Crafts & DIY Reviews, March 15, 2011
Mar 15, 2011ART INSTRUCTION
Butkus, Mike & Merrie Destefano. How To Draw Vampires: Discover the Secrets to Drawing, Painting, and Illustrating Immortals of the Night. Walter Foster: Quayside. (Fantasy Underground). 2010. 128p. illus. ISBN 9781600581984. pap. $19.95. ART INSTRUCTION
Concept artist Butkus and graphic designer Destefano provide instruction on how to sketch, draw, and paint many versions of this extremely popular mythical creature. Contributor Davin Chea-Butkus demonstrates step-by-step how to render a vampire in oil paint. The authors touch on digital illustration as well. The book’s layout has all the splash and edge of a modern graphic novel, and the illustrations it guides readers to create also borrow heavily from the genre. The authors center their lessons on characters and narratives to help spark the imagination. Vampire folklore is sprinkled liberally throughout. This book is most appropriate for older teens, young adults, and Goths of all ages.
Daniels, Ian. How To Draw & Paint Vampires: A Complete Art Course Built Around This Legendary World. Barron’s. 2011. 128p. illus. index. ISBN 9780764145766. pap. $21.99. ART INSTRUCTION
Professional painter and illustrator Daniels leads readers through the processes of drawing and painting the undead using a wide variety of media, including digital formats. He takes a more staid approach to this supernatural subject matter than do other recent vampire drawing books, and he emphasizes traditional techniques and human anatomical studies, with just a bit of information on vampire myths. Middle school and high school art teachers may wish to use this book to help interest their students in figure drawing.
Davies, Paul Bryn. How To Draw Vampires in Simple Steps. Search, dist. by IPG. Apr. 2011. 32p. illus. ISBN 9781844486403. pap. $9.95. ART INSTRUCTION
This slim volume is part of the “Simple Steps” drawing series, which covers a variety of subjects, including animals, plants, and imaginary creatures. As the title suggests, Davies’s (How To Draw Fairies in Simple Steps) book is straightforward and narrowly focused. Save for a brief introduction, it is entirely comprised of drawings. Readers are shown how to sketch and draw cartoonlike line drawings of fanged, cape-clad vampires. Children and younger teens will enjoy this book.
CRAFTS
Golden, Alisa. Making Handmade Books: 100+ Bindings, Structures & Forms. Lark: Sterling. 2011. 256p. illus. index. ISBN 9781600595875. pap. $19.95. CRAFTS
This volume updates and combines Golden’s previous Creating Handmade Books and Unique Handmade Books to provide an introduction to the fascinating world of artists’ books. The specimens highlighted are far from your traditional book—they are works of art that will challenge readers’ ideas of what books can be. Though there are plenty of inspiring photographs, there is also ample direction to guide readers interested in creating their own books. Golden also intersperses tidbits of bookmaking history and lore throughout, making this guide not only pleasurable and inspiring to look at but fun to read.
Gordon, Joan. Creative Lampwork: Techniques and Projects for the Art of Melting Glass. Guild of Master Craftsman, dist. by Sterling. Mar. 2011. 176p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781861088109. pap. $22.95. CRAFTS
Lamp work is a centuries-old bead-making technique that modern glass artists continue to use. Gordon’s (Stitch ’n’ Fix) basics-and-beyond book introduces novices to the tools of the trade and to glass bead shapes and provides step-by-step written and photographed instructions for a variety of different types of beads, from simple to minutely detailed. A selection of projects designed to show off handmade lamp-work beads is also included. This colorful and inspiring guide will appeal to novice and experienced glassworkers.
DO IT YOURSELF
Strother, Ruth. The Dog Friendly Home: DIY Projects for Dog Lovers. Creative Pub: Quayside. 2011. 128p. illus. index. ISBN 9781589235663. pap. $16.99. DIY
This guide allows dog lovers to put their DIY skills to use. Strother (The Complete Guide to Dream Bathrooms) outlines a variety of appealing projects, from doghouses and training equipment to bedding and accessories (the nightstand/dog bed is adorable). This book recycles a few projects from 24 Weekend Projects for Pets from the publisher’s “Black & Decker” series, yet Strother’s section on dog-proofing the yard and repairing doggy damage sets this guide apart. An attractive project book that caters to a passionate audience; recommended.
FIBER CRAFTS
Galik, Tanis. Interlocking Crochet: 80 Original Stitch Patterns Plus Techniques and Projects. Krause. 2010. 128p. photogs. index. ISBN 9781440212390. pap. $22.99. FIBER CRAFTS
In her first book, experienced crocheter Galik explores interlocking crochet—a color-work technique featuring double-sided geometric patterns—in depth. The tutorial at the beginning presents the basics of interlocking crochet with step-by-step illustrations, followed by an extensive stitch dictionary containing full-color photographs. Many of the pattern photographs show both sides of the finished work—a useful touch, since the differences between sides can be dramatic. The projects are a nice addition, but the stitch dictionary is really the star here. This is a specialized book, but one that experienced crocheters will find useful.
Gardiner, Wendy & Lorna Knight. The Sewing Machine Accessory Bible. Griffin: St. Martin’s. Apr. 2011. 128p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780312676582. pap. $22.99. FIBER CRAFTS
There are scads of introductory sewing machine books available, but this is one of the first on sewing machine accessories—feet, needles, and other attachments. Gardiner (editor, Sewing World magazine) and Knight (The Dressmaker’s Technique Bible) briefly cover the basics of sewing machines, but they focus on the specialized feet that come with the machine. A photo of a sewing machine foot is included at the top left corner of each spread, allowing for quick and easy identification. There’s also information about how to use each foot—what it’s for and how to sew with it. Beginners will find this book especially handy.
Vogue Knitting Knitopedia: The Ultimate A to Z for Knitters. Sixth & Spring, dist. by Sterling. Mar. 2011. 240p. illus. index. ISBN 9781933027616. $34.95. FIBER CRAFTS
The editors of Vogue Knitting have assembled an encyclopedia covering all things knitting, from designers to techniques to history. The entries range from brief to extensive, depending on the complexity of the subject, and illustrations and photographs abound. One-page essays from big names in knitting (e.g., Debbie Bliss, Nicky Epstein, Meg Swansen) are interspersed throughout, providing a respite from the encyclopedia entries. Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book is a better knitting reference choice, but this guide’s entries about knitting history, designers, trends, and publications add appeal.
INTERIOR DESIGN
Diallo, Lili with Zoë Wolff (text) & Annie Schlechter (photogs.). Details: A Stylist’s Secrets to Creating Inspired Interiors. Clarkson Potter: Crown Pub. Group. 2010. 256p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780307591517. $40. INTERIOR DESIGN
Photo stylist Diallo shares the secrets of her trade, which is to stage a fashionable decor worthy of the photographs found in interior design magazines. Beginning with her own Brooklyn loft, she takes us into the apartments and houses of 16 East Coast friends to display (in over 200 color photographs) eclectic modern furnishings mixed with flea market finds. Professional tips interspersed throughout will help amateurs to successfully style their own homes. Because Diallo lacks formal interior design training, her approach to decorating is fresher than that found in most design books and will appeal to those looking for decor inspiration.
