5 comments about Designing Design.

1. This title is exactly what you expect from the cover, it is absolutely amazing inside. Clean, conceptual work that ranges from product design to printing techniques. Its very Japanese aesthetics, the interiors are well designed and beautiful. This is a book that will inspire even the quiet.



2. Not only a beautiful book but also a great collection of images and essays, a strong contribution to the field of design literature.



3. The Book has a different approach when it comes to design, and its not the mere use of the banal connotation that design has become, but the art of designing and undertaking projects with special sensibility which is explained in its pages. The author shows through different examples of his work, when designing how he engage his projects in a more significant way. Simplicity and common sense.
   The eastern perspective and its way of life is strongly reflected in a very palpable philosophy which is the guideline throughout the book. Truly special lecture.



4. DESIGNING DESIGN is quite possibly the most beautiful book on design ever published. Not only is the content illuminating and intelligent, allowing the world to gain an appreciation for one of the truly unique voices in the design field - that voice being the Japanese master Kenya Hara - but also in keeping with the subject, the book itself is a paramount of elegance, simplicity and superb creative force. This is a white book, a volume of information and illustration that embraces the purity of white as the matrix upon which everything blossoms and emerges.
   
   In an introductory essay by John Maeda the author states `Kenya Hara is a complex man. He views the world through his many lenses of seeing, tasting, smelling, erasing, evaporating, and all the forms of construction and deconstruction.' And after those appropriate words this pristine book opens into the genius that is Kenya Hara. `Verbalizing design is another act of design....To understand something is not to be able to define it or describe it. Instead, taking something that we think we already know and making it unknown thrills us afresh with its reality and deepens our understanding of it.' What follows on the pages are images of page design, paper, bowls of white cabbage leaves, signs, images of Swatch watches that come down through projected air onto any surface presented, unique signage for public spaces, soft ice cream shapes, furniture, spaces, lamps, posters - any object that requires rendering is treated and discussed in concept and philosophy by a man of great wisdom as well as endless creativity. The illustrations accompanying the text are clean and as well placed on the page as any creation by Hara. This is a seemingly endless array of fascinating subjects.
   
   For the non-designer reader, the reader fortunate enough to open this book without the prejudice of traditional design information, this text contains powerful philosophical concepts. `The human brain likes anything that entails a great deal of information. Its extensive capacity waits eagerly to perceive the world by completely exhausting its great receptive powers. That potential power, though, remains today in a state of extreme constriction and is a source of the information stress we're all under.' Hara approaches this conundrum by dividing his book into sections that approach answers to these problems: RE-DESIGN, HAPTIC (Awakening the Senses), SENSEWARE, WHITE, MUJI (Nothing, yet Everything), VIEWING THE WORLD FROM THE TIP OF ASIA, EXFORMATION (Rivers, Resorts), and finally WHAT IS DESIGN? This book is meant to be absorbed slowly, portion by portion, and then to be read again once the reader understands Hara's contributions - quiet yet majestic though they be. The text reads very well (thanks to the superb translation efforts by Maggie Kinser Hohle and Yukiko Naito) and while the information is complex, the writing style is comfortably conversational.
   
   This is an important book on many levels and should be required reading for all students of design, practitioners of design, and for everyone whose eyes are influenced by astute observation. Brilliant! Grady Harp, December 07



5. A plain white cover with some black text in Helvetica. That's the dust jacket cover of a design book? If I'd judged the book solely by the cover I would have missed what is actually a quite unique and wonderful book about design.
   
   The cloth-bound cover itself is also all type, but now white type embossed into a white cover--not the most readable (though you can read it) but in a way the essence of this book--minimal, elegant, playful, clever and thought-provoking.
   
   This understated and often witty approach is a refreshing antidote to the frantic overkill that constitutes much of the commercial design we're bombarded hundreds of times a day.
   
   Like the cover, the text can be mysterious. When I first read the preface I balked. But I was intrigued and read it again and this time, it was surprising and beautiful.
   
   "To understand something is not to be able to define it or describe it. Instead, taking something that we think we know already and making it unknown thrills us afresh with its reality and deepens our understanding." It's almost as if he's talking about a Claes Oldenburg sculpture which takes a common object and shows it to us in a gigantic size that makes us see it in a new light--yet the designs and ideas featured in the book give us this new perspective right on a printed page.
   
   You're not going to see innovative typography in this book (though the book itself is beautifully designed, typeset and produced). But you are going to see stunningly understated photography and a Japanese approach to design that can be an inspiration everywhere in the world.

5 comments about Une Semaine De Bonte: A Surrealistic Novel in Collage.

1. great drawings of big author, worth the have it, but I saw originals in Vienna and must say that I was bit disappointed when I saw the drawings in the book. I think that they are not to good scanned. Originals have very thin lines and in the book that lines are not so thin, so much detail because of that is lost. Second, on original drawings some parts are sticked, and you see that in different shades of paper. And in the book all is on white paper so you cant know which part is collage. Hope that was helpful



2. I've never seen a book as random as this. Whether you view it from start to finish, or from finish to start, it makes just as much sense either way. The page you view next has little or nothing to do with the page you have just viewed. It's actually quite fun.
   
   Take for example page 10. You see a guy with a mustache staring at an open mouthed monster with a panther head and human body, standing on some steps, carrying a lantern, and wearing some type of backpack along with a cross shaped medal. Then on page 11, you see neither one of these figures, and instead see a similar monster with a panther head and human body also with a backpack, but this monster is calmly smoking a pipe, and stirring what appears to be some spaghetti-shaped substance on top of the headless body of a topless woman mannequin. In both pictures the panther shaped monster has a backpack and a lantern, but you REALLY have to use your imagination if you are to believe they're the same character since they don't look the same and are standing in completely different backgrounds while engaging themselves in completely different scenarios.
   
   It should be noted that the picture on page 11 definitely isn't the only picture featuring nudity. Like most surrealist works, this book has its fair share of the stuff. I don't know what kind of a maturity rating you'd give the book as a whole, but it definitely isn't for kids. Which is kind of a shame, because I think kids would really like all the weird creatures that fill up a good half of this work.
   
   I mean, we've got monsters with lion heads, bird heads, Easter Island rock heads, and, well, that's pretty much it for the heads, but there's dragons and other monstery stuff too. Then there's all kinds of random, non-monster sights to see, that feature your classic dark humor. I particularly like this picture where some guy is dropping a bat on the ground from a tray, and another one where a guy is just lying face down on the floor like he's dead while a woman's in the room combing her hair like nothing's wrong.
   
   My dreams are a lot like the pictures in this book. Not so much that they feature strange creatures, but that they're nothing more than a string of random, isolated scenes that rarely follow any kind of story. Or perhaps each is a story that never stays around long enough to develop any kind of coherency. Each of these Semaine De Bonte pictures looks like it can be a part of a story, but it's up to the viewer to come up with some kind of way that the snapshot picture he or she is seeing could have happened.
   
   I'd recommend this book to anybody over 18. It's definitely an interesting, unusual item to have in your own personal library and also a golden opportunity to re-live the long gone European surrealistic fad of the early 20th century.



3. My best friend interested me in this book in high school and before amazon.com it was hard to come buy in the small town that we lived where the only art that exists is 'impressionist' paintings of moored boats and whatever you can find at wal-mart in the home decor section.
   
   This is the epitome of black and white, balance and the finest collection of surrealism I think that you can get into a book. Dover does it justice with clear prints and an excellent binding. I've had my copy for years and it's been everywhere with me through several moves and colleges. And the price is quite reasonble. Guaranteed to make you get some of Dovers clip art so you can experiment on your own.



4. This is an incredible piece of work, absolutely integral to any collection of anyone who has an interest in the Dadaists or Surrealists. Ernst's intuitive juxtapositions create an intirely seperate and complete logical (or illogical, depending) world of lurid mysticism and dread. Though not without a sense of humor. If you like this, also check out (if you've not already) the work of Joseph Cornell and the writings of Lautremont.



5. This is probably the best of Ernst's collage novels. Certainly it is a good bargan at this price; moreover, the others (The Hundred Headless Woman and A Young Woman Dreams of Taking the Veil) are virtually unavailable anyway.
   
   Earnst's collage novels are now more of historical interest than anything: that is to say, they represent quite a remarkable event in cultural history as evidence of Modernism, Surrealism, Expressionism, etc. However--that said--they're not quite as spectacular as some other reviewers might otherwise lead you to believe. The collages are not really as shocking as they perhaps once were, and the Dadaist poetry is rather inane and trivial: the worst that could be said of any art--just consult Wilde!
   
   The large oil canvases of R.-F.-G. Magritte are inestimably more significant, worthy, important, and great as original works of art, and as historical artifacts of Modernism and the Surreal.

5 comments about Art History.

1. Stokstad's book is surprisingly biased, and full of subtle indications of cultural elitism. While this is a common problem in Western-published books on the history of art, I always find it galling when confronted with specific examples. Perhaps it is wrong of me to give a low rating to a book which has failed to be better than any of its peers, but I only purchased this textbook as a course requirement, and am still irritated by the expenditure.



2. A very informative and comprehensive study of art history. Marliyn Stokstad does an excellent job of taking what could be a very dry subject and making it interesting and desirable to read. You also get a detailed history of the people and culture that created the art she describes. A great book at a great price.



3. An excellent treatment of art history with lush illustrations and well written text. However, quality comes with a price.



4. A book every art history lover must have. The only drawback is the weight of the book itself.



5. Marilyn Stokstad has put together a real masterpiece of art history with her book, Art History. In collaboration with Bradford Collins, and with contributed chapters from Stephen Addiss, Chu-tsing Li, Marylin Rhie and Christopher Roy, this large volume is deserving of pride of place on any art bookshelf.
   
   The scope of this work is as broad as is the expanse of human history. Indeed, the first chapter begins with a survey of prehistoric art and prehistory. Spanning all the ancient cultures, there are chapters devoted to the art of the ancient Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Etruscan and Roman art, Christian, Jewish and Byzantine art, Islamic art, the art of India, China, Japan, the Americas and Africa. And from there, it gets complicated!
   
   This book tackles all the issues of art: philosophical considerations (the relationship between art and reality, and the meaning and importance of beauty in art), focus on artists in general and in particular, society's relationship to art, including the role of the patron, the importance of museums, and an investigation that goes behind the phrase, 'I know what I like.'
   
   'Art history, in contrast to art criticism, combines the formal analysis of works of art--concentrating mainly on the visual elements in the work of art--with the study of the works' broad historical context. Art historians draw on biography to learn about artists' lives, social history to understand the economic and political forces shaping artists, their patrons, and their public, and the history of ideas to gain an understanding of the intellectual currents influencing artists' work.'
   
   In addition to presenting a history of art, Stokstad and her contributors also present an introduction to various aspects of art appreciation, without with art history loses much meaning. Each chapter has an explanation of the techniques that were developed and important during the time under examination (for instance, lost wax casting, glassamking and Egyptian faience, Japanese woodblock technique, and Islamic carpet making, among many others, are illustrated in detail to enhance the knowledge and appreciation of the finished art works). Each chapter and time period also has a section entitled Elements of Architecture, which include discussion on elements from pyramids to skyscrapers and much in between.
   
   The text is clear and concise, carefully explaining technical terms when they are used, and then using them sparingly. Every page is a visual feast, with full colour plates of photographs of paintings, sculpture, artists, locations, or architectural examples in great form, as Henry N. Abrams, Inc. publishers are famous for doing. There are literally thousands of illustrations, as there are often many per page; almost no page is without one, and the book is nearly 1200 pages long.
   
   As an aid for those who will use this book for more scholarly purposes, there is an extensive bibliography in the back, in three classifications of listings -- general surveys and art history references, a selected list of art history journals, and then a chapter-specific directory of further reading for each art topic/period. Additionally, it has after the bibliography as Website Directory of Museums, which includes museums in every state in the United States and most major museums around the world. The index includes listings by artist, period, topic, and particular works of art.
   
   This book has been intended to be useful as a text for a course in art appreciation, but also designed to be a joy to read for the casual reader who might not want an academically rigourous presentation. As Stokstad says in her preface, the intention was make this book itself a work of art, and in that task she has succeeded admirably.

5 comments about Oil Painting For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)).

1. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt as though I learned something the minute I opened this book. It is easy to understand and I am very happy with the my results. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is new to oil painting because everything makes sense. It is written so that even a novice like me can come up with a finished project. Love the book. Well worth the money.



2. I am currently working through this book and it is wonderful... a step-by-step guide that is simple, yet advanced.



3. Excellent book; I'd give it 4 stars for traditional oil painting. I'm knocking one star off because there is very little about water soluble oil painting, which is an important topic these days.
   I wish they had included more about water mixable oil painting facts and techniques. One example would be to warn people that you have to settle on one brand since they are not compatible as they are with traditional oil paints. Also, what about explaining about mediums to use? It's not the same as with traditional oil paints. So I have to go through this book ignoring the talk about how to mix with mediums and thus I have to find that information elsewhere, which interrupts the flow of working through this book.
   
   A couple of minor suggestions also:
   Include a checklist of the projects for readers to track their progress.
   The painting on page 15 showing the various stages of the painting process - explain more in detail, pointing out examples on the painting itself, maybe with arrows and circles on the painting explaining the different parts.
   
   I sure wish they would come out with a "Soluble Oil Painting for Dummies" book or incorporate it into this book, especially about how to use water soluble mediums.
   
   But otherwise this is an admirable book. I'm glad they wrote it.



4. I have read through half of the book and, even though I have some experience with oils, am learning something new or different in each section. It is easy reading and is designed to allow you to read each section independently in any order. However, reading it straight through exposes some redundancy - not necessarily a bad thing. The color mixing study, in the end, helps you to understand how to mix colors to create highlighting and shading. But the mixing proportions are not defined clearly enough - so the exercise does not yield accurate results. The author does not explain that the same color in different brands are not truly the same and produce different results. But you get the idea.



5. This is a great book for all us self-taught artists. It teaches us what all those terms and things are that we never understood, and how to acomplish them. I've been painting for 45 years and this book helped me a lot...."Back to the drawing board!"

2 comments about Graphic Translation, A graphic design project guide.

1. Elam's book graphic translation is an excellent primer and a good didactic tool for image translation. The book provides nice process examples and variations for a given image. The focus is on high contrast image simplification with examples of variants and options. Overall a very good resource for design educators looking for an encapsulation of reductive image making.



2. The "graphic translation" technique introduces unnecessary steps into the concept development of a graphic, needlessly complicating the process. The author takes ten to twelve steps to get where I (and many of my professional designer colleagues) get in two.
   
   The concept of "visual punctuation" demonstrated in the book is particularly extraneous. The eye does not need literal punctuation (i.e. dots) in order to navigate an image. (Does anyone need periods and exclamation points to comprehend Michaelangelo's Creation of Adam?) In fact, such inclusions impede the eye's natural progress through the image.
   
   The only redeeming value for this book is the demonstration of ways to imply movement in the subject of the graphic. However, this feature alone is not worth the price of the entire book.

5 comments about A Brush With God: An Icon Workbook.

1. I love this book! I created the icon of St. Nicholas using the books instructions, and got positive feed back on it from my "extremely honest" family and friends. The materials required are readily available and the directions are clear. Most importantly, the spiritual experience during the process was incredible. I can't wait to do the other two icons in the book. However, I do believe you need to be confident in your artistic skills to be successful and avoid frustration. My only criticism is the lack of pictorial examples. I had to refer to another book to understand the difference between the Greek and Russian style.



2. A background about icon painting and projects to get you started.



3. This nice little volume gives enough background to get you started on both creating and appreciating icons. Whether you just want a deeper appreciation for the artistic aspects or a deeper appreciation of the spiritual disciplines associated with icons, this is wonderful place to start. It includes several colorful plates in the center to provide good examples or starting points for you own artistic exploration.
   
   The text is well written, concise, and clear. Chapters are arranged to first give you an appreciation of the spiritual connection icons can help fulfill. It is a brief introduction to a vast topic but one you will want to gain deeper understanding of their purpose. Then the author briefly describes some of the artistic nuances and differences in Russian, Greek, and Coptic styles that will give you more to ponder as an artist. With that brief overview of background information, the author then takes you through the technical aspects of creating several icons youself. The instructions are clear and step-by-step so they are easy to follow. Ultimately, practice will yield results. You will not likely create a priceless gem on your first try but the instructions are enough to give you a good start. And the more practice, the better you will be.
   
   There are several little tidbits of added information in the Appendixes for further study and appreciation. All of this in so few pages might seem impossible. However, this thin little book is loaded with a broad view that does not sacrifice too much in depth. It is a perfect introduction to the topic and very well done. The author clearly loves the topic and conveys that passion in an infectious manner. An enjoyable read even if you never pick up a brush. The understanding of the spiritual, artistic, and technical aspects will provide greater appreciation of this art form enriching your life with beauty.



4. I own this book but this book is not that good.
   The first thing I have to say is that the author is not Orthodox christian, but catholic of the latin rite born and former benedictine monk. The book suggest you to use Acrylic paint and say nothing about Egg Tempera! Well, if I am going to use acrylic paint, why hand painting? I would prefer an inkjet printer! If you have only this book then you will have to buy one about egg tempera.
   In page 11 he says that his first teacher recommended (just!!) abstinece from meat and alcohol but then he complete change the meaning of fasting.
   Say nothing about the use of Holy water and natural hair brushes, his brushes are acrylic as well.



5. I was pleased to receive the book in a timely manner, new, and exactly as I had expected it to be.

2 comments about Custom Kicks.

1. Good book. awesome design & layout. sweet sneakers customized by the routiest of souls. features fouled footwear by Damion Silver, Jeremyville, SKWAK, Kelly D. Williams, Koa, Maki and more. yesss



2. The artist value of the book holds its own weight. Contains an ample supply of rich graphics and designs using footwear as the canvas. A book that should rather be found in the art section opposed to the fashion section. Not as much information on the actual hobby of custom sneakers an its imprint on the fashion and sneaker industrial world. Great array of artists, but would much prefer a mini manifesto opposed to a picture description. You will definitely find a photo that will strike your taste in footwear.

1 comments about Postmodernism (Movements in Modern Art).

1. good overview of post modernism. very informative, it talks about many of the key issues in fairly decent detail.

5 comments about Hard Boys.

1. As an artist who specializes in the male nude, I found this book to be extremely inspiring and educational. Everytime I look at a Harry Bush drawing I learn more about anatomy, and how better to capture the male figure not only accurately but with panache. This book is a treasure trove of beautiful works from an artist who has not been sufficiently recognized for his contributions to the genre. I'm very grateful to the people responsible for making it happen!



2. Harry Bush, may have been a sad character in real life, but his male(homo)erotic artwork is exceptional. There is a lot to be learned from his drawing style. As an erotic artist I draw and paint for the adult audience. I needed to learn what male erotica could be, this book is an outstanding example.



3. I saw this book at a small bookstore and I bought it without hesitation. I didn't have to look inside, because I knew it didn't matter. It would be great no matter what. After seeing snippets of Mr. Bush's work online and in magazines, a monograph of his work has been on my mental wish list for years. As a child growing up reading comics, interested in art, and gay, I've always been taken with the precision and perfection exhibited in Harry's drawings. His art is somewhat hard to describe. The care and time put in to each drawing suggests painstaking realism, which causes the viewer to overlook some of the blatant exaggerations in the subjects' superhung endowment. Compared to Tom of Finland's work, which is too cartoony for my taste, Harry portrays a realistically exaggerated world of beautiful characters in the throes of budding manhood. The drawings are both erotic and fun, in addition to interesting to study as art. The almost all pencil-drawn pieces are crystal clear, with great care given to line weight and shading. The reproductions of the original pieces are very well done in the book, capturing little nuances like the texture of the paper they were drawn on, and notes Harry wrote to himself while drawing them.
   
   I could write for days about this book, but in short I'd like to thank the authors for releasing it. Based on the story of Harry's life and attitude, it seems it is nearly a miracle that the drawings still exist for the world to enjoy.
   
   As a college student in my early 20's, I never experienced gay culture before Stonewall; before AIDS. The art in this book portrays a care-free fun attitude throughout the '60's and '70's that I wish still existed. Even if it never really existed that way, Mr. Bush did a good job of making the fantasy as real as it could be.



4. For anyone with an appreciation for gay male erotic art, this book is a MUST! Harry Bush was (is) clearly one of the great American illustrators, and this collection of images is a brilliant testament to his courage as a gay man in a gay-unfriendly world! The images are not only titilating, but each conveys a sense of humor and charm that would make virtually any adult observer feel at ease. This book just might swing a few homo-phobics on over to the "other side"... ENJOY!



5. Pretty good book. Nice large format, full page images, fat and heavy. Interesting bio of the artist too. Seems he was on the verge of destroying his oeurve at the end of his life, when the author stepped in and saved it. The artist's personality seemed very at odds with the imagery he produced. The work is all-american, Norman Rockwell, go-go USA, porn, while Bush seemed an angst ridden eccentric. The drawings are infused with a boy-man innocence that works against giant cum churning balls and colossal endowments resulting in a playful hardcore notion of sexuality. Perhaps it is a notion coming out of the '60's, when porn was of a more innocent, playful sort, before triple X and raunch came into major play. Bush's line is beautiful, and his drawings are great. Major Fine Art? I don't know. He wasn't working towards that, but maybe in todays' market, he would have.

4 comments about Fast & Fun Landscape Painting with Donna Dewberry.

1. donna dewberry should stick with flowers!!! i think her landscapes are pretty awful in comparison to her flower paintings. there are some good tips on acrylic painting with sponges (although i think terrence tse's books MUCH surpass donna dewberry in this category), but to be honest, i only bought this book for the painting on multiple canvas information...good information but i could have gotten that somewhere else. there are much better books out there on acrylic landscape painting. if you are hooked on the donna dewberry techniques and her beautiful flower paintings, you might be disappointed here.



2. I am a NEW painter, I attended 5 Donna Dewberry classes at the local High School. Once the classes ended I knew I had to find a way to continue painting. I ordered two Donna Dewberry books from Amazon. I received this book on a Friday. I was so excited when I received it that I immediately grabbed a canvas, brushes and paints and painted the Sunset Silhouette. The painting is awesome and the step by step in the book are fantastic. I recommend this book to everyone.



3. I have purchased and used this book and I think it is a great value for the money. My students are also enjoying this new book.



4. Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent book to teach you simple landscapes. I had to dock it one star due to the fact that there are no worksheets provided in this book to practice with, as can be found in her other books, nor are the instructions layed out, literally, step by step. The upside is that the illustrations are vibrant and color matched so that you can follow along easy enough to understand when and where to place color.
   
   You won't be disappointed with this book if you are Donna Dewberry fan. This book represents a new and exciting change over her traditional one stroke method. Have fun decorating your home with your new paintings!