5 comments about The Zen of Creative Painting: An Elegant Design for Revealing Your Muse (Practical Art Books).

1. Jeanne Carbonetti has produced awonderful book to unleash one's creativity--whether you understand Zen or not---It is not easy to get into Zen, but the illustrations help us to learn something at a deeper level--not just intellectual or academic.I like the play of light and color---in a sense that is what art is all about ---to convey your feelings or even passing moods...Books like these go beyond the 'right brain-left brain' theories that have filled the academic discussion on art training....May be ,one should work out his/her own Zen approach--this book can only point the way---not to imitate but to emulate Jeanne.



2. I have recently started doing watercolor paintings since I retired and was lent this book by my teacher. I had to buy it as soon as I opened it. The paintings are absolutely splendid. I think that they are what watercolors should be. And the text sets a mind frame that will enhance any budding artist down the path to great work.



3. A must to read to start your own ideas on Watercolor painting, using the Zen method.



4. I like Carbonetti's art and this book is full of it. For that reason it is worth buying. She also succeeds in showing the mental aspects of creative art. However, her seeing of Zen is not so successful. She also wrote books like "The Tao of Watercolor" and "The Yoga of Drawing". I would prefer if she simply explained her own position without packaging it into so many commercialy attractive titles.



5. The book was very logical yet had many creative aspects. I would recommend it for a mid-range painter.

5 comments about Landscape Meditations.

1. When you are weary from toiling over your masterpiece, you must grab this book by Elizabeth Mowry, curl up in your favorite spot and just enjoy this wonderful book. The author & artist wants you to get involved with your painting and learn to FEEL what your eyes see, so that what you put on paper is part of yourself. It's your story, your vision of life. Ms. Mowry is a very talented artist who shares with the reader her thoughts & ideas that went into the many beautiful paintings she rendered in pastels & some in oils. The book is so beautifully done, with many, many beautiful landscapes she painted during her travels all over the world and her narrative about her travels and her personal thoughts about the many scenes she painted, that I didn't realize until I got well into the book that she was also giving the reader many valuable lessons in such things as structure of a painting, light source, theme painting, & individualizing one's work. Wow, what a book. It's a joy.



2. This book is so well done I can't do it justice. It is a treasure and valuable reference for any paselist beginner to advanced. Elizabeth Mowry
   is indeed a Master,her work is breathtaking!!



3. I am absolutely in awe over this book. It has to be the most beautifully written and illustrated art book on the market. Ms. Mowry lives her paintings and her descriptive narrative transports you inside of her paintings. I will refer to this book again and again. Outstanding!



4. I found this a very inspiring book. The paintings are really nice whether you are into pastels or oils.



5. Every artist of every level and every art lover should read this book,for the artist the writings and paintings are inspirationalshe not only can she paint but she can write as well.

5 comments about A Celebration of Light: Painting the Textures of Light in Watercolor.

1. I purchased this book hoping for a clearer description on how to capture light in watercolor paintings. This book met all my expectations. I keep it in the classroom and studio for my students to use as a reference. Jane Freeman has easily understandable step-by-step demonstrations, goes through the process of how to paint reflections, glass, lace and beautiful light patterns. She has included a wealth of information for all levels of painters. An added bonus is the addition of paintings and comments from numerous watercolorists whose paintings are seen in many competitions. I recommend this book to anyone who teaches the art of watercolor and encourage them to expose their students to it. It is a wonderful addition to an artist's library.



2. A Celebration of Light is a wonderful book.. From detailed paintings to color applications the information found in this book is valuable to any artist wishing to develop a better technique. It is a bible of information to keep next to you as you are painting. Jane has demonstrated how to use light to create a better painting. From application to lifting this book is a must to every artist using watercolor



3. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the techniques that this artist has perfected over the years. Jane Freeman leads the reader step by step from the beginning of a painting until it is finished. She tells you how to paint such things as reflections and lace plus she she even gives you tips on mixing colors and finding time to do the art. This is at the top of the list as one of my favorite art books.
   Elinor Sethman



4. A Celebration of Light is a wonderful book - there are so many many infos in this book which you should not miss. Jane Freeman shares her technique, shows her colours and how to use and mix them, how to work the best with your reference photos, gives tips about composition and she also shows many paintings in step-by-step-demonstrations. She has a great knowledge about watercolor and this book is a very valuable addition to each library.



5. A Celebration of Light is an exceptional informational book. The paintings are really great. It inspires you to go beyond your abilities and capture that evasive quality that turns an ordinary painting into one that captures your attention.

5 comments about Notes on Graphic Design and Visual Communication.

1. This was a required book for college Art Class. Quite surprised to find that it is a very thin book and is in photocopied handwriting! Item did arrive on time & good condition hopefully it will serve well for this class.



2. The only reason I gave this a four out of five stars is because the author wrote in all caps which is incredibly hard to read page after page. It also goes against the graphic design rule of not writing in all caps unless it's a short headline. Other than that, this book is great for all levels of designers. For beginners it tells all the principles and walks through how to go about projects. For intermediate and advanced it's good to have by your computer to refresh yourself every now and then on the principles of good design. Great book... would recommend to anyone in the design field.



3. This book is a great reference and reminder of the basic elements that make graphic design and visual communication effective! Every student in any graphic design program should buy this book!
   Gregg Berryman knows what he is writing about!



4. I got this book during my junior year in high school for an intro to graphic design class...and still refer to it every so often. I would recommend it for any graphic designer, especially students, as it has a wealth of knowledge-from basic design principles to the grid, typogrpahy, etc.- contained in it's small amount of pages.
   A must have for any graphic designer!



5. Notes on Graphic Design and Visual Communication is the most essential graphic design book written. Despite being very thin in quantity of pages, this book holds an enormous amount of graphic knowledge. I am currently studying Industrial Design and was refered to this book by a professor to help me with my graphic design knowledge. It opened the world of graphics up to me in an easy to read, fun package. The only complaint I`ve heard of this book is the font used for text. This book has a hand written font which can sometimes be hard to read. I have had no problems with the font however.

No comments about Art Power.

5 comments about Frida Kahlo: The Paintings.

1. Great biography that explains everything you'd ever want to know about the adverse yet bittersweet life of the amazing and vibrant soul that is Frida Kahlo. Includes all, if not most of her paintings and explains each one down to the core. Also includes wonderful photos of Frida and the people in her life, throughout her entire life. I totally suggest this one =o)



2. If you are curious to know more about Frida Kahlo's life, inspiration, and paintings, this is the right book to look at. The paintings and photographs create a very complete biography of this great woman and artist. She was ahead of her time. This book is easy and interesting to see and to read.



3. I know nothing about Mexico or about paintings. And I am least interested to read biographies. Still I found myself intriguied by Frida Kahlo who is a Mexican painter and picked this biography on her life. Her life is very extraordinary as I found out when I watched this movie on her starring Salma Hayek. And I loved this book because it told the story of her through her paintings.
   Its her paintings which make you wanna ask questions, for her paintings are not about pretty flowers or landscape or fishes in the oceans. Many of her paintings are in fact shocking in the way that they are too direct and poignant, and splattered with a lot of blood but still they are not asking for any sympathy or anything at all. Frida was a very talented woman who could make striking poetry on canvas. She painted everything with an element of her in it.... her emotions, her pain, her longing and her feelings. She is all about strength, strong will, determination,and pride. She did not try to do right or wrong thing but live her life her own way, on her rules, a woman who made herself memorable and a legend through her paintings. She inspires because of her gritty life.
   This book is very engrossing read on Frida's life as seen through her paintings.



4. This is easily, and without fluff, the best Frida Kahlo bio in print. Herrera not only has a great gift with wordds, but she truly gets within Kahlo's turbulent times, affairs and issues to paint a very descriptive world of this brilliant, tortured woman.



5. My children gave this book to me for Christmas as a companion to Frida's biography. It is beautiful and comprehensive. A must-have for any fan of her work.

1 comments about Egon Schiele: 1890-1918: Desire and Decay (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series).

1. This is another welcome addition to Taschen's 25th Anniversary Series of large, hardcover collections. You get excellent reproductions of many of Egon Schiele's finest work along with Wolfgang Georg Fischer's expert commentary.
   
   Besides the works themselves, I found the most valuable part of the book to be the historical and biographical information. Fischer gives the necessary perspective with which to view Schiele's sometimes difficult work without being excessively wordy or academic. I love academic writing as much as anyone, but I think the intended audience here is not going to want to wade through pages of theoretical discourse.
   
   In addition to the paintings, there are some photographs of Schiele, his family, and his colleagues. After looking at his numerous self-portraits and (especially) the paintings of his wife, it's fascinating to see photographs of them in a casual context.
   
   Schiele's style may not appeal to everyone, but this book is an excellent place to begin your appreciation, especially at Taschen's extremely low price. When you look at all the $3-12k limited edition books they release, it's nice that they remember that poor college students enjoy great art books too!

5 comments about The Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor (Practical Art Books).

1. This book is helpful in understanding how to develop a painting, but the author's color mixtures are surprisingly awful. Well over half the paintings in this book show us EXTREMELY dull and chalky skies and landscapes. The author appears to have no understanding that watercolor paints have different qualities--nonstaining, staining, and opaque. Mixing and glazing these colors without understanding these differences result in the mud paintings throughout most of this book. If you compare these paintings to other watercolor books, such as those by Dobie, Carbonnetti, Nechis, Speckman, and many others, you'll see a huge difference. Jim Kosvanec's "Transparent Watercolor Wheel" [this is a book, not just a color wheel] is extremely helful in bringing out the most in watercolor.



2. This book provided step by step progessions and explanations that were easy to follow. Great for beginner or intermediate painter.



3. Great book for learing to paint. Good examples and explanations for techniques. I recommend it.



4. By profession I am a scientist, but I have always had an interest in the visual arts. Only in the last few years have I had much time to devote to such endeavors and even then it has been rather catch as catch can. My main interest in art is in the capture of natural images (I took scientific illustration in college), but I appreciate the fact that art and stark realism may express somewhat different truths about the subject. As a rank amateur in watercolor art I also appreciate deeply such roadmap-like guide books as Ferdinand Petrie's "The Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor." At first the title turned me off, but in perusing a copy (and later acquiring it) I found it to be an excellent guide to capturing the essence of a natural scene in one of the most difficult of all media- watercolor (only pen and ink may be more demanding from my experience!)
   
   The coupling of Petrie's step by step paintings and the exquisite photographs of John Shaw has produced a book that is both visually beautiful and informative. Using the techniques described and with one's own reference photos in hand (or under an open sky direct from nature) a novice painter can slowly gain the knowledge and skill necessary to succeed in producing credible paintings.
   
   A while back a scientist colleague of mine asked me why make a painting or drawing when you can photograph any subject with clarity. As a person who takes my own reference photos and enjoys doing so I can say he has a point, but reality does not necessarily come only from an exact replication of a scene. In the process of painting from nature (or from a reference photograph) you often notice more complex details, even in apparently simple subjects, then you would ordinarily notice in a photograph by itself. Petrie has emphasized the observation of these complex details and their interpretation in watercolor. If nothing else the instructions that point the artist toward this close observation of complexity in nature are worth the price of the book.



5. This book is one to read through to learn -- not just do the practice paintings. Being a newbie to watercolor, this book has really helped me to view nature through a different set of eyes. He helps you see the "what do I want this picture to focus on" instead of microdetailing every possible detail in view. I am now finding myself looking at nature figuring out the details and what would I want to paint as the focus. I think this book goes very well with Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Watercolor by Marian Appellof -- good pair with minimal redundancy.

1 comments about Christian Lacroix on Fashion.

1. I saw the Christian Lacroix exhibit in Paris last month. I spent much longer than I had planned savoring it and wished I had more time to linger there. This wonderful book has provided just that. The text is engaging and the photographs accurate representations of the exhibit. It was an extraordinary exhibit and this book accurately presents it. I recommend it to everyone interested in Christian Lacroix, fashion, embroidery, fabric and the needlearts. This one is a treasure.

5 comments about Looking Good: Wardrobe Planning and Personal Style Development.

1. This is a book for both the individual trying to improve personal style as well as professionals in the image industry. As an image consultant myself, this is the first book that I have found that really covers every aspect of image. It even includes undergarments something that is lacking in 99% of image books on the market. This is the book to get. I now consider this my image bible. If I am doing workshops, its the only book I take with me in the event I have to answer a question to a subject which my not be the focus of my expertise (e.g. colour)
   Forget the others, buy this book. You will not be sorry.



2. I enjoy this book so much that I have decided to give a class on it.



3. it is amazing how dated a book that isn't THAT old can be. Some older fasion/style books have a nostalgic charm of their own,not this one. Spend your money elsewhere!



4. I owned this and threw it out recently. It was an embarassment. Do not buy it. If you must see it, visit your library. The only thing that's good about this is the descriptions of fashion personality types, which is a fun read. Other than that, save your money and buy the Lucky Manual or Pocket Stylist instead.



5. Very helpful information. Gives guidance on clothing styles that are flattering to particular shapes as well as colors, textures, etc. Quick and easy read with lots of visual examples that made it easy to understand.