Archives: Walter Foster Books
Drawing Magical Manga Girls is your all-in-one reference for designing, sketching, and coloring fantastical manga heroines using traditional and digital tools. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned artist looking to explore new techniques, this book provides step-by-step instruction for illustrating expressive female characters in pencil, fineliner, watercolor, and digital formats.
Manga artist Raemion (@raemion) brings her signature storytelling flair to 16 unforgettable magical girls. You’ll master the fundamentals of anatomy, facial expressions, dynamic poses, and outfit design while learning how to bring each character to life with professional coloring techniques. Plus, the bonus chapter on digital illustration walks you through Procreate and Clip Studio Paint tutorials to take your art to the next level.
Inside, you’ll find:
- A beginner-friendly guide to drawing and coloring female manga and anime characters
- Tutorials for four styles: pencil sketching, fineliner, watercolor, and digital
- 16 character projects, each featuring a distinct look and magical theme
- Tips on materials, shading, and storytelling through visual design
- A full digital art chapter for Procreate and Clip Studio Paint
From a powerful fox demon to a dreamy stargazer, Drawing Magical Manga Girls gives you the skills and inspiration to create your own enchanting characters in any medium.
Forget florals—it’s time for fog, fangs, and fun. Creepy Cute Watercolor takes watercolor in a wonderfully witchy new direction with art projects celebrating all things spooky and adorable. Artist Stephanie Bayles of @guild_of_calamity invites you to a beginner-friendly journey through gothic themes, from Mush Boos (ghostly toadstools) and Catus (prickly little felines) to haunted radios and sickly lollipops.
Never watercolored before? No problem! This book includes all the basic how-to information you need to get started painting goth watercolor. Stephanie will show you which brushes to use, colors to mix, and steps to follow for frighteningly cute finished paintings. Plus, the watercolor practice pad with pre-printed sketches means you don’t have to worry about your drawing skills either!
This first-of-its-kind watercolor guide includes:
- 24 step-by-step tutorials featuring creepy-cute characters, haunted objects, and moody motifs.
- Built-in watercolor pad with pre-printed sketches for immediate painting fun.
- Ready-to-print bonus designs to continue your watercolor adventures.
- Watercolor basics covering tools, techniques, and tips for eerie effects.
- Aesthetic inspiration for fans of whimsigoth, dark academia, spooky cute, and horror styles with a helping of aw, that’s so cute!
Whether you’re looking to paint Ahhh!vocadoToast, Hot Dawgs, or Meow Shrooms, Creepy Cute Watercolor turns your spooky obsessions into frame-worthy, giftable, and downright fun works of art. It’s the perfect choice for beginners, hobbyists, and seasoned artists seeking something a little offbeat.
Perfect for beginning artists, Faces & Expressions offers a comprehensive introduction on how to draw faces and expressions—the most important aspects of an individual. First, learn everything about the tools and materials you need to get started, including selecting the right pencils, papers, and erasers for their work. Then discover tips for drawing and shading techniques, such as how to achieve volume, suggest depth, and render various hair and skin textures. With some knowledge of pencil drawing basics, begin mastering the art of drawing the human face through a series of helpful examples and easy-to-follow, step-by-step projects. Projects include a child portrait, an adult portrait, a senior portrait, and others that feature different techniques for capturing expressions and rendering features, including eyes, mouths, noses, and hands.
Featuring the stunning artwork of gifted artist Diane Cardaci, this 10.25 × 13.75–inch book features artwork designed to inspire a classical approach to rendering faces in graphite pencil. With its wide-ranging instruction, plethora of artist tips, and beautiful artwork, Faces & Expressions is the perfect resource for any beginning portrait artist.
Designed for beginners, the How to Draw & Paint series offers easy-to-follow guides that introduce artists to basic tools and materials and include simple step-by-step lessons for a variety of projects suitable for the aspiring artist. Drawing: Faces & Expressions allows artists to develop drawing skills by demonstrating how to start with basic shapes and use pencil and shading techniques to create varied textures, values, and details for a realistic, completed portrait drawing.
101 Textures in Graphite & Charcoal is a must-have resource for all graphite and charcoal artists. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on drawing key textures you'd find in any illustration.
Accurately rendering surfaces and textures is one of the most challenging aspects of working with graphite pencil and charcoal. 101 Textures in Graphite & Charcoal provides artists with step-by-step instructions for learning how to draw a wide variety of the most common textures and surfaces, including sand, water, metals, foliage, wood, fabrics, stone, grass, hair, and many more.
Opening with a general introduction to basic drawing tools, materials, and drawing techniques, each page in this comprehensive resource features two to three easy-to-follow steps demonstrating how to create each specific texture.
You will will discover tips and techniques for working in both graphite and charcoal and how to manage their differences when hatching, stippling, scumbling, blending, and more. With its breadth of coverage, easy-to-follow instruction, and helpful tips, 101 Textures in Graphite & Charcoal is a must-have resource for artists of all skill levels.
Let It’s a Sweet World Color & Sticker Book whisk you away to a kawaii candy wonderland with adorable dessert characters, playful affirmations, and two sheets of stickers to decorate, share, and collect.
Indulge your creative sweet tooth and your love for cute art and cozy activities with:
- 45+ one-sided coloring pages on high-quality paper filled with sweet characters and positive messages
- Two sheets of collectible stickers for personalizing notebooks, journals, or finished art
- Whimsical, kawaii-inspired designs that are perfect for relaxing, gifting, or sharing
- Lighthearted affirmations that brighten your day
Whether you’re looking for a relaxing activity, a fun gift, or a boost of joy, this book is designed to spark happiness and creativity for artists of all ages. It’s a Sweet World Color & Sticker Book makes coloring feel fun and joyful—one sweet treat at a time.
Learn the hottest new painting technique in 22 step-by-step projects! Use an art squeegee and acrylic paint to scrape and swipe your way to gorgeous abstract art.
Clara Cristina de Souza Rego (@aclaracris) first went viral for a squeegee painting video that she posted on social media. Her hundreds of thousands of followers frequently ask for her for tips and techniques. In Squeegee Art Revolution, Clara offers them in abundance so you can learn to make abstract art in her signature style.
Complete instructions for making 22 finished pieces are included in the book, as well as tips throughout, suggestions for creating a balanced artwork, ideas for what to do with leftover paint to reduce waste and cost, how to know when you’re done painting, and much more. Each project can be done in minutes using affordable, accessible materials and makes perfect gifts and home decor.
Clara’s pieces are beautifully photographed and styled in this highly visual book that includes projects for painting:
- Dynamic shapes
- Pop art
- A sunrise over a mountain
- Rays of color
- Miniatures
- A black hole
- Words of encouragement
- And much more
Clara has learned from her own mistakes when starting to paint with a squeegee and has perfected the technique so that you don’t need to make the same mistakes she did. Squeegee Art Revolution features easy-to-follow instruction, beautiful photographs, and vibrant artwork from a pioneer in the fun, abstract squeegee-painting technique.
Join the squeegee art revolution!
Color your way through 1980s pop culture with Best of the ’80s Coloring Book!
Mix coloring with nostalgia, and you have an upbeat activity book that is also therapeutic, for a fun and relaxing escape from life’s stresses. With almost 50 nostalgic illustrations, this high-quality coloring book lets you color some of the most memorable moments from the 1980s. With your choice of coloring tools, revisit everything in this decade, from TV and movie icons, such as Mr. T and Freddy Krueger, to music stars, such as Guns N' Roses and Madonna.
This coloring book’s high-quality paper allows you to color with your choice of colored pencils, crayons, markers, and more. The one-sided printing helps avoid coloring bleed-through and allows for easy display of finished pieces, which include:
- Movie scenes from The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Footloose, and Nightmare on Elm Street
- Music icons such as Guns N' Roses, Whitney Houston, and Madonna
- Fashion staples such as big hair and shoulder pads
- Technology such as boom boxes, computers, and arcade games
Grab your coloring tools and travel back to the days of big hair and shoulder pads, early computers and video games, MTV pop stars and teen movie heartthrobs with your copy of Best of the ’80s Coloring Book!
The Color Through the Decades coloring book series allows you to revisit and reminisce about your favorite time periods. Also available in this series is Best of the ’90s Coloring Book.
Step-by-step projects, creative exercises, interactive prompts, and helpful tips and techniques bring this popular drawing subject to life and invite creativity and personalization. Drawing techniques, such as value, shading, and creating texture and perspective, are included to help artists of all skill levels learn to draw accurately. Learn to draw fur, scales, wings, tails, and how to put them all together to create your own unique fantasy characters and artwork.
More than 15 step-by-step projects include:
- Western Dragon
- Eastern Dragon
- Water Dragon
- Hydra
- Centaur
- Fairy
- Minotaur
- Griffin
- Unicorn
- And more!
Also available from the series:The Little Book of Sketching, The Little Book of Lettering & Word Design, The Little Book of Manga Drawing, The Little Book of Cartooning & Illustration, and The Little Book of Rock Painting.
Join acclaimed cartoon animator Preston Blair as he explains and demonstrates the magic of cartoon animation. Learn to develop a cartoon character’s shape, personality, features, and mannerisms; how to create movements, such as walking, running, skipping, and sneaking; and tips on using lines of action and creating realistic motion. From cartooning basics to more advanced animation techniques, Animation 1 is a welcome introduction for artists ready to bring their drawings to life. Full of step-by-step sketches, tips, and drawing techniques, this is a comprehensive guide that no cartoon animation enthusiast should be without.
Subjects covered in Animation 1 are:
- Tools & Materials
- Construction of the Head
- The Stretch & Squash Principle
- Facial Expressions
- Line of Action
- The Skeleton Foundation
- Hand Construction
- Character Construction
- The “Pugnacious” Character
- The “Cute” Character
- The “Screwball” Type
- The “Goofy” Character
- Movement of Body Masses
- Birds
- Taking Flight
- The “Take”
- Movements of the Two-Legged Figure
- Movements of the Four-Legged Figure
- Front & Rear Views of Movements
- The Skip
- The Sneak
- The Walk & The Run
- Dialogue
Designed for beginners, the How to Draw & Paint series offers an easy-to-follow guide that introduces artists to basic tools and materials and includes simple step-by-step lessons for a variety of projects suitable for the aspiring artist. Animation 1 allows artists to widen the scope of their abilities, demonstrating how to animate a character, from character development to movement and dialogue.
Birth Flowers in Watercolor is a beautifully illustrated guide to painting the symbolic flowers of each birth month. Artist and bestselling author Kristin Van Leuven walks you through 24 flower tutorials—two per month—using step-by-step instructions and tips that make watercolor accessible to everyone.
Each flower corresponds to a birth month, from carnations and snowdrops in January to holly and narcissus in December. Whether you’re new to painting or a seasoned pro, this book has everything you need to make personalized artwork to gift or display—including a premium watercolor pad with 24 pre-printed floral sketches. There’s no need to draw first—simply pick your flower and start painting.
Inside this giftable guide, you’ll find:
- Step-by-step watercolor lessons for 24 birth flowers
- Pre-printed sketches on high-quality watercolor paper
- QR Codes for easy-to-follow paint-alongs with Kristin
- Tips and techniques for creating vibrant floral compositions
- Inspiration for meaningful, personalized gifts and keepsakes
Discover the meanings behind and paint these birth month flowers:
- January: carnation and snowdrop
- February: violet and primrose
- March: daffodil and cherry blossom
- April: daisy and sweet pea
- May: hawthorn and lily of the valley
- June: rose and honeysuckle
- July: larkspur and water lily
- August: poppy and gladiolus
- September: morning glory and aster
- October: cosmos and marigold
- November: chrysanthemum and peony
- December: holly and narcissus
Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or just because, Birth Flowers in Watercolor brings together art and sentiment in one beautiful package. Whether you’re celebrating your own special month or gifting someone theirs, this book makes painting a personal expression of love, memory, and creativity.