Nature Books

The Tarot Garden is a fascinating read for those interested in art and tarot. The book features vivid photographs of the whimsical sculptures present in the sculpture park, which is a beautiful blend of surrealism and nature. The unique feature of this book is the personal vision of the creator, Niki de Saint Phalle, who has brought the tarot-game personalities to life through her magical sculptures.

Denis John-Naylor creates wonderful drawings of trees and their leaves and seeds. Here he describes the techniques he uses, such as shaping the pencil end to make the right mark, building up a pattern of lights and darks, sketching in pencil or ballpoint pen, measuring angles and proportions, impressing grooves and lifting out tone with a putty eraser. Four demonstrations show how to use these techniques to create tree drawings, from a detailed study of oak leaves to a huge sequoia.

David Bellamy’s Watercolour Landscape Course is a popular guide to landscape painting that has sold over 55,000 copies to date. Structured and practical in approach, it is unique in that it has amateur painters painting pictures right from the start. Well-known teacher-artist David Bellamy helps students to learn techniques by producing actual sketches, studies and watercolour paintings in this inspiring and practical guide. The book is divided into three main • The first section covers all the practical aspects of watercolour painting;• the second section is more challenging, requiring students to take a little more initiative and develop their own style; and• the third shows how to paint the many different elements of the landscape. The course includes numerous practical exercises which highlight the key points covered in each chapter and there are twelve demonstration pictures with clear, step-by-step instructions.