Nine Awesome Design and DIY Books

Hi everyone! I have a growing list of books that I’ve been meaning to share with all of you – so today I’m sharing them all in one fell swoop! We’ve got some fun illustration instruction books from some familiar faces around OSBP, creative ways to customize your things at home, a peek into the lives of creative business owners, nature-inspired prints and patterns, and so much more!

Nine Awesome Design and DIY Books

1. Erin Austen Abbot of Amelia is known for curating amazing wares for her shop in Oxford, Mississippi. With her first book, How to Make It, Erin takes us behind the scenes with 25 makers to share a behind the scenes look at what it takes to run a creative business. Yay Erin!

2. Dinara Mirtalipova is one of my favorite illustrators; we’ve been lucky enough to feature some of Dinara’s work here on OSBP, and I’m constantly in awe of her intricate folk art-inspired illustration style. Her new book, Imagine a Forest, includes 45 step-by-step tutorials for creating your own folk-inspired illustrations – along with plenty of illustration inspiration to gaze throughout the day.

3. Christine from Yellow Owl Workshop is a genius when it comes to stamps, stencils, and fabric dyeing. Her latest book, Make it Yours, is all about customizing your favorite objects around your home, from scarves and tote bags to quilts and dressers.

4. If you’ve ever wanted to learn the art of watercolor illustration, now is your chance! Everyday Watercolor from Jenna of Mon Voir will teach you everything you need to know for creating gorgeous watercolor florals and nature illustrations.

5. I love following illustrator Carolyn Gavin on Instagram, and I was thrilled to see her new book: Draw, Color, and Sticker Things I Love Sketchbook. The sketchbook is full of ready-to-color illustrations and partially illustrated pages that you can fill in using your own imagination. So fun!

6. How to Draw Type and Influence People is basically an activity book for grown-ups with a focus on hand drawn type and the role that type plays in advertising. If you’re interested in the grown up coloring book trend but not into traditional illustrations and patterns, this might be for you! 

7. Print & Pattern: Nature celebrates beautiful nature-inspired surface design, patterns, and motifs – including from a few stationers that are familiar faces around OSBP!

8. Rubber Stamping offers a comprehensive guide to the art of block printing and reduction printing using traditional rubber blocks, hand carved designs, and roller printing techniques.

9. I’m a huge fan of watercolor artist Kristy Rice of Momental Designs, so I was thrilled when she came out with a series of adult coloring books for watercolor featuring her original illustrations! The books are printed using thick watercolor paper and feature floral illustrations, woodland illustrations, and fun patterns. Check out the full series here!