1 comments about 100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers: Insider Secrets from Top Designers on Working Smart and Staying Creative.

1. This book doesn't really teach you anything but does offer experiences that other designers have had. Because each story is so short there isn't a lot to learn from each one. However it is a great book to have around because you can open to any page and not be lost.

No comments about WACK!: Art and the Feminist Revolution.

5 comments about Design Synectics: Stimulating Creativity in Design.

1. This is a must have for any middle school, high school or college art educator! Great creative ideas for lessons, sketchbook assignments or model ideas for large projects. I have used this book many times and the projects are always a huge it, highly successful, challenging and instill creative thinking.



2. There are enough ideas in here to keep anyone busy creating for a long time. I believe that is can be used in just about any form of art one may pursue.



3. This excellent book illustrates beautifully the analogy building aspect of the powerful Synectic problem solving process, from the standpoint of design. It is also a great companion to Art Synectics by the same author. Both of them never cease to amaze me, as I often turn to their many pages for creative inspiration. Both of them are also packed with easy to follow and fun exercises.
   
   They are among my first few books on understanding the Synectic process. Synectics was created by William J J Gordon & George Prince in the 50's or 60's. The process can be applied in both the educational as well as business settings. In fact, Gordon had created many exercise books for use in the schools. Unfortunately many of his good stuff in this respect are now out of print and hard to get.



4. As an art educator, this is the book I turn to when my ideas have run out. It has some great starting points for stimulating thought--both in yourself and your students. It offers terrific visuals which suggest all sorts of ideas for starting interesting projects. Read the text and you realise it is even better than it looks--this book is all about how to think in new and creative ways. Any way you'd like to use it, this book is refreshing.



5. Design Synectics is a stand out browse and reference text for Art educators. I would also highly recommend this book to any creative person. It is like a service manual for the artist/ divergent thinker. Presenting individual visual and cognitive concepts in a schematic that is easy to read and fun to practice. While some of the action items in this book may seem a little too structured, individual educators will have little trouble in customizing the approaches to fit with their style. While many books written for Art teachers only give outdated product based ideas, Design Synectics gives insight into the thinking associated with visual literacy. This book is a true Art educator staple.

2 comments about Chinese Calligraphy: An Introduction to Its Aesthetic and Technique, Third Revised and Enlarged Edition.

1. The book deals with the traditional art of Calligraphy from both a philosophical and an aesthetic point of view and uses numerous examples for the serious student of Chinese Calligraphy. It is written in a lively and informed manner that will stimulate the reader's imagination and appreciation of the art of Calligraphy and its masters throughout history. It is the #1 book in the field.



2. I feel that Mr. Chiang Yee's book provides an excellent introduction to the art of Chinese Calligraphy as well as to the idiosyncrasies of Chinese aesthetics. However, it is an old book, and it constantly dates itself. There is more than a touch of "orientalism" in this book, and Mr. Yee presents China the way it would be seem to a Westerner a half century ago, as a mysterious place, a dark "other" with incomprehensible mystic traditions that stand in sharp contrast to the bright and carefully delineated West. For example, he makes the assertion several times through the book that a person's appearance and personality can be gauged by their calligraphy style. Analyzing Emperor Hui Tsung's calligraphy Yee reveals to us that the emperor was "a well-built handsome figure." Of course, as this particular emperor died nearly 1800 years ago, there is absolutely no way to empirically refute or support his claims. Of course, we can't forget that modern China is not a land of dragons and mystics. It is a nuclear power, and a burgeoning economic superpower. However, with that one caveat in mind, I would still heartily recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Chinese calligraphy or aesthetic traditions.

No comments about Brush with Passion: The Life and Art of Dave Stevens.

4 comments about Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization.

1. For those of us who want to be informed about the myths and symbols from ancient civilization, this book is a must. Informative and interesting at the same time. Zimmer has accomplished a great deal in presenting such rich detail.



2. I was NOT what I expected it to be at all. I thought the fact that it was discussing Indian art and symbols, there would actually be a goodly amount of Indian art in this book. I realized I was mistaken upon leafing through this book and finding pages and pages of text with only a few examples of the art it related to. I'm not trying to disparage the book in this review, I'm sure it was good for what it was, but it certainly wasn't what I thought I was buying. I'm just trying to keep someone else from making the same mistake I made.



3. Zimmer is without a doubt a brilliant and sophisticated scholar of Indian Art and Mythology and this text reflects that fact very well. The sheer density of the text lends to the quality of it as a resource, but it not the number one choice of texts for someone who is just interested in mythology and folklore. Zimmer does more than merely tell you the myth or legend, he offers incredible symbolic and literary analysis of the myth in terms of broader and universal symbols. He brings together history, art, myth, religion, and philosophy in a incredible combination. However, the text is extraordinarily difficult to follow as a casual read.

   In many places the text simply jumps around without any transition and in a seemingly nonsensical manner, making it difficult to read in a linear fashion. There does not seem to be any real organization to the text, with bits and pieces of the text's various elements thrown into the book at what feels like haphazard points. The photographs of the art which Zimmer discusses is useful, but are hidden at the back of the book in small, hard to see, grainy, black and white photos. I found to be a real pain constantly to flip to the back of the book to see what he was talking about and having to squint to make out the intricate art in the poor quality pictures. It would more useful if the photos were on the page where they were discussed, were in color, and were bigger. One final quibble is that the sheer volume of information makes taking notes as you go along crucial to obtain a real understanding of the text.

   While I think these points are valid, do not let them scare you away. The text possess an immense wealth of information about Indian mythology and incredible analysis of its stories. An strong reference and research for students and scholars or for anyone who has a real interest in mythology, myth-art/religious art, or the psychological universality of myths. To any of these people I would highly recommend this book. If you are just starting on these or any other field that might be pertaining to the book, you might wish to start with some primary sources or books that are strictly myths and legends (i.e. the Mahabhrata or the Bhagavad Gita)or books on mythic/religious art before trying this book.




4. Edited by the late Joseph Campbell, Zimmer's book is a detailed analysis and explanation of the significance and history of many of the symbols found in Indian art and religon. It has a good index and several photographs at the end which provide essential examples.

5 comments about The Artist's Handbook.

1. Great book...gift for my daughter in law....she loved it. It was exactly what she wanted. The book was in great condition also. And very timely shipping! Thank you!



2. This book answers loads of "How do they do that?" questions that the non-artist would never be able to figure out, even with the internet. Every page has something I never knew and didn't know I didn't know. Techniques, materials, tools...they are all there with the proper depth for someone who just wants the basic info.
   
   Other than nature and travel guides, this is the first reference book I have found extremely useful since the internet took over most of that function from my home library.



3. Great book for anyone interested in art - from the beginner to the expert. An excellent mix of science (particularly chemistry) and the creation of art itself. Very informative and easy to read. I look forward to purchasing and reading the follow-on edition.



4. I keep this around for when I'm bored and just want to browse and think about materials, but it's most useful for when you forget things. For instance, when you forget exactly how much dammar resin to soak in turpentine, like I did today. I found the answer in seconds and went back to work. Very, very handy. On the other hand, if you're not doing two-dimensional work, this won't be so handy. This is a great text on painting, drawing, and formal aspects and techniques in those areas.



5. This book is an important resource for artists. Ray Smith has a complete knowledge of art materials, and he gives a complete and detailed description of each material and how they are used. It covers a wide range of art materials including paints, grounds, pencils, inks, printing equipment, cereamic tiles, stained glass, and so forth. Also included is information on color, perspective, framing, photography, and exhibiting your work. Basically it's a complete guide to the 2D mediums of art. if you're interesting in 3D arts such as sculpture or pottery, you're not in luck. Those fields aren't covered.

   For me, it's interesting to just look through this book and examine the wide range of techniques and materials presented in it. You can find a lot of new ideas to try out. Even if you're an experienced artist, I think you can find something new that you will be excited to try. Check it out. It's worth it.

2 comments about Old Testament Figures in Art (Guide to Imagery).

1. Organized into several chapters, the Creation through the Tower of Babel, Abraham, David and Solomon, and others. Each biblical topic is put into context with the Place, Time, Figures, Soursces, and Artistic variants provided. Then for each topic, several representative works of art are shown with explanatory captions. Nice representation of several schools of art, from gothic figures of the late Middle Ages to a heavy emphasis on Italian Renaissance, Northern Renaissance artists, 17th century Dutch masters and a small number of later artworks. Will mostly devoted to paintings, alternate art forms such as engravings, mosaics, sculptures and bronzes are examined.
   Small format makes it a easily portable text.



2. I have used this book in Bible studies. I like it because it is organized chronologically, making things easy to find. It also gives brief histories of the story and the artist's work and explains some of the symbolism. This book contains work from all time periods, so it would be good to use for comparison/contrast of styles.

No comments about Making Faces: Drawing Expressions For Comics And Cartoons.

5 comments about Splendid Slippers: A Thousand Years of an Erotic Tradition.

1. This book was absolutely wonderful. Before reading this book my knowledge of the ancient tradition of footbinding was very limited. In fact, what I thought I knew about the subject was woefully wrong. The pictures along with the literature were truly educational and now I feel I have a good understanding of the subject. I also bought a book (novel) called Snowflower and The Secret Fan. This novel was an excellent book that complimented the Splendid Slipper book. Thanks for recommending it!



2. This beautiful book was a delight to the eye. The workmanship and imagination used to create these slippers was amazing. Stories and explanations helped to further enlighten me on the origins of the practice of footbinding. More a work of art than a book, this is sure to be revisited often.



3. I bought this book after reading Snowflower and the Secret Fan, having been so intrigued by the history of Chinese women. Slippers is wonderfully informative and visually exciting. As a narrative, you follow the life of one young girl through her preparations for marriage and her adult life. These events are presented visually as well. The slippers are made by the adult women, embroidered intricatly and is their main occupation, as they are unable to do much else having had their feet bound. A wonderful addition to your library.



4. After reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, I had to learn more about foot binding and the slippers...wonderful book and the pictures are amazing.



5. Like most Westerners, I am both horrified and fascinated by the Chinese tradition of footbinding. I found this book to be an excellent source of images and history, and cultural context of this rite of passage for Chinese girls. I appreciated that this book is written in a neutral voice, allowing the reader to explore the many meanings of footbinding, rather than simply condemning it as an abhorrant practice.