5 comments about A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book: Abstract Adventure (Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book).

1. The wild designs to color here present the most perfect break from your other daily activities -- creative or otherwise. This book is so good for releasing stress that Amazon should require a perscription to purchase it. That's some powerful tension-release!
   
   A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book: Abstract Adventure is filled with beautiful images just waiting for your finishing touches. It's an inspiration.



2. This coloring book is imaginative and fun! The pages are full of interesting & creative designs. a++



3. I Love this abstract coloring book !! This is a wounderful product and i would recomend this to anybody who loves to color abstract coloring pages.



4. This is one that I have already started on,..with colored pencils,...,..I really enjoyed what little that I have started on,.last night,..Arcystal



5. Thank you for bringing these wonderful coloring books to Amazon.com! Year after year, at Minneapolis's Art a Whirl I look forward to finding Kendall Bohn's art studio because of the colorful and intellectual art he produces. Kendall is an artist who has not forgotten our children (and the children at heart) and their need for abstract, creative and fun art. Each coloring book is a flawless masterpiece which makes them a fantastic gift for cultivating imagination. At any age, anyone can color one of these beautiful pages to match any room and frame them for all to admire. I look forward to your continued releases!

5 comments about Elements of Writing Fiction - Scene & Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing).

1. Another reviewer said reading this book was "a slog." I had to think whether I wanted to agree with that description or not. I've read four other "Elements of Fiction Writing" and two "Write Great Fictions" within three months (I'm not a fast reader.) Scene & Structure, however, could not keep my attention. I have moved on to another book in the series because I can't stay focus on it to finish it anytime soon. Unless I find another book on the subject, I will go back to complete it though.
   
   I give a rating of a 4 because the boredom maybe in my lack of interest in the author's writing style.



2. This book is an absolute must.
   
   The first book that you should read is Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer.
   
   The second book is this one.
   
   Both of these books demonstrate fundamental dramatic technique: scene and sequel. Scene is comprised of goal, conflict, disaster and in which the conflict is worked out via stimulus-internal reaction-response. After a scene comes the sequel in which the character emotionally and rationally selects a new goal.
   
   Other reviewers notwithstanding, this is not a write by the numbers book. You are free to vary the pattern as much as you please -- after all, it's your book, and your vision. But for anyone who has written numerous chapters and realizes that something is wrong, this book will give much needed understanding.



3. Bickham was Dwight Swain's student at Oklahoma and went on to write a lot of (I think) pot boilers using what he learned, then wrote Scene & Structure. If you're a working writer (or want to be), the book to read, study and memorize is Dwight Swains "Techniques of the Selling Writer." It's got everything you need to kick start your education in writing fiction. I've published one short story, won several literary prizes for both fiction and non-fiction, and I'm deep into writing my first novel. Swain is the only one I've ever read who really knows how fiction works and can explain it so others can do it, too. Bickham's book is 168 pages, including index. By page 168, Swain is telling the student how the "end of the beginning" needs to be structured to generate suspense. Which one sounds more valuable to you?



4. I just finished reading this book. I read the whole book carefully, then went back and re-read several chapters. I believe I understand what Mr. Bickham is trying to get across.
   
   I agree with the reviewers who accuse the author of presenting a formulaic, by-the-numbers prescription for writing, because that's exactly what he does. The idea that every scene must begin with a clear statement of goal and must end in a disaster is simply ludicrous. Even if by "disaster" Bickham means "setback," his poor choice of word is symptomatic of his own prose style, which is simply dreadful. I thought Dan Brown was a poor wordsmith, but Bickham makes him seem like Shakespeare! Unfortunately 90% of his examples come from his own wretched novels, which makes for some very unpalatable reading.
   
   Still, the idea of scene plus sequel as a basic pattern in a genre novel is probably on the mark. Clearly many variants and deviations from this pattern are possible, and Bickham admits this, even offers some examples. But I think his book might be more useful as a tool for analyzing genre novels than as a blueprint for writing them. The author who follows Bickham's prescriptive formulae is bound to produce a stilted piece of work that very few would want to read. On the other hand, using Bickham's ideas for fine-tuning a scene or sequel might bear fruit. But beware pronouncements such as avoiding narrative summary or extended internalization within a scene.
   
   I am much more in tune with Stephen King's method of writing, in which the plot or structure of the novel evolves organically as it's written. Those who feel otherwise and are looking for a method of plotting a novel may turn to a book like this. But I would caution against plotting out every scene and sequel in advance, as Bickham advocates. If you know in advance every twist and turn the story is going to take, then where's the fun in writing it?



5. I have used this book to teach plotting to creative writing students, so my review is based on how well absolute novice writers respond to the ideas he puts forth in this book. On the whole, they respond positively. Once they grasp the standard three-act structure of a plot, they find his scene-sequel formula to be IMMENSELY helpful figuring out how to work out options for rising action. A few students complain that they don't like being taught a *formula*, and it seems a few reviewers have that gripe as well.
   
   I'll say here what I say in class. First, if a formula happens to have been successful (as you can see if you break down almost any movie or popular novel), eh, maybe just this once it might be worth your time to learn it. Just file it away somewhere or something. Second, just because Bickham advocates a linear tic-tock scene-sequel way of composing your plot, that does not mean, nor does Bickham anywhere say, that you have to TELL the story in simple lockstep straightforward chronology. Once you have the basic idea of what's going to happen and why, you can start the story whenever you darn well please. You can start just at the climax, if you want, and tell the story through disconnected flashbacks, so that readers have to piece together the shards into the picture of the story arc. You can tell the story as an epistolary novel. You can tell it by varied protagonists. The only limit is imagination of the author. If you hate this book because you can't figure out new and creative ways to apply his basic formula, that doesn't necessarily equate with the *book* being worthless.
   
   My students are grateful because (and remember they're all fledgling writers) this book's ideas give them handles to grasp when they sit down to write. I don't advocate the whole 'scene goal clearly stated to the reader' thing Bickham states, but if you as the WRITER have no idea what the scene goal is, or how things are going to wind up worse for the protagonist, chances are pretty high there will be a high Flounder Quotient in your plotting. All in all, it's worth your time and money as long as you are willing to view it as a plotting aid device and not the Magic Potion of Writing. It's a skeleton upon which one can reliably hang decent stories: my students are invariably impressed at the end of the semester both at their own ingenuity in storytelling and how they managed to create a story that *moves* and unfolds logically.

No comments about Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson.

No comments about Contemporary Botanical Illustration: Challenging Colour and Texture.

5 comments about From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books.

1. Comic books have been an integral part of American popular culture since their invention as a mass market media in the early 1930s. The first comic books were simply collections of newspaper comics. It was Jewish writers and artists who took this new medium and expanded it as a form of popular literature that we know today beginning with the creation of such characters a Superman and Batman and the legions of superheroes and villains that were to follow down to this very day. What is less well known is that American Jewish writers and artists were also responsible for Mad Magazine, the graphic novel, the comic book convention, the comic book specialty store, and the underground comix movement of the 1960s and early 70s. In "From Kraow to Krypton: Jews And Comic Books", comedian and comic book writer Arie Kaplan provides an informed and informative history that is packed with history and nostalgia from beginning to end. Profusely illustrated throughout, "From Krakow To Krypton" is highly recommended for personal, academic, and community library "20th Century American Popular Culture" reference collections in general, and the personal reading lists of all comic book fans and graphic novel enthusiasts in particular.



2. 
   Once upon a time, I read comic books for enjoyment. I used to buy Howard the Duck, Spiderman, Batman, Nova, and the 1970's Marvel westerns. That was then, this is now.
   
   At the tender age of 40 plus, I finally learn that the creators of my favorite books were Jewish! Not that it made a difference to my enjoyment that Bob Kane, Stanley Lieber, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and so many others had a Judaic background, but now that I know that, some pieces have fallen into place.
   
   Arie Kaplan has written "From Krakow to Krypton", and explores the Jewish mythologies one more time. Danny Fingeroth, in "Disguised as Clark Kent", also took on the monumental task of studying the origins of the characters and their circumstances with relation to Jewish teaching. Both books are marvelous, and come across a little differently. "Krakow to Krypton" breaks the development of the comic book age into Golden, Silver, and Bronze with discussions centering on different topics and the logical progression from Eisner to Lee to Spiegleman.
   
   While comic books were not overtly Jewish, the concept of `strange visitor from another planet' and the `last survivor' reflect the Jewish transition during passages to America to escape oppression. Images like Clark Kents' bespectacled, book worm, mild mannered was stereotypical of being Jewish. Even the name, Kal-el, while it sounded neat to readers of the time period contained Hebrew. Roughly translated, it means "All that God is". Jewish readers would have picked up on that, while others would miss that entirely. The myth of Golem could even be read into Superman (as Eisner did).
   
   What is remarkable about this book is the depth of the discussion and the obscure examples of Judaic references in specific issues. For instance the prayer by the Thing from Fantastic Four (2002) is outstanding. Joe Kuberts' Ragman, Yossel: April 19, 1943, and Caper by Winnick make Kaplans' point beautifully. Throughout the life of Will Eisner, his work evokes a certain aura of Jewishness, and if we consider "Contract With God", "Zion", and the Spirit, the influence is powerful. If we add into the mix, the X Men by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Chris Claremont, the aliens within us theme is even stronger.
   
   I was mesmerized by the easy to read, easy to digest, and most importantly, the passion that Kaplan displays for his subject. Well chosen art accompanies the book, yet I hope the final pictures are taken from flat books (not bound in hardcover).
   
   Viewed as a series of two books, Krakow and Disguised should be primary sources for truly academic discussions why comics aren't just for kids anymore.
   
   I highly recommend "From Krakow to Krypton", just after morning prayers.



3. Written in Queens, NY, made in China but pure American is Arie Kaplan's From Krakow to Krypton, the story of how the Jews created comic books and brought to the United States a Mississippi-like watershed river of illustrated stories, humor and adventures that fired up every kid's imagination, lifting them from the doldrums of an otherwise tedious world.
   
   From Krakow to Krypton starts at the very first comic book created by Charlie Gaines (Ginsberg) during the Great Depression and flows from there fed by continuous tributaries but also through the dams and rough waters created by folks fearful of this new industry. Crisp, color illustrations adorn the journey.
   
   Imagine a crisp copy of the cover of ACTION Number One Published in June 1938- the magazine that not only heralded in Superman but all the Superheroes that today are making Hollywood history and stunning box office grosses. This is a must for everyone who loves the Comic Book and like Levy's Real Jewish Rye; you don't have to be Jewish to love it.
   
   Raúl daSilva; author: first place national book festival prizewinner, The World of Animation.



4. Arie's writing style is very engaging! I couldn't put this book down. It's filled with beautiful illustrations of many of my favorite comic book characters, as well as self-portraits of some of their creators.



5. A wonderful journey through comic history...Arie seems to have captured the feel from every generation (of course my favorite is the Silver Age). The day I got the book I took it to a party and the son of a friend (age 15) couldn't put it down...I lent it to him to read this week. With all the comic book hero movies coming out the last two years there is a resurgance of comic book interest and Arie has captured that history in a fun and fascinating way.
   
   L. Broome
   Winter Springs, FL

5 comments about Arteffects (Practical Art Books).

1. If anyone out there is even thinking about painting (or if you are already a painter) this is the book. It will show you examples of almost every kind of paint and then what will happen if you mixed it with something or layer something. This is a GREAT "example" book. Watch out thou you will want to go and try them all out......



2. Very well written, thought out and organized book demonstrating the different techniques that can be used with a variety of paint mediums and materials. I would recommend this for an introduction to use of materials, tools and grounds.



3. This is a wonderful book, if you are an artist, you can find different samples for many techniques, if you are an amateur, you can find a lot of fun.
   This is my precious!



4. This book is exactly as described. A "visual sampler" of step-by step, demonstrations, to achieve hundreds of different effects in your paintings. Wonderful, colorful illustrations, easy to understand instructions and desriptions as well. Also the layout of the book is very user friendly. There is 208 pages so you get your money's worth in this book. This book is full of ideas to get your creative hands moving. I am very happy to own this book.



5. I must disagree with the reviewer who said this book is not for the true artist. I am an artist and although I know some of the techniques or variations thereof, there are plenty more that I can't wait to try. I feel like a kid in a candy store, not knowing what to do first.
   
   Sure, this is not a book that teaches you how to draw or paint, or how to make good compositions. Its focus is on techniques to achieve certain effects. That's all it says it is and it does that admirably.

No comments about Art and Social Change: A Critical Reader.

5 comments about A Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols.

1. Tibetan Buddhist symbolism is extremely complex,yet in this volume artist/Buddhist Robert Beer makes it accessible and understandable. Beer divides the symbolism into identifiable categories such as "Eight Auspicious Symbols","Five Attributes of Sensory Enjoyment","Cosmological Symbols","Main Ritual and Tantric Implements" and "Wrathful Attributes and Offerings." It's a user-friendly handbook.
   
   Beer sheds light on more obscure symbolism-such as the khatvanga (tantric staff),the magical weapons of Shri Devi (the Great Goddess),and the gzi stone. He explains it within the framework of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and practice.
   
   To his credit,Beer doesn't gloss over the more gruesome aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. He explains why wrathful deities are depicted wearing garlands made of skulls and severed heads,or holding intestines in their hands. For some, the wrathful deities are seen as a way of sublimating violent tendencies,while others see them as worshipping ugliness. Beer leaves it to the reader to judge.
   
   "A Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols" is a perfect guidebook to Tibetan Buddhism. It's written for the layman,the newbie,and is engrossing reading.



2. Recieved the order promptly and in the condition promised. Excellent companion to The Encyclepedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs by the same author.



3. the book was very well put together and has alot of useful info on buddhist art.



4. This volume took Robert Beer more than 10 years to complete, and one understands why. As far as I know it is the only book on the subject with such superbly crafted illustrations, each meticulously drawn in pencil-thin, lucid detail. There are a huge number of these drawings, and the well-structured text is informative, thorough and scholarly, without being dry. It is an eminent work of very high quality and a joy to read for any Buddhist practitioner, art lover, or just for curiosity. It is surely a classic reference volume. Modesty must have compelled the author and editors to give it the diminutive title 'a handbook' - it is indeed much more. Read it an enjoy.



5. The Handbook Of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols by Robert Beer (who has studied and practice Tibetan thanga painting for more than thirty years) is a straightforward reference guide to the meaningful symbolism of sacred Tibetan art. Black-and-white illustrations depict all the major Buddhist symbols and motifs, while the text offers depth and interpretation behind the meaning and usage of each. The Handbook Of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols is enthusiastically recommended for inclusion into Buddhist Studies and especially informative for connoisseurs of Tibetan art.

5 comments about ArtSpeak : A Guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords, 1945 to the Present (Speak Series).

1. I recently completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and this book was very helpful as a reference for my art history classes!



2. I am a docent and at times a docent trainer, and this guide came in very handy when I was preparing for an exhibition on contemporary artists. It is well-written, to the point, and has extensive coverage for a little book!



3. I'm a BFA student at Virginia Tech heading to grad school and this is an excellent book to teach from, have as a reference, or just thumb through for fun. Simple and succinct while still thorough. It's really an invaluable thing to have for ready info at your fingertips. This book has been part of the curriculum here for Performance Art, Found Object Sculpture, and Installation classes, and everyone in the class universally approves and finds it helpful.



4. Perfect for writing critiques and analyses from all art movements. Great glossary of terms for a beginning art student looking up hard-to-understand words in text books.



5. A glossary of art terms. This book is a definite must for those writing analyses of art. It's also good for looking up those tricky terms in your text books. It is filled with artsy terms and illustrations. I used it in all my art history classes.

5 comments about Area.

1. You can't go wrong with a Phaidon publication. The book is a very in-depth look at design world-wide. It has tons of examples of great design. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.



2. There is so much inspiration in this book. It's a graet resource for any designer. It will get your little design wheels spinning with fresh ideas every time you open it. There is so much in here and such a broad range of styles and subject matter. Some incredible artists.



3. There is something amazing in the way consumerism has birthed its own brand of art. In the 1880's, when Coca-Cola pushed their first few dollars across the table and asked for a slogan, I wonder if anyone ever dreamed what their industries would become and how much they would owe to this type of expression? I wonder if the idea that Frank L. Balm had about The Storefront Window, saying it was more than a place to keep a store's useless stuff, went beyond the United States becoming the frontrunner in glass consumption and into a field all its own? I ask because the field of Marketing Psychology intrigues me and, accordingly, the things we've birthed to sell items also intrigues me. Maybe "intrigue" isn't even the right world - maybe I should say that they captivate me, forcing me to search high and low for the best lightbulbs burning in the brightest phosphorescent starlight so to influence the migratory patterns of items that are pushed forth by a culmination of thought and a well-oiled pen.
   That is what is so beautiful about Area; it breathes what we are, what we consume, and how this meshes with the very fabric of how we conceive pitch and pitches, ticking and timeless, making up the very definition of art that is more than pictures generated "for art's sake." Looking here, it really reflects how the world has become vibrant and how pictures have shaped the world.
   Locked inside this book is more than a few pictures - its a blueprint of an overlooked history that America wears all over its geography.
   
   When I look at the field of graphic design, I am always tantalized by the creations that come from it, wanting to pour myself into page after page and see the "next big idea." It is somewhat like listening to the heartbeat of millions of people thumping in unison; if it clicks it happens to click, and you know what started the motion. Area proves that, too, showing you how far we've moved past the simple pixel lay-outs and into the realm of technological highs and really ingenious methods of salesmanship, making so many things seem desirable. In Marketing Psychology it is called tapping into the "ideal self" and making people buy a dream that the "actual self" doesn't seem to be able to supply.
   The idea seems easy enough to understand, too, and sometimes people laugh at the power wielded by the pen and call the "needing" lemmings. Here, in this book, I find a lot of laughter falling short of its mark and even the bigger birds of prey noticing things they adore and why they learned to adore it.
   
   When I first bought this book I thought it would simply feed my tastes and purse my lips with the hum of more curiosity, but lately I've noticed how much influence the book has. It has thousands of pictures, quite literally, and sometimes I catch my friends standing with their eyes glued to an item and that blank stare of "something remembering something" coming out as they slow move through the pages. Its as if Ford's comments on the heart of the new type of manufacturing, "machinery is the new messiah," have found application in ways he never intended.
   If you want to see how great that can become, how powerful advertising can become, then you should look at this book and see what I mean. Currently the one I own has been in my clutches for well over a year, and I still have around one hundred pages tabbed just so I can look back over them and marvel at the creativity that thrives in make-believe places orbiting some very real horizons.
   
   Even if you know nothing about art, you know what beauty is and this book comes highly recommended in that department.



4. This book is full of new and refreshing design from around the world. It helps to educate someone like me who, while getting a Graphic Design education, is getting a more traditional rundown of the field and less of a modern-day acknowledgment. "Area" addresses the artists' perspectives and shows a wide variety of visual styles and formats, and will have something extremely interesting for everyone. A great book for any designer's collection. Worth every penny.



5. Inspiration should come from all over the world. And this book gives you that.