5 comments about Face Off: How to Draw Amazing Caricatures & Comic Portraits.

1. This is one of the best commercially available books on caricature. However, I would recommend looking at a few books, rather than just this one (this isn't a standalone caricature education resource). Some of the caricatures don't look a lot like the real people they represent; whether this is an artistic choice or a limitation of the talent involved is a mystery. Many, useful techniques are contained herein; some readers may be disappointed in the results achieved and need more instruction in achieving a recognizable likeness. Worth a look; one of the best.



2. I used to do caricatures and this pretty much is what I did for over a year. This is a well designed instructional book... It gives many variations of eyes, noses, mouths, facial structure and hair style. I recommend this book as a handy reference source to my students.



3. I purchased this book about a week ago after seeing it at a bookstore and seeing all of the excellent reviews for it. I have been studying art for a few years and having worked at a bookstore as well I know when I read a good art instruction book and this is definitely one of them. It has practical to do steps that gradually build a persons skill. A common pitfall of art books is they show a finished product of the artist but they leave it a mystery as to how they got there. This book will help seasoned artist as well as give newer ones confidence in their ability to do caricatures. Highly recommended!



4. I have several books on caricature and have to say this is the best. The funny thing is that some of the pages looked kind of familiar and I realized that they were some of the handouts used at the local amusement park. After looking at Harry's picture at the end, I do remember him holding some excellent training classes at the park. He has an excellent way of explaining the whole process. This is an excellent book on the subject.



5. Very good explaniation and a lot of figures for practice.
   I like so much.

5 comments about On Ugliness.

1. THIS BOOK SEES ART FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW TAKING A DISTANCE FROM DECORATION AND BEAUTY
   AND HELPING US REACH MORE PROFOUND LEVELS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF AESTHETICS



2. I was a little worried this book might be really dry and difficult to read but it has been enjoyable and interesting so far. I decided to buy Umberto Eco's Beauty book too.



3. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure' might be a apt conclusion after spending the significant amount of time required to digest Umberto Eco's semiotic approach to 'ugly'. Eco's brilliance as an author is well accepted, yet his informed academic investigation (upon which many of his own novels are based) is only now being appreciated. It is difficult to read ON UGLINESS as a treatise, so lush and provocative is his prose style. Rizzoli International spared no expense on supplying Eco with images and design of this art treasure, and the result is a volume about art history and our manifold perceptions of the signs and symbols that through time have defined 'ugly' versus 'beauty.'
   
   Eco wisely uses the chronological approach to his discourse on the semiotics of ugliness. After a superb Introduction in which he suggests the response of an alien visiting our planet, trying to determine what our civilization labeled beautiful (!), Eco launches into his presentation with gusto. He presents chapters on ugliness in the Classical World, religious use of ugliness (passion, death, martyrdom, apocalypse, hell), monsters, witchcraft, sadism, 'obscene pornography', the appearance of ugliness in architecture and industrial buildings, and finally the transition of the 'ugly' in the popular kitsch and camp.
   
   Coupled with the fascinating written words by the author are copious reproductions of paintings, details of images (some of the details of Bosch's complex canvases are amazingly clear), by both well known painters and unknown painters, displayed with short excerpts from writers who wrote on the subject of the ugly versus the beautiful. Eco brings us to the absolute present (punk art, Cindy Sherman, current film, etc) and as his images emerge from the book's pages, so does his commentary quicken. And so we are left with a book on the subject of Ugliness, which as an art volume is quite the opposite: this is a very beautiful and informed new art book. Highly recommended reading and viewing. Grady Harp, November 07



4. I've enjoyed Eco's fiction (The Name of the Rose, Baudolino), but was never familiar with his work as a semiotician. This book gives a wonderful taste of his intellect outside of fiction. "On Ugliness" is Eco's companion volume to his excellent History of Beauty, and takes the same style: here you will find descriptions of the Western world's ideas about ugliness, from the classical era through the modern, discussing things such as the devil, monsters, death, age and decay, damnation, camp and kitsch, etc. Eco examines this subject broadly, and provides great insight. This book is essentially a collection of visual art related to the different subjects, juxtaposed with passages from literary works from a number of Western cultures.
   
   What keeps this book from receiving my full 5 stars is the fact that none of the pieces (whether literature or visual art) include any kind of analysis or description. Eco simply writes bookending snippets for each chapter and then basically lets the works speak for themselves, which is largely unsatisfying. However, for anyone interested in conceptions of beauty or ugliness, or who would like a fascinating addition to their library, this book is for you.



5. Since I am only a hundred-some pages into this book I hope you'll forgive the premature nature of this review, but thus far Eco's latest work has been so movingly fascinating that I wanted to step up and urge anyone who might be considering buying and reading it to go ahead and do so. Initially I had reservations about beginning it but have no regrets that I did. Although it should become apparent early on that this is honestly less a companion volume to History of Beauty than it has been touted to be, this study of perception, beauty, and above all beauty's often more charismatic twin, ugliness, takes on the entire sweep of history and makes an investigation of the output of some of the biggest names in western art and literature. Why are, say, Goya's more gruesome works his most enjoyable? What makes villains the best characters in fiction (and life)? Why does the repugnant occur so frequently as a theme in art, music, literature and even in everyday fashion? Most of all, why is one object or individual deemed "ugly" and another not? Less (at least thus far) an indictment of the cult of beauty which seems inextricably bound up in human affairs and more an exhaustive investigation that intelligently asks numerous questions from many angles, Eco's challenge here is to compel each of us to contemplate the nature of perception itself. I have loved what I've read so far and can't wait to read the rest.

5 comments about The Art of Encaustic Painting: Contemporary Expression in the Ancient Medium of Pigmented Wax.

1. This book was unusual as an artbook. It takes me beyond the "hobby" status many art book seems to have. Proffessional and inspiring!



2. If you want information as an artist intending to try encaustic painting
   then this is a good book--it covers everything to get started painting with
   encaustic. Also some information on the ancient Fayum encaustic portraits,
   Jasper Johns use of encaustic (an interview with him) and examples of the encaustic
   work of certain other contemporary artists using encaustic techniques and some
   using other wax techniques not strictly encasutic



3. I am new this this medium. When I ordered this book I could not put it down. I read it in one night. It is packed with a lot of information. I keep refering back it.



4. I found this to be a clear and well presented book overall, enough so I found I didn't want to start this technique until I did some major re-arrangement of my studio space. Given that I haven't tried working through the tutorials, so really can't comment about them.
   
   Some seem annoyed at the art and artists presented - get over it. Art is about process, not product, learn about and experience what others have done then do your own thing. If you live somewhere with good art museums then seek out work by others that is in the genre that suits your tastes.
   
   I'll keep this book as reference when I do start my experiments with wax - so far it's the best I've seen in print.



5. WOW! This is a book that must be the encaustic paint maker's bible.
   Joanne Mattera has produced a book of reference for those artists wanting to explore the ancient art of encaustic painting. Her use of easy to relate reference material like the formulae of encaustic medium to the day to day collection of tools used to produced the art work, makes a newbie to this technique feel secure.
   She covers the important issues of studio safety to the equipment. The questions and answers found on the working reference pages are very helpful and guide the reader towards the subject matter covered chapter by chapter.
   She shares encaustic paintings from a huge range of contributing artists and this allows the reader to see the wide range of applications that encaustic painting adds to the visual arts. Joanne's vast painting experience shows through as she shares both her experiments along the encaustic journey to her leaving the door open for the new artist to "try new things for themselves."
   For the artist trying encaustic painting for the very first time to the experienced encaustic painter, this book offers information for all.

5 comments about Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light (Art Institute of Chicago).

1. This is an invaluable book on Winslow Homer's watercolors with superb color photographs and technical details.
   TEDESCHI, MARTHA; DAHM, KRISTI; WALSH, JUDITH; and HUANG, KAREN.
   
   Watercolors by Winslow Homer: The Color of Light
   
   The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Press, New Haven and London2008
   
   978-0-300-11945-9
   
   228 pages, index of technical terms, extensive references and bibliography, copiously illustrated with excellent color plates.
   
   This catalogue accompanied an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in spring 2008. Technical information about Winslow Homer's watercolor technique is woven throughout the entire text. Homer's career in watercolors is carefully traced beginning with his self-taught, trial-and-error early watercolors. He began using watercolor as an independent medium in 1873. His method was often to paint quickly in the open air or to develop a watercolor from a careful pencil study. He seems to have informed himself by reading treatises on the medium. Favoring papers of moderate texture, he opted for opaque watercolor at first but sometimes combined transparent washes and opaque passages. He usually began by laying out the central motif with graphite lines. Technical variety was established early and would endure throughout his career. Homer's "Bible" was Chevreul on Colors.
   
   By the early 1870s Homer was an accomplished draftsman. To achieve brightness and opacity he used zinc white watercolor, mixing it with and layering it under transparent watercolor. By 1878 he carried out some works entirely in transparent watercolor. For "Weary" he selected an off-white, medium-thick sheet with a rough, twill texture and used a dry brush method for sunlight hitting the tree trunk. In the fall of 1880 he dedicated himself to painting in transparent watercolor and appropriated a new range of transparent pigments including three blues: Antwerp, indigo, and Prussian. A chart is provided of his pigments from 1878 to 1903.
   
   Many of his watercolors were on Whatman paper, handmade from linen fibers and infused with gelatin size. This size sometimes attracted mold which appeared in scattered spots of foxing. The Whatman paper was bound in a solid block with a gumlike adhesive and gauze on four sides. His brown laid papers, containing red and blue fibers were made by the French manufacturer "Saint Mars." Among the remains of Homer's studio materials are two Winsor and Newton "Japanned tin boxes" containing moist watercolor cakes. They contained glycerin, a wetting agent that retains moisture and causes the immediate release of color when touched with a rough brush. Two of his watercolor brushes are pictured; they are made from sable bristles set into a swan quill that was stripped of its feathers.
   
   Homer sometimes transferred designs using carbon paper. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals the artist's use of madder lake; in "Two Boys Watching Schooners" of 1880, the madder lake was used over the figures and rocks to convey the sun's warmth. He sometimes used blotting to create atmospheric textures or would wet, blot, and scrape areas. Scraped passages are recognized when viewed at an angle; the broken and disrupted paper fibers in these areas have a softer look than the uninterrupted surface. Homer sometimes used sandpaper to abrade both pigment and paper to reveal the white substrate below; this method created a speckled texture, taking away pigment only from the highest points of the rough paper while leaving it in the surrounding interstices. Occasionally, Homer abandoned his brushes and tools and manipulated watercolors directly with his fingers. Other techniques discussed include applying broad flat washes for sky and water, painting wet-on-wet to create atmospheric effects, spattering to produce the effect of salt and humidity hanging in the air, tamping the brush to construct thin wispy tops of pine trees, using a knife to create white highlights, and using a resist, possibly of white lead, a drying oil, and a resin, to block off areas. Alterations were sometimes made by scraping. Infrared images of the graphite underdrawings may reveal significant changes in composition. Homer sometimes cropped the works; the trimmed edges appear slightly uneven and lack the adhesive residue from the watercolor drawing block.
   
   Homer would sometimes place tracing paper over a watercolor, outline the main elements with a soft graphite pencil, and place the tracing face down onto a copper plate to transfer the image for an etching. Some of the red lake pigments in Homer watercolors have faded. The original color may be preserved where it was covered by a window mat or frame rabbet edge.



2. Winslow Homer - The Color of Light is a work of amazingly penetrating scholarship on many levels that examines the techniques and the pigments and papers used by this foremost of native American watercolorists, as well as much else. Every time a book on Winslow homer comes out, one assumes it will be the last, then yet another emerges that is nevertheless of immense value in understanding this painter. Winslow Homer - The Color of Light is such a book.



3. For those of use who revere Homer as a great American artist and who particularly love his watercolors, this book is what we've waited for. I only wish some of the details and close-ups (which are stunning!) were larger.
   One reviewer said that her watercolor teacher is considering a course with this book as a basis. Great idea. I've taught watercolor at Fullerton College for sixteen semesters and I would love to do the same. For years my students and I have conjectured on how Homer worked. This book answers almost every question that can be answered. And the reproductions are excellent. And the work is breathtaking.



4. Apart from featuring paintings from the exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute, it provided a lot of information about the watercolor techniques. A great reference book.



5. After seeing someone else's copy I immediately bought my own. Not only is it interesting for anyone who appreciates Homer's watercolors, but it shares methods, techniques and helpful hints used by him for many types of effects and in some cases to cover mistakes. A must have for watercolorists. My instructor is considering giving a class using this book as a basis.

5 comments about Mosaic Techniques & Traditions: Projects & Designs from Around the World.

1. This book creates instant inspiration the moment you open it. When I need the "Juices" to get going, I take 20 minutes to browse through this wonderful book and I'm ready to start a new project!



2. I had the good fortune to take a class with Sonia King. She is very talented and has a wealth of informaton which she shares very effectively in her book. Not quite like taking the class - but the next best thing if you can't meet her in person. The book is very inspirational and informative.



3. Para una autodidacta como yo, ha sido fantástico poder contar con este libro, en el cual la autora entrega todos sus conocimientos, tanto de historia, materiales y técnicas. Es un libro completo y didáctico.



4. Great book with wonderful pictures. While techniques and methods are shown, the projects are a bit advanced, so I wouldn't recommend it for complete beginners. Other than that, a very good book.



5. This is a very complete book about mosaics. Contains historic and up to date information about the world of mosaics. Contains advices, projects and recommendations. If you are interested in this art you shouldn't missed it.

5 comments about D.I.Y.: Design It Yourself (Design Handbooks).

1. I'd had the impression that I would learn some techniques on creating my own stuff: business cards, websites, t-shirts, stationary, etc. They touch on all these subjects, and more, in the book. But I was disappointed that it is really more just a collection of ideas and work that MFA and graphic arts students have created, with very little technical detail of how to create designs for yourself. I was looking for a how-to, not a see-what-we've-done.



2. I saw this book years ago and thought I'd like to own it. Now that I do I really am underwhelmed.



3. This is basically like all those magazines - Sunset, Martha Stewart Living, etc. etc, - wherein you buy it with the hopes of being inspired to create, update, remake, etc. and you ACTUALLY NEVER WILL, except in book form!
   
   I love reading the book - it's cute, kitschy and definitely entertaining, but really, who can create these crazy wall decorations and/or press kits and have them turn out flawless!?!??



4. I know a little about Lupton's career -- teaching, writing, and curating shows. She seems very intelligent, but I don't understand who this book is really for. Beginning or advanced people? Crafters or designers? Some of the ideas in this book (wrapping paper) are so obvious that I think anyone with an ounce of creativity has already figured them out. Some things (commercial embroidery) seem very advanced and specialized, and not useful to most people. The layout of the book is nice, but the content is very inconsistent. Was this really a student project, as someone mentioned? If so, I think Lupton should have made more of an effort to make sure that everything came together and made for a coherent whole. I think there are better DIY books out there.



5. Pretentious art student tripe, mostly. I discovered that I can wrap gifts with newspaper! I can use a graph paper notebook for a scrapbook! I was looking for examples of cutting-edge design, and a methodology to implement it. What I got was the product of the tragically hip after too many lattes.

5 comments about Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces.

1. Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces is one of the best instructional books on drawing faces that I've read thus far. It has some extremely useful tips that have improved my drawing after just the first read.
   Proper(realistic)shading and proportion were my weak areas; this book covered both in an easy to understand way. It also offers simple and great ways to implement these tasks properly.
   If you are a beginner or even intermediate artist this is a great book to have on your shelf. Although probably not meant for the advanced or established portrait artist.
   I'm sure I will be reading it several more times so that I can fine tune my skills.



2. I'm a novice and I found this book a very good start. Very easy language, the author discusses all facial features in good detail (although I found the hair topic inadequate, but hey you've got to practice.)



3. Wonderful instructional book on teaching how to draw. Beautiful photos, and great illustrations. I would HIGHLY reccomend this book to those trying to learn to draw!



4. Not recommended if you are inexperienced at drawing 101. It will lead to total frustration! I am not finding what there is to substantiate saying this is a great book. Fortunately I have another instructional book that teaches about proper proportion from the beginning. I am planning to take a drawing course and had hopes of getting a head start (no pun intended), but this book does nothing to clarify issues about the basics. The drawings in the book are all extremely professional, well-executed and very un-basic. So I recommend it for people who are already drawing extremely well and are maybe even semi-professionals. However, since I am not that far along and am no judge of that, maybe it doesn't go that far. I'm sitting here right now feeling extremely discouraged.



5. This book (as all the books by Carrie) are hands down my favorite drawing books! I am a self-taught artist. Well, almost. I took ONE course at a Community College and it was a complete waste of time, as you're pretty much on your own there. Carrie taught me far more in her book and at a much more reasonable cost!!! She simplifies things without making them boring in the least and has a great sense of humor to boot! I'd give this more stars if I could. Thanks Carrie!

5 comments about Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing (Themes).

1. As an artist myself, I have to first be aesthetically attracted to a book before I can look further, and the Vitamin series are truly stunning. In this edition, each of the numerous artists chosen get a two page spread, sometimes four. This spread included a lengthy blurb on the artist and images of their work. All I can do is highly recommend that you look at this book in person before buying it, and I think it will be nearly impossible to turn down after that. Great book to have in your collection!



2. Anyone who would call this art is either lacking an objective sensibility or has some measure of vested interest in the sales of this book. The "drawings" (lol) in this book are fine examples of why mainstream Americans no longer care about the fine arts.
   
   One reviewer actually used the word "refreshing" in describing the contents. Are you kidding me? Refreshing, perhaps, if I had only been exposed to blank pages my entire life.
   
   This is not art. This is the Emperor's New Clothes.



3. Vitamin D is an outstanding publication of drawings from contemporary artists which shows great depth in both subjectivity and theme, the one overwhelming issue seems to be the quality of the reproductions within. Context gives us the reason for this.. in that these are works by CONTEMPORARY artists and as such have not been digitized as throughly as say the often if not OVER reproduced imagery of Leonardo or Michelangelo, so yes some of the reproductions are less stunning however they are more than adequate and what is more important, they are reproduced well enough to spark interest in seeing the original. Artwork can never truly be reproduced, you must experience the original to truly appreciate the pieces. However Vitamin D does what it was designed to, as did it's predecessor Vitamin P, giving a contemporary overview of works and the artists who create them which have yet to be studied. These books are history in the making and that alone gives them more merit than most art publications. This series is more than worth owning and will prove to be volumes you will return to again and again.



4. If you are interested in a wide range of edgy drawings..this book is terrific. It is inspiring, informative and current...not a "how-to" but a survey of all the wonderful and strange drawings being done today.



5. Vitamin D, is complete inside and out. The binding is terrific, the type, the torn paper edges, the layout, everything that went into designing this book was well thought out. Its not only fabulous, but a pleasure to look through. The artists chosen are all exceptionally talented, and each with a unique edge. Nevertheless, all work presented will be a definite point of reference for many many years to come, including the work by my own mentor,and teacher.

2 comments about Structura: The Art of Sparth.

1. I've been a huge fan of Sparth's work for years and have awaited the arrival of this book for almost as long. Sparth's work is warm and highly creative and his influence over a generation of digital fantasy artists is only beginning to be seen as his style is frequently imitated. It's certainly a great book and a must-own, especially for a concept art book at this price.
   
   My only disappointment is is the format size (which is why I still give this 5 stars, as I don't think this is the fault of the artist). These works deserve a much larger format than the medium/smallish 9 x 9 inches. Also, and this probably has more to do with who owns the image licenses than anything, there is a bit of "sameness", a slight lack of variety, about some of the work that's not apparent when viewing his website.
   
   Still, a great book by any standard and an essential addition to any fantasy/sci-fi/art lover's book collection.



2. Sparth brings a humanity to concept art and design. At this price, everyone interested in Movie and Games production should have this densely creative book in their library. The french designers are poignantly different from american designers, a gap which I appreciate and honor.
   
   The work shown in this volume is mostly painted environments and vehicles. A couple pages of charcoal sketches and some plein-air digital work. It also has a good amount of robots and characters.

5 comments about 100 Years of Fashion Illustration.

1. It needed more coverage on Italian Moda.
   But the whole expose is great.
   I would recommend it.
   Great approach to the new and the classic.



2. As a lover of fashion illustration, with book shelves and file drawers filled to capacity, I highly recommend this book. I like the small size and the fact that it includes examples from all eras. My only complaint, and this may be a personal preference, is that there was not one example of the work of George Stavrinos, a masterful draftsman who did work for Bergdorf Goodman, The NY Times, Barney's and The NYC Opera in the 1980's. He died too young, but really deserves a book of his own.



3. Excellent visual paranoma of fashion with panache. Should please everybody. There is a nice touch of elegance to it and chich flaire. Nice to have it on the shelves or on your cafe table.



4. This book is an absolute dream come true for me. It has inspired me not only costume wise, but also decorating my new apartment. You just never know where inspiration can come from. I would not hesitate for one second to recommend this book. It's really beautifully done.



5. This is a great book for any illustrator to have, loaded thick with full color images. The illustrations are done in a wide variety of different styles, hours could be spent considering some of the images. If your interested in drawing people this is a good book to have on your shelf.