NZ Art & Craft Skills

A serious art course for serious art students demonstrating the principles of realist drawing and painting with reference to Old Masters and modern realist artists. Beautifully illustrated. A contemporary guide to traditional studio practice. First published in 2006, this is the seventh printing.

Watson Guptill Publications, New York, 2011. Hardback with dust jacket. 144 pages. NEW

A contemporary guide to tradition studio practice demonstrating the principles of of realist painting with reference to Old Masters and modern realist painters. A serious art course for serious art students. Beautifully illustrated.

Watson Guptill Publications, New York, 2008. Hardback with dust jacket. 240 pages. NEW

Essays about crafts and craftspeople sharing insights into the nature of work and its integration with lifestyle, inspiring us to have faith in the human spirit and human endeavour. Most of the craftspeople have been featured in Resurgence magazine.

Green Books Ltd., Totnes, UK. Hardback with dust jacket. 190 pages. NEW

Shows how history has drawn faultlines between craftsman and artist, maker and user, technique and expression, practice and theory and that society in general suffers from these divisions. The author investigates ways of working that restore these divisions and can motivate individuals to lead fulfilling working lives.

Allen Lane Penguin, London, 2008. Hardback with dust jacket. 326 pages. NEW

A tribute to the talent and skill of New Zealand craftsmen and women, featuring 133 artists and more than 250 photographs by Brian Brake.

A.H. & A.W. Reed, Wellington, 1981. Hardback with dust jacket. 294 pages. SECONDHAND

A beautifully illustrated history of those essential colonial crafts and trades where skill, dexterity and an almost instinctive sense of 'rightness' produced articles both functional and beautiful.

William Collins Publishers Ltd., Auckland, 1982. Hardback with dust jacket. 256 pages. SECONDHAND

Describes and illustrates the materials, tools and techniques, explaining every stage. The author stresses the need for integrity and respect for the traditional forms of bone carving. First published in 1987.

Raupo Books, Penguin NZ, Auckland, 2008. Softback. 116 pages. NEW

Step by step instructions on how to make a puipui, the traditional Maori flax kilt. Colour photographs illustrate every stage of the process and include a gallery of traditional and modern puipui creations.

Raupo Penguin NZ, Auckland, 2008. Softback. 96 pages. NEW

50 interesting and entertaining projects designed to teach the basic skills of Maori flax plaiting. Each described step by step and accompanied by easy to follow line drawings.

Raupo Books, Penguin NZ, Auckland, 2008. Softback. 111 pages. NEW.

The Maori Mantle by Ling Roth together with a review by Sir Peter Buck, Te Rangihiroa. A reprint of Roth’s very rare 1923 classic work on Maori textiles, weaving and clothing. Describes the cultivation, preparation and dying of fibres, creation of Maori cloaks, taniko, feather mantles, feather and skin garments, rain cloaks, capes, kilts, dog skin garments, karowais and colour worsted ornamentation. Detailed explanatory line drawings. Originally published in 1923 by the Bankfield Museum, Halifax, England, this is a facsimle reprint of that 1923 edition, published by Ruth Bean, Carlton, Bedford, U.K., in 1979.

Bankfield Museum, Halifax, U.K., 1979. Softback. Illustrated with line drawings and photographs. 77 pages.  NEW

The art of Maori weaving and plaiting is a precious gift from the ancestors that is maintained, nourished and enriched by Maori weavers today, this is their contempory work.

Huia Publishers, Wellington, 2005. Softback. 176 pages. NEW

A traditional and unique Maori form of weaving Taaniko history and practice is described here, accompanied by superb photographs and line drawings. First published in 1968, this ia a fully revised edition.

Reed Methuen Publishing Ltd., Auckland, 1987. Softback. 95 pages. SECONDHAND

A treasure trove of fortyseven projects for the embroiderer, sewer, knitter and textile craft collector, taken from vintage patterns and rendered with a modern twist.

Godwit Random House, Auckland, 2013. Hardback, no dust jacket as issued. 493 pages. NEW

Provides a thorough grounding in harness making and details the various types of driving harness, it's design and manufacture, complemented by line drawings and over 200 photographs.

J.A. Allen, London, 2004. Hardback, no dust jacket as issued. 266 pages. NEW.

A companion for anyone with an interest in the saddler's trade. History of the trade, descriptions of tools and their use, traditional and modern materials, measurements and conversions. Fully illustrated.

J.A. Allen, London, 2001. Hardback with dust jacket. 218 pages. NEW

An advanced study on steel for experienced blacksmiths to help perfect their forging skills and knowledge, illustrated with photographs and line drawings. Sections on steels and alloys, advanced forging techniques, the power hammer, heat treating and tempering.

Paladin Press, Boulder, USA, 1991. Softback. 286 pages. NEW

Represents years of research and experimentation and includes information from hundreds of sources. With its thoroughness and ease of use it is intended a both a text and a tool. This is the 'Professional Edition' aimed at those with experience in the craft.

A. & C. Black, London, 2010. Hardback, no dust jacket as issued, spiral bound for ease of use. 301 pages. NEW

Lucid and practical instruction that will appeal to all craft metalworkers. More than 450 photographs, including studio processes and diverse masterworks collected from artists around the world.

A. & C. Black, London, 2009. Hardback with dust jacket. 183 pages. NEW.

A rich and little known aspect of New Zealand heritage originating from the 1860s onwards as immigrant artisans from Britain and Europe introduced the character of the new country into their work and made use of pounamu, New Zealand jade. Fully illustrated with a listing of over 100 makers marks, essential reference for all dealers and collectors.

Te Papa Press, Wellington, 1995. Hardback with dust jacket. 239 pages. SECONDHAND

A book for those who have mastered the basic techniques of jewellery making and who want to develop their skills to a higher degree. It is full of step by step projects and includes designing work, implementing design, photographing work, mixed media and special texture techniques.

A & C Black, London, 2005. Hardback with dust jacket. 160 pages, illustrated. NEW

Describes the use of plants that can be grown in the garden or collected. Beautifully illustrated with accurate and detailed watercolours of each plant and samples of the colours the plants produce.

The Crowood Press, Marlborough, UK, 2009. Softback. 160 pages. NEW

Shows how to use modern fancy knitting yarns to make scarves using the Ashford Knitters Loom.

Ashford Handicrafts Ltd., Ashburton, 2005. Softback. 65 pages. NEW

Shows how to prepare fibre by carding and includes tutorials on flick carding, hand carding and drum carding and also colour blending and fibre blending.

Ashford Handcrafts Ltd., Ashburton, 2006. Softback. 92 pages. NEW

A comprehensive text specifically written for the four shaft loom. I covers warping, pattern drafting, weaving techniques and includes fourteen innovative projects.

Ashford Handicrafts Ltd., Ashburton, 2007. Softback. 175 pages. NEW

A beautifully photographed and in-depth account of the Anglo-Oriental pottery movement in New Zealand and how ceramics became the most popular art form of the 1960s and 1970s, used in homes around the country.

David Bateman Ltd., Auckland, 2009. Softback. 184 pages. NEW

A good general guide to the craft covering NZ timbers as well as various tools, equipment and processes. Diagrams and colour plates.

GP Publications Ltd., Wellington, 1992. Softback. 104 pages. SECONDHAND

A complete guide to all millable timber grown in New Zealand. Includes a detailed examination of wood and individual descriptions of each species and its characteristics. An excellent account.

GP Books, Wellington, 1990. Softback. 170 pages. SECONDHAND

A comprehensive account of the wood properties of New Zealand Radiata Pine, reviewing of 50 years of research, providing information on formation, structure and chemistry and mechanical properties of the timber.

New Zealand Forest Research Institute, Rotorua, 1991. Hardback with dust jacket. Unpaginated. SECONDHAND

A practical guide to green woodwork and the coppice crafts, traditional tools and techniques to make things from small round wood, a renewable resource.

B.T. Batsford Ltd., London, 1994. Softback. 160 pages. SECONDHAND