Imitation And Inspiration

No photographer works in a vacuum. Photographers, like all artists, stand on the shoulders of those who came before them, and they are informed and influenced by those working around them contemporaneously. If you are striving to find your own style, one of the most powerful exercises you can practice is to find influence and inspiration in the work of those around you, and then emulate that work in an effort to define, shape, and grow your own photographic voice. By collecting, imitating, and eventually reshaping and combining the work of those around you, your unique voice can be found and the quality of your work can soar. In Photograph Like a Thief, photographer, author, and retoucher Glyn Dewis embraces the idea of “stealing” and recreating others’ work in order to improve as an artist. By “stepping inside” others’ images, you can learn to reverse engineer their creation, then build an image yourself that simultaneously pays homage to that work yet is also an original creation itself. The book is divided into two parts. In Part 1, Glyn discusses his approach, covering the process of "stealing ideas" and finding inspiration. He also covers the gear he uses, as well as his retouching and post-processing workflow. In a very helpful chapter on “reverse engineering” a photograph, Glyn discusses how to “read” an image by the catchlights, shadow position, and the hardness/softness of the shadows. This is a crucial skill to acquire if you want to recreate another’s look. In Part 2, Glyn works through a series of images, from initial concept and influence to lighting, shooting, and post-processing the image to get to the final result. For each image, he reverse engineers the shot to describe how it was created and discusses how the image influenced him, then works through the gear he used, the lighting for the image, and the post-processing of the image—from the RAW out-of-camera shot to the finished piece. While Glyn's work primarily focuses on portraiture, he finds inspiration and influence from a wide variety of work, from legendary photographers to animated films to book covers to movie posters. By working alongside Glyn in Photograph Like a Thief, you too can learn to find inspiration all around you, discover how that work can influence you, improve your photographic and post-processing skill set, and begin your own journey to defining your unique style. Who knows? Soon, others may be stealing from you.

Imitating Authors is a major study of the theory and practice of imitatio (the imitation of one author by another) from antiquity to the present day. It extends from early Greek texts right up to recent fictions about clones and artificial humans, and illuminates both the theory and practice of imitation. At its centre lie the imitating authors of the English Renaissance, including Ben Jonson and the most imitated imitator of them all, John Milton. Imitating Authors argues that imitation was not simply a matter of borrowing words, or of alluding to an earlier author. Imitators learnt practices from earlier writers. They imitated the structures and forms of earlier writing in ways that enabled them to create a new style which itself could be imitated. That made imitation an engine of literary change. Imitating Authors also shows how the metaphors used by theorists to explain this complex practice fed into works which were themselves imitations, and how those metaphors have come to influence present-day anxieties about imitation human beings and artificial forms of intelligence. It explores relationships between imitation and authorial style, its fraught connections with plagiarism, and how emerging ideas of genius and intellectual property changed how imitation was practised. In refreshing and jargon-free prose Burrow explains not just what imitation was in the past, but how it influences the present, and what it could be in the future. Imitating Authors includes detailed discussion of Plato, Roman rhetorical theory, Virgil, Lucretius, Petrarch, Cervantes, Ben Jonson, Milton, Pope, Wordsworth, Mary Shelley, and Kazuo Ishiguro.

A narrative nonfiction book about the world of Fungi.Enter our world. The world of fungi¿ the most mysterious and misunderstood kingdom on the planet. We are not plants. We are not animals. So what are we?From Veiled Ladies to Bleeding Teeth, learn how we eat, live, and control a part of the world you rarely even notice. Peek beneath the crispy leaves, peer inside your old lunch box, and poke between your smelly toes¿We¿re here, we¿re growing, and even when you think you can¿t see us¿we can always see you.

“[Snider has] created something unique: a synthesis of comics, philosophy, and poetry: a thoughtful new way of packaging eternal ideas in cartoon boxes.” —The Los Angeles Review of Books What does an idea look like? And where do they come from? Grant Snider’s illustrations will motivate you to explore these questions, inspire you to come up with your own answers and, like all Gordian knots, prompt even more questions. Whether you are a professional artist or designer, a student pursuing a creative career, a person of faith, someone who likes walks on the beach, or a dreamer who sits on the front porch contemplating life, this collection of one- and two-page comics will provide insight into the joys and frustrations of creativity, inspiration, and process—no matter your age or creative background. “A creative kaleidoscope of humor, insight, and truth. An inventive window into the creative experience filled with hope and encouragement for daydreamers and doodlers, sketchers and scribblers, inventors, explorers, and spinners of yarns.” —Clare Vanderpool, New York Times-bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author “Grant Snider’s work delivers introspection, humor, and inspiration in visually stunning drawings. They are a colorful look into the creative process—from the moments of quiet contemplation to the days of frenzied desperation.” —Susan Cain, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking “A friendly, encouraging depiction of the creative process, with its highs and lows, from a comics creator.” —The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Give your paintings more life - with light! The best watercolor paintings have a certain radiance, a richness of light, color and detail. You can bring these same effects to your own work with the help of award-winning painter Linda Stevens Moyer. With this book, you'll discover a layering formula for creating stunning watercolors that explode with light. Even if you've struggled previously with layering colors, you can achieve the results you want through these easy-to-follow instructions. Moyer takes you step by step through the entire process, beginning with the most basic aspects of watercolor, including: Mixing and using color Creating form and representing space Saving and regaining the white of your paper Building realistic textures Using photographs to inspire and develop your painting Layering with transparent watercolor to portray light Create paintings that dazzle. It's easier than you think.

Imagine beautiful mosaic pieces with tiles that you easily create yourself! Mixed-Media Mosaics offers a fresh, new approach to a traditional art form. By making your own tiles from polymer clay, you control the size, shape, color and even the texture, resulting in beautiful finished pieces that include tabletops, boxes, jewelry and shrines. In addition to learning traditional tiling techniques such as working with grout and cutting glass tile, you'll also explore creative options for personalizing tiles: • Discover the magic of mica powders and the regal look they can give to mosaics • Learn quick and easy ways of adding paint to handcrafted and commercial tile • See how easy it is to create molds and cast your own relief tiles • Find ways to add personal meaning to your work with the addition of text tiles • Experiment with the addition of beads, jewelry and other embellishments by embedding them right into the tile! Whether you'd like to complete a mosaic tabletop for your patio, a jewelry box as a special gift, or simply experiment with jewelry, you'll find the inspiration you seek in Mixed-Media Mosaics. Start creating your custom mosaic pieces today.