Step inside a world of scintillating art with the new "Art Masterclass" series from Hanna Konola and Wide Eyed Editions

We absolutely adore any books that encourage kids to get into art, particularly those that give you tons and tons of details on the lives of famous artists...
We've seen quite a few 'workbook' approaches to showing kids various methods and styles that artists use, but these are absolutely brilliant - large format books with stickers and a huge huge pull out poster in each book that really helps them to get right into the works of the artist in question, and even try out their techniques themselves.

Kicking off with "Art Masterclass: Wassily Kandinsky" you'll learn a lot more about this innovative artist who used lots of different mediums and methods to produce some of the most intriguing and colourful art of his time. Steeped in traditional methods at first, Kandinsky soon realised that figurative and abstract forms were more interesting and expressive.

Kandinsky's works weren't always understood by the various art movements around at the time, but his work is now seen as a major influence in abstract expressionism, and it's a really cool way for kids to find out how amazing it can be to start thinking like Kandinsky and his peers.

The books encourage you to start dabbling with your own artwork

"Art Masterclass: Wassily Kandinsky" by Hanna Konolo is out now, published by Wide Eyed Editions. 

There's also a far more familiar artist popping up in the initial two books in the range...

C's favourite artist Vincent Van Gogh's works are also the subject of an "Art Masterclass" book too, again with illustrations from Hanna Konola and a ton of stickers, a huge pull out poster and loads of art exercises to get you thinking like Vincent (though perhaps you can dispense with that whole ear-chopping-off bit, not advisable at all!)

Vincent Van Gogh's works are almost universally celebrated and with the aid of this book you'll learn how to discover his style for yourself with a series of amazing exercises based around collage, painting, drawing and colouring.

Some of Van Gogh's most famous works are analysed (everyone will know "Sunflowers" but you'll also discover Van Gogh's incredible landscapes and portrait work too).

Full of amazing facts about Van Gogh's life, his early struggling years as "The Peasant Painter" and his eventual suicide (eep!), it's a fascinating slice of his life but with an emphasis on learning his techniques and methods for yourself.

Van Gogh's colourful and beautiful landscapes are analysed here. Join in and try your hand at his techniques

These books are really excellent and the large format really helps you get to grips with producing your own scintillating work.

Great for home or school, check out "Art Masterclass: Vincent Van Gogh" by Hanna Konolo, out now from Wide Eyed Editions (kindly supplied for review).