5 comments about Designing Brand Identity: A Complete Guide to Creating, Building, and Maintaining Strong Brands.

1. I used this book for a graphic design course that I'm taking and it was very informative as well as thorough. It was interesting to read about all of the brand identities and how logos really affect the way a company is viewed. I like the detail, the graphics and the comparisons for the different logos. This helped me in developing a good design for my project.



2. Since graduating with a communication design bachelor, I have felt I missed out on the theoretical process of branding and marketing. This book is fantastic, it is broken up into three sections, theory, prac and reviews. You will learn so much from this well designed, easy to read guide.
   
   I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to start their own business, or brand and market somebody elses business, or a designer wanting to get into brand identity designs.



3. Great book... and more than just case studies. This book gives great insight into branding process and strategy.



4. Nice hardcover book, I got it for a steal! It is required for my college course. The book is well organized, with lots of color pictures; I like pictures.



5. This book is great for the people out there who might not be aware of what goes into company brand identity. This is quite an important field for graphic designers, and I highly recommend this book, it really was a great help to me during my brand identity course at the Art Institute.

3 comments about Traditional Henna Designs (A Pepin Press Design Book).

1. I really found this book useful because not only did it have plenty of designs to choose from, but also there was a section which explained the history of Mendhi. Although the history section was not as detailed as I would have liked, I found the designs to be very interesting. All the patterns and artwork displayed in the book are phenominal and it gave me plenty of good ideas.



2. I have done alot of research on mehndi design and this book is, so far, the best I've come across. It provides the more intricate traditional patterns as well as abstract floral and tribal design. I was very happy with this purchase!



3. This book has a ton of great henna designs for hands, feet, and body. Other henna books I've seen have better descriptions about the history of henna, but if you want designs to actually try out, this is the best book.

1 comments about 200 Projects to Strengthen Your Art Skills: For Aspiring Art Students (Aspire).

1. I purchased this book a month ago looking for inspiration to fuel my painting need and that is exactly what I found.
   
   I wanted to dive into the book before I gave any feedback on it, so right now I've finished over 20 projects and I have to admit, without the recommendations from this book I wouldn't have gotten as far as I have in my portfolio for this upcoming school year. Even just getting started on this book I can see my art has take on a new, modern, poppy form while still holding onto the fundamentals that I've learned over the years.
   
   "200 Projects..." wasn't intended to show you in detail exactly how to accomplish a project with each brush stroke laid out for you. It gives you a colorful yet challenging idea with practical tips and techniques and lets you just tackle the project in your own way to help you develop your own style. This is very helpful in the modern art world since fresh new perspectives are always needed.
   
   The book covers a incredible range of mediums to use from conventional watercolor, acrylic and oil paints to fabrics, mosaic materials, and even touches on photography; letting pallet blossom with new flavors to enjoy.
   
   If your and aspiring artist working on building a portfolio, looking for new inspirations, experimenting with different mediums and techniques, or just want to take your work to the next level I would suggest this getting this book right now! I wish i had this book years ago.

No comments about Simply Material: Exploring the Potential of Materials and the Creative Competency (Simply (Victionary)).

1 comments about Stamping Fun for Beginners.

1. This is perfect for beginners. The author offers a short list of basic must have items, she discusses different types of ink, what they're used for and how to use them. The same goes for rubber stamps, paper, etc. She describes different techniques and give clear directions and the photos are great. I highly recommend this book for beginner such as I. You can't go wrong. Buy this book before you spend too much money on material you may not need yet. Di

5 comments about The Blank Canvas.

1. I don't know why all the great reviews. This book was boring, uninspired and uninformative. I wasted a day reading this. I wasn't interested in any of the author's opinions. I wanted something useful I could use. The only useful thing out of this was the fact that I resold it... FAST!
   I should have "listened" to the reviewers that gave it a low score. A total waste of money (which I was able to recuperate).



2. The blank Canvas is an enlightening reading not only for students but for anyone interested in art related careers. Anna Held Audette's clear and elegant discourse has been very beneficial to my Spanish speaking painting students who find much of English written artbooks hard to understand.



3. I am one of the "beginning artists" at whom this book is aimed. (Just give me a moment to giggle at the person who complained that a book called "The Blank Canvas" is for painters. Okay, I'm over it.) This concise, easy to digest (but certainly not simplistic) text gives suggestions on how to find subjects on your own, which is where I am in my art, I need to know HOW to get ideas. It's not written in that mucky, "Vein of Metallic Glitter" mode, either. I believe anyone who makes visual art (drawings, paintings, sculpture, computer art, for instance)--and who is "stuck"--will find this useful. Also, it gives very helpful advice on good art habits that will help you keep flexible and open to what actually constitutes a subject. (BTW, if you are a writer, I'd suggest "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott or "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg, for similar but more writerly :) suggestions.)
   
   Well worth what I paid for it, and a welcome addition to my art library.



4. I was pleased with the speed in which the book arrived, the condition for being used was good and the book itself was a really good read for someone in a dry spell. Thanks. S. Taylor



5. small book full of knowledge.if you are a painter,will find answers and solutions for creative blocks. comments on "the studio"(the space for your work), copying, sources and others. read this book ,and feel secure the next time you face a blank canvas.

5 comments about Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms (Looking At...).

1. Explains in lay terms the processes used in illuminated medieval manuscripts. Still a bit complicated, but a good resource.



2. This publication using a lexiconary form lavishly displays an art form too long ignored. Extraordinary effort and expense has created a book that shows and explains the accomplishments of a lost art. Any bibliophile, any artist will devour this book.



3. I used this book and the Christopher De Hamel book while I was taking a graduate course on Illuminated Manuscripts. The information was indispensable for the entirety of the course, but it also helped me in future courses I took. It is wonderful to find an academic book that is fun to read! I would heartily recommend it to anyone, and especially to students who are studying manuscripts or merely the art history of the period! It is a most worthwhile investment!



4. This slim volume by Michelle Brown is an excellent resource for anyone who is interested in the study of books and manuscripts (codicology). In a succinct dictionary format, Brown gives definitions of all of the major terms that may give trouble to someone visiting a museum or reading a work by such major writers in the field as Chris DeHamel. Suitable as both a textbook and a companion to books on manuscripts, this book is nearly indispensible to the beginner and the intermediate in allowing some understanding into the complex technical and art-historical vocabulary used in the field.



5. This little volume provides brief definitions of all the important phrases and terms used in the study of illuminated manuscripts including forms, techniques, themes, and periods.

   Great for understanding the differences between an historiated initial and an inhabited initial - or between an antiphonal and a gradual.

   Most of the representative images are in color and are well chosen to illustrate the definitions. Perhaps their only drawback is their small size due to the size limitations of the book itself.

   A great companion while reading to "Medieval Illuminators & their Methods of Work" by Jonathan J.G. ALexander or "A History of Illuminated Manuscripts" by Christopher De Hamel.

5 comments about Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy.

1. The book does have some insights into human anatomy, however it is all bland with no feel for it.
   Most importantly it concentrates more into male anatomy and not give you a healthy dose of the female anatomy as well.
   As a male artist, studying my own body will be more educational than this book.



2. this book is not helpful to anyone who is a serious artist. if you want to get good at drawing, want to learn more about anatomy, get an anatomy book. this book is suited for people who don't really care about anatomy, and just want to know enough to scrape by.
   I did not like this book.



3. The drawings are wayyyyy old school. Nothing like the comic book looks yyou see now. It reminds me of that old school superman show where he jumps on a trampoline and then flies into the air. So for the guys body it's very old school western muscular (so not very. not much of a six pack and stuff)
   
   i would have loved this book if he had used the drawing style of some of his other books!



4. This books has a very specific function, and is not for everyone. I would reccomend this book for any casual artists who want to draw cartoon or comic-book / manga style art, and need to reference a basic anatmony.
   
   This books is NOT for people who want to do realistic art. This books is NOT for someone who wants to draw a specfic style of art (i.e. how to draw manga). This books is NOT for people who needs to learn how to draw from the ground up.
   
   This books is best suited to casual artiststs / fan artists who already have an idea of how to draw, and already have their own style, but need a reference for simplified anatomy seen in comic books and manga.



5. I admit this book is a lot better than I thought it would be.
   I'm glad I didn't pay the nay sayers any mind.
   Though I have decent drawing skills not good enough to be considered a master but not a beginner either.
   
   I still think in order to improve your Artistic understanding of anatomy this book is a good start in the right direction though I still recommend you draw people who are willing to model for you or take a life drawing class if you are of age.

4 comments about Brush with Acrylics: Painting the Easy Way.

1. I am a beginning artist who started off using the Bob Ross method of oil painting. I enjoyed the fairly simple ways that Bob had for making landscape effects. The only problem for me was in the wet on wet method, you pick up the wet paint from below. I worked through his methods to create some convincing mountains and tress and lakes, but then I wanted to try acrylic painting since acrylic paint dries faster. I researched quite a few books to find one or two that gave step by step beginner instructions and were close to the Bob Ross style of creating illusions of effects - as opposed to highly detailed or photographic style of painting. This book covers all of the basics and shows how to do things in a simple manner. The beginning talks about specific effects and then ends with putting these effects together in an entire painting. For what is there I would give it 5 stars. The reason I gave it 4 stars was the description of brushes are the author's own creations - i.e. for some of the affects you must buy his brushes. Most of the effects can be made with other brushes, but I would have appreciated the author using standard brushes that anyone can find. I have only been able to find his brushes from internet sites from the UK. If you look at this author's style and the style of those similar to his, you will get a lot of good information from this book. I bought this with the first in the series of the Jerry Yarnell books. Yarnell is slightly more detail oriented than Harrison or Ross for that matter, but still has some good techniques.



2. Terry Harrison has provided easy-to-follow instructions for creating acrylic paintings. This is the best how-to book I have purchased for working with acrylics. I especially enjoy how he supports the craft of acrylic painting rather than relegating it to a less than professional status as some art books do. Being able to preview some of the pages enticed me to make the purchase, but the book is well worth the investment



3. I am a beginner and found the book very helpful.
   There are very useful color mixing 'demos', which I find myself referring to often; also a good section on how to use various brushes to get the desired effect with step by step photos on how it is done.
   The paintings shown are beautiful - lots of inspiration!
   It is a how-to, reference and also just a book to browse through all at once.



4. Is inspirational but much like the watercolor book

1 comments about Watercolor A to Z.

1. The watercolor examples are done in a moderate realism style, some more loose & 'painterly' than others (see customer images); the majority of examples seem to favor landscapes and related subtopics, but there are also some limited sections on animals, still life, people and textures. Overall, this book is a very nice addition to any watercolor reference library.
   
   The book itself is designed to stand on its cover (remember the typing tutorial books in high school?) and pages 1-96 go front to back, then you flip the book and 97-198 continue back to front. An interesting design and handy on a table top, but not without problems - the back cover is made of heavier card stock & doubled to bear weight, but the front cover is a little too thin and clumsy for my taste and will probably not withstand long years of use without getting torn or mushed.
   
   Each example has several steps for you to follow to duplicate as learning exercises with varied degrees of difficulty - the approach assumes you have a fair skill & knowledge of drawing: shadows, secondary light, reflections etc. It touches on perspective in a cursory way and while it encourages you to keep up with a sketch book to hone drawing skills as a pre-requisite to watercolor painting, it doesn't spend much time explaining nuances of realistic drawing; it only directs you when to add those nuances in and what colors/brushes to use when painting them.
   
   The book offers basic but succinct info on care & selection of art materials and watercolor paint characteristics (staining, transparency & opaque colors). The book is sprinkled with little tidbits of info on techniques - using/removing masking fluid, toothbrush spattering, making hard or soft edges, glazing/wash effects etc.
   
   I'd have given this one a 5 star rating for beginning to intermediate watercolorists were it not for the cover. Despite that, it is a worthy volume to have.