Weirdo Deluxe

Brings together work of leading Lowbrow and Pop Surrealist artists. With over 100 examples by two dozens artists. Provides a timeline of the movement with graphic artists profiles.

Presenting one's portfolio is where every designer begins his or her career. Therefore, crafting a portfolio, whether online or for presentation in person, is an essential skill for survival. Because a portfolio can make or break a career, it is vital that designers go out armed with all the right moves and materials. This book talks both to the professionals who have both designed their own portfolios and those on the other side of the table who have looked at scores of portfolios, to uncover the tips and tricks that have won jobs, as well as the must-avoid moves that have lost opportunities. This book is not only a handbook for dos and don'ts; it also provides plenty of inspiration from a wide collection of portfolios, both virtual and real-life. This book asks leaders in the field about the real-world realities of presenting one's work for consideration and answers the question, "What sells and what doesn't."

This is the first book to take seriously (though not too seriously) the surprisingly neglected role of humour in art. "Art and Laughter" looks back to comic masters such as Hogarth and Daumier and to Dada, Surrealism and Pop Art, asking what makes us laugh and why. It explores the use of comedy in art from satire and irony to pun, parody and black and bawdy humour. Encouraging laughter in the hallowed space of the gallery, Sheri Klein praises the contemporary artist as 'clown' - often overlooked in favour of the role of artist as 'serious' commentator - and takes us on a tour of the comic work of Red Grooms, Cary Leibowitz, 'The Hairy Who', Richard Prince, Bruce Nauman, Jeff Koons, William Wegman, Vik Muniz and many more. She seeks out those rare smiles in art - from the Mona Lisa onwards - and highlights too the pleasures of the cute, the camp and the downright kitsch.

Typography Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type is a practical, hands-on resource that distills and organizes the many complex issues surrounding the effective use of typography. An essential reference for designers since 2009, Typography Essentials is now completely refreshed with updated text, new graphics and photos, and a whole new look. Divided into four sections—The Letter, The Word, The Paragraph, and The Page—the text is concise, compact, and easy to reference. Each of the 100 principles, which cover all practical aspects of designing with type, has an explanation and inspiring visual examples drawn from international books, magazines, posters, and more. Typography Essentials is for designers of every medium in which type plays a major role, and is organized and designed to make the process enjoyable and entertaining, as well as instructional.

The first book to collect the work of the LA underground art world's favourite wunderkind, Elizabeth McGrath. 112 pages of full colour photos and detail shots reveal the exquisite complexity of her sweetly twisted creatures. Upon first viewing, McGrath's colourful mummified creatures are Gothic oddities, but their undeniable artistry immediately draws the viewer in to an appreciation of their tortured beauty. Each piece is meticulously sculpted, dressed and decorated in exquisite detail.

On the surface, the relationship between comics and the ‘high’ arts once seemed simple; comic books and strips could be mined for inspiration, but were not themselves considered legitimate art objects. Though this traditional distinction has begun to erode, the worlds of comics and art continue to occupy vastly different social spaces. Comics Versus Art examines the relationship between comics and the most important institutions of the art world, including museums, auction houses, and the art press. Bart Beaty's analysis centres around two questions: why were comics excluded from the history of art for most of the twentieth century, and what does it mean that comics production is now more closely aligned with the art world? Approaching this relationship for the first time through the lens of the sociology of culture, Beaty advances a completely novel approach to the comics form.

Martha braves class ridicule to befriend a weirdo, who enriches her life with his Ouija board and proves to be a better friend than those she lost.