5 comments about The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

1. i used this book and it help me improve my drawing skill. i also recommend another book called "How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci."



2. I am not experienced in the art of drawing and this book has been a tremendous help to me. I find that I can draw much better than i thought. I highly recommend this book.



3. I don't know why the neg reviewers on here are bowing down to The "Natural Way to Draw," like it was written by some genius guru. There's a reason "Natural Way to Draw" is listed waaay down on the Amazon rank (almost 5,000 down) compared to this book, "New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" .... meh.
   
   If you tell yourself any of these things, this book is for you:
   
   * I can't draw
   * I can barely draw stick people
   * I wish I could draw
   * I wish I were artistic
   
   (etc etc)
   
   If you think you've ALREADY developed some natural talent and are trying to hone your skills, consider skipping this book and picking up "Natural Way to Draw" by Nicolaides.
   
   Let's put it this way:
   
   Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain = Complete Noob to drawing
   
   Natural Way to Draw = Noob v 2.0



4. My college art instructor tried to tell his class about drawing on the right side of the brain but he could not explain it nearly as well as this book does. The exercises contained in the book are very helpful to art students.



5. What I need is is a solid week to let myself enjoy this book's method.
   
   I originally read the 1st edition, and bought this highly revised edition.
   
   One telling line from the first edition that is missing: "I would look at what I wanted to draw until 'that' happened, and then I would draw ..." Dr. Edwards describes this as the left brain-right brain shift.
   
   Whatever.
   
   I only know that, until it happens, my drawing style resembles stickmen. Afterwards, I think I might have a chance.
   
   My only (personal) problem is that my own mind is time-centric, and regulated by its own internal clock.
   
   What I really need it to take this book and sketching supplies, and find a week to learn to relax again. The following week I'll pick up the pencil and let my overactive, speaking mind have a holiday and I'll draw.
   
   Left brain/right brain. The parlance was set three decades past. Use this book to truly see, and technique will follow.
   
   Recommended.

5 comments about Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks & Techniques for Working With the World's Most Versatile Medium.

1. Although i do agree, it is not suited best for beginners, I found so much useful information from this book!
   
   The techniques and different effects can be used with ANY ART STYLE. (contemporary, post-modern, classic etc.) Depending on your level of skill.



2. Whether you've just begun to paint with acrylics or are a seasoned veteran painter, there is a wealth of new techniques in this book to add to your painting repertoire. Great ideas, well organized with lots of photos, this is one of the best books around for acrylic painters, calligraphers, book artists and just about anyone else who wants to use acrylic paints in their art.



3. Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks & Techniques for Working With the World's Most Versatile Medium. This book is full of practical tips for different ways to use acrylics. It is easy to read and very informative. A must read for experienced artists and those just starting to explore acrylic paints. I especially enjoyed all of the examples she gives for different techniques and ways to create textures and effects with the paint and various mediums.



4. I am looking forward to completing current projects so that I have time to just PLAY. I want to give everything in this book a try on a small scale so that I am familiar with the techniques and can draw on them when needed for just that right touch in new projects.



5. I love this book! It has awsome ideas , very easy to follow how-to's , wonderfull artwork examples, and great product list. It makes working with acrylics much less intimidating! It has so many ideas to pull from and make it your own!

5 comments about New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing.

1. Great book for those of us with a creative bent but not sure how to proceed. Recommended by Daniel Pink.



2. i have read the book drawing on the right side of the brain. what this book is can be also taken right out of the original book. it is just more of what it says a work book. or you could just use some drawing pad to do the exercises in it. It takes out of the book the lessons, so save your money and just by the book. which by the way actually is also a very useful book to learn and understand drawing . It is not that it is a bad book, it is just wiser to save your money and buy the actual book to read itself. everything in the workbook is taken from the reading book.



3. This is a good guide for students and a great-abbreviated version of the full-length instruction book. It makes it easy to keep a record of your progress especially if you are not interested in keeping a journal while you are learning to draw.



4. I have a family that is full of artists, and always felt really sad that I couldn't draw even a stick figure! A little while ago I realised something important - that drawing is a form of literacy, like writing, and so many of us don't make it past kindergarten.
   
   Visual communication is really under-rated in our school systems, which pretty much relegates most of us to the category of 'non-drawers'. Betty Edwards' book changes that!
   
   
   The work book is really all you need, although if you would like to go into the reasons behind her book, then the text is great. I bought both and am very glad I did.
   
   I am only part-way through the workbook, but it's amazing to see what can be produced in such a short time. If you want to climb that wall that has been bordering in your creativity, then I can't recommend this book highly enough!



5. This Workbook is a companion to The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and is a useful accompaniment to the book itself. It is spiral-bound so it lays flat and is easy to draw on, includes one drawing sheet for each exercise, and VERY usefully, includes a plastic "viewing pane" as recommended in the book.
   
   One slight drawback (for me -- maybe an advantage for some) is that it repeats instructions for all the exercises in the main textbook itself, and includes fewer supplementary exercises than I had hoped. Also, with only one drawing sheet for each exercise you're probably going to want to buy a drawing pad anyway.
   
   All in all, I highly recommend you buy "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" book first, try a few exercises, and if you like them and see progress, then buy the "Workbook". (You won't need the viewing pane until later exercises).
   
   All in all, a worthwhile investment if the book seems to be helping you.

5 comments about How to Draw What You See (Practical Art Books).

1. I have owned this book for 10 years. My children and I all learned the basics of drawing from this book. I was so excited when I followed the steps and was able to draw a realistic face! I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn drawing.
   Cyndi Martinez



2. I am an artist and I also teach drawing. I find this book very informative. I teach the basics in pencil drawing and this book shows wonderful demonestrations. Since the authur was an art teacher it's written for class room or individual use. The book's first printing was 1970 and is still well used from what I've read. I highly recommend this book for all art students. My students enjoy what I bring to the classroom from this book.



3. This book is not for novice artists. I'm a Middle School art teacher and was looking for some new ways to TEACH drawing. I have "Drawing on the right side of the brain" and use many of the exercises in it with my students. This book doesn't even come close in my opinion. I didn't take anything from it that I could remotely use in the classroom. Reminded me of my college level drawing classes with professors that just threw a bunch of concepts out without *teaching* how to actually DO.



4. I found this book good for someone just starting out. I have been working with my 6 year old daughter with this book and she likes it and is doing remarkably well. Great for adults and with a little help kids as well.



5. As an artist, I find this book an amazing reference and guide when I'm in difficult situations (with art, that is). An artists must have.

5 comments about Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators, Second Edition.

1. I just finished reading this book the first time through, and it's great. All of the other reviews are spot on. It does help to have some knowledge of anatomy, but if you don't, you can still learn from this book, and it will make learning anatomy more fun. It has lots of great full page drawings too. I've noticed improvements in my skills, and look forward to going through it again in the future.



2. I've added this book to my required book list for Figure Drawing for Animation. Great book, and very helpful to my students. I see a marked improvement in ability within reading just the first chapter.



3. I bought this book for Xmas for my son's girlfriend. Both my son and his girlfriend are Animation students at San Jose State University. They have to draw constantly. I mean CONSTANTLY. She said that this is a terrific book. This is coming from an Animation student and you cannot get better feedback than that. Highly recommend this book.



4. This book has helped my figure drawing a lot in terms of capturing energy and the essence of the model's actions. The best book on figure draw I've read so far; also very helpful for animators.



5. I have hundreds of books on drawing and dozens about how to draw the human figure. By far this is the best book I have on my shelves. As a live model teacher, I always recommend Force to my students who want to pursue carreers as illustrators, animators or to those who simply want to study the figure. The book is easy to follow and the concepts taught really change your vision about the human figure. Please note: this is not a book about how to finish your drawings, it is about how you should begin them. And, as the title of the book says, how to imput Force on your figures. If you really study this book, really following it and making the exercises, I'm sure, no matter how skilled you are, your drawing skills will improve a lot. This book is a must, alongwith any Bridgeman's book and Henry Yan's Figure Drawing. I highly recommend it both to begginers and experienced artists. I'd give six stars if I could.

5 comments about Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice.

1. I had to buy this for my Life drawing class, but I'm not going to sell it back to my school. This book is great. Though it is a bit repetitive, it helps break down drawing skills. After reading this book, I drew a portrait that sold for over $100. It also has some beautiful pictures in it, so now my mother has stolen it, to have on her coffee table....



2. After working with Juliette in her Atelier and practicing these exercises I've discovered things I never expected to learn. Her methods are priceless tools. Whatever you might glean from this wonderful book will most certainly serve you. She is an excellent painter, writer and teacher.



3. This comprehensive manual displays a appreciation of the human form and explainns the most important aspects of figure drawings executed in a classic timeless style.



4. First off I'd like to say that this book will prove to be very helpful for any artist, ranging from a beginner to a professional and will show you new ways to approach drawing. However if you have studied classical drawing this will prove to be a bit of a let down. I have studied under one of Juliette's instructors and most of her lessons in the back of the book were actually derived from his his. There is one thing however I don't agree with in this book but that wouldn't discourage me from recommending it to others. The problem is that I don't like the way she shows how to draw the casts, its more of an outline that you then go through and work with value rather than working with a line drawing then introducing value. I'm not very found of this technique, but the drawings are very good and there are tons of useful information and great introductory lessons in the back of the book (though there could be more). I would also recommend studying George Bridgman, Gottfried Bammes, Joseph Sheppard, and Robert B. Hale for anatomy and designing the human figure.



5. At 144 pages, over one-third of which are drawing examples and with wide margins around the text, this is a slim book that covers the past 600 years of atelier philosophy. Or to say it another way, Aristides narrows it down to a nutshell.
   
   Covering briefly a variety of ideas (i.e., art history, art theory, art reference, as well as how-to), each chapter could be expanded to become a book of its own.
   
   The real questions are:
   Do you want to buy this book?
   Will you refer to it 100 times over the year?
   Will you be inspired?
   Will you take "anything" away with you after you have read the book?
   
   The answer will depend on your current perceptions and where you are and where you are going as an artist. If you are interested in an overview of atelier philosophy, this would be a good book to begin with.

5 comments about Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils.

1. I own Macpherson's previous book and thought it was excellent. He has surpassed himself. His personal art work is first class and this book explains his approach to painting in a practical manner.
   
   The great landscape painters use broad brush strokes of color to convey form and distance. The clouds and sky include touches of the foreground colors to harmonize the scene. Colorful shadows and minor gradations of color within a value range provide excitement and interest. Kevin shows you why this works and how to do it. I learned more from this book than from all the rest of the texts in my library.
   
   My wife never thought much of my paintings before (and neither did I) but now brings people into my office to view them. Holy Shlamoly - I can paint! I'm not great but good enough to impress the guy down the block and I'm getting better. Thanks, Kevin. Readers, buy the book. It's not complicated but will require some practice on your part. It's well worth the money and your time to get past that amateur look so common to beginning painters.



2. I enjoyed Kevin's book because his explanations were easy to understand
   and the demo pictures so helpful. I have gleaned alot from this book.



3. Very Good Book - landscape painting inside and out is quite inspirational, as are all of her books. I particularly enjoyed the reproductions. Barbara Barrick



4. Kevin has done a classic, and I am sure that is will be used by artists
   for years to come.
   Loads of useful information, great examples and good instructions.
   I have been a professional painter for 30 years, and am always looking to
   learn more, this one really hit home for me on many areas. Beautiful color
   with strong draftmanship.



5. This is the book for the serious landscape artist who has had questions about their own work that have never been answered until now. I found things I always wanted to know. The book never talked down. The author shared information about what he is doing artistically now and not the way he did it in the past. There is a wealth of ideas and information, much more that I ever expected. I will be continuing to read and refer to this book in the future. It was a big inspiration, and one of the best art books I have ever purchased.

5 comments about Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge.

1. If you do martial arts and don't know how to fight - what are you doing? This is an essential compliment to whatever martial art you're studying, as it will flesh out your studies and get you to rethink a few things.



2. I should preface this review by clarifying that I don't train much MMA - I'm much more of a straight BJJ/submission grappling athlete. With that said, this book is an excellent perspective into BJ Penn's MMA repertoire and the basic theory behind his fighting style. For fighters who come from a striking background, the book may not be quite as applicable. Only a few basic punches are covered, and they are treated primarily as a means to set up a clinch or takedown, with the eventual goal of passing to a dominant position and winning by submission. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, no kicks or leglocks are covered. The book is not designed to be an encyclopedia of every fighting technique one could possibly use (indeed, Penn specifically disavows this purpose in the book itself), but it is a great introduction for grapplers who are curious to know what kind of strategies and techniques could work for them in an MMA context. I use the book primarily as a reference to explore different approaches to situations that I often find myself in just in BJJ/submission grappling, and have found it to be very useful. For example, BJ has an excellent description of how to tighten up the technique on your sprawl and use it to transition naturally to back control. He also has useful tutorials on an alternative technique for the double-leg takedown (as opposed to the standard wrestling shoot where you come over the knee of your lead leg and cut to the inside from a crouched position) that is helpful to know regardless of whether you actually do MMA. Whether you are a pure grappler looking for some insight into the techniques used by one of the best or someone looking to transition into MMA, this book has something for you.



3. This book was certainly worth the price! It's over 300+ pgs of some of the best MMA advice out there. It starts off with a mini biograhpy of B.J. Penn then goes right into the good stuff. Penn goes thru everything from striking basics to brazilian jiujitsu wizardry in well sorted and easy to follow chapters. The pictures that he uses to illustrate the moves are also great. Most come with several angles of the moves he is demonstrating and are very easy to follow with his great insight on each and everyone! I recommend this book to any who wants to get that edge in their MMA training whether it's for competition or simply to stay one step ahead of their training partners in the gym.



4. This book touches on all of the major points in MMA sport fighting in an easy to understand format that is coherent and makes learning MMA easier. I've got many expensive dvd sets but I find that this one book is what I work with the most. I met BJ and had him sign my copy.



5. At last, a textbook of mixed martial arts from the renowned fighter and coach PJ Penn! In this volume he presents a great number of techniques that he finds effective for himself and will work for most fighters. It is particularly strong in ground techniques, due no doubt to his grappling-based approach to the sport generally. The book is not intended to be the "last word" in MMA, or that the particular techniques drawn primarily from BJJ, Wrestling and Muay Thai presented in it are the be all and end all of the sport in its totality. However, they are those that he himself has used and tested. His game plan is to take the combat to the ground and win it there. Thus, he presents only cursory wrestling and striking techniques from the standing position, as the standing phase is not his preoccupation. His volume nicely complements Couture's wrestling-based strategy guide, with its throws. A kind of Muay-Thai for MMA volume might round off a "holy trinity" of textbooks in this genre.
   Awesome book! Handy for all fans and participants in the sport!

5 comments about Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels.

1. What I like about this book is the fact that it is not only instructional for comic book artists but also for all artists. He writes and draws to enhance what he is teaching so that it is not even noticed by the reader that he is being taught. I have met Scott and he is as entertaining and funny in person as he is in his book.



2. Great book for beginning comic artists. You will not be taught technical details for how to draw or lay out panels, but you will be shown how to pace comics, shown some basic face anatomy in the context of emotion, given a few inspirational tips on choosing characters, and so on. Probably an interesting read even for people who aren't sure that they want to get into comics.



3. Scott McCloud takes the insights that made him a celebrity in Understanding Comics and takes them further away in Making Comics, this time focusing in the craft itself. Much of his knowledge is useful not only to comic creators, but to people interested in visual and audiovisual arts, and sometimes to artists in general. His concepts and diagrams ("mmmmm... diagrams.") are clear and powerful. Scott McCloud: a theorist who likes to be understood.
   I loved the much needed notes sections and the activities and exercises he suggests, which take the book one step even further from a great theoretical book.



4. I definitely don't care to make comics and although I occasionally pick-up a random issue or a graphic novel, I really don't read them much either. I was mainly interested in this book because I heard of good things about it and I wanted to be more informed about the process someone has to go through to make a comic. Although this book mainly focuses on creating a story, it held my attention and I feel like I walked away with a little more knowledge than I did before. I lot of the storytelling techniques I read in this book are things I've heard of in books about storytelling in other mediums, but it contains a lot of things specific to comics too. This is probably one of the more funny books I've read on the subject of storytelling and I like this approach better than a straightforward textbook approach. I don't think I'll be coming back to this book much for reference, but I'm glad I read it.



5. Understanding Comics was a brilliant deconstruction of comics. Reinventing Comics left me a little disappointed, but with Making Comics, Scott returns to his brilliant deconstruction of comics and this time, storytelling.
   
   I would definitely recommend Making Comics to anyone interested in writing comics, but also to those interested in film, video or creative writing. Scott does an excellent job of deconstructing the things that make up a story and the things that make a story interesting. He does it in a very clear and precise manner that we have seen before, and he makes it easy to read and at times, funny.
   
   Other recommended books if you are interested in Comics storytelling are Understanding Comics and Graphic Storytelling.

5 comments about The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study.

1. I'm sure this book is all that many reviewers have shared but for me,being a complete beginner, its way over my head and abilities. I need to work at an entry level and continue before I can appreciate and grasp all this author offers. I have found, The New Drawing on The Right Side of The Brain to give me this. also picked up Keys to Drawing & Secrets to Drawing REalistic Faces. Each of these selections are better suited to the level I'm at and didn't overwhelm me to take this artform on.



2. This book is essential for everyone who wants to learn how to draw and the theory behind it. A classic.



3. Although I have been life drawing for more than 30 years, I feel that the Gesture exercises of Nicolaides book have brought more expontainety and vitality to my work.



4. THIS BOOK SO CONFUSED ME, I MEAN IT IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK... IT JUST CONFUSED MY WAY OF DRAWING.



5. This book is really cool. The author has an interesting approach to learning to draw. Be prepared to spend a lot of time doing excercises that seem pointless. but in fact actually help you to become familiar with the human form.