5 comments about Drawing & Painting Fantasy Beasts: Bring to Life the Creatures and Monsters of Other Realms.

1. This is an very good book if you need reference material to draw upon. I would not recommend it for a beginner. Someone who has some drawing experience it is an excellent addition for his or her fantasy reference Libary.
   
   I found it interesting reading and gave very good tips on how to increase creativity but not the best how to draw book for the novice. The more advance artist will find it more helpful.



2. This is a good book for basic ideas. Great for the beginning artist, but not recommended for someone a bit more advanced.



3. Unlike other books I bought this one is not only showing you finish artwork, but it shows you how to do it with clear instructions. There's a lot of creatures also to get inspiration. The techniques demonstrated goes from traditional to digital.



4. I really enjoy this book for its more professional, polished, artwork. (For some reason there is a stigma among booksellers and teachers that all dragon and fairy how to books have to be for children and young adults. This is definitely not the case.) Not all the creatures are perfect and not all the creatures are favorites of mine but overall this is a nice book for the more advanced artist, or even a nice coffe table book for those just intrested in the subject.



5. Really Kool! I loved the art work. It was a little beyond my immature status for drawing pics but if I continue to practice I'll get better.
   Whoever created these drawings has a gift for fantasy.

2 comments about Art across Time Volume One.

1. I didn't read much of this book. I ended up not needing it for school. I think it was ok for the little bit I read out of it. Sorry if I'm not much help.



2. I used this book in conjunction with my text book and it helped me to gain an even better understanding of Art. All of the exercises helped to strengthen my understanding of each chapter.This book helped me so much that I got an "A" for the semester in Art 114.

5 comments about D.V..

1. I saw Mary Louise Wilson play Vreeland in the one-woman show "Full Gallop" in New York in 1996. I knew nothing of Vreeland before "Full Gallop," and couldn't wait to learn more about her after. "D.V." reads just like the character Wilson played on stage--larger than life, perhaps a little shallow, but a hell of a lot of fun to have a drink with. Not in the same league as memoirs by Moss Hart and Lillian Hellman (who, like Vreeland, was accused of doing a little fabricating in her memoirs), but "D.V." remains a pretty entertaining way to spend an afternoon.



2. It's time the world rediscovered Diana Vreeland. She's the maven we'd all love to be. Friend to all the rich and famous, she moved freely in high society, imprinting it with her personal style and never losing her earthiness. When she made her faux pas, they were so hilarious that nobody even thought of suing her. Owners of major European fashion houses gave her their clothes because they knew that they'd be seen by all the best (read "richest") people, who would no doubt pay the clothes more attention than they did dear Diana's plain face (she acknowledged it as so herself). If ever a person made the most of every card she was dealt, it was Diana Vreeland. And "DV" is a narrative of her very own world with details you never knew before. (I'll give you one tidbit as a hint: Edward VI made up his mind that he didn't want to be king LONG before he met Wally Simpson.) Buy this book and enter Vreeland's parlour for some revealing and often amusing gossip about nearly every high society character of her times--royalty, high profile politicians (including the Kennedys in their prime), artists, authors--everyone who made the news worth reading. Warning: once you enter Vreeland's world, you'll never want to leave. A person like this comes along at best once or twice in a century. A marvelous read and look at a world we'll probably never see the like of again.



3. If you're looking for some insights into fashion and/or the fashion world, look else where. I thought I'd gain some insights to the world of fashion (an area of life that I'm not famailiar with) but I was very disappointed. Nothing but nothing in this book had to do with fashion, the fashion business, nor the intellectual exercise that goes into fashion. This was simply the rambling lifetime memories of a well respected player from the fashion field. Childhood, young adult, married, Europe, here, there, everywhere... if you like name dropping (and I admit she did drop some impressive names) - this book is for you. If you're looking for some insights into fashion and/or the fashion world, look else where.



4. Okay, all the stereotypes might be true for this one, but it's a classic. She's in charge, in control and just amazing. I've bought more copies of this book to "loan" but of course no one has ever been stupid enough to return it. Truely, buy two copies to begin with, so you aren't crushed when the one you loan out doesn't come back. I think of it the way Gideons think of Bibles.



5. The only complaint I could make about this book is that it was too brief. I could have read this for weeks, and I would have loved another couple thousand pages. There is a paucity of photos, which is a shame, because Vreeland loved the camera as much as it obviously loved her strong, aristocratic features. Some people might dismiss her as a featherweight, but I wouldn't. To do so, would be to fail to understand a singularly fascinating woman. During her time on earth she met most of the big and small names, and has something to say about most of them. I was so enamoured of this small book, that I am going to have to buy a biography. When you read this book, she tells you everything and nothing personal at the same time. A rare gift, to be sure, and not one that I appreciated! As someone else noted, it seems a great pity to only be able to give this delicious tour de force 5 stars, but there you are: life is seldom fair. I would love to have a best friend as fascinating and maddening as Vreeland, but I doubt I ever will. She is a product of another time and another generation. If you ever wanted to be able to sit inside someone's head and watch them think, this book should do the trick. There are better writers and better subjects than D.V. but this book will spoil you for any of them.

4 comments about Jacques Helleu and Chanel.

1. Simple review: I enjoyed reading this book, even though it's mostly a visual book. Great visuals. I love the historic, but intimate read into the Helleu's family natural talent and business savvy for creativity.



2. Chanel is one of the world's most recognized brands, particularly within the luxury arena. I found this volume gorgeous from its presentation to its textual consideration of a very important brilliant individual behind-the-scenes. I highly recommend this volume.



3. I have long been a commercial photographer, and I'm yet to find a more inspiring book than this one. With the turn of every page I hear a calling to get up, grab my camera, and do something about it.
   Finally a compilation of one of the most artisticly marketed brands around.
   Bravo!



4. A must have for any collector of fashion books. great format, great layout and of course amazing pcs from the long history of this iconic company

1 comments about Design and the Elastic Mind.

1. This book is a very useful compendium, and a help to better understand what seen in the MoMA Expo.
   
   I liked the expo, and I like more the book.

4 comments about Designing Books: Practice and Theory.

1. Well, I ordered the book on Jan 18th (a month ago) and it still hasn't shipped. The email asking me to write a review reminded me that I even ordered it in the first place. So, maybe this vendor is awesome at other things, but not very reliable when it comes to e-commerce.
   
   Yeah, that's it.



2. My first reaction, on seeing the black sanserif cover lettering and simple red graphics was "Oh. Swiss school." Some of the diatribes from the early Swiss school proponents came across as 'full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing,' so that left me leery.

   Hochuli has moved past the dogmatic phase, though, and into something better-reasoned. The paper is a warm, humanist tan (where I expected a stark white), the body copy is a serif font, and Hochuli lets esthetic judgement moderate geometric purism. It may seem surprising that setting up a scientific text jolted him out of the "scientific" Bauhaus mindset. After thinking about it for a moment, perhaps only a science text could have done the job. More than any other genre, science books tend to mix illustrations and photos, graphs, charts, equations and in-line math, footnotes, references and cross-references, and all the other factors that complicate typography. Even more, because the science content of the book can be so complex, it calls out for typographic help in organizing the material for visual presentation.

   The book is a lovely object. The wide margins give the text a statuesque look. References on each page are set off clearly and legibly. Unfortunately, the text is quite short - only about half the length of the book, and half of that is illustrations. The second half of the book is a brief catalog of Hochuli's work. The material is worthwhile, but it seemed like filler, meant to bring the book up to some mandated minimum length. I also found it a bit too large to read one-handed, the way I do with most papaerbacks. Hochuli seems to have broken his own rule about the size of a book, the way it is read, and the way it is held for reading.

   The only place I seriously disagreed with Hochuli's advice had to do with bibliographies. I don't think the italic needs a different 'color', as long as the slant and dynamics of line weight are clear. I think he missed out completely on mixing European and Asian names. Western tradition uses "first-name last-name" order for personal name and family name. Many Asians and some Africans put the family name first and personal name last (as if saying "Jones Chris" instead of "Chris Jones"). Typographic convention can preserve proper order and still distinguish family from personal names.

   Nothing is perfect, but this book is a pleasant and informative discussion of typography in the large - the steps above letterforms and paragraph structure. I'll keep it, and keep coming back to it.




3. I am writing this review simply to say that I find it highly amusing to receive this book for Christmas, open it, and find an orphan on the introduction page, and widows and orphans in the next few pages after that. I hope that those of you who are familiar with the rules of formal typesetting are also chuckling.

   This is a pretty book, I just find the errors fairly humorous. Have yet to get into the meat of the matter, though I do agree with the previous reviewer that this serves more as a composite picture book.

   If you are looking for pure typographic excellence, look at Robert Bringhurst's _The Elements of Typographic Style_.




4. As indicated by the review above, the book is divided up into three sections that tackle the history, methods, and styles of book design. The title, "Designing Books," may sound like a technical reference, but it's not. The book should have been named "Book Designs," for it is more a picturebook of illustrations and typography from books of poetry, novels, brochures, art books, and other publications.

   The author does cover Swiss grid design, proportions of text areas and margins, and the differences between asymmetrical and symmetrical design theories. It is perhaps this historical reference of asymmetrical and symmetrical styles that make this book worth having. It presents intelligent comparisons of both theories, the history behind each movement, and the cultural stereotypes attached to each. Case in point, Jan Tschichold's groundbreaking work in asymmetrical design / book layout, before totally reversing course and becoming one of the great symmetrical designers in his later years.

   The author intelligently illustrates the positive and negative aspects of both design theories, without leaning towards either as a preference. The author finds beauty and intrigue in both styles.

   To clarify however, the "asymmetrical" theories illustrated here are based on 1960s Swiss/German grid layouts using lots of Univers and white space. This is not a collection of cutting-edge typography or radical design work. The illustrated examples are clean, modest and classic.

   A good starting point for those who need a clear entry point into this field, but by no means a reference manual for the experienced.

5 comments about Color Mixing Recipes.

1. Very useful book. Even though I majored in art in college, I didn't learn all that's in this book. It's changed the appearance of my paintings totally. I love it. I'm already ordering the one for portrait colors too. Very easy to use, with quick, exciting results. Someone mentioned that the colors were "out of date," referring to Hansa Yellow in particular. Hansa Yellow is a pretty standard color in the artist's palette, and not out of date. Colors may go out of date in fashion, but not on an artists palette.



2. This is an excellent book for painters just starting out, or painters in general.
   Mixing recipes for more than 450 colour combinations. This book is a Must.



3. Very good quality printing, so you can get a good read. It was helpful, but I ended up making my own charts with the current colors that I keep. Who uses Hansa Yellow?



4. I do like spiral-bound books which feature either brushstrokes or in this case, recipes, as the pages lie flat (there is no spine to flatten or pages which keep flipping at a vital stage). The book starts with a general overview of color theory but doesn't get obsessive about it. Then come the recipes which are clear, easy to understand and there is a plastic color mixing grid at the back to help get the proportions accurate. The book deals with Oils but there is a conversion chart for Acryllics included. At 49 pages and with a hardcover, it is compact and easy to carry. I liked the over all format of the book which also includes a small section on Portrait Colors.



5. This book is great for anyone who loves to paint, but struggles with getting just the right tone...just the right shade...even just the right color! While I've noted that a few "recipes" contain errors (it's pretty clear that mixing one part white with four parts cadmium yellow medium will not yield a "pumpkin" orange), I still find the book useful because it allows one to see what combinations and proportions of colors will result in a desired hue, value, or intensity. While Powell acknowledges in the Instructions that paint colors vary somewhat among brands, I have noted one or two colors that are significantly different from the paint I usually buy (Windsor-Newton oils). Even so, I have been quite pleased with the results, and I believe my painting is all the better for using this guide. I certainly recommend it to anyone who has experienced the frustration of having mixed selected colors only to discover that the end result is totally wrong for its intended use!

5 comments about Andy Warhol 365 Takes: The Andy Warhol Museum Collection.

1. The package came faster then I thought especially right before christmas. Also it came sealed which was great.



2. My girlfiend really loves the book. It seems to be an interesting book of writings, facts, and art.



3. Huge book - don't let appearance on the internet fool you, it's a brick (about 3inches thick!) and packed full of information; Andy's life, his work, his love his passion it's amazing.
   
   The book takes you on a journey through early years to his death and how his art transformed throughout his career. It shows Andy's sketches and un-released art and art from his private collection.
   
   Fascinating and a brilliant coffee table book.
   
   Stunning 5 stars



4. This is a thoughtful book which does not leave much out until you get to the index on pages 740-742. The pages are long horizontally, usually presenting text and a large number running from 1 on the page after page 5 to 365 on the page two pages before page 736. The index lists the big numbers only, the "Take" number. Are punching bags in the index? No. Is Jean-Michel Basquiat in the index? Yes, for six Takes under "Basquiat, Jean-Michel" and for three of the same Takes under "Jean-Michel Basquiat" (portraits, only one of which includes "and urine on canvas"). Is The Last Supper in the index? Yes, for three Takes. Do any of the Takes listed for Jean-Michel Basquiat coincide with Takes listed for The Last Supper? No, neither three or six, none! Which Take has ten punching bags? Take 255!!! How many times is Take 255 in the index? Just once, for "Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper)." Obviously, to use the index you need to know precisely what you are looking for.
   
   In my previous review of a DVD on Andy Warhol as a great artist of the 20th century, I believe I understated how many times the word "JUDGE" appears on the ten punching bags. In the view shown in the photo in Take 255, I can count 5 times on the first, 6 times on the second, then 3, 5, 4, 4, 1, 1, 3, and 4 times, respectively, on the third to the tenth bag. Most of the bags look black and white, but the eighth bag has a blue crown or dark halo which might obscure a second "JUDGE" or "JESUS," a blue shape like a torso with head, the words "LEAD" and "ASBESTOS" and possibly BS, with a copyright insignia after the "JUDGE" at the bottom of the eighth punching bag. The bags are hanging so close together that a physics student is bound to wonder how many bags would start swinging if viewers had the opportunity to give a bag on one end a good punch into the rest of the line. The head of Christ appears to be largest on the first, fifth, and sixth punching bags, with the second and eighth having the smallest heads, to produce a standing wave effect even when the 14 inch diameter by 42 inch long bags are hanging stationary from chains to big beams in the ceiling. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh used to be a big warehouse, and Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper) might still be hanging there, because Entry 255 is not listed in the Photograph Credits, unless the bags are included in the bragging rights claimed by "Except where otherwise noted, ownership of all material is The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh." (p. 742). I hope they never catch me walking into that place with my practice gloves on.



5. Think of this as an Andy a day keeping the aggravation away. Compiled by the staff of the Andy Warhol Museum (located in Pittsburgh, PA, and this year celebrating its tenth anniversary), this is a monumental, if scattered, collection of everything Warhol, deliberately non-traditional and open-ended. Fashion sketches from the `50s, Polaroids, the Brillo boxes, stills from his movies and television appearances, silkscreens and pencil drawings, the Death and Disaster Series, the Three Marilyns, the collaborations with the Velvet Underground ... it's all here, and it's all interlaced with quotes from Warhol, and "experts" on Warhol. The experts, today, sound like bozos, but there is humor and humanity in all of Warhol's comments. 365 Takes is a big book, perhaps too big, since Warhol is best savored in smaller doses. Still, the book certainly whets one's appetite for more concentrated, linear works of this great artist. Warhol's take on the middle of the twentieth century is astoundingly accurate and informed. Certainly very much the artist as an outsider observing the current culture, his views are surprisingly kind and simple. Let's face it: We all love gossip, dirty pictures and celebrities. Maybe we couldn't admit it back then, but it was true. And, of course, we all love Campbell's Soup.

3 comments about Studio Olafur Eliasson: An Encyclopedia (Extra Large Series).

1. it was great. you can not find easily some practices look like this book.
   I enjoy from this book



2. 500+pages, large size, detail photos, good text. recommend highly if you are interested in olafur work and his process.



3. A great artist and a great book in any sense.
   Thank You Olafur & Taschen

5 comments about Ships of the Line (Star Trek).

1. This book is a total let down, to say the least. To say that it is lacking, is an understatement. The photographs were of only average quality. I expected more insight and details of the ships than were included in this book. The text was a bare minimum. Once again, I expected much more detail. I am surprised that this book was even approved for publication. Save your money and look elsewhere.
   
   I am giving it two stars because it is a Star Trek book. A substandard Star Trek book is better than none at all, I suppose.



2. While ordering this book I was hoping that it would have some layouts of the inside of the ships and details with a lot of cool pictures but I feel like I kind of got cheated. The book has around 180 pages but there's like nearly 86 pictures of just star ships floating around and half of them are very boring shots. The texts are short on every page and I'm pretty sure I can read through the whole book within 15mins. Anyway it looses interests after a few minutes. I wouldn't bother with this book unless you just want something nice to look at once in awhile.



3. Ships of the Line (Star Trek)
   This is a great book, if you want to see what the ships look like. There isn't much in the way of written specs, but the artwork is fabulous.



4. "Ships of the Line" is a handsomely illustrated volume of Star Trek art. Originally presented in the annual Star Trek "Ships of the Line" calendar, this volume adds some history or point of reference to each of the paintings. Some are directly from episodes from the 5 Star Trek TV series or movies, and some extrapolate further into the Star Trek mythos. My biggest complaint, and it kept this from being a 5 star rating, is the size of the book, I own all the calendars that this artwork is from, and the original sizing was 24 x 12 (double page calendar) and they have been reduced to 11 x 7. This can make for some clearer images but it also hides some of the details in the shrinking. I like having the images collected in a book like this. It does add to my sci-fi and fantasy art collection quite nicely.



5. Some of the illustrations look like pre-production art of things that were much different in the various series. Some technical details would have been nice. More of the story behind each illustration would have been wonderful. More views of more ships would have been great. I am afraid that the target was not locked on this one.