Archives: Walter Foster Books

Start making beautiful crafts from polymer clay! Art Makers: Polymer Clay for Beginners is your step-by-step guide to making trinkets, animals, plants, and more using this fun, easy, and kiln-free craft.

Polymer Clay for Beginners introduces artists, art hobbyists, and polymer clay enthusiasts to the versatile, accessible polymer clay medium. Because polymer clay does not require the use of a kiln and needs only baking in the oven, it is an easy, approachable art form for even the most inexperienced artist to learn, as well as kids, families, teachers, and anyone else looking for a fun, boredom-busting hobby or craft.

Professional artist and owner of Cat Bear Express, Emily Chen, demonstrates how to make adorable animal figurines, flowers, cookies, cakes, beads, and more through easy step-by-step projects. Each project features colorful, styled photographs demonstrating how finished pieces can be used, displayed, and gifted. A comprehensive tools and materials section and detailed information on techniques, baking, and glazing guide artists in their quest to become polymer clay pros.

A modern approach to sculpture art, polymer clay is the perfect choice for beginners and crafting enthusiasts.

The Art Makers series is designed for beginning artists and arts-and-crafts enthusiasts who are interested in experiencing fun hands-on mediums, including embroidery and papier-mache.

Improve your bullet journals, to-do lists, class notes, and everything in between with The Art of Visual Notetaking and its unique approach to taking notes in the twenty-first century.

Visual notetaking is the perfect skill for journaling, class lectures, conferences, and any other time that retaining information is key. Also referred to as sketchnoting, visual notetaking is ideal for documenting processes, planning projects, outlining ideas, and capturing information. And as you'll learn in The Art of Visual Notetaking, this approach doesn't require advanced drawing or hand-lettering skills; anyone can learn how to use simple lines, connectors, shapes, and text to take dynamic notes.
 
In The Art of Visual Notetaking, aspiring sketchnoters and journalers will find helpful "Getting Started" pages of icons and badges for common note-taking purposes, with tips and encouragement for creating you own unique icons. You'll go on to discover instruction and how-to techniques, tips, and tutorials that focus on visual notetaking for different settings, from a business meeting, workshop, or convention, to a college lecture or sermon. Expert instruction from a professional sketchnote artist and educator demonstrates how to visually arrange and compile ideas, focal points, and key concepts.

For artists looking to grow beyond the studio, En Plein Air: Watercolor is the definitive resource for experiencing the rewards and invigoration of watercolor painting on location.

En Plein Air: Watercolor introduces beginning artists and fine-art enthusiasts to the core concepts of painting on location. This guide will have you fully prepared for a day of painting outdoors. Inside, you'll find:

  • A comprehensive list of what to pack to maximize your time
  • How to choose a subject and interpret it for a composition
  • How to deal with the challenges of shadows and shifting natural light
  • A review of color theory and color mixing
  • Tips and techniques for honing your watercolor skills and developing your artistic voice

The collection of step-by-step examples will help you gain new artistic skills as you create unique, dynamic artwork outside the studio. Perfect for artists looking to break outside the norm, En Plein Air: Watercolor is your complete guide to experiencing the unique rewards of painting on location with the invigorating medium of watercolor.

Painting outdoors is a rewarding, peaceful experience full of joy, adventure, and persistence. Let the En Plein Air series guide you in your artistic travels as you explore this daring and expressive method of painting, wherever you may be.

Also available from the series:En Plein Air: Acrylic and En Plein Air: Light & Color.

Learn the core concepts of painting on location with En Plein Air: Acrylic, the definitive resource for experiencing the peace and rewards of painting with acrylics in the open air.

En Plein Air: Acrylic introduces beginning artists and fine-art lovers alike to the core concepts of painting on location. This hardworking guide features everything you'll need to get started, including expert tips on what to pack and how to maximize your time outdoors. You'll also learn how to choose a subject once you're on-site and then interpret it for a complex and pleasing composition.

Painting on location in the open air is a unique challenge, but with En Plein Air: Acrylic, you will learn to deal with the challenges of shadows and natural light and hone your skills in a fun, refreshing way. Perfect for artists looking to grow beyond the studio, this one-stop guide is an excellent resource for expanding upon the peace and joy that comes with painting.

The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering provides expert instruction on the intricacies of traditional lettering techniques, as well as an introduction to contemporary hand-lettering formats.

From selecting the appropriate tools, such as pens, nibs, brushes, inks, and papers, to learning optimal hand positioning and understanding the intricacies of lettering angles, heights, spacing, and strokes, The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering will help lettering enthusiasts swiftly master their craft. 

Step-by-step lessons, practice templates, and a range of stunning alphabets demonstrate the breadth of artistic achievement that comes with practice and dedication. Four professional artists guide you through traditional calligraphy techniques, as well as an introduction to contemporary hand-lettering art forms, such as brush lettering and mixed media, for a well-rounded approach to the craft.

Additionally, a short section on Chinese brush lettering and several mixed media lettering projects inspire creativity and demonstrate how calligraphy and lettering can be used in wider artistic contexts and projects. Including practice templates for several featured alphabets in addition to mixed media "bonus" projects designed to inspire artistic creativity, The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering will inspire lettering enthusiasts of all skill levels to strengthen their existing skills and delve into new, lesser-known variations of the trend.

Gain the drawing skills you need to create textured works like a pro with Drawing: Basic Textures in Pencil.

From handling the pencil and mastering basic techniques to learning about value, form, and shading, Basic Textures in Pencil teaches beginning artists all of the elements they need to achieve realistic results in their drawings.

Intuitive step-by-step lessons then demonstrate how you can put your newfound skills to use by rendering everything from metal, glass, and wood textures to fur and feathers. Each concept is clearly explained in easy-to-comprehend language, making this book an accessible and approachable resource for beginning artists and art enthusiasts.
 
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. Basic Textures in Pencil allows artists to widen the scope of their abilities, demonstrating basic pencil drawing techniques that allow beginners to re-create a variety of common textures and surfaces.

Understanding how to effectively use color is the first step to becoming a well-rounded artist. Special Subjects: Basic Color theory is your guide.

A perfect resource for new artists and art hobbyists, Basic Color Theory demonstrates the color wheel at work and covers all the essentials, including complementary, primary, secondary, and tertiary colors; hue, saturation, and value; color mood, temperature, and schemes; and how to create a color chart.

Each concept is clearly explained in easy-to-comprehend language so beginning artists can put their newfound knowledge to immediate use. Also included are step-by-step tutorials, as well as techniques for basic color mixing in different mediums.
 
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. Basic Color Theory allows artists to widen the scope of their abilities, demonstrating how to create color and value charts, basic color mixing techniques, and a comprehensive approach to understanding color relationships.

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.

Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink will teach you everything you need to know about the fundamentals of drawing with pen and ink.

From the beloved and best-selling Portfolio art series by Walter Foster Publishing comes Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink, a book that invites you to explore this classic art medium in new and refreshing ways. This comprehensive guide is packed with valuable resources for artists of all skill levels, starting with the basics and ending with intricate, original step-by-step projects that are sure to impress—and inspire.
 
Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink introduces drawing basics, including stippling, hatching, and crosshatching; how to master the fundamentals of mark-making and line work; and helpful exercises for contour drawing, gesture drawing, perspective, and more. Chapters on value, tone, mood, light and shadow, and texture follow, ensuring that artists gain the drawing knowledge they need before working on the step-by-step projects featured in the book. Artists can even learn to add color to their black-and-white art using watercolor for a fresh, modern take on an age-old art form.

Whether you're a new artist looking to try a celebrated art technique, a pen-and-ink enthusiast, a mixed-media master, or a graphite-pencil fan looking to branch out to new mediums, Portfolio: Beginning Pen & Ink will teach you everything you need to know.

The Portfolio series covers essential art techniques, core concepts, and media with an approach and format that’s perfect for aspiring, beginning, and intermediate artists.

Also available from the series: Beginning Acrylic, Beginning Drawing, Beginning Watercolor, Beginning Pastel, Beginning Colored Pencil, Beginning Color Mixing, Expressive Painting, Beginning Color Mixing, and Beginning Composition.

Featuring illustrated tutorials for drawing 75 different flowers, Ten-Step Drawing: Flowers breaks down each subject into 10 simple steps. All you need to get started is a pen or pencil and a piece of paper!

With Ten-Step Drawing: Flowers, learn to create an array of flowers and botanicals, step by easy step. From blooms and blossoms to floral bouquets, beginning artists will delight in the varied selection of subjects; as well as how easy it is to recreate them in ten simple drawing steps. Handy prompts help encourage artistic individuality and include helpful tips for drawing other subjects not featured in the book. Approachable text and step-by-step drawings make learning to draw fun and easy, and the portable format allows for spontaneous drawing wherever you may be.

Designed especially for aspiring illustrators, doodlers, and art hobbyists, the fun and approachable books in the Ten-Step Drawing series encourage new artists to get acquainted with the basic principles of drawing so they can learn to create art with confidence. Ten-Step Drawing: Flowers is sure to encourage even the most reluctant artist to break out a sketchbook and doodle to their heart's content. So grab a pencil and start drawing!

Also available in the Ten-Step Drawing series: Animals, Nature, and People.