3 comments about Painting Flowers and Plants (Watercolour Tips and Techniques).

1. This is a great book if you are a beginner like me. She is very easy to understand and follow and doesn't get bogged down with symbol shapes,elements and principles of design like some other books.
   Those books that by the time you get to where they actually start to explain something you can undersatnd...you have had enough of the book anyway.
   Janet Whittle's book is so easy to follow and she gives you five easy to follow step by step demonstrations.
   I bought this book for my art teacher as well as a gift and she loved it



2. great paintings but i wish she described more the colors she used in her techniques...and maybe some more specific details about her techniques



3. This must be one of the most useful books in flower paintings I've ever read. Janet tells you in patient steps how to get the background and negative paintings done; and how to lift the colours to get the stems and stalks look natural; how to vein the leaves and colour the petals. I would recommend to anyone thinking seriously on painting flowers.

1 comments about Manga Pro Superstar Workshop: How to Create and Sell Comics and Graphic Novels (Manga Pro).

1. I just got into drawing manga about half a year ago, so you can imagine that I've looked up and bought quite a few "how to" books and so on to see if any of them could give me a better understanding of Creating impressive comics and to improve my drawing skills in general. This book definately fits the bill! It covers everything from the basic tools needed to create good pieces of art work, coloring and Perspective, to characters, story design, and my favorite, comic page design. This book has it all. the thing I love the most about this book is the fact that it shows each comic page being created step by step, and for me, being able to see what other books just explain in writing, makes a BIG difference. So if your looking for a book that can advise you in all of the afore mentioned areas, this is Definately your book!

5 comments about Venice Sketchbook (Sketchbook Series).

1. Having lived in Venice for five months, each scene in this book is the actualization of my own memories. I bought one book about Venice and gave it as a gift to my parents who were not there to see the city firsthand, and this book was it.
   
   While not a travel guide or an in depth history book, this book does better than many others at capturing the light and true essence of Venice, the Serene Republic.



2. I bought this book before I visited Venice last year and it proved to be a very effective way - together with my Dorling Kindersley Guide book (also recommended) - of creating a short-list of places to draw. Saved me hours of slogging round trying to find "that view"!
   
   The drawings and watercolour sketches are extremely competent (if somewhat stylized) and give lots of inspiration for those working in watercolour of some the ways in which Venice can be portrayed.



3. A wonderful book for lovers of Venice and for those who would like to look at some of the incredible treasures of this magical, romantic city!



4. Whether you have traveled to Venice and are already under its magnetic, elusive spell or whether you plan to visit...or even if your fantasy world includes bits of Serenissima, VENICE SKETCHBOOK is bound to please.
   
   Artist Fabrice Moireau travels Europe with his sketchpad, rendering quick sketches in watercolor that capture the light and moment as reflected by the architecture of the place. This book is his prolonged visit to Venice and he has visited every island, canal, bridge, and hidden place that make this wonderfully decaying old Queen of the Adriatic a romantic paradise. His sketches are beautifully executed, not always with scholarly perspective, but capturing the Venetian light, an amalgamation of sun, water, fog, and mist, like few others have in this medium. Sensitive hand written notes on each page by the important 'models' make the sketches come even more alive.
   
   The book is graced by a fine Introduction by Deborah Howard who teaches architectural history at Cambridge and has written extensively about the architecture of Venice, Veneto, and the Italian Renaissance. In her elegant writing she sets the mood for viewing the sketches with an abundant but concise discussion of the history of Venice.
   
   The book is divided into sections of the city and writer Tudy Sammartini, who lives and works in Venice, opens each sector with fascinating comments about the history of the buildings, the churches, the monuments, and all the sights that sector holds. Her background in the history of her beloved Venice enhances the value of this book beyond the simple coffee table picture book. Her writing is warmly readable and very informed.
   
   Marry the contributions of these three talented people and the result is a book that is not only visually attractive and lovingly published on 'watercolor paper', but is also an informative and meditative volume of praise for the city known as Serenissima. Grady Harp, January 2005



5. This book was a gift from a close friend who knows I am planning my first trip to Venice this spring. I have been immersing myself in guides to Venice, and this book, with its charming and skillful watercolors and expert commentary, seems the perfect introduction to this fascinating city.
   It is not a guidebook per se, more of an artistic appreciation. Many of the comments are in cursive writing, so it seems you are looking at a personal sketchbook with running comments. The watercolors convey the interplay of light and color better than any photographs I've seen.
   This book is clearly a labor of love.

No comments about Painting Skies (Watercolour Tips and Techniques).

1 comments about Balthus: Time Suspended.

1. Balthus has been one of my favourites ever since I first discovered him many years ago, hes a realist who manages to transmit a mood that is absolutely fascinating.I havent finished it yet, but am enjoying every page.

No comments about 100 More Library Lifesavers: A Survival Guide for School Library Media Specialists.

1 comments about Painting Angels in Watercolour (Fantasy Art).

1. This small tome makes an excellent coffee table book just on the merit of beauty alone. While a beginning watercolorist might find the art a tiny bit intricate, the clear, step by step instructions would guide them to a sucessfully finished project. Everything is covered; surfaces, paper, brushes, paints, mediums, techniques & colors, to how to use the illustrations to draw your own pictures. An expert might bypass the basic instructions but surely would find inspiration in the artwork and palette.

No comments about Art School: A Complete Painter's Course.

5 comments about How to Draw Those Bodacious Bad Babes of Comics.

1. you will most definitely, never ever EVER know how to draw those bodacious babes of comics after studying this book! the drawings are god-awful and the "lesson plan" has more holes in it than Robert Davi's face (haha!!) all of the advice is weird and really useless, like telling you draw beautiful women for like four hours a day and fill "sketchbooks full of drawings of hands". so does being a comic book artist mean you have to keep a bodybuilder's schedule? The worst feature is the chapter on computers. Why would somebody who is still trying to learn drawing skills need to even begin to worry about cheesy computer effects? seriously, wasted paper guys. It says on the back the artist has "been in the feild for years", but you would think that after looking at his illustrations for this book that this is his sole commision. The only pleasure I got from reading this book is from seeing that so many other people agree that this book is garbage. Don't buy it.



2. I can't believe how bad the drawings are in this book. Awkward bodies and faces that look like they came from a high school kids figure drawing class. These guys worked in comics? Incredible.

   Don't expect much instruction and you DO NOT want to practice your skills by looking at the junk in this book. The bodies are oddly distorted and faces unattractive and unbalanced. Just bad bad stuff.

   Avoid this book like the plague.




3. I buy most every art book on how to draw comics, and leapt at the chance to purchase this book, sight unseen.

   My biggest beef with this book, is the lack of diagrams and real drawing reference. Instead we get a lot of 'figure drawing' style sketches accompanied by an occasional full color illo. Not bad, but not what I'm looking for in a drawing instruction book.

   This book needs more diagram style drawings with art measured in head lengths (muscles) we women have them you know...(Grin). And step-by-step instructions. Regretfully, this book is composed of nearly finished illustrations. The "turnarounds" that exist are small and amateurly done (page 12 & 13), and should reflect MORE body types and have better details in the arms and legs.

   Also the artist seems to have trouble drawing arms. The arms seem disproportionate, and at times are drawn so long, they appear almost ape-like, other times they hang at awkward angles as thought the artist doesn't know quite what to do with them.

   Additionally, many of the illustrations in this book, look like they were done in figure drawing class, and don't look like comic book women.

   The sections on faces needed to be expanded and improved. Women are drawn with staring eyes and open snarling expressions, making them look like they are suffering from a bad hangover.

   What I DID like was the fabulous use of color. Some art is quite good, such as the art used to head each chapter.

   While this book is not likely to provide you with anything new in the way of art reference, it has some decent artwork overall and may be able to give the beginning artist some insiration.




4. Although the title is incredibly cheesy, the book itself is pretty good. They cover solidly the foundations of comic-style character design and how to implement them into a scenario. The only thing I really disliked was that they didn't spend enough time on manga. But, there are many many other books that take care of it. The other thing is the cheesiness of the "good girl" in their book. I don't know of a single MODERN comic that had heroines that look like that... they ALL look like the "bad girl" these days!



5. the only reason I gave a one-star rating to this fluff is because amazon doesn't allow anything lower.

   the review of this reader...

   1st the dynamic duo of frank and mike attempt to tackle posing.... bad, inconsistent, awkward posing... here the writing out-merits the amateurishly illustrated bad sketches. foreshortening is not this artist's strong suit and shouldn't have been attempted. yes, there are good sketches here, but inconsistently strewn thoughout the third of material in this book. Take a look at Loomis' or Hogarth's books to see consistent GOOD posing... and better foreshortening.

   2nd, we move on to features like hairstyles, hands and faces that seem to mimic current as well as golden age comic styles.... juxtaposed... I'm not kidding. it's like the Jack Kirby Good Girl meets the Marc Silvestri Demon Spawn. nothing here that wasn't in marvel's "How to Draw Comics The Marvel Way".

   3rd, an interesting foray into Manga and 40's style pin-up art. just barely touched on. there's nothing here to even comment on except BUY EISNER'S BOOKS FIRST, if you want to see real pin-up art.

   4th, we get into some material that this reader believes shows the meddle of both the writer and artist. do they pursue it to any substantial point that it's worth you plunking down a $20 bill? No way, fan-boy. 2 pages dedicated to the nightmare of perspective... you're kidding right? Try David Chelsea's book. 2 pages dedicated to inking...try 88 pages with over a dozen contributing artists in Gary Martin's book.

   next, frank and mike plunge us into more fluff material... weapons and powers. I hate to say it.... but even Christopher Hart's books are marginally better here with slightly MORE material.

   finally, they finish up with computer commentary. a whole book in it's own right could have been written on comic book coloring and pre-press software and Mike only mentions the barest essentials.

   I don't know who 1st approached who in this travesty, but this book is fluff. the only professional thing in this book is Mark Wheatly's coloring. hopefully this hasn't dragged his career down.

   Here's a suggestion to the publishers... pick one thing that you can professionally illustrate and pursue it consistently. Take a look at the books I mentioned above to get an idea of the longevity of good material.

3 comments about Neoclassicism in the North: Swedish Furniture and Interiors 1770-1850.

1. A rich variety of houses, some grander than the others, but all well-to-do peoples dwellings. Some of the manors featured aren't very well known even in Sweden, but they certainly deserve their place here. The few I do miss are featured in "The Swedish Room" e.i. Lay-out-wise it is by now perhaps a little dated, but the auther knows his subject very well and the accompaning photos are mostly marvellous. When a Swede writes on Swedish interiors the result is accurate as this book shows.



2. This book is a treasure of neoclassicism in Sweden. It is supported by sensible (not gushy interior design talk) text and is logically sequenced.

   The pictures and additional material is excellent; although the lighting in some of the photographs is less than perfect.

   This is an inspirational reference for the topic.




3. This is another great book for Swedish decorative detail .A great asset in the decorative artist`s Library.A good source for Bolander`s beautiful wall murals. Great photography with excellent detail shots .A beautiful and knowledgable book. I am a decorative artist specializing in custom painted furniture for decorators and designers and have found this book to be a great resource and very helpful in my work.