Art treatments & subjects Books

A prelude to fame, Just Kids recounts the friendship of two young artists--Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe - whose passion fueled their lifelong pursuit of art. In 1967, a chance meeting between two young people led to a romance and a lifelong friendship that would carry each to international su...

The British Museum holds the largest Maori collections outside New Zealand, including some items of major artistic and cultural significance. This important book will contain a substantial introduction including a history of the study of Maori material culture in Britain and New Zealand and a histor...

Denis Robinson has compiled a moving tribute to Christchurch with a collection of paintings of the city as it was before the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. He approached 19 artists - Cantabrians, past or present, or frequent visitors from other places - to request paintings that showed...

Join Sharon Sprung in the studio as she shares her secrets for creating the illusion of life. She describes the properties of each colour on her palette, demonstrating how to mix colours to create a range of lifelike flesh tones; explains how different brushes are useful for creating lifelike effect...

In this book some of Katherine Mansfield's possessions, collected for the first time for an exhibition, are presented along with what she and others have written about them. They show another facet of this enigmatic New Zealander and offer new insights into her life. Here is poignant evidence of her...

See the world of Bleach in a blast of color! This art book contains Tite Kubo's vibrant illustrations, including art from Volumes 1-19 of the series, as well as an annotated art guide and some extra character information!

Charles F. Goldie (1870-1947) is one of New Zealand's best known artists, with mystique surrounding his work. His fame has been fed by newspaper reports documenting record-shattering prices, thefts, vandalism and forgeries. The book explores Goldie's career, his early still life paintings, his time ...

The first New Zealander to win the Victoria Cross, the first Pakeha to explore the West Coast of the South Island and New Zealand’s most distinguished nineteenth-century landscape painter: by any measure, Charles Heaphy was a central figure in colonial New Zealand - and one of the most multi-f...

Sir Peter Siddell's intricately detailed paintings of New Zealand urban scenes and landscapes that are not quite a replication of actuality are much loved and enduringly popular. Both technical tours de force and rich with acute observation, they feature in all our national art collections and never...

In 2008 the famous painter Don Binney completed a suite of 24 absolutely charming coloured pencil drawings of Auckland's West Coast, from Huia to Te Henga (Bethells). They are evocative of the coast so many New Zealanders love and they are magnificent works in themselves. They are accompanied by tex...

The entire collection of John Howe's dragon art, created over his 30-year career, is presented in one breathtaking volume. This book offers a personal exploration by John of the inspirations and techniques he uses to render these amazing beasts. Each dragon is gloriously presented on a double page s...

Just as film, art, music, and literature have the power to move people, Stefan Sagmeister's innovative work shows that graphic design, too, can cut to the emotional quick. His desire is to transform stale thinking, and Sagmeister: Made You Look does just that. Compelling, honest, and intensely pe...

The liberating underground comix of the 60s heralded an explosion in the genres of erotic comic art, and this volume picks up the story to show how European, American and Asian artists have explored the possibility of the form in the years since. Erotic Comics: A Graphic History Volume 2 examines ho...

This beautiful book reveals and illuminates New Zealand's vast national art collection. 400 artworks in full colour, many never reproduced before. The book spans the entire collection, from early European prints to contemporary acquisitions. International artworks by Rembrandt van Rijn, Albrecht...

Comickers Art 3: Write Amazing Manga Stories delves deep into the creative process of manga storytelling, with detailed advice on how to take your own ideas and turn them into fluid and original stories. With beautiful full-color art and tons of helpful tips and tricks, this third volume in the Comi...

Over 50 step-by-step lessons in pencil, coloured pencil and markers introduce readers to the genre of manga fighting.Hundreds of dynamic illustrations help readers learn the skills they need to create action-packed characters and scenes.The drawing basics include anatomy, shading and perspective. Th...

Clear, challenging and inspiring, this book contains instructions for 65 abstract paintings that you can get to work on straightaway, with no previous experience.All the basic information relating to picture elements, composition, theme and design is provided at the start of the book, together with ...

A two-sided photographic tour of the world of modern American burlesque and fetish includes in the first part a cultural history of burlesque complemented by the author's provocative tips on erotic fashion and sensuality, and in the second part a photographic celebration of fetish style.

All drawing is based on the simple construction of lines and shapes.This great new series teaches how to draw popular subjects in extremely easy step-by-step stages.Even an absolute beginner will be able to create great drawings following these illustrations.In this book, Paul Davies includes a fant...

This is the most complete how-to-draw book available on erotic manga - from a world renowned illustration studio. It is an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide to creating your own erotic manga characters. Create your own manga fantasy step-by-step! With it's adult-orientated themes, "Erotic Manga" - k...

Michael Jackson first entered a recording studio in November 1967, just three months after his ninth birthday. Two years later he and his older brothers scored their first hit, 'I Want You Back' - and, despite set-backs that would have ended the career of a lesser man, Michael's legion of fans remai...

Grahame Sydney is regarded as one of New Zealand's major artists. He is best known for his magnificent landscapes of Central Otago, many of which hang in public and private collections throughout New Zealand and the western world. His paintings have been gifted to Nelson Mandela, bought by Elton Joh...

The popularity of manga continues to grow, inspiring interest in learning how to draw in this exciting style of comics. Comic illustration Studio Joso has created the ultimate guide - 384 pages of manga instruction. "The Monster Book of Manga" is divided into sections focusing on the most ...

Artistic genius, political activist, painter and decorator, mythic legend or notorious graffiti artist? The work of Banksy is unmistakable, except maybe when it's squatting in the Tate or New York's Metropolitan Museum. Banksy is responsible for decorating the streets, walls, bridges and zoos of tow...

Whether you feel you have little talent and you doubt you could ever learn, or you enjoy drawing, but have not been able to get much beyond a childlike level, this book aims to give you the skill you have always wanted. If you are already drawing as a professional artist or artist-in-training, it ai...

The single best collection of photographs of Banksy's street work. Period. You Are An Acceptable Level of Threat concentrates on this singular artist's iconic imagery, spanning the late '90s up until the end of 2011. The locations are from around the world (predominantly the UK, US and Europe), and ...

This memorable volume showcases all the winning and commended photographs from the world's most prestigious wildlife photography competition: Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This year, for the first time, it is published by the Natural History Museum.From emotive portraits of...

Subscribers to Mark's YouTube channel have been asking for a how-to book for years, and "Mastering Manga With Mark Crilley" covers subjects fans have requested. Readers will love Mark's conversational tone and easy lessons; and they'll be inspired by pages from Mark's own published work that lend au...

Skinner is a self-taught artist from Sacramento, California who has meticulously crafted a balance of extraordinary mural work, mighty powerful wall-to-wall installations and a prolific commercial career. Influenced by 80s pop culture, human struggle, myths and violence, dungeons and dragons, and th...

This beautiful art book features Shigenori Soejima's best work from the various Persona games, including other projects such as "Stella Deus" and "Momoiro Taisen Pairon", and an exclusive interview with the artist himself.

In 1870, Albert Bierstadt painted one of the most novel subjects of his career: Puget Sound on the Pacific Coast. The canvas resulted from newly reawakened interest in a region the artist had visited only briefly seven years before. Although Bierstadt claimed to have painted "a portrait of the place...

Need high-energy inspiration when your life gets crazy and your art keeps getting pushed to the back burner? Offering terrific mixed-media art projects, as well as tips for getting organized and inspired, Art at the Speed of Life is a treasure chest of ideas for the artist whose creative goals somet...

Following the success of Fantasy Workshop, the ImagineFX team have turned their expertise to producing a range of subject-focused titles for digital and fantasy artists who want to progress to the next level. With reference to creative painting programs (including Photoshop, Illustrator and Core...

 This unique, 100% unofficial, book is based on the free tours & location information that Martin Bull originally researched & offered to the public. It includes 65 locations of Banksy graffiti, past & present; over 125 colour photographs; information, random facts & idle chit-c...

Graham Percy is one of New Zealand's highest achieving illustrators on a global scale. Though he lived in London from 1964 until his death in 2008, he grew up here and never ceased thinking of himself as an expatriate Kiwi. A Micronaut in the Wide World re-discovers the life and work of this talente...

Fantastica is the first book to survey the life and work of Leo Bensemann (1912-1986), one of the most remarkable New Zealanders of his generation. Accomplished in many fields - drawing, painting, printmaking, music, calligraphy, typography, book design and illustration, editing, printing, publishin...

This unique, 100% unofficial, book is based on the free tours & location information that Martin Bull originally researched & offered to the public. It includes 65 locations of Banksy graffiti, past & present; over 125 colour photographs; information, random facts & idle chit-chat on...

A researched study on two of art's most fundamental themes, Color and Light bridges the gap between abstract theory and practical knowledge. Beginning with a survey of underappreciated masters who perfected the use of color and light, the book examines how light reveals form, the properties of color...

It is entirely possible to immerse oneself in the glories of European art without having to travel to the Louvre, the Uffizzi, the Tate or the Frick. That's because New Zealand's public art galleries are richly studded with works collected by benefactors over the last 150 years and generously gifted...

New Zealand Art: from Cook to Contemporary guides the reader on a journey through a generous selection of works from the national collection held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. With over 200 beautiful reproductions and essays by 38 of New Zealand's top art curators and critics, ...