Here is the fourth of Search Press’s useful new sourcebooks, all of which include a CD featuring every design in the book. This time it is Oriental designs, which have influenced Western art for many years and continue to do so.

The designs in here come from a variety of Eastern countries, including Japan, China, India, others, and appear in a range of sizes. The introduction mentions their influence on Art Nouveau, and indeed many of the motifs have been drawn in that style. Subjects include wildlife, flowers and trees, fans, scenery, Buddha, geisha girls, stylised crests, borders and more. The CD is easy to use, and doesn't require any installation (so no extra memory needed), while the .jpg format can be used in just about any graphics program. At the beginning there are several pages showing large colored photographs of a variety of different projects made using the designs to inspire you. Cards, boxes, wall plaques, a mask, glassware and cushions have been decorated using a few of the designs to show their versatility. Silk and glass painting, polymer clay, parchment craft, metal embossing and simple coloring have been used to advantage, with a brief caption underneath to explain the method. As with the other books in the series there are no instructions; but these books are intended to be a stepping-stone from the step-by-step projects in other books towards creating something that truly is "all your own work."