Star, Branch, Spiral, Fan: Learn to Draw from Nature's Perfect Design Structures

This is a very attractive book to look at as the use of colour is carefully balanced and in places looks like water colour. It is a book to show you how to use basic natural forms in order to make your own designs. One could copy, but there is sufficient inspiration to keep you going for a long time! You can of course transfer your designs to any substrate, or use them in any way - eg a painting a picture, card etc. The instructions are mathematical in that you need a pair of compasses if you follow everything fully - the work might be perfect, but tracing or free-hand might suit others. I purchased the book to see if I could use the designs for printing/etching. That's the case, using single colour or the reduction process. I'm reasonably experienced in both design and printing so it will serve my purpose and give me a great deal of scope. 2 useful teaching techniques used are very basic line drawings which show proportion, which anybody can copy, then adapt; and attractively coloured designs which you are asked to use pencil/pen to provide outline and details. Both of these exercises will build up confidence.As to value for money: Essentially, that's how much you enjoy and use a book, For me there will be initial usage and perhaps looking at it occasionally, and there will be a point where it goes to a charity shop or cut up for cards. At less than £11 that's good value. It's nicely printed and quite substantial to hold. My copy is standard book-bound and not wire, so it doesn't fold flat as describe, which might annoy those wishing to trace images. (is that allowed?) Blank pages opposite a selection of images encourage you use the book interactively.

What a very beautiful and useful book. I believe that any artist, at any level will thoroughly enjoy this book and find something to work from. The (apparently) simplest shapes and forms in nature are broken down so they can be drawn or painted with panache.There is something for everyone here. Browse, pick up a pencil and use the images to create your own style in nature.I am a watercolour artist, and linocut printmaker, and this book is full of inspiration. Read it, drop in and out of it for ideas, go for a walk in nature and find your own references to use and I’m sure you will refer back to this book time and again. It is a rare gem.Buy it, you won’t regret it. It’s a fabulous little book cram jammed with beautifully prepared images, set out in an easy to follow sequence. Brilliant.

Well sorted book. Excellent references, and gives you a window into how to simplify nature and gain inspiration from it ~ even if you are not at the skill level of a Victorian Naturalist, this will help you develop your own interpretation of line and form informed by nature.

I have been very inspired by Yellena James' work and was delighted to buy this book. It not only teaches you how to build up a piece of work bit by bit but also leaves spaces and pages for you to draw and paint on. Fabulous quality book with so much inspiration and so many ideas. Highly recommend to artists and students.

As someone already wrote: a beautiful book, if you only search for inspiration, but if you expect instructions about how to achieve any of these advanced patters there is no such. I don't see much use of showing advanced patterns, but only provide basic instruction about how to draw a star or a shell and call the book "Learn to Draw..."

This is stunning, detailed, beautiful illustrations of nature and the sea.The artists working is just a delight to look at.

I just pore over the beautiful vibrant colours. I’ll get round to reading the words at some point.

Lovely book with some beautiful pictures and tutorials, along with have-a-go pages to practise what you've learned.