OPG Christmas Gift Guide: Art, Craft, Photography

African Art Now

By Osei Bonsu

Over the past two decades contemporary African art has become part of the global mainstream, inspiring countless exhibitions, art fairs and auctions around the world. However, African art remains overlooked as an area of dedicated art historical study due to continued academic and cultural bias.

Today, African artists work outside the confines of limiting binaries and outdated perceptions; they produce art that is as much a reflection of Africa's tumultuous past as it is a vision of its boundless future. African Art Now is an expansive survey of work by young and emerging African artists from diverse locations, cultures and backgrounds. Far-reaching in its scope, this book draws together a wide-range of artistic practices to reflect on the ever-shifting dynamics and possibilities of contemporary African art today.

Featuring the work of Amoako Boafo, Otobong Nkanga, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Michael Armitage, El Anatsui, Lina Iris Viktor, Cassi Namoda, Abdoulaye Konaté, and many more.

Osei Bonsu is a British-Ghanaian curator, critic and art historian, who is currently the Curator of International Art at Tate Modern. Bonsu is a contributing editor at frieze magazine, and he has also worked on the development of a number of projects focusing on African art, including 'Pangaea II: New Art from Africa and Latin America' (Saatchi Gallery, 2015) and 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair (2013 14). He holds a Masters in History of Art from University College London, where he earned a distinction for his dissertation on Surrealism and African sculpture.

https://www.oseibonsu.com/ @oseibonsu_

How to Photograph People

By Demetrius Fordham

Whatever type of device you use to take pictures whether a phone or a pro spec digital camera - the most compelling subject is always other human beings. Portraiture is one of the most popular genres in photography, but it can also be one of the most daunting to undertake, especially when you're just starting out.

In this comprehensive guide, Demetrius Fordham shares his real life experiences from years of portrait sessions, using these examples to impart the tips, tricks and knowledge that will let you take your own amazing images of people.

- Learn from real-life portraiture examples, shot by a top pro Gain the skills needed to create a rapport with your subject

- Get all the tips and tricks for perfect posing

- Master every type of portraiture from casual-looking group shots to formal studio sessions

- Discover techniques that will let you get amazing pictures of people in any situation

Demetrius Fordham is an award-winning portrait photographer based in Los Angeles, California. His portrait series Transparent (2017) and Ageless Beauty (2016) were covered widely in the media and featured in international photo exhibits.

In addition to portraiture, he has shot editorials for W Magazine, Conde´ Nast Traveler, The Wall Street Journal and Schon Magazine, and has worked with commercial clients such as Steve Madden, The American Heart Association and The Gerald J. Friedman Foundation. He is the author of two other books by Ilex Press: What They Didn't Teach You in Photo School (2015) and If You're Bored With Your Camera, Read This Book (2017).

Fifty years after the publication of the hugely influential bestseller The Photographer's Eye, Michael Freeman returns with fresh ideas that reflect on the way the medium has evolved in the 21st century

Publication 03/03/2022 £20.00 Paperback 176 pages U (235x190)

ISBN: 9781781578360

Michael Freeman On… Composition

By Michael Freeman

Composition is the single most powerful tool in a photographer's armoury. Unconstrained by any outside influence, it can be a pure expression of individuality, and this is what makes it so important. Freeman details both why and how composition works, from perception to visual imagination, including many practical compositional templates - varying from the Walk-in to the Frame Break to the Fibonacci Point - ready to be applied to a range of camera situations.

- All-new content from the master of photography guides

- Concise and easy-to-follow format clearly explains the vital ingredients of composition

- Real-life examples of composition in practice ably demonstrate the key elements

- Unique visuals and illustrations cut through the jargon and make the subject simple

Michael Freeman, professional photographer and best -selling author, was born in England in 1945, took a Masters in Geography at Brasenose College, Oxford University, and then worked in advertising in London for six years. In 1971 he made the lifechanging decision to travel up the Amazon with two secondhand cameras, and when Time-Life used many of the pictures he came back with, he embarked on a full -time photographic career.

Since then, working for clients that include all the world's major magazines, most notably the Smithsonian magazine (for which he has shot more than 40 stories over 30 years), Freeman's reputation as one of the world's leading reportage photographers has been consolidated. Of his many books, which have sold over 4 million copies worldwide, more than 60 titles are on the practice of photography. For this photographic educational work he was awarded the Prix Louis Philippe Clerc by the French Ministry of Culture.

Freeman's books on photography have been translated into 27 languages.

Shooting Film

By Ben Hawkins & Liza Kanaeva-Hunsicker

Film photography is back with a bang, and whether you're returning to the genre after switching to digital, or you've just discovered this amazing medium, there's never been a more compelling argument for going analogue with your photography

In a world where we are bombarded with visual imagery, making your photos stand out from the crowd is getting harder by the day, but film will give you that edge - and let you discover a whole new way of shooting in the process.

In this in-depth and inspirational guide, photography journalist Ben Hawkins, and pro photographer Liza Kanaeva Hunsicker reveal the techniques, tips and secrets for success when shooting film.

- Learn to shoot on film, from the essential basics to advanced techniques

- Make the right choices with an in-depth guide to buying second-hand cameras

- Master the language of film with jargon-free guides to all the vital processes

- Be inspired by advice from a top pro who shoots on film

- Discover the amazing imagery of the new school of analogue photographers

Ben Hawkins is an award-winning writer and journalist specializing in photography and creative media. He was the group editor of Practical Photography magazine, 2013-20, and regularly contributes to magazines including Amateur Photographer and Outdoor Photography. As a child, he used to 'assist' his dad in the family darkroom and developed a fascination with film and analogue technology. He has since interviewed some of the world's most revered film photographers, including Albert Watson, David Bailey and Bob Carlos Clarke. His signed original Carlos Clarke print is one of his most prized possessions.

Liza Kanaeva-Hunsicker is a fine art and fashion photographer from Moscow, now based in New York City. She discovered her love for photography while documenting family travels when she was growing up. Liza studied Art at university in California and Paris and subsequently moved to NYC, where she decided to pursue photography professionally. After a few years of assisting, she ventured out on her own. Liza has been internationally exhibited and regularly contributes to Vogue Italia among other publications. While she still occasionally shoots digital, analogue is at the heart of her creative practice.

The Love That Dares

By Rachel Smith & Barbara Vesey

A good love letter can speak across centuries, and reassure us that the agony and the ecstasy one might feel in the 21st century have been shared by lovers long gone. This is all the more true of LGBTQ+ love letters: love affairs and relationships that, until very recently, had to survive within sealed envelopes and behind closed doors.

In The Love That Dares, queer love speaks its name through the words of lovers from years gone by. Alongside the more famous names coexist beautifully written letters by lesser-known lovers, giving us an insight into queer love outside of the spotlight of fame or fortune. These letters give us a glimpse into the passion and courage it took to continue a gay relationship in times when it was at best improper, and at worst illegal. Enlightening introductions to each set of letters give readers an idea of the historical context in which they were written.

Including letters written by: John Cage, Audre Lorde, Benjamin Britten, Lorraine Hansberry, Walt Whitman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Vita Sackville-West, Radclyffe Hall, Allen Ginsberg.

Rachel Smith and Barbara Vesey are archivists at the Bishopsgate archive in London, which houses the Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive (LAGNA).

You Will Be Able to Macramé by the End of This Book

By Tiffany Allen

In recent years, macramé has gone from a nostalgic '70s trend to a mainstay in contemporary crafting, and no modern home is complete without a stylish knotted creation. This new book takes you back to complete basics, with clear step-by-step illustrations showing every knot you'll need in order to get started plus all the techniques, styles, tools and materials to take you from novice to pro.

Once you've aced the essentials, move on to 20 clear, stylish and straightforward projects to practise the skills you've learned. By the end of the book, you will be able to macramé beautiful items to gift or keep, from a stunning wall hanging to a chic plant holder or a handy market bag.

Tiffany Allen is a fibre artist with a passion for macramé. In only four short years, she has become an expert in her craft and has built a successful business out of her favourite pastime. She can often be found in her home studio in Ontario, Canada, creating new designs and working on custom orders. For more on Tiffany, see @macrameanddriftwood

You Will Be Able to Sew Your Own Clothes by the End of This Book

By Juliet Uzor

There has never been a better time to learn to sew your own clothes. If you want to avoid harmful fast fashion, create sustainable pieces for yourself and one-of-a-kind gifts for loved ones, and curate your own perfect wardrobe, this is the book you need.

Get started with the core skills such as how to make accurate measurements, how to use a sewing machine, and how to follow a pattern. Once you've aced the essentials, move on to 15 stylish and straightforward projects (all patterns provided), from colourful headbands to eye-catching dresses and trendy sweatshirts. Some of the projects even teach you how to upcycle vintage and thrifted clothes to create gorgeous, unique items for your wardrobe. As the projects get more complex, you'll practise and perfect the skills you've learned, and build your confidence.

By the end of the book, you will be able to tackle any new project with confidence and all the techniques and skills you need at your fingertips. So take some time for yourself, learn a new skill, and enjoy creating your own tailored wardrobe with this beautiful book by your side.

Juliet Uzor is a London-based teacher known for her unique colourful clothing designs. In 2019 she was declared the winner of the Great British Sewing Bee on BBC One. Juliet also publishes written and video dressmaking lessons intended to teach and inspire people to sew beautiful pieces to suit their body types and styles.

Clever Cookie Cutter

By Jen Rich

Everybody loves delicious, perfectly decorated cookies – the kind that look almost too good to eat (not that that ever stopped us). But who needs a whole drawerful of cookie cutters in every shape and size that gets left to collect dust in the dark corners of your kitchen, never to be used again?

Clever Cookie Cutter will show you how to create 30 incredible cookie designs using just 3 simple cookie cutters – a heart, a gingerbread man and a star. From fabulous flamingos to bootylicious bums and boobs or out-of-this-world aliens to magical unicorns, this little book will have you covered no matter the occasion or your mood. And handy tips and techniques, plus basic dough and icing recipes, make cookie decorating a breeze, no matter your level of skill (or patience). So you'll be able to impress your friends, delight your family and maybe even surprise yourself along the way.

• Transform heart-shaped cookies into fabulous flamingos, sumptuous strawberries and beautiful butterflies.

• Turn gingerbread men into luscious monstera, fearsome sharks or spooky zombies.

• Take star-shaped cookies and turn them into purr-fect cats, magical unicorns and spring-time daffodils.

• Plus, pick up handy tips and techniques for the best cookies you've ever made.

Jen is a photographer and food stylist with over 10 years of experience in working for a range of editorial and advertising clients. She has shaped her photography career to enable her to fully explore her love of food and regularly works in recipe development and food styling as well as photography, often filling multiple roles on a brief. A keen home sewer, Jen has a love for anything crafty and creative and is happiest with a project on the go.

How to Find Your Happy Place

By Alison Davies

We all have a happy place that makes us feel safe and content in times of uncertainty ... sometimes we just need someone to take us by the hand and lead us there.

An antidote to the stresses of modern day life, How to Find Your Happy Place will show you that your happy place is just a few moments away. Short descriptions of imagined scenes will help you visualise a space that's tailored exactly to your needs, whether it's calm or comfort you long for, or rejuvenation and inspiration. And accompanying mantras and journal pages will bring you even closer to a state of ease and tranquillity when you need it most.

Wherever yours is, this book offers new inspiration and a plethora of suggestions to help you discover happy places for whichever energies you wish to cultivate. Find happy places for: - Peace and calm - Healing - Love and kindness - Happiness - Rejuvenation

Alison Davies is the author of over 35 books in the areas of self-help, natural health, folklore and magical arts. She also writes for several magazines including Bella, Soul & Spirit, Your Fitness, Take a Break Fate and Fortune, Spirit and Destiny, and also writes for the Express Yourself section of the Daily Express.

Pumpkin Crafting

Edited by Katie Hardwicke

The ultimate guide to carving, painting and dressing up pumpkins, complete with tips and recipes for enjoying the whole pumpkin all season long.

Your ultimate guide to carving, painting and decorating pumpkins for your home, complete with tips and recipes for getting the most out of your pumpkin all season long.

From playful and whimsical pumpkins that will liven up Halloween, Day of the Dead or Thanksgiving parties to sophisticated and elegant designs that will bring autumnal charm to your home all season long, you'll find projects to suit every style and taste.

Divided and organised into helpful sections, you'll find:

• A guide to the tools, tips and techniques that will help you achieve the best results

• Pumpkin carving projects, for transforming your pumpkins and seasonal gourds into show-stopping jack-o-lanterns

• Pumpkin painting projects, for transforming your pumpkin with a lick of paint, no sharp objects required

• Pumpkin dressing projects, for turning your pumpkin into an original creation with glue, tape and other odds and ends

• And recipes, for using every part of the pumpkin to create delicious meals and tasty snacks

Each project features easy to follow instructions, whilst beautiful photographs throughout will give you all the inspiration you need. And handy templates at the back of the book can be copied and used again and again for perfect results every time.

Pumpkin Crafting

By Jen Rich

Your ultimate guide to carving, painting and dressing pumpkins to decorate your home, complete with projects for all crafting abilities, tips for preserving your creations, plus delicious sweet and savoury pumpkin recipes.

From playful and whimsical pumpkins that will liven up Halloween, Day of the Dead or Thanksgiving parties to sophisticated and elegant designs that will bring autumnal charm to your home all season long, you'll find projects to suitevery styleand taste.

Divided and organised into helpful sections, you'll find:

• A guide to the tools, tips and techniques that will help you achieve the best results

• Pumpkin carving projects, for transforming your pumpkins and seasonal gourds into show stopping jack o lanterns

• Pumpkin painting projects, for transforming your pumpkin with a lick of paint, no sharp objects required

• Pumpkin dressing projects, for turning your pumpkin into an original creation with glue, tape and other odds and ends

• Tasty recipes, for using every part of the pumpkin to create delicious meals and tasty snacks

Each project features easy to follow instructions, whilst the beautiful photography throughout will give you all the inspiration you need. Plus the handy templates at the back of the book can be copied and used again and again for perfect results every time.

Jen Rich is a photographer and food stylist with over 10 years experience working for a range of editorial and advertising clients. She has shaped her photography career to enable her to fully explore her love of crafts and food, regularly working in recipe development and food styling as well as photography. A keen home sewer, Jen has a love for anything crafty and creative and is happiest with a project on the go.

The Complete Beginner's Photography Course

By Ben Hawkins

While digital cameras have made photography more accessible than ever, taking full creativecontrol of your equipment should be every photographer's aim.

In this book, photography writer Ben Hawkins uses his extensive experience to deliver a unique modular system of learning. Covering all of the key genres, a range of diverse projects will teach every essential skill, technique and technical competency, while also offering inspiration and delivering a beautiful imagefor your firstportfolio.

Master every skill, techniqueand camera setting essential for great photography.

Learn at your own pace through a difficulty rated modular system that increases in challengeas your competency grows.

Get to grips with every genre of photography from landscapes to portraits and nature to reportage.

Ben Hawkins is an award winning writer and journalist specialising in photography and creative media. He was the group editor of Practical Photography magazine, 2013 20, and regularly contributes to magazines including Amateur Photographer and Outdoor Photography. As a child, he used to 'assist' his dad in the family darkroom and developed a fascination with film and analogue technology. He has since interviewed some of the world's most revered film photographers, including Albert Watson, David Bailey and Bob Carlos Clarke.His signed original Carlos Clarkeprintis oneof his mostprized possessions.

Crosshatching in Pen & Ink

By August Lamm

Learn the unique art of crosshatching and create stunning works of art with expert guidancefrom August Lamm.

How to Crosshatch in Pen & Ink begins with a potted history of the artform, and elucidates exactly what crosshatching entails, and where it came from. After a helpful exploration of the materials and media that a crosshatcher may need, there then begins a practical guide to the very basics of crosshatching, approaching concepts such as how to look accurately,and how to depict light,shape,and shadow.

Once readers have the essentials under their belt, there are more complicated subjects such as anatomy, portraiture and still lifes to tackle. For each topic, August uses a combination of fine art examples, illustrations and step by step tutorials to take the reader through the fascinating and accessible process of crosshatching, from perception to execution.

This is the essential, comprehensive guide to this fascinating artform, and will appeal to complete beginners alongsidelong timeaficionados of the practice.

August Lamm has built a full-time career teaching workshops and online classes in crosshatching. She has a degree in art history and has worked as an art handler, art writer, and art podcaster. August shares her work online with her enthusiastic, 166,000 strong audienceon Instagram.

Nostalgia Nerd's Gadgets, Gizmos & Gimmicks

By Peter Leigh

In this eagerly awaited new book from the author of the best selling Nostalgia Nerd's Retro Tech, Peter Leigh takes a fun, informative and irreverent romp through the history of more than forty pieces of personal tech, charting the successes, failures and oddities from over fivedecades of our obsession with gadgetry.

From the Teasmade to the TomTom, mankind has been on a constant hunt for gimmicks that make life easier, faster and more entertaining, and as yesterday's 'must-haves' become today's museum pieces, there's no better time to take a nostalgic trip through tech's back catalogue.

Peter Leigh has been an aficionado of retro technology his entire life, starting before it was even retro. During the past seven years he has unveiled hundreds of vintage technology stories on his prominent YouTube channel, Nostalgia Nerd (with 400k subscribers), written the best-selling book Nostalgia Nerd's Retro Tech for Ilex Press and featured in an array of notable TV programs and publications. Today, as the premier UK connoisseur of our technological heritage, he continues his quest to highlight the joy of these important fragments from our past, and ensure they remain cherished, not forgotten.

Sketch Club: Urban Watercolour

By Phil Dean

Take your urban sketching skills to the next level with watercolour. Bestselling author and artist Phil Dean (@shoreditchsketcher) provides a step by step guide to creating beautiful urban artworks. Get started with the very basics of depicting cityscapes with a pencil or pen, including tips on perspective, measuring, and mark-making. Then move straight on to the core watercolour techniques you will need to introduce stunning colour and tone to your sketches.

With 20 easy-to-follow exercises on everything from negative space to line & wash, Sketch Club: Urban Watercolour is your go to guide to elevating your urban art.

Chapters include: Loosening Up Urban Drawing 101

Getting Started with Watercolour

Taking Your Watercolour Further Finishing Touches

Phil Dean is an artist and graphic designer based in London. He graduated from Leeds College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design, before moving down to London, where he now runs his own creative agency. Phil also runs a hugely popular Instagram account, The Shoreditch Sketcher, where he posts stunning urban sketches from around the world, and leads urban sketching workshops in London for a variety of experience levels.

@shoreditchsketcher theshoreditchsketcher.com

Pring's Photographer's Miscellany

By Roger Pring

How did Kodak company get its name? Who invented the Minox spy camera? Were there really fax machines in the mid 19th century? And what would a photographer use 'Mod Podge' for? The answers to all these questions and many, many more can be found in this intriguing compendium of photographic fascination compiled by Roger Pring.

Beautifully packaged, full of arresting images and exquisitely typeset by the author himself, Pring's Photographer's Miscellany will make an intriguing gift for all photographers. Dipping into the book will reveal the origins of the photographer's craft, tips and tricks of the greats, a host of revealing quotes and fascinating trivia: and you'll not only be richly entertained, you'll certainly learn something you can use next time you shoot.

Roger Pring is a graphic designer, lecturer, photographic enthusiast and collector. He was project director of the original Photographer's Handbook, and is the author of several Ilex Press books on computer aided design, typography and the internet. He was also publisher of The Wine Diary and runs a cookery school in Burgundy.

Michael Freeman On… Light & Shadow

By Michael Freeman

Drawing on over 40 years of practical experience, best-selling author and photographer Michael Freeman examines the most fundamental building blocks of photography light and shadow bringing this key element of the picture making process into the 21st century.

In this book, Freeman takes a new and different view of photography's prime commodity, arguing that for the photographer, the rich and evocative world of shadows is the full equal of the actual light that casts them and bathes scenes. He defines the varied qualities of both light and shadows (of which there are at least ten distinct types), and shows how they have particular meaning and purpose. He also argues for integrating exposure and processing with an appreciation of light and shadow quality so as to have full and subtle control. Armed with this understanding and these techniques, the creative photographer can work with lightand shadow to add depth and quality to imagery.

Concise and easy to follow format clearly explains the fundamentals of light and shadow

- For the first time ever, both light and shadow are given equal weight in the discussion of photographic image making Real life examples, clearly illustrated, cut through the jargon and show the theory of lightand shadow in practice

Michael Freeman has worked for all the world's major magazines, most notably the Smithsonian (for which he has shot more than 40 stories over 30 years), consolidating his reputation as one of the world's leading reportage photographers. Of his many books, which have sold over 4 million copies worldwide, more than 60 titles are on the practice of photography. For this photographic educational work he was awarded the Prix Louis PhilippeClerc by the French Ministry of Culture.

Freeman's books on photography have been translated into 27 languages.

African Art Now

By Osei Bonsu

Over the past two decades contemporary African art has become part of the global mainstream, inspiring countless exhibitions, artfairs and auctions around theworld. Today, African artists work outside the confines of limiting binaries and outdated perceptions; they produce art that is as much a reflection of Africa's tumultuous past as it is a vision of its boundless future. African Art Now is an expansive survey of work by young and emerging African artists from diverse locations, cultures and backgrounds. Far reaching in its scope, this book draws together a wide range of artistic practices to reflect the ever shifting dynamics and possibilities of contemporary African arttoday.

Featuring the work of Amoako Boafo, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Michael Armitage, Cassi Namoda, Cinga Samson, Zina Saro Wiwa and many more.

Osei Bonsu is a British-Ghanaian curator, critic and art historian, who is currently the Curator of International Art at Tate Modern. Bonsu is a contributing editor at frieze magazine, and he has also worked on the development of a number of projects focusing on African art, including 'Pangaea II: New Art from Africa and Latin America' (Saatchi Gallery, 2015) and 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair (2013-14). ). In 2020, he was named as one of Apollo magazine's '40 under 40' leading African voices. He holds a Masters in History of Art from University College London, where he earned a distinction for his dissertation on Surrealismand African sculpture. oseibonsu.com @oseibonsu_

Composition

By Michael Archer

The rules of composition have changed. Discover the new ideas that shape the art we make today.

The art world has changed almost beyond recognition since the first principles of composition were invented in classical times with the aim of achieving harmonious design. Today, artists have different concerns. Scientific, technological and social advances have changed the way we see reality; the way we view our subjects and tell their stories. Artists and art lovers need a new set of tools and ideas to navigate this world.

For the first time, in this book, composition is comprehensively explored for the modern world, taking in the full diversity of approach and experience that makes art so exciting today. Goldsmiths professor and art writer Michael Archer outlines all the key developments in composition from the optical revolution of the nineteenth century to the contemporary concerns of the twenty first century.

Michael Archer is a Professor of Art at Goldsmiths, teaching critical studies and art and design history and theory, as well as a widely published critic and art writer. His work has appeared in newspapers and journals including Artforum, Art Monthly, Frieze, Parkett and The Guardian and in numerous catalogues. He is the author of Art Since 1960 (Thames & Hudson 1997/2002, new edition forthcoming), and contributed chapters on modern and contemporary art to Hugh Honour and John Fleming's A World History of Art (Laurence King 2009). He holds a BA in History of Art from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Aesthetic Education from Manchester University.

Landscape Photographer of the Year

By Charlie Waite

From rural countryside to striking urban cityscapes, discover the best of British landscapes from the latest edition of the Landscape Photography of the Year competition. Now in its 15th year, this highly prestigious annual showcase was devised by award winning photographer, Charlie Waite, and attracts thousands of visitors each year to its Central London exhibition.

This edition features winning and highly commended entries across all categories.

Charlie Waite is now firmly established as one of the world's leading landscape photographers. Over the last twenty five years he has lectured throughout the UK, Europe and the US, and he has held numerous one man exhibitions all over the world. In 2007 Charlie launched Landscape Photographer of the Year, an annual international photography competition which ties in perfectly with his desire to share his passion and appreciation of the beauty of nature through photography.