Arts and Culture

Discover magic! Join the vibrant, prismatic world of luminous alcohol inks. Mercurial, versatile, inexpensive, and wildly colorful, alcohol inks are one of the newest mediums to hit the art community. This essential guide for working with alcohol inks has been greatly expanded, with  new tips and techniques and more than 50 additional works from guest artists in an inspiring gallery.

Pop culture phenomena from the '80s and '90s, homages to Alberto Vargas and other classic pinup illustrations, and contemporary fashions and fetishes combine to form an exciting collection of modern pinups. Tributes to Baywatch, Rambo, Star Wars, Jessica Rabbit, and more late-20th century cultural references are included.

Originally one of the paramilitary groups that arose in Germany's turbulent 1920s , the SS grew from its original protection activities into the"Death's Head" troops and the Verfugungstruppe, and later during WWII, the Waffen-SS.

The story of the French units of the Waffen-SS in World War II—the Französische SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Regiment; Französische SS-Freiwilligen-Sturmbrigade, Waffen-Grenadier-Brigade der SS “Charlemagne”; 33. Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS “Charlemagne”—is told in this concise and detailed book.

The unearthing of authentic celluloid acetate stencils, a project undertaken by Long Island tattoo shopowner and memorabilia collector Cliff White, continues. In this compilation, thousands more artifacts emerge from "deeper inside the trunk" and expose a sprawling collection from the late '50s and early '60s.

Male tattoo models show off their dazzling body art and open up about their backgrounds, interests, and opinions in this impressive collection of studio, open-air, black and white, color, and art photography.

Clear instructions and 148 photos welcome you to the subtle, fascinating world of Japanese calligraphy. Beginning with a summary of the art's history, this guide then helps you understand the two systems of script that Japanese uses together: kanji, the ideogram-like characters borrowed from the Chinese language; and kana, the purely phonetic characters.

Since 1993, Hollywood has been rendering popular video games on the silver screen, mainly to critical derision and box office failure. While a few have succeeded, many have been hailed as the "worst movie ever" and left gamers asking: how did that get made? Super Mario fans expecting plumbers jumping on Goombas got an inter-dimensional battle between humans and evolved dinosaurs.

Welcome to the fantasy-made-flesh that is Jamie Mahon’s imagination. Weaving together sublime locations, superb photography, and striking models, this award-winning photographer has created true artwork of the alternative subculture. He and a clique of extraordinary creators have labored to produce images of beautiful women, expertly made up and professionally styled in fantastic surroundings.

Formed in 1942, the 8th SS Cavalry Division “Florian Geyer” was one of the most controversial units in the Waffen-SS. Created with the intention of making it an elite unit within the Waffen-SS, it instead saw its main employment from the beginning of the war in Russia as a rear area security force against partisans.

It isn’t every film that features man-eating zombie sushi. But for those searching for just that and more strange things in their viewing queue, this film guide is for you. Organized by genre, including comedy, horror, action, drama, fantasy, and sci-fi, this title offers 300 reviews of genre films from all over the world, 160+ photos, and exclusive interviews and quotes from the people behind ...

One of the most infamous of all Waffen-SS formations, the 3rd SS-Panzer Division “Totenkopf” has always been identified as the very essence of the notorious “Black Order.” Associated with war crimes in official historiography, formed initially with personnel coming from guard units from concentration camps, the unit was nevertheless able to prove itself on the battlefield, distinguishing itself ...

One of the most infamous of all Waffen-SS formations, the 3rd SS-Panzer-Division “Totenkopf” has always been identified as the very essence of the notorious “Black Order.” Associated with war crimes in official historiography, formed initially with personnel coming from guard units from concentration camps, the unit was nevertheless able to prove itself on the battlefield, distinguishing itself ...

Tracing the rise of commercial fetish art from its shadowy beginnings in the 1940s to its acceptance in the 1970s, this illustrated biography explores the unconventional life and art of Eric Stanton, a pioneering sexual fantasist who helped shape the movement.

Tattoos have played an important role in human culture for thousands of years. Ideal for the tattoo artist, anthropologist, or tattoo fan, this visual lexicon covers tattoos from hundreds of different cultures and lists meanings, reasons for wearing, and rites of passage and indicates placement for thousands of individual tattoos.

Most take for granted that a pair of jeans is not considered complete without patches, rivets, buttons, and other trims. The existence of such design elements is not questioned because they are seen as the standard. Nick Williams’s book is exclusively dedicated to denim branding and deconstructs every element that goes into branding a pair of jeans.

This original animal alphabet series with its sophisticated imagery was created to appeal to adults but children delight in it as well. The book explores unusual imagery juxtapositions pairing alphabet letters with animals and unexpected objects beginning with that same letter. The series started when artist Leslie Haines discovered a human-faced walrus in an old engraving book.

COPIC markers are very popular drawing materials used all around the world. This long-awaited book provides techniques for rendering exciting textures using COPIC markers. From basic techniques to entire color sample sheets, this book provides step-by-step visual instructions for rendering textures for a variety of materials, from metals to bricks.

This guide to printmaking plunges you into dozens of ways to leave your mark on the world—and on your walls, tablecloths, garments, and every other surface imaginable. Emphasizing the joy and energy of printmaking, the 41 projects use everyday materials, and don't require any previous experience.

In this collection of works by more than 25 contemporary ice artists, discover a fascinating art medium defined by its ephemeral nature. Merging creativity and engineering, today’s ice artist can create incredibly complex artwork, featured here in more than 150 photos.