All I want is to be heard! I am utilizing my voice to tell the story of my life in hopes that I will inspire other people. This is a thrilling story of childhood trauma filled with abuse and neglect. I cried out for help but nobody seemed to hear me. When I became a parent I was struggling to create a life for my children while still fighting battles with mental and physical health, substance abuse, and criminal involvement. I still have many battles but I believe I found my voice in writing and doing poetry and now it's time to share with the world.

Galway artist Roisin Cure presents snapshots of life in the City of the Tribes in bold ink and vibrant watercolor. Her sketches show the beautiful details of Galway's pubs, the musicians and buskers, the exquisite medieval stonework, the marine environment, the vibrant nightlife culture, and the local colorful characters. These striking pictures are accompanied by recollections of conversations the artist had while sketching. This book is a unique souvenir of Galway, of a city that is famous for the arts and yet has so little in the way of visual art. It is a very timely book, released in advance of Galway 2020, when the city celebrates being European Capital of Culture.

The Art of Urban Sketching is both a comprehensive guide and a showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. Authored by the founder of the nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers (www.urbansketchers.org), this beautiful, 320-page volume explains urban sketching within the context of a long historical tradition and how it is being practiced today. With profiles of leading practitioners and discussions of the benefits of working in this art form, this inspiring book shows how one can participate and experience this creative outlet through modern-day social networks and online activity. You'll find more than 600 beautiful, contemporary illustrations, as well as artists' profiles and extended captions where these urban sketchers share their stories, how they work, sketching tips, and the tools behind each drawing. With sketches and observations from more than 50 cities in more than 30 countries, TheArt of UrbanSketching offers a visually arresting, storytelling take on urban life from different cultures and artistic styles, as well as insight into various drawing techniques and mediums.

Anyone who can hold a pencil can learn to draw. In this book, Bert Dodson shares his complete drawing system—fifty-five "keys" that you can use to render any subject with confidence, even if you're a beginner. These keys, along with dozens of practice exercises, will help you draw like an artist in no time. You'll learn how to: • Restore, focus, map, and intensify • Free your hand action, then learn to control it • Convey the illusions of light, depth, and texture • Stimulate your imagination through "creative play"

In February and March of 1849, the "Illustrated London News" carried a series of announcements about the works of the painter John Martin being exhibited at the British Institution, the third of which included an account of his early life. On the 17 March the paper received a long letter from the artist, reproduced here in full, in which he demands a right of reply. Their article is, he claims, "so unfortunate a tissue of errors from beginning to end, that it can only have the effect of misleading your readers." Martin's brief autobiography makes fascinating reading. Beginning with his youth in Newcastle where he was apprenticed to a coach-builder, it recounts his initial struggles in London and the eventual recognition accorded to his vast, apocalyptic landscape painting and stunning engravings, ending with the civic works he devoted himself to in later years. The reader is left in awe of Martin's determination and drive.With an introduction by Martin Myrone, Lead Curator of Pre-1800 British Art at Tate Britain, this engaging book provides many new insights into the work of this extraordinary painter of sublime landscapes and the times in which he lived.

Urban sketcher Mike Daikubara gives beginners a crash course in location sketching that you can use in any city or town in Sketch Now, Think Later.