"To those engaged in making art, an authentic voice is the most crucial yet most difficult ability to come by. Why does so much conspire to hide what is ultimately the closest, simplest thing of all? Creative Authenticity outlines 16 principles that will help you peel back the fears, misconceptions, "shoulds" and confusion around courageous creative expression. You'll discover: you are more than creative enough; talent has little to do with your success; the van Gogh syndrome is one of the most destructive myths of what it takes to creative; the dance of avoidance upon arriving in the studio is inevitable- learn to see through it and begin; the necessity of finding a truthful relationship with your work so it feeds you, not torments you."--Publisher description.

Part testimonial, part instructional and part demonstrative, this book describes the author's personal experiences travel sketching in and around the city of Istanbul Turkey. Using dozens of ink-and-watercolor illustrations, along with detailed captions, he breaks down his travel sketching endeavors into three modes of sketching, each describing different states of mind, different expectations and different outcomes, each with its unique rewards. From big-picture, "whys" to highly detailed "hows", this book draws the reader into the joys, challenges and satisfaction of observing and remembering places visited through the lens of travel sketching.

A guide that shows painters, drawers, doodlers, and urban sketchers how to bring their drawings to life with colorful, bold, yet accessible painting methods. Watercolor sketching is a rapidly emerging technique that enlivens sketches done in pen or pencil with the expressive washes, glazes, and luminous hues of watercolor . This lushly illustrated resource teaches artists on the go how to sketch with watercolor, rendering subjects efficiently and without inhibitions. Readers are guided through all aspects of the medium, from fundamental techniques including wet-on-wet, glazing, and washes; materials and supplies; and little known tips and tricks for getting the most out of watercolor (for example, just sprinkling a little salt on your painting creates a texture that's impossible to achieve with a brush.) A strong focus color theory provides a solid foundation for enhancing drawings with vibrant hues.

A step-by-step course in creating watercolor sketches.

For the last ten years, urban sketcher Marc Taro Holmes has been on a mission to travel the world drawing and painting on location. Thousands of loyal readers worldwide have been following his award-winning blog at CitizenSketcher.com, learning from his freely shared articles featuring hundreds of sketchbook drawings and watercolor paintings, his first-hand experiments with field-sketching gear, free downloadable art-workshops, and numerous over-the-shoulder, step-by-step demonstrations Along the way Marc wrote the instant classic: The Urban Sketcher: Techniques for Seeing and Drawing on Location (4.6 stars 180+ reviews). Marc is also the presenter of two online courses: Travel Sketching in Mixed Media and Sketching People in Motion (available from Craftsy.com). With his latest book, Direct Watercolor Marc brings you a retrospective collection of over eighty of his watercolor paintings, painted side-by-side with fellow urban sketchers in ten different countries. This is the work of a plein-air painter at the top of his game, seen for the first time as a single body of work, and accompanied with his latest thoughts on the medium of watercolor. Also included - six completely new step-by-step demonstrations, systematically explaining his deceptively simple approach to painting. Marc shows you how to paint rapidly, with little or no preparation and the minimum of supplies, unlocking the secrets of spontaneous, expressive watercolor, with a unique personal vision. Whether you're already one of Marc's readers or are about to discover his boldly expressive approach, Direct Watercolor offers you the keys to unlocking your own adventures as a sketchbook artist, traveling watercolorist, or unconventional studio painter. Please note: This ebook version of Direct Watercolor is only suitable for full-color displays such as the Kindle Fire, or the Kindle app for tablets, phones, laptops, and computers.

Tokyo Travel Sketchbook traces the journey of illustrator and graphic designer Amaia Arrazola on a four-week trip through the beating heart of Tokyo. When Arrazola accepts a month long artist's residency in the Japanese capital, she has little idea of what to expect but gamely packs her paints and pencils and seizes the opportunity to create an illustrated diary of her time there, filling the pages of her sketchbooks with curious images of life in the world's largest city. This book provides readers with a unique vision of Japan's capital, as seen through the eyes of an artist. Arrazola immerses herself in the cult of Hello Kitty and the pop-eyed charms of "Kawaii" cute culture, while conveying the collision of traditional and modern Japanese culture in the female Samurais she meets and draws. The city's cultural curiosities come alive in a metropolis that is ever on the go, as she browses sex shops, drinks pink coffee, eats spaghetti sandwiches and photographs subway sleepers. Throughout her explorations, Arrazola uses the concept of wabi sabi as a guiding principle--coming to see her own life and artworks as examples of "flawed beauty" and imperfectly perfect Zen design. The result is a fresh, often funny, one-of-a-kind look at a city that works hard and plays hard--in many surprising ways. At the heart of Tokyo Travel Sketchbook are two contradictory Japans--the glittering neon world of a high-tech ultramodern society existing side-by-side with a nation where ancient tradition holds sway and where the unadorned, the simple and the silent are prized and celebrated as much as the new, the fashionable and the trendy. These competing realities make for a memorable visual journey and a stunning souvenir of a stranger's brief stay in a strange land. From smoking laws to high-tech toilets, Arrazola finds beauty in the weirdness and imperfection of this modern metropolis. *Recommended for readers ages 14 & up*

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.