‘My drawings started by accident. I was on tour in Montreal a few years ago and found myself sheltering from the pishing rain in an art store. I went in to get dry and came out with an armful of felt-tip pens and a sketchbook, then went straight back to my hotel room and started to draw. I’ve never looked back.’

Welcome to the visual world of Billy Connolly – comedian, actor, storyteller and artist. In elegant, simple lines Billy conjures up a land of fantastic beasts, mysterious inventions, and blissful calm. Some drawings are charmingly simple, others feel complex, strange or rebellious. Through them, Billy offers fascinating glimpses of his childhood and his Scottish homeland, takes us on journeys to far-flung places, and shares his life-long obsession with music, wildlife and fashion.

‘People think I paint or draw things on purpose. I don’t, I just draw. It is a portal for my imagination. And, just like my stand-up, I never know where it will lead.’

The Accidental Artist brings together the best of Billy’s drawings with a selection of his most beloved stories. It is a joyful collision of colour, creativity and storytelling, and an exhilarating new portrait of Billy’s extraordinary life.

Recent years have seen a surge in the popularity of linocut and woodcut printmaking. People are finding joy in working with their hands again, and these methods make it easy – it’s possibly the only printmaking medium you can do easily on the kitchen table at home.

Botanical Block Printing is your companion on the journey of crafting relief prints from scratch, always with a botanical theme and beautifully presented in, printmaker and author, Rosanna Morris’ contemporary and gentle aesthetic.

Richly photographed, the book is a practical how-to guide covering getting set up, what you need, equipment and so on, followed by a comprehensive introduction to processes and techniques. You’ll even learn how to make your own botanical inks, adding a personal touch to your creations. Step-by-step projects including making block prints on both paper and fabric are included and there are interviews with fellow printmakers who specialise in natural subjects.

Bound with a special exposed-spine binding allows the book to lay (and stay) open without any bending whilst it’s being used as an instructional manual. The inside flap extends outwards to reveal an accurate ruler; handy to have nearby for when measurements are needed. The flap can then be folded inwards again, to bookmark a page and come back to a project later on. Finished with a burnt-orange thread running through the spine for an organic touch, this book is a real hands-on experience that’s both durable and artistically crafted.

Above all, this is a beautiful and visually inspiring book unlike any other on the market.

Contents

Tools & Materials

Getting Set Up

Drawing and Transferring to a Block

Printing on Paper

Printing on Fabric

Using Colour

Creating and Using Botanical Inks

Projects include: Handmade paper print, Tablecloth, One-colour linocut, Paper studio folder, fabric printed table runner, two-colour prints, printing with foraged flowers, making your own pigment

SJ Axelby brings new life to interior portraiture, capturing in paint the favourite rooms of 89 leading creatives from interior designers to ceramicists and antiques dealers (and florists and chefs). A sumptuously illustrated record of a home or special project, each interior portrait is accompanied by a charming and quirky interview with the owner, in which we discover invaluable nuggets of design advice, cocktail choice, life hacks and so much more – all illustrated in watercolour by SJ.

There is a long tradition of painting rooms to provide a record of grand homes, giving a glimpse into the life and times of previous generations. Today there is a resurgence of interest in our living spaces, but there is no book in the tradition of illustrated room portraiture to inspire you. SJ Axelby’s Interior Portraits will take you into multiple unique and colourful homes, seen through the artist’s eye.

Creating an authentic and characterful scheme is much like the composition of a painting: the shape, form, contrast, colour, pattern and texture all need to work in harmony. This pictorial guide includes not only Sarah-Jane’s original watercolours but scrapbook pages annotated with design wisdom from each room’s owners, which will enthuse and empower the reader to try new ideas in their own homes. It’s a creative who’s who of the international design world featuring mouth-watering compositions bursting with colour and pattern and displaying the true joy of a home that reflects its owner’s personality. With a foreword by Kit Kemp of Firmdale Hotels.

Just a few of the creatives featured:
Alexandra Tolstoy
Alice Stori Liechtenstein
Anna Spiro
Ashley Hicks
Ben Pentreath & Charlie McCormick
Cath Kidston Padgham
Erica Davies
Flora Soames
Henry Holland
Kit Kemp
Lucinda Chambers
Lulu Lytle
Luke Edward Hall & Duncan Campbell
Matilda Goad
Penny Morrison
Robert Kime
Skye McAlpine
Sophie Conran

Skilfully navigating the diversity of Nash’s design output, which drew in illustration, book jackets, posters, set design, pattern papers, fabrics, glass, ceramics and photography, in the context of Nash’s painting and wider pre-occupations, James King presents an artist who strove to resolve his artistic vision. With Nash’s work informed by seismic shifts within the visual arts during his lifetime – from the influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement on the one hand, to Surrealism and Abstraction on the other – this fascinating book reveals the considerable gifts that allowed Nash to create a wholly original vision in turn.