Take up a new hobby, improve your skills, or find a way to align what you make with what matters to you. These crafty books will help you develop new habits and unlock your creative side, covering everything from mending your clothes, levelling up your drawing skills and discovering the powerful world of craftivism.
Make Every Day Creative
by Marion Deuchars
If you had a new year's resolution to be more creative (or actually do that hobby that you bought all the equipment for) but have been struggling to follow through, try this approachable guide to incorporating small creative projects and exercises into your routine, in whatever way works best for you.
Celebrated illustrator Marion Deuchars is on a mission. Sharing a host of inspiring projects and ideas, this book shows people of all ages and artistic abilities how a little creativity every day can make a big difference.
With over 100 projects and ideas, Marion invites you to release your artistic potential. Spill some ink. Draw with a stick. Have a go at hand lettering, or painting with a mop! The ideas in this book are all about having fun and realising it's never too late to discover-or rediscover-your artistic side.
Hand Dyed Designs
by Katie Ellen Wilkins
If you want to recapture the excitment you felt when first attempting tie-dying as a kid, but technicolour isn't really your vibe anymore, then this beautiful guide to natural dyes and DIY designs will be perfect for you. With a thoughtful, sustainable ethos and clear instructions on every part of the process, you'll be feeling pleasantly smug about your handmade tableclothes, pillowcases and clothes in no time.
Hand Dyed Designs is your ultimate guide to the art of natural dyeing, offering a sustainable approach to creating stunning, one-of-a-kind textiles.
Author and maker Katie Ellen Wilkins of Studio Tinta has ideas for curious beginners through to seasoned dyers. The first part of the book focuses on the essential information you'll need to know before you begin the dyeing itself. This includes how to choose the best fabrics, an explanation of the different mordants, necessary equipment and how to store dyes. The second part highlights Katie's favourite dye plants, from marigold and madder to avocado pits, and has instructions for common dyeing techniques like bundle dyeing and immersion dyeing.
Art Class: Flowers and Foliage
by Sarah Hankinson
Want a technical masterclass in drawing, from the comfort of your house? Try this detailed guide to botanical art from Melbourne artist Sarah Hankinson – she provides simple exercises to level up your skills and talks you through lots of different mediums, so you can find what works best for you.
This is a beginner's guide to creating contemporary botanical art for everyone who loves flowers.
Hankinson shares lots of activities to help guide readers and budding artists to create their own amazing botanical art, from quick icebreakers to larger, more detailed pieces. Each activity includes: step-by-step imagery, flower diagrams with labels and original commissioned photography. With a focus on appreciating nature and making time to play, this simple introduction makes the beloved style of botanical art accessible to all.
15-minute Art Drawing
by Jessica Smith
If botanics aren't your thing, or you're really struggling to find time in the day to get creative, 15-minute Art Drawing is the solution! Learn different techniques and get familiar with different mediums through bite-sized drawing exercises that will work for anyone.
How do you find time in your busy day to get creative? Why, with 15-minute Art Drawing, of course!
Explore the pure joy of colouring pencils and markers with 15-minute projects that encourage you to explore drawing, colouring and shading in a relaxing, free and fun way. Each project can be completed in no more than six steps and will include practice pages, colour swatches and helpful hints to make light work of the artwork.
Jagun
by Holly Sanders
If you want to get creative, but don't have the brain space to create anything from scratch, try a colouring book for a gentle but satisfying stretch of your artistic skills.
Jagun celebrates the land, sky, waters, flora and fauna that together form Country. There is no part of the natural world that is not interconnected with First Nations culture or kin. Exploring her own identity, Holly Sanders invites you on a journey to sing, dance and colour as you discover that Country is more than just a place.
Jagun is the third title in the bestselling First Nations Colouring series. It follows on from Mulganai and Nardurna. All of these books are ally friendly and are made to be enjoyed by everyone.
Well Worn
by Skye Pennant
If you want to add personality to your wardrobe but aren't quite ready to dive into the world of sewing, try visibile mending! This thoughtful and creative approach to repairing run-down items is both sustainable and a chance to leave your stamp on everything from jeans to knitwear, through the creative use of shapes, colours and textures.
Well Worn is the perfect book both for stitching pros and for those who have never picked up a needle and thread before. The sustainable darning and sashiko techniques taught in this book fight against perfectionism as well as fast fashion.
Begin by getting to grips with core mending skills, with a handy introductory compendium of visible mending techniques. Then, move on to convenient garment-led chapters, from socks to jeans, and from knitwear to stretch fabric, each with a wide variety of ideas and advice for approaching whatever piece of clothing you wish to revive.
Let's Move the Needle
by Shannon Downey
If craft is usually a source of relaxation for you, but dread over the state of the world is making it hard to compartmentalise, try using your arts and crafts as a vehicle for protest. There are lots of craftivists around the world leading the charge in creative protest: in How to be a Craftivist, environmental activist Sarah P. Corbett provides a manifesto for 'using craft to engage, empower and encourage us all to be the change we wish to see in the world'; Or explore Let’s Move the Needle by Shannon Downey, which provides a guide to how art can reflect your values, build community and making change; and if that's not enough, you can also discover Crafting a Better World, Diana Weymar's collection of suggested projects and inspiring essays for anyone looking to support the causes they care about, while following their creative impulses.
Art activism, artivism, craftivism, or the space where art and activism meet, is a powerful, ever-evolving social justice movement that continues to grow and diversify as more voices and mediums increasingly take part in it.
In Let's Move the Needle, Shannon Downey, an outspoken voice in the craftivist movement for over a decade, meets burgeoning art activists where they are and provides a roadmap and accessible toolkit for every leg of their activist journey.
