THIS BOOK WILL MAKE YOU AN ARTIST

From cave handprints and Roman mosaic floors to Yayoi Kusama’s polka-dot pumpkin, works sure to inspire burgeoning artists.

This survey of selected artists across the globe and throughout history introduces young readers to various styles, media, and techniques. Millington starts by discussing what artists do, where they work, and what tools and materials they need. Next, the author briefly profiles more than 20 artists, focusing on their art and offering clear instructions for making similar creations. Racially diverse children, several of whom use wheelchairs, are depicted making vibrant self-portraits like Frida Kahlo’s and pop art–style prints like Andy Warhol’s. Readers get fascinating glimpses into artists such as Judith Scott, who was deaf and had Down syndrome; after being released from an institution by her twin sister, she blossomed into a fiber artist. Ukrainian artist Janet Sobel pioneered drip painting; Hugo Ball, the German founder of Dadaism, gave unusual poetry recitations; Moses Williams, enslaved as a youth, became a renowned silhouette-maker. Famous names such as Leonardo da Vinci, Claude Monet, and Pablo Picasso are here, but so are more recent and potentially unfamiliar artists, including South African muralist Esther Mahlangu and Emily Kame Kngwarreye, an Aboriginal artist known for her batiks. Detailed, collagelike illustrations using flat, cut-out shapes and vibrant colors honor these people’s art without attempting to compete with it.

Will definitely boost aspirants’ creative output.