When your favorite cup is broken, kitsugi can bring new life. Instead of lamenting the breakage embrace and love the opportunity to create something new and beautiful through mending. This is the appeal of kintsugi.
Kintsugi is the mindful Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics and glassware by appreciating the cracks and chips as design elements--bringing new life to cherished items. Kintsugi:The Wabi Sabi Art of Japanese Ceramic Repair shares traditional methods you can practice in your own home. Step-by-step lessons in repairs suited to every level of experiences--filling cracks to completely rebuilding and finishing a broken piece--fill the pages of this in-depth yet unintimidating guide.
Ceramics and lacquer guru Kaori Mochinaga offers a complete course in using urushi lacquer and metallic powder in the traditional Japanese way. Your broken piece soon becomes whole again, and more meaningful than ever before.
From assessing the damages and selecting the repair methods, to applying the finishing touches, you'll learn all the essential kintsugi techniques, including:
How to seal a fine crack or repair a chipped rim Techniques for rebuilding a shard, restoring a handle, even reconstructing a multi-shard piece And much more--and all of it with the use of non-toxic lacquers and powders There's something here for every type of repair--from clean, simple breaks to more challenging reconstructions as you learn the techniques. Assemble your tools, set up your workspace, and let this book guide you through the mindful art of kintsugi!
My First Book of Chinese Calligraphy is a fun and engaging introduction to one of China's most celebrated arts and crafts for kids.
Calligraphy-the art of producing decorative handwriting or lettering with a pen or brush-has been around for thousands of years. In this fun children's book, readers will learn alongside with Mimi, an eight year old, who takes her first steps towards learning this magical art.
Young artists will learn about:
The Evolution of Chinese Writing-how Chinese characters first began thousands of years ago, and how they have evolved.
The Order of the Strokes-learn how to write the strokes in the correct order.
The Radicals-what are they, and how to unlock their secrets.
The Four Treasures of Calligraphy-the four essential tools to get started.
Movements and Position-how to master your mind's focus, your breathing and even how to move.
The Five Styles of Calligraphy-Zhuan Shu (seal), Li Shu (clerical), Kai Shu (regular), Cao Shu (cursive), and Xing Shu (running).
The Eight Strokes-how to draw the eight strokes; with them, you can write anything.
Writing a Character in Calligraphy-create an entire character in calligraphy.
Immerse yourself in a fantasy world of Filipino myth, magic, and supernatural suspense!
Lambana--the realm of supernatural fairies known as Diwata--has fallen, and the Magic Prohibition Act has been enacted. To add to his troubles, there's something wrong with Conrad's heart and only magic can prolong his life. He teams up with Ignacio, a well-connected friend who promises to hook him up with the Diwata and their magical treatments--a quest that's not only risky but highly illegal!
On the shadowy, noir-tinged streets of Manila, multiple realities co-exist and intertwine as the two friends seek a cure for the magical malady. Slinky sirens and roaming wraith-like spirits populate a parallel world ruled by corruption and greed, which Conrad must enter to find the cure he seeks. He has little idea of the creatures he will encounter and the truths to be revealed along the way. Will Lambana spill its secrets and provide the healing balm Conrad needs? Or will he perish in the process?
Fans of Neil Gaiman, Emil Ferris and Charles Burns will love this new graphic novel!
A Beginner's Guide to Chinese Brush Painting teaches this ancient art form in an easy-to-understand way--no prior experience necessary!
As one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world, Chinese brush painting has been used for thousands of years to create images that harness the imagination, and capture the inner spirit of a subject--be it an animal, landscape or tree. All you need for this simple, but beautiful, art form is black watercolor paint, white paper, a brush and some creativity!
An introduction tells you about the history of brush painting, and also gives tips for holding your brush, achieving different shades and collecting your materials. After that, the book takes you step-by-step through more than 35 hands-on activities--including basic strokes, putting them together to create an object or scene, the importance of leaving open space and even writing some Chinese calligraphy.
With the help of this book, artists of all ages can learn to paint:
Bamboo stalks, branches and leaf clusters.
A knotted pine tree and its delicate needles.
A snail with a spiral shell and little body peeking out from underneath.
A waterfall gliding down the side of a mountain.
And much more!
You'll find that this activity will help you learn to center your mind and thoughts, and your masterpieces will be inspiring decorations or great gifts for friends and family. Get started learning this "soft martial art!"
The most enjoyable way to learn about an unfamiliar culture is through its stories--especially when they're told in two languages!
Thai Stories for Language Learners introduces 28 entertaining Thai stories with bilingual Thai and English versions presented on facing pages. The stories are adapted from traditional folktales with roots in the Thai oral tradition, classic Thai literature, and Thai versions of the Indian Jataka Tales--which describe the past lives of the Buddha.
The stories in this book include:
"The Frightened Rabbit" is a well-known story about rabbit who hears a loud thundering sound and concludes it is a landslide, without investigating further. He runs about telling others of the landslide, thus causing unnecessary panic.
"A Horse-faced Woman" is one of the most popular folktales in Thailand because the heroine's appearance and character differ vastly from other Thai heroines. Her equine appearance, unpopularity with fellow villagers, and passionate desires to marry the handsome Prince Pin Thong collide.
"A Myth of Phra Ruang" is a classic tale popular among Thai people. It tells the story of a legendary hero--Phra Ruang--who frees the people of Lavo (Lopburi) from the ancient Khmer rulers. When the Khmer king tries to kill him, Phra Ruang escapes and is ordained as a monk.
And many more!
Alongside each story, readers will find:
A list of key vocabulary in the Thai script, Romanized form, and the English meanings A set of questions and writing activities A Thai pronunciation guide Online audio recording in order to improve pronunciation and comprehension.
This book will be of interest to learners who are beginning to read and write the Thai language and would like additional practice, as well as to general readers interested in learning about Thai culture.
This user-friendly Korean language book pushes readers towards greater fluency in spoken and written Korean.
With Essential Korean Vocabulary you will learn to speak Korean the way that Koreans do by learning key words and expressions they use every day in their natural contexts. You'll also learn closely-related vocabulary together, which will help you remember and use a more extensive vocabulary. Each word in this book is explained clearly, and useful sentences are given to demonstrate how it's used. Author Kyubyong Park also provides tips on Korean grammar and modern colloquial usage in South Korea, so you can learn to speak like a native speaker.
Essential Korean Vocabulary presents the 8,000 most common Korean words and phrases organized into 36 different subject areas. Beginning students can focus on the most basic items, which are marked. As you progress to greater fluency, you can pick up more complicated words and expressions to bring your overall vocabulary and understanding of Korean up to an advanced level.
With Essential Korean Vocabulary, you will:
Upgrade your Korean skills in stages by learning the most useful words in sequence along a graded spectrum from beginner to advanced.
Learn how real Koreans speak in authentic sentences by native speakers.
Get specific tips about tone, nuance, and correct usage of terms.
Learn the vocabulary needed to pass standard Korean proficiency tests.
