety of facial expressions. The volume also discusses how to infuse drawings with personality to make figures come to life.