5 comments about Acrylic Landscape Painting Techniques.

1. This particular book is one of the least helpful books around. The reason for this is simple. The book seems more about how "Golden Fluid Acrylics" are better than anything else, and makes several other references about how brand-a is better than -b. While it is true that artist acrylics are better than "student" brands, I've achieved similar results with Liquitex, Grumbacher, and Holbein products. I think it was unneccesary to promote Golden as much as the auther did. I also think he had a lot of nice paintings in the book, but as far as how to achive those results I think you might be better off using one of several other acrylic books listed on this site.



2. I love love love Hugh Greer's paintings. I'm new to painting and to acrylics so am a rank beginner.
   
   He goes thru the materials that he uses and why, the supports he paints on, recommends a limited palette of colors and then demonstrates various techniques that he uses to create his paintings.
   
   There is a wealth of great information here and the photos are very helpful. My only complaint is that there are "gaps" in the steps that left this beginner shaking her head as to what to do next.
   
   However, Hugh Greer has 3 videos that I have purchased and watched and they, together with the book, are a great course in painting with his techniques. It really makes a difference to watch him actually painting on the videos.
   
   I will be reading, rereading and reading again. And watching the videos dozens of times.... It's well worth the effort !!!



3. Hugh Greer is a master of landscape and architectural painting. His innovative techniques are unique; the result of his former career as an architectural renderer. I can't recommend this book enough...



4. I like the book. I like the way Hugh Greer paints and I would like to go out and do likewise. The beginning starts out with full explanation - then he gives you ways to use what he wants to teach you - but he does it with very complicated examples and not much explanation. He skips a lot of steps. I am still trying some of his ideas and hope that I can learn them because I really like his results. This book is much, much more helpful if you get his DVDs, he has three -first is very basic, but the next two go a long way to explaining some of the steps he left out.



5. I appreciate the complexity of nature and the way this book relates to the observing and using your inner feelings to paint. Thank you for such a good book to paint from and use often.

4 comments about Creative Stamping in Polymer Clay.

1. If you're looking to combine great rubber stamping with another medium, off paper, then this is a great addition to your stamping art library. The book shows great ideas, and shows enuf material on technique that you can do it easily.



2. Very well done! I love this book-the projects are to die for.
   Great for any stamp artist!



3. Barbara has done it again with another fabulous addition to the annals of polymer clay! Using her expertise as an artist, Barbara does an excellent job of show how limitless the possibilities of stamping with polymer clay can be. Her attention to detail and eye for color, form and function are well expressed in this book. The projects are well timely, well thought out and brilliantly executed. As always, Barbara does an extrodinary job with the finishing of each piece. And as always, her text is full of extremely helpful hints and tips that even the most experienced polymer enthusiast can use. I highly recommend this book!



4. This book features many projects using rubber stamps and polymer clay. The pictures are great and the step-by-step instructions are clear. Instructions are given for many different techniques. Some use ink to stamp the designs, some use the stamp to create an impression in the clay. Others use mica, foil stamping and embossing powders. Projects include jewelry, small book covers, decorative insets for boxes and many other varied projects.

   Also, the projects are not bright, cutsey, whimsical items. They are more sophisticated, with simple shapes, relying on rich surface texture and images. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on your tastes. As it is sometimes difficult to find good polymer clay books for those of us who are not into whimsical, I would recommend this book highly.

2 comments about Principles of Roman Architecture.

1. A very well written book, introducing its material in an argumentative order. Taken from various regions of the roman world, archeological examples are considered in order to prove -or disprove- theoretical arguments. The arguments themselves are ordered by complexity, making the reading easier.
   The point of view is clearly architecural for the analysis, while the material data are checked for archeological or static pertinence.
   If the bibliography is wide ranging, it suffers from its division following the chapter order: if it is easy to follow during a first rading, it is more difficult to come back to it after closing the book.
   Manar HAMMAD



2. I had always wondered how the Romans calculated the ratio of width to height when designing their columns. This book treats the matter in detail with excellent diagrams and details far beyond just columns. Mouldings, orders, temples, markers, baths, etc., are all covered lucidly and with enough depth to interest both the architectural professional as well as the dilettant.

2 comments about Architectural Working Drawings: Residential and Commercial Buildings.

1. My sixteen year old daughter is seriously interested in becoming an architect and this book is a great resource for her. William Spence has provided an excellent text for people to learn about architectural drawing in all its beginning aspects.
   
   The 24 chapters and 19 appendices fall into three broad sections. The first 9 chapters teach the student about the tools and materials used by architects to make their drawings, technical sketching, various drafting techniques, the basics of computer graphics workstations (this material is dated, but still good as an introduction), using the computer for architectural design and drafting (again, dated material but the process is still sound), architectural drafting standards, reproduction of drawings, the preliminary design process, and contract documents.
   
   The second section encompasses chapter 11-24 and teach the student about drawing foundations & footings, floor - wall & roof construction (separate chapters for light construction and commercial buildings), the title sheet and site plan, floor plans, foundation plans, architectural sections, architectural details, elevations, roof plans & framing plans, schedules, electrical plans, heating & air-conditioning systems, plumbing plans, and pictorial drawing.
   
   The third section are the 19 appendices that provide abbreviations, selected metric conversion factors, and many different kinds of symbols used in drawings as well as ratings, load information, and various tables as well as a glossary.
   
   The chapters present the material effectively and helpfully. They teach the student knew terms, sometimes provide a glossary, the questions act as a chapter review, and the laboratory projects present the student with drawing challenges that help build skills and confidence necessary to move to the next chapter.
   
   I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, and yet the material here makes me want to learn to draw this stuff. So, it must be motivating!



2. I want to review how to present the architectural works during presentation.

No comments about Marcel Breuer: 1902-1981: Form Giver of the Twentieth Century (Taschen Basic Architecture Series).

4 comments about The Projective Cast: Architecture and Its Three Geometries.

1. There have been times when after reading an assignment from this book, my students will ask me how the subject-matter was pertinent to what we had been studying. I tell them: in no way. I just want them to read Robin Evans so that they can learn how to write. No one writes like Evans.



2. While Translations from Drawing to Building is perhaps Evans' more often referenced publication, The Projective Cast is even better.



3. This book is a must read for any architect interested in the geometries and shapes of buildings (which I hope is every architect) If you have second thoughts about buying it, buy it... it is informative, entertaining the diagrams and pictures are beautiful and it will take 2 (amazing) months to go through it.



4. Robin Evans has a knack of getting right to the point of many a subject with expertise. Extremely versatile and knowledgable, he uses this base to write profoundly. Evans takes criticism to another level by getting to 'the obvious' quickly, then building on pre conceived theory with frightening clarity to form an original alternative view. This is a marvelously laid out book with fantastic illustrations and plates from Renaissance history to Eisenman. He is not caught up in the hype of self-preserving discourse or traditional methods of interrogation. The book has a wealth of information that acts like a reference book. So easy to read and so refreshing in opinion. RIP Robin, this is a classic work.

No comments about Timber Construction: Details, Products, Case Studies (Detail Praxis).

5 comments about The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts, And Walled Cities Of The Middle Ages.

1. This incredibly detailed book shows you every type of castle made. From ancient times to concentric castles. It also describes how castles were defended and how they built the different types of bridges, walls, gatehouses and moats, defenses, drawbridges. The Illustrator is incredible and brings to life very clear depictions of the subject matter. This book is a must have for historians and fantasy writers and artists. This was well worth 20.00 I paid for it. I wish I would have bought the hardback.



2. This book starts from the first few pages with an in depth study of the fortified positions of the middle ages - i.e. castles, keeps, etc. Despite a level of detail that may be too in depth for a beginner, the book itself provides a very readable style and is absolutely full of useful information (krunchy bits) for authors or others wishing to make an in depth study of medieval fortifications (ATTENTION GAMERS!). It has hundreds of high quality, albeit sometimes confusing, line art portraits that show each and every aspect of castle or its related cousins (where is #67 again - its sometimes like Where is Waldo finding the numbers referenced in the subtext). The book also has a great deal of information regarding siege techniques and the weapons used therein - and this information is fantastic in its level of detail and the included line art! The included photos are all in B&W, and some are rather grainy, but by far, they all serve the purpose they were intended to - they show the true grandeur of the castle as it was.
   
   Within the text, the authors do have a habit of referencing other authors, which, if your looking for more on the subject, is good. However, by page 80, they have referenced at least 30 other authors and works (is that not what the bibliography is for).
   
   Outside of this one complaint, the book is absolutely invaluable to anyone interested in the subject!
   
   NOTE: This review references the soft-cover red front edition of the book, which I could not find the link for on Amazon (it may be an out of print edition or not, I am not sure - however, the TOC of the this edition appears identical to mine, so I am assuming that the contents have only been repackaged for the HB binding).



3. On the whole, I found this book to quite informative with many detailed descriptions of medieval European castles and cities. On some specific castles the data can be fairly general. I found this to be most obvious on castles that I have been fortunate enough to visit in the past and purchase a guide brochure or booklet from which I naturally compared the data.
   I found the section on eastern European fortifications and their developement over the centuries to be very interesting as this was a subject I previously knew very little about.
   But I do have one major 'gripe' or dissatisfaction with the book. The detailed and extensive floor plans provided throughout the book all suffer from some serious 'under labelling'. For example, a specific castle floor plan might have 20 itemised (numbered) points or features of interest on it. But when one refers to the "legend' or 'key' to find out what a certain feature is, it becomes painfully obvious that not all 20 features are actually clarified or described in the key. This is a fault that is not isolated and is unfortunately prevalent on the vast majority of floor plans in the book.
   I'm not sure whether this problem is peculiar to the published edition I purchased or is in fact inherent throughout the whole published run. In any case it appears to be a large oversite in the 'quality control' department of the book's publication process. Other than these faults, I thought this book to be a good 'read'.



4. If you've been looking for a complete book on medieval castles, you have found the book for you. Although it touches lightly on such on such areas as medieval food, hygene, and battles, the bulk of this book is an in-depth study of castles. The writing is a bit dry, but very informative, covering fortresses from England, France, Itally, and even eastern Europe. I doubt there is much about castles unsaid in this book.



5. This is an excellent work. It would be perfect for a student
   project with a focus on Middle Ages building designs. The author
   provides detailed engineering specifications for castles, forts,
   a motte and rising towers. The engineering statics implications
   are explained in the detailed design process. The work covers
   action implementalities; such as, the ram, siege and cannon.
   The author spends a portion of the book explaining how
   war objects were constructed during the Middle Age period.

   In addition, he concludes that an increase in wall size
   necessarily means weakening the overall superstructure.
   Some time is spent explaining the model diet for the period
   which consisted of wheat, barley, oats and fish. This work
   will help readers understand the building requirements
   for structures created during the Middle Ages. The book would
   be valuable for historians, art buffs, architects, engineers
   and a wide constituency of other readers.

3 comments about Living in Morocco.

1. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in interior design or Morocco.
   Full of beautifull photos of guest houses and private homes in Morocco. The book is presented beautifully and would make a great present for someone special or even as a gift to yourself.



2. This is certainly what I did when I purchased this book. I expected a volume full of palaces, mosques, markets and average folk's homes (or at least native Moroccans!). What I found was a book of lavish hotels and rich foreigners' mansions. They are by and large interesting rich foreigners, but I was still disappointed in that what is portrayed in this book is not "living" in Morocco. It's "being wealthy" in Morocco. There is nothing penetrating about this book, but it is nice eye-candy.



3. Another one those wonderful coffee table book by Taschen publication. This book has a broader variety of homes like from the exclusive Aman hotel (Amanjena) to a humble farmer's house. It's not a book about how to live in Morocco nor about going remodeling or building a home in Morocco. It shows you what some foreigners and locals have done to their home.

   Book is cheaper than the previous Taschen book "Moroccan style".

No comments about Lagos: How It Works.