5 comments about Draw Horses (Discover Drawing Series).

1. For those of you who were ecstatic with this book, I'm glad you found it helpful. Really. I am. But as for me, I will not be able to sleep tonight unless I tell you right now--there are better books out there. Do NOT spend your hard earned dollars (or your parents' hard earned dollars) on this book unless you have done some comparison shopping, or are otherwise convinced I am a rambling crackhead. That having been said.
   
   I thought the artist's drawings were juvenile at best, as she tends to focus entirely on shading, and gives little thought to representing the horse's correct anatomical structure. I'm not talking nitty-gritty details, I'm talking glaring faults that anyone familiar with horses would find offensive. Granted, there are a few exceptions, but on the whole, even with the acceptable drawings, they're not what I would call inspiring, and certainly nothing I would expect to see in a published work. In particular, I found it unprofessional how she glossed over the hooves and lower legs in her drawings--they appeared sloppy and in some cases, horribly innacurate. I don't know if she felt like these details weren't worth her time or what, but I'm telling all of you aspiring artists, attention to detail is one of those dividing lines between a merely acceptable drawing and something outstanding. No matter how pretty your horse's mane, tail, eyes [ie, more exciting features] are, if its hooves and legs are shoddy and sloppy, people will recognize you as the fraud you are. Spend some time and learn how to draw the features accurately.
   Now I realize that this has turned out to be a rather [long] caustic attack on the artist, and probably not very popular, because nobody likes reviews that say mean things. But I don't have anything against Hammond personally--I've seen some of her paintings of humans, and they're not bad. But equine art is a speciality all its own, and for artists unfamiliar with horses to think that drawing a horse is as simple as looking at a photo--it's not. So no matter how talented the author may be in other fields, she has by no means convinced me that she is an authority on drawing horses.
   [As a side note, I did find the section on shading techniques--something common to nearly all aspects of art-- to be useful, and for that reason I never returned the book.]
   Learn from my mistake. Check out a copy from the library or something, but don't feel like your life will be incomplete without it. Do yourself a favor--and I don't care if you just learned what a horse was or have been drawing for years--get something more comprehensive than this. You want to learn from an experienced artist.
   
   btw, If you're looking for a reliable resource for your horse-drawing endeavors (presumably), I suggest Jack Hamm's How to Draw Animals(I like the section on anatomical proportions), and Sam Savitt's Draw Horses With Sam Savitt (I like the whole thing--Savitt is a brilliant artist). I've had Hamm's book for years, and my only regret with Savitt's is that I didn't get it sooner. Trust me, you can't go wrong with these books.
   
   I reaaaaalllly hope this helps.



2. This book was very helpful to me, now I am drawing horses I've never imagined I'd draw. This book helps with shading (alot!) and many little details, such as how to fade the eye at one end. It helps with bigger issues as well, such as the entire face of the horse. This book will completley transform your drawing skills, from what may be a scribbly outline, to a unimaginably life-like horse.
   
   Thanks so much Lee Hammond. You are really a master.



3. I think this would be a great book for a child or someone who wants to draw horses but does not know much about drawing in general. There are step by step instructions for drawing standing, untacked horses in pencil. The major strength of the book is that it shows how to use soft pencil and blending tortillions to create realistic shading effects. Major deficits include no information whatsoever on gaits and other types of movement, almost no anatomical information, very little on breed differences, and nothing on tack. The dozen equine pages in Jack Hamm's How to Draw Animals does a much better job with these essential topics. The author recommends that the student draw from photos - I didn't need a book to tell me that. If your photo doesn't depict your subject in the position you want, this book won't be much help. Also, if your favorite medium is anything other than pencil, this book is not for you. Having said all this, the pictures I drew from the instructions were definitely better than anything I had drawn previously. So I don't regret buying it, but I wish it had been more comprehensive.



4. This horse drawing book is great for the pre-teen who wants to draw realistic horses. Easy to follow directions and loads of pointers from a master. It was just the book for one of my students. She went from flat looking steeds to very realistic animals in a matter of two weeks.



5. J'ai aimé, mais beaucoup à traduire avec l'ordinateur, ce serait mieux en Français, c'est en tout cas mon point de vue. Merci.

1 comments about Ultimate Hotel Design.

1. This book offers a serious, well-informed, insider view of the hotels currently at the avant-garde of interior designing. Many of the properties illustrated represent "la creme de la creme" of the hotel industry in the past decade; and least to say are well worth staying at.
   
   I would particularly recommend this fascinating book to the experienced traveler who takes pride in indulging him or herself in an ambience of exclusiveness and inspiration. A must have!

3 comments about Professional Planting Design: An Architectural and Horticultural Approach for Creating Mixed Bed Plantings.

1. In this singular book, anyone interested in teaching planting design will find a comprehensive guide. My students are required to buy this book and use it throughout their class in Advanced Planting Design. Its full of challenging exercises and analytical guidelines. Thank you Scott Scarfone for producing this clear, comprehensive text.
   Louise Schiller, ASLA



2. Pro: copius details about design principles. Con: lack of color photos -- too many black and white photos



3. In almost every landscape architect's office, you can find two kinds of people: the designers who layout the design and do the color renderings and presentation drawings, and the horticulturists who select the plants. This book will give you a good understanding of both the design and horticultural aspects of planting design, especially the latter.
   
   It is also a very practical book. It'll leave you something useful that you can actually apply in your daily landscape practice after you read it.
   
   Gang Chen, Author of "LEED AP Exam Guide" & "Planting Design Illustrated." LEED AP, AIA

5 comments about Virtual Pose 2: The Ultimate Visual Reference Series for Drawing the Human Figure.

1. The CD will not load into a Macintosh using OS10 -- which is every Mac sold in the last 2 or 3 years. I loaded it into an older Mac that I had upgraded to OS10 but that has Classic OS9 available. The CD loaded, and I could open it -- but the Mac couldn't open the software icon. That's ridiculous! Every artist I know uses a Mac or wishes he or she could.
   
   The images in the book are too small to be useful. So back to you, Amazon...



2. Great idea, and great to have for the price I suppose. But theres a few things I should give a heads up on to anyone debating on buying VP2.
   
   The image resolution is only so-so. Its not hard to see the pixilation when you expand quicktime to a larger size and even easier when you zoom in. A few of the frames have a pesky blurred/doubled over second edge.
   
   The interface included is pretty small, about 4 inch view space on my monitor. This was remedied by simply opening the QT files directly off the cd rom.
   
   Lastly, Virtual Pose 2 only works with Apple Quicktime.
   So, unless you buy or happen to own quicktime pro [$30.00 upgrade], you will be unable to print any of the images on the program, make quicktime go into full/wide screen or shift your view around the image when zooming in [you can only zoom in on the center of the image with normal quicktime].



3. This is more than helpful for my art class. This is great!



4. when there is no model to be found i always have my cd. this is the greatest.



5. Since I am a sculptor it will be very helpful to me in getting different poses and to be aware how the muscles change in a particular pose.

3 comments about Studio at Large: Architecture in Service of Global Communities.

1. This is a great book for both those people who are interested in learning about or those people who are already familiar with environmentally friendly "green" building pratices used in sustainable architecture. Studio at Large specifically chronicles the achievements of the UW BASIC Initiative program that Sergio Palleroni and his colleagues created in 1995. It is fascinating and moving to see the impact this work has on the local and global levels in society.



2. Prof. Sergio Palleroni teaches the "art-and-science" of "architecture" the old fashion way--with leadership and passion! He's not affraid of rolling up his sleeves, soiling his boot and spending his summer vacations whith his students (the future leaders): teachong design, scheduling and building sustainable communities in the "developing countries."



3. Its good to see that the rural studios work is not unique but rather part of a movement, with other brilliant examples such as the work documented in this book. Beautifully illustrated. Probably the most in depth discussion I've read on the methods and challenges of work among the poor and underserved.
   A great contribution to architectures claim to relevance.

3 comments about Stone House: A Guide to Self-Building With Slipforms.

1. The illustrations inside the book leaves much to be desired. The book is a "Self Guide" to construction; this makes it mandatory to have exceptional pictures, illustrations, and drawings! Sadly, to say notwithstanding, the book-cover the interior is disappointing.



2. Tomm Stanley has written an excellent book that is both instructional and entertaining. He has the experience and forethought to prove that he isn't some hippie with unproven thoughts/ideas, but he also writes in a very warm and personable way that keeps his book from being a dry, tasteless "how to" construction book. He is frank with his mistakes, offers proven and tested solutions openly, and explains things scientifically enough to satisfy this reviewer (I'm an engineer).
   
   My only slight complaint is that many of the photos are terrible quality and you must go to the book's website to view the higher quality versions. This isn't too bad, but I worry that someday the website will move/discontinue and I'll be left with a book poorly illustrated.



3. It's easy to build it yourself with slipforms - especially if you also have in hand Tomm Stanley's Stone House, covering slipforming methods, sources for materials, stonelaying techniques, and more. Tomm Stanley and his partner know their stuff: he built his own home from slipforms and his construction photos can even be seen on-line in color - most included with this book, in black and white.

5 comments about Handcrafted Soap.

1. Handcrafted Soap by Delores Boone is an excellent soap book for Hot-Process Soap Making. I currently use the Cold-Process method and really wanted to learn something in-depth about the Hot-Process method. I haven't tried any of the recipes as yet, but as soon as I get back home I will do so. The only problem I had with the book, it should be labeled as a Hot Process Method Soapmaking Book. I was actually looking for Cold-Process, and the book happend to be relatively about Hot-Process, but it was of good use for me, especially since I am trying to learn the Hot Process Method.



2. I purchased this book and am dissapointed. It is beautiful, has wonderful color photos, but there is nothing in it that you can't find on the internet. In fact, my internet resources described hot process soap making better than this book did.
   
   Here are my complaints: There is so much repetition. She tells you the basic steps at the beginning, then for each recipe, she goes through them again. That's 16 times these directions are repeated. What a waste of space! She could have, instead, stuffed more useful information.
   
   Also, get this, she spends eight pages telling us how to fill a mold and cut the soap. Does that really need eight pages devoted to it? I think I can figure those things out on my own. (especially the soap cutting part.)I would much rather she have included more photos on the stages the soap goes through while it's cooking, or ways to visually tell when the soap is done. She uses unspecific terms like "Island" and "Waves" when not all soaps will get those "islands" and "waves."
   
   The only reason why I did not give this one star is the charts at the back of the book. They are interesting and are the only meat in the book, however I do question where she gets the information for this. For example, she tells us that soybean oil only has a conditioning number of 2 (10 being most, and 1 being least)Does she know that soybean oil is made of 50.7% Linoleic? And that Linoleic is among one of the more conditioning fatty acids?
   
   There are many other faults (like the recipes) that I could rant about but this review would go on forever. This book, in my opinion, is a prime example of someone who knows the steps but doesn't know the process behind it. She doesn't strike me as an expert and that's why you buy someone's book - because they are the expert on the subject.



3. Many recipes and pictures to see your finished product. A must for beginners.



4. I checked this book and a few others out of the library when I was interested in making my own soap. This is the one I used, the method is simple, and the book explains the qualities of different oils and essential oils. I'm sure I would not have started making my own soap if it weren't for this book, it really provides all you need to know.



5. Great book. Lots of good information on soap making, lots of pictures. I would recommend it for use in conjunction with another book, Milk-based soap, by Casey Makela, as I make goat milk soap, and it doesn't have anything specific to that product. But it will be very helpful otherwise.

5 comments about One Thousand Buildings of Paris.

1. This is a huge book with hundreds of beautiful black and white pictures of Paris buildings. Photos are absolutely carrying out Paris soul and give you that special feeling of the city, that of art, history and grace. Turning the pages one by one, you just walk around this glorious city. I've been to Paris several times and I think this book is the second best thing after actually being there.



2. Clearly a lot of exhausting work went into this book, but as in any catalog, the quality of the descriptions varies in quality and depth, and there are typos. The author mixes casual language with more formal reporting in a way that is sometimes stylistically jarring. I heard the author speak in Paris, and evidently it was not possible to obtain permission to photograph some buildings, so the collection while in some ways comprehensive doesn't contain all the author had wished or that the reader familiar with Paris might hope for. This isn't the author's fault, just some French craziness, but it is unfortunate. I keep the book in my apartment in Paris, and use it to familiarize myself with buildings I walk by regularly. As the Parisians say, walking in Paris is "very pleasant," and this book makes one a more informed walker. The description of the Hotel de Sully in the 4th is especially nice. Pair it with the catalog of the Atget exhibition for some interesting contrasts, both historic and photographic. Paris is a sublime feast, and this is a book for those who will take the time to taste it more fully. I don't believe any other book like this exists.



3. I love it!! It's very comprehensive and detailed, and the pages are big enough to accomodate all of the photographs and text. The quality of the book itself is also good.



4. 
   This book was given to me,along with the London's one.
   One does not need to be an archictect or a professionnal builder to appreciate this masterpiece.
   In the last 100 years, Paris has eluded any massive destruction and as such has kept its historic,poetic and romantic characters.
   The book is precised,well mapped,and the photos are top notched.
   It would not be easy to carry around while visiting Paris! however one can list ahead of time the buildings of interest.
   the book is photographed and written, by three Americans, which makes it even more interesting ,with their artistic objectivity and a view with a non parisian or gallic optic.
   well worth the investment,and a real treasure.



5. all 1,000? No way. Too big to have as a travel companion but so many memories that it should be owned by everyone who loves Paris.

1 comments about Award Winning Green Roof Designs.

1. A one of a kind book, written and photographed by pioneers in the field. Green roofs are an achievable way toward sustainability in urban environments.

5 comments about The North Light Book of Acrylic Painting Techniques.

1. thank you for this marvellous acrylic technique book, i have used acrylic paints before but this book gives me a new dimension to exercise, it will sit nicely in my art library with my other art books.yours faithfully,,margaret mcguinness



2. I like this book. The techniques are awesome. This is a good book for a beginner, or one who wants to explore other ideas that they may not have thought of. What I like is that it is focused on acrylic only. There are not many books on just acrylic. Many painting books seem to cover oil techniques and claim that the techniques can be applied to other mediums. But, you can only go so far, becuase oil and acrylic have two different characterisics.



3. This book gives a wealth of information on different techniques, materials, and styles. The step-by-step lessons do a great job of showing how the work evolves, and how that evolution varies according to the style chosen by the artist. Just as important, at least to me, is that there are so many color photographs of so many really good paintings. Often, books like this have mostly mediocre work. This is a book am I sure to revisit a lot.



4. If you have ever read any articles from The Artists Magazine then you will be familiar with the style of demonstrations of acrylic painting that this book offers. It is quite good at showing a diversity of painting styles - from airbrush photo-realistic to very thick impasto and impressionistic.

   The book examines 23 different acrylic artists and shows some photos of each one making a painting in their unique style. I loved this book for the sheer number and quality of styles it displayed. The chapters ranged from discussions of the paints to the various mediums to airbrushing to abstract work.

   For inspiration and over-all examinations of how-to in painting in acrylic this is a good book. It does, however, have one major flaw. Just like the magazine it doesn't give detailed instructions on EXACTLY how to practice any of these techniques.

   For example, in my acrylic painting I am trying to learn how to blend. I know it is possible. I've seen plenty of other acrylic paintings that show excellent blending. I bought this book with the hope that it would show me how they got those blends. Nope. Blending only gets a page and a half in the entire book. You get statements such as "For blending colors, Kooluris Dobbs finds that her fingers work very well."

   Well Ok. So fingers work well - so show me a photo or two of her ACTUALLY blending like this. But the book never does. And it uses generalized statements like the one above for practically every other technique mentioned as well. So if you are looking for a book that gives actual detailed step-by-step instructions for a technique this book won't do it. In spite of this flaw the rest of the book was so good and so inspiring I gave it a 4 when otherwise I would've given it a 3 (seeing as I find the over-generalization in a book that purports to be about acrylic techniques as a fairly big shortcoming).

   I still think this book is worth getting despite the drawbacks. Everything else about it was high quality and the many beautiful paintings are inspiring in and of itself. If you paint with acrylics this is a good book to have on your reference shelf.




5. found this boook extremely helpful in learning the techniques of acrylic painting