3 comments about Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach (with ArtExperience Online Printed Access Card).

1. it's brand new and i got it cheaper than in my school bookstore.
   It came fast too.



2. I had no problems when ordering from this vendor. The book description was accurate. I had no problems and received the book prior to the estimated arrival date.



3. If my sock drawer was organized like this book...there would never be a matching pair of socks. The old socks and the new socks would cling together in a wad of static electricity, making it painful to dare try and pull them apart and match them up in any other way. The book lacks fabric softener, and reading it is itchy torture.
   
   But seriously...this book tries to be "smart" by organizing the chapters into "subjects for art",and it doesn't work.
   It's stupid!

5 comments about Learn Calligraphy: The Complete Book of Lettering and Design.

1. I enjoyed reading this book and peruse it on occasion, but I cannot follow it. It is beautiful, yet not practical enough. I believe it is not well organized, that it visually all sort of runs together, and that it should have been spiral bound. It's worth it to pay a few dollars more for spiral bound, yet the majority of how-to books are NOT offered as such. With a book you are doing copywork from, it's a pain trying to weigh it down to stay open without damaging the spine. I will hold on to this, but am here now to shop for a more useful book.



2. Margaret Shepherd has written many books about this subject (Calligarphy), this is special because include a sort of recomendations for students.
   I really enjoyed this book.



3. This book is excellent. When I received my book, I started to practice for 1 week and now my handwritting is pretty.



4. I was really having a hard time picking out calligraphy how to books so i went to the book store. unfortunately they do not have a lot to choose from, at the second store i found a better selection and found Margaret Sheperd's books. Wow, great books and great way to learn, she has a funny side to her and this book is incredible, not only do you learn you have fun doing it. i also saw a few more books in her name. Unfortunately i didn't have very much time to look at them all and i cant wait to go back to see the rest. I am thinking of picking up all her books.
   
   I think this is the best of the starter books. Very easy and a fun read too!
   
   Cheryl



5. I am the author of this book and just want to respond that I agree with the very critical reviewer who felt strongly that Copperplate should have been included. I wish so too. But it would need a whole other set of supplies and hand positions. Copperplate comes along much later, and is really outside the main core of the broad-pen historic hands. Maybe some day!
   To respond to Gary Bisaqa's review, I agree and I have covered the business end of calligraphy as a free-lance job, in a whole other book, Calligraphy Projects for Pleasure and Profit.
   I wrote this, like all my other books, because I wish I'd had such a book when I started out. Thank you to others who wrote in to say that it helped them start out too.

1 comments about The Future of the Image.

1. "The Future of the Image" by Jacques Ranciere offers an unique critique and perspective on contemporary art forms ranging from film to painting, photography and theater. As an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris, Mr. Ranciere approaches the subject matter not as an art historian but as an intellectual who is interested in exploring the importance of art in society. This fascinating book succeeds in presenting a sophisticated analysis of the image that can help artists and audiences better appreciate the emancipatory potential of art.
   
   Mr. Ranciere reminds us that the autonomy of art was first asserted in the 1760s when highly representational art forms that were based on a shared cultural history were beginning to be abandoned. Mr. Ranciere explains that modern art represents a neo-Platonic discourse that derives its meaning from the interaction between the image and the audience. For example, the canvas is merely a surface upon which the painter's ideals are expressed and communicated to viewers. Mr. Ranciere contends that whether the artist produces figurative representations or abstract symbols, their forms are always endowed with meaning; indeed, art remains art insofar as the image stimulates interpretation. In this manner, the author questions the popular notion that 20th century artists merely strove to emphasize the flatness of the medium for its own sake, and challenges us to look at art anew.
   
   Mr. Ranciere contends that modern art can achieve sublimity through varied techniques such as juxtaposition and narration. In particular, Mr. Ranciere believes that the early film noir classic 'The Spiral Staircase' and its depiction of the stalking of a vulnerable invalid is successful in that it symbolically conveys the film maker's horror about the clinical extermination of the weak in Nazi Germany. In such films, Mr. Ranciere sees a dialectical process at work where art helps to humanize us by writing a history that opposes violence and power.
   
   I highly recommend this challenging but highly rewarding book to demanding readers who may be interested in the meaning of contemporary art.

5 comments about Watercolor Basics - Lets Get Started (Watercolor Basics).

1. Watercolor painting can be discouraging for the beginner because of
   its delicate and difficult technique. A complex sketch that took a
   long time to develop can be ruined in two minutes when the novice
   painter starts putting watercolor on it, therefore wasting precious
   time and effort plus some expensive paper and paint. That's why Jack
   Reid, a fine painter with a great instructional sense, suggest
   approaching watercolor by learning-by-practice four basic techniques:
   flat wash & glazing, graded wash, wet-on-wet and dry brush. Mr. Reid
   proposes practicing these techniques on exercises a learner will be
   glad to try: nice looking pictures based on very simple sketches,
   appealing enough to be stimulating but simple enough to avoid lazyness
   and frustration. Also, the exercises proposed can be made in small
   format, thus relieving the distress of wasting materials that often
   makes the beginner repress from practicing. It's indeed a delight
   working on that simple projects and finding that Mr. Reid's advices do
   work. Along these exercises the beginner will adquire a practical
   knowledge about how things are done in watercolor.
   
   Once the beginner is supposed to manage the basics, the second half of
   the book goes into the general problems of painting: value, colour and
   composition. Again, every subject is accompanied by exercises of
   increasing difficulty that the learner may be willing to reproduce.
   
   In summary, the book is brief but worth every paragraph and
   illustration. It makes those of us painting for some time as
   self-learners to stop for a while and think seriously about changing
   the way we focus our work. The only doubt it poses is if Mr. Reid's
   approach is valid for general watercolor painting or just for
   "Reid-ish watercolor". Anyway, one's style can only be develop by hard
   work; a book can only give directions on the basics. And this book is
   great for that.



2. This book is for the "Very Beginer". It tells you what to purchase to start...ie..which brushes, what paint colors, and paper type. It then goes on to show you step by step how to use those supplies to create a picture.



3. I am teaching myself watercolor painting and this book has helped me tremendously. The step by step exercises make is so easy to learn technique and the reasons for different techniques. It has also helped me to learn to draw better. I highly recommend it to any beginner!



4. After looking at the library copy of Jack Reid's books on water color tecnniques, I knew it was the best way to learn and feel confident that I can do it! I had to have a copy of my own. The illustrations are great as the painting develops step-by-step, gently leading me to a new skill. Enjoyable confidence builder. Also, Mr. Reid's approach on materials is easy on the budget and makes the picture more important than the kind of brush that paints it. Styrofoam and twigs are right up my alley.



5. I would recommend this book to everyone to get so that you can practice watercolor techniques. Like all the other books in this series, you can't go wrong adding it to your collection.

5 comments about Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe's Great Art - America and Her Allies Recovered It.

1. I have always been a museum addict. If the Metropolitan Museum of Art would let me place a cot somewhere, I would probably take up housekeeping. So, it was extremely rewarding to read this story of how so much of the stolen art from WW2 was found, protected, recovered and finally returned to rightful owners. These "Monuments Men" should all have received medals. The world owes much to them for making so many artistic marvels again available.
   
   The illustrations are quite good. Many are available in other sources but so many, at least for me, were viewed here for the first time. The attempts to protect many objects - e.g., St. Marks in Venice - were also interesting. When I visited there a few years ago I was very appreciative.
   
   Mr. Edsel is to be commended.



2. Excellent book with many historical pictures and historical comments of the war's effect on the art of many countries.



3. I was really surprised by this book. I thought it was going to contain more text but it's really all about the art and the people who rescued it. The result is a very impressive, easily readable 'coffee table' style book that's beautiful and informative. Teachers should grab this up for the classroom and it also would make a great gift for anyone interested in WWII and it's aftermath. I can't say enough about the photos and the story they tell. Bravo!



4. This book shows and tells another side of war. It is the story told in picture of Hitler and his Nazi thugs pillaging Europe and stealing priceless art objects, painting, statures, books, even ancient scrolls then hiding them in caves and bunkers in Germany. What I loved about this book were the photos of US Army units rescuing those stolen art treasures then returned them to the towns, churches and cities. The author has done an exemplary job of finding photos and stories which has made this an important work. Photos I've never seen and story I have never heard about. I think this book needs to be in every high school library in the country. Students need to be shown how our American Army worked to recover all this lost art. His book made me proud to have serviced in the US army.
   
   Thank you for writing this book



5. This is one of the most fascinating books i have ever read. The period images are amazing, just the photo of italian masons bricking up Michaelangelo's iconic David is worth the purchase. After reading this book I was stunned that so few art treasures were destroyed. I had no idea that much of the treasures at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. was stored at Biltmore because of its remote setting. I was also blown away to see the images of workman removing winged victory from the Louvre, I just had no idea all of this went on leading up to the war and during the war. The German pillaging of the great European art treasures is disgusting of course, especially the art they looted from the weathy Jewry like the Rothchilds and others, some of which even to this day are trying to get back art work that is rightly theirs. I highly recommend this great book to anyone interested in art, history, art history, or frankly has an inquisive mind. I want to thank the authors for a job well done.

5 comments about Spectrum 14: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art (Spectrum (Underwood Books)).

1. I have purchased the last five issues of Spectrum and enjoyed this almost as much as Spectrum 12. I have just started puchasing the re-issued original issues and can say that Spectrum 1 may have fewer pages but still is well worth the money. I find myself looking online for the artists that impress me. I just wish there was more information supplied on the art shown. Overall, I would definitely recommend Spectrum 14.



2. This is my second purchase of spectrum books. 13 was the first one I brought. All I can say is this is one of the most stunning art books I have ever owned...that and after going through this one I may have to pick up all the other books. Every page is full of beautiful work from a wide arrange of different styles. I can't say how many times this book has saved me when It came down to me trying to complete a illustration. It constantly inspires me and makes me want to pick up a paintbrush or any drawing tool for that matter and create.
   
   Spectrum deserves all the praise in the world for the great effort that they put into all these books. To top that off most standard art books like this go for itleast double the cost. Love these books!



3. Like Santa Claus, Spectrum only comes around once per year and is always highly anticipated. This annual collection of the world's best contemporary fantasy and Sci-fi art is always a favorite not only due to its sheer size and beautiful production, but also because of its diversity in scope. Spectrum presents the best art from the fields of books, comics, advertising, editorial, concept, and even sculpture into each year's volume.
   
   As always, the book begins with a look at the year in review and the trends in contemporary fantasy art before getting into the opening category of advertising art and presenting the first of its gold and silver annual awards to the best in each category. This year's gold winner in the advertising category went to James Jean for his Retro-hip "Spacerace 2020" painting for Nike. This gorgeous pop-art piece is a tribute to Sci-Fi imagery of the `40s and `50s.
   
   I'm not sure how they could have picked a winner in the book category as there are so many outstanding pieces. While Jon Foster's winning painting for Night Shade books was very good, Luis Royo's offering for his graphic novel, "Dark Labyrinth". Adam Hughes took home the Gold Award in the Comics category for his depiction of the sleek and sexy Scarlet Witch from Upper Deck. As a long-time comic book fan I love seeing the industry's artists getting their just due as the outstanding artists that they are. Other standouts included Gary Giannni's standout art from the Prince Valiant comic strip that is in the best tradition of Hal Foster, and Charles Vess/Mike Kaluta's work from the Vertigo Comics series "1001 Nights of Snowfall".
   
   One of the categories I look forward to most each year is the dimensional chapter featuring the year's best sculptures and models and this year was certainly no disappointment. A. Brent Armstrongs mammoth 54" tall piece featuring King Kong atop the Empire State Building is simply breathtaking! The Alex Ross designed Superman resin sculpt by artist Karen Palinko features the distinctive look of Ross as Clark Kent rips open his shirt to reveal Superman's legendary logo. Shawn Nagle's "Tarzan and the Golden Lion" based on art by longtime Tarzan illustrator, J. Allen St. John, is another winner.
   
   Spectrum never fails to deliver a little something for everyone's taste and Spectrum volume 14 may be the best edition yet. Grade A.



4. I was wondering, who would review this and not like it. Anyway, Whenever I stumbled upon this series I was quite happy. Way back when, one of my favorite books was a compilation of Dragonlance art from the 80's I think. Great pics in this and wonderful works of art.
   
   Fantasy and Sci Fi lovers and art lovers in general will be pleased with this.



5. These annuals seem to be getting bigger every year, yet there's not less quality involved. Great book for reference of what's going on in this field. Great stuff as usual. Digital art is gaining pretty fast these days, but it's still looking good.

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 John Howe Fantasy Art Workshop.

1. This is a great book and those I've shown my book to agree with me. Amazing talent and very well illustrated. The workshops show amazing creativity.



2. I'm always interested in any collection of John Howe's work and this book does not dissapoint in that regard, it is chock full of illustrations and examples of his approach and techniques. The addition of his insight and advice just makes this a terrific volume with no failings. In addition to being very useful as an instructional book, it's also inspirational. It's worth every penny of it's very reasonable price.



3. John Howe is the artist I credit for making me interested in fantasy illustration, and will always be one of my favorites. It should come as no surprise that the artwork in this book is amazing, and the information presented is also quite insightful. It is not an art how too book, so much as it is a general treatise of John Howe's way of thinking about his work, and going about his creative process. He actually expresses pretty clearly his dislike of anything that feels like a how too process, or is so forumulaic that it can be presented as if there is only one set way to do it. One of the best additions to my art library.



4. This is a wonderful book. I am a big fan of Mr. Howe's work and much of the advice in this book is familiar from John's forum but it's a good chance to see how he works step by step, as well as how he organizes his studio and prepares for illustration jobs. While there are only a few "walkthroughs" featuring new art, the book is full of interesting tidbits of information about the creation of other paintings. There are lots of tips even I who has been painting for many years didn't think of before. John Howe makes a point to encourage readers to find their own unique style and way of painting, unlike many how to books which only show one way of doing things. I particularly love that his sense of humor shows. He honest about illustration and admits that he isn't perfect and procrastinates as much as possible before every job.



5. This is an excellently written book by John Howe. It dose not necessary teach one how to draw and paint like him but gives helpful hints and incites into his thought process. This book is a must have for anyone who is an aspiring artist or just loves the work of John Howe.

4 comments about Illusive 2: Contemporary Illustration and Its Context.

1. This is what you would happily expect...a book filled with page after page of astounding work from talented artists from around the world. What you might not expect (if you had not bought the first volume as I have), is that it is organized by style...and covers the gamut of design aesthetics and mediums. (by organized I mean, that there is no section by section titles that I can recall or index of organizing, but as you flip the pages you will witness the ebb and flow of similarities in the art that is displayed and the differences as you continue through the book, on to another style/medium.) I find this book (as I did the last) unique because of (1) the exceeding quality of artists and perhaps more importantly, (2) the relative "Freshness" of th work on display. As is the case with any book of this nature, the work can quickly become dated. I find that the designs and artists on display in this book are ahead of the curve to be sure... In my work, I scour the internet, read many books, sketch and visit galleries to think of styles and design approaches and have found this book (and this short series) to be a good showcase of work from which to draw inspiration from time to time. Hopefully it can do the same for you...



2. I just hope they publish this every year. I know I'd purchase it annually.
   
   It's similar to its previous version. Hardcover book about 300+ pages.
   This isn't a "How To Illustrate" book. It's a "Get Inspired" book. As a broadcast motion graphics designer, this hits most current styles. Each page is like a different mood board to get inspiration from.
   
   It covers collage, vector, traditional and others. And when I say current styles, I don't mean your "mom&pop" small town coupon illustrations. This hits more to the "Out of the Box" big city illustrations. Think clients that might have money and able to risk big (Nike, MTV, Toyota Hybrid, Diesel, etc.)
   
   Awesome buy.



3. This book is totally amazing... Some of the best graphic design work out there today. But not only on paper. Mush of this work is showcased as instillations. Really a true treasure for the graphic design art enthusiast!



4. As the firs one, a must buy for sure, if your are into illustration or like to see illustration, ore are in search of new tendencies for your ad or related, you should buy this book!

5 comments about The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type.

1. This book was the course material for a beginning graphic design class I took. It was very fitting for a beginning class. The book goes over where graphic design came from in history regarding movements and art. It also covered design principles.



2. I found this book very useful as both an introductory into the field of Graphic Design as well as a reference source for future projects. This book will remain in my permanent collection!



3. Great book for visual graphic design on how to get your message noticed, weather it's a business card, sales flier, or logo. Highly recomend it!



4. The cover page is very good at describing what the book is like. It is super-dense, with so much information and advice on each page that if you are looking for a light read, skip this one. At the same time, the cornucopia of information can become a little overwhelming. My suggestion is to read this book slowly and carefully, practicing the principles as you learn them.
   
   The book reads more like an organization of the author's learning and experiences over time and so can sometimes be a little less "objective" than one might wish for. However, the author makes clear up front that fashion is an inseparable part of design so that what "looks good" today may be passé or even "bad design" another day. The one consistent theme throughout these design books is this: if you want to be different, be bold, not a wuss. Breaking rules is good if you break them like you mean it!
   
   I have yet to encounter a more detailed treatment of white space and how it affects design but for the other topics you will need specialized books such as Lupton's "Thinking with Type" to get a deeper understanding.
   
   All in all, excellent value for money.



5. The layout of this book is confusing and really, really bad. The content is repetitive and dull, and is very basic. I hope nobody learns to design like the author, his book is a trainwreck.
   
   I like The Non Designer's Design Book for really basic stuff, and I am a huge fan of Designing With Type for typography.
   
   Don't buy this book, it is dissapointing