Getting Artistic With Quarto Books!

There's nothing more fun that getting your craft on!  I'm a crafter at heart.  I inherited that from my mama, who inherited it from her daddy.  My problem is, unlike my mama and grandpa, I need a little "help" being creative.  Haha! With three small kids, I often feel like I don't have enough brain cells left to think things up on my own.  So I'm always thrilled to try a new artistic how-to book! 

The fine folks at Quarto Publishing Group were kind enough to send me some help, so let's take a look!

1.) Art Lab For Kids; 52 Creative Adventures In Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, And Mixed Media -

As a mom of three young kids, let's face it, most of my creative time includes little hands.  This book is a wonderful help! It actually teaches lots of techniques that I as an adult would like to try - like painting on wood, vellum art, etc. 

But everything is simple enough that you can let your child try too!  Kids love nothing more than being part of an activity with you!

2.) Enchanted Coloring Book -

Another activity that you can do alone or with your kids is coloring.  Adult coloring books are all the rage right now.  And there's a good reason!  They help relieve stress!  Really!  They activate both the logic and creativity hemispheres of the brain.  The relaxing effect of coloring also lowers the activity of the amygdala (the part of your brain that controls emotion).  So they literally calm and distress.  And they're a creative outlet that doesn't require a lot of prep or tools.  All you need is a coloring book and some colored pencils, crayons, or markers!

I think this coloring book is particularly stress relieving because it contains tons of nature scenes and whimsical scenes.  Very lovely and relaxing.

3.) Words To Live By: Creative Hand-Lettering, Coloring, And Inspirations -

I have to admit, when I first received this book I was a little disappointed.  I thought it was a book that would teach me about different hand lettering styles. And, while it does have some of that in it, that's not the purpose of this book.  I'd describe it more as an "inspirational workbook." Instead of pages of different lettering styles, this book is filled with how-tos. 

The book begins by explaining the "anatomy of a letter" to help you better understand how to get creative with hand lettering.  But then there are tutorials on things like shape art, paint sample bookmarks, and DIY magnets. There are also lots of blank pages so you can practice right in the book.  And there are a couple of 30 Day Lettering Challenges to help you get your creative juices flowing!

If you like these books, you should really check out Quarto's online bookstore!  They have TONS of great books to help inspire your creativity!

I received these books, free of charge, from Quarto Publishing, in exchange for my honest review.