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How would you like to design a decorative family tree that will record five or more generations of your family? And what if by "design" we mean a family tree that is as straightforward as a series of rectangular blocks or a fan chart or as complex or fanciful as a rose window or something out of Where's Waldo? If your answer is yes, then you need a copy of Tony Matthews' new book, Creativitree.

In his previous book, Paper Trees: Genealogical Clip-art, available from Genealogical Publishing Company, graphic artist Tony Matthews produced a unique collection of hand-drawn family trees and charts which family historians can use to fill in and color for themselves. Now available from Clearfield Company, Creativitree, a kind of sequel to Paper Trees, takes the artistically minded behind the scenes to reveal how Tony Matthews designed some of his family tree art and, more importantly, how you can create family tree designs that have meaning for you and your family.

Written in the author's unique folksy style, Creativitree leads you painlessly from a blank page to a complex (or simple) family tree design of your own choosing. Tony clues you in on what kind of paper to use, what pens and markers you'll need, and any other supplies that go into creating a frameable family tree. Soon you will be experimenting with all manner of rectangles, curves, flowers, birds, butterflies, trucks, computers-you name it-samples of which are right in the book. You'll be gently guided over the mathematics of multiple generations as you space out a diagram. Leaving nothing to chance, the author discusses the merits of handwriting versus printing out the names of your family members. In fact, once you get the hang of it, you may find yourself reproducing your tree on a coffee mug or tee shirt, sending the design over the Internet, or printing genealogy Christmas cards.

See also
Paper Trees: Genealogical Clip-Art
Memory Trees--Family Trees for the Scrapbooker
Treets: A Feast of Family Trees