3 comments about Painting Coastal Scenes (Watercolour Tips and Techniques).

1. The book arrived in great shape and quickly. The paintings in it are great, but not very colorful. I felt the book had a lot to offer, though, so it was worth the price.



2. Well known artist Ray Campbell Smith shows how to paint with watercolors a subject that can be a challange to paint yet in a easy to understand way. Painting Coastal scenes is a great book that will help the painter understand a much easier way to record the coastal life. Ray Campbell Smith is a another great artist much like Ron Ranson. The paintings in the book hold fantastic loose brush work in a low key style.



3. While I liked the tutorials in "Painting Coastal Scenes", I found the subject matter and color palettes dull indeed. However, this is English (clench your teeth when you say "English") watercolour and this means that natural light, and monotone scenes that reproduce a foggy landscape or waterscape are to be admired and emulated.
   
   There were a few interesting tutorials on painting boats and shine on water, but very few that dealt with how to represent marshy plantlife on gleaming water. This book seems to be more suited to the OTHER side of the pond. If you live on an estuary (as I do) you will need to check some other sources of painterly expression...unless you happen to like Mr. Smith's style of watercolor. I found it dull and boring, though truthful to its subject. I was looking for a different way to represent this subject and this book simply did not inspire me at all.

5 comments about Theory of Colours.

1. Clever, original, speculative.
   
   Ideas like Goethe's are the wellspring of new fashions in thought, whether they are 'right' or not.
   
   Maybe Newton was supported by better evidence in his analysis of light and colour, but Goethe's views are a study in how the inquisitive human mind speculates on fascinating topics and comes up with answers that demand consideration and respect - whether they are 'right' in reality or just useful as ideas in themselves.
   
   This book will provide insights into how we think, not just how we explain phenomenon.



2. Very impressed to find the book as described
   either someone was very careful or it didn't get read more than once; either way I am glad.



3. Excellent



4. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, probably the greatest of Germany's poets, was also an avid amateur scientist and displayed through his careful observations and his keen, what might now be called phenomenological, mind an ability to discern the depth of the phenomenon in question, in this case the origin of colours. In direct contradiction to Newton whose theory of colour formation, based on his earlier prism experiments and their interpretation, was the accepted theory of the time in all scientific circles and laymen alike, with one exception, that of painting and artistic use of colour.

   Goethe, being fascinated by the colours generated from the prism conducted his own investigations and found to his great surprise that Newton's theory was, if not incorrect, but rather mechanical in nature and based on an "interpretation" of the phenomenon rather than the truth as it stands. Goethe through his investigations into natural phenomena gave rise to the idea of the archetypal phenomenon or Ur-phenomenon, in this case meaning the movement or active form present in the phenomenon which gives it its character rather than some static image such as a Darwinian ancestor. Goethe noted that it is possible to actually experience the fullness of the phenomenon ie the coming into being of the colours themselves and that the human being can not only theorise in the conventional sense of Kant but can in fact truly know the phenomenon as it is. Contemporary science as it also was then does not acknowledge such a possibility.

   The book is basically a written account of experiments done by Goethe on the generation of colour in natural events and his own experiments to bring to the fore the ground of all colour generation. It displays great care in his observations and it gives a wide ranging explanation of colour in the sciences, the arts such as painting and also deals to some degree with the experience of colours in the physiological domain. It is all encompassing in its attempt to understand the colour phenomenon in all of its many incarnations. It is convincing in its comprehension of colours and yet at times leaves one dissatisfied because it lacks mathematical rigour or measurement that is characteristic of science today. This habitual way of thinking present in scientists is rather hard to dislodge even when the mind is open, the main reason for this being the hard edged practicality of such an approach.

   I would think that Goethe's book can be looked at as an introduction to his way of doing science and as a first attempt to fathom the real depth of the phenomenon which is inherent in his approach and sorely lacking in "normal" science. Naturally, this does not mean scientists themselves haven't used similar approaches, the names of Faraday and his investigation of electromagnetism and Heisenberg in his description of the limitation induced by the scientific method to the investigation of natural processes, come to mind. It is the cutting down of the original "life" present in their investigations that is lacking today, perhaps a Goethean approach can lead back to the intensification of science that is needed.




5. This was a book for a class I'm taking. It's very interesting. I totally recommend it.

5 comments about Realistic Pet Portraits in Colored Pencil.

1. I bought this book with several others, and I just can't put it down. While it is true that some of the pictures are not photo-realistic, they are truly amazing. The author helps you with technique, and breaks down several aspects about animals that make drawing them difficult. I would have liked to know more about the whole body of the animal, but this isnt a drawing book, rather it is a technique book that covers the eyes, fur, feathers and to a lesser extent the expressions. She gives excellent advice on cat eyes to make them look liquid and translucent, and she breaks down some common mistakes. Overall an excellent book to own.



2. I got some use from the book but it wasn't as helpful as others I've seen.



3. I'm 41 and am renewing the love of drawing and sketching that I lost when I graduated from high school. I just didn't have time for art in my life, but when I finally picked up a pencil and paper a few months ago, I immediately fell in love with drawing again. A friend gave me a beautiful set of coloured pencils as a gift, which is one reason I purchased this book, and I'd be thrilled if I could ever produce a picture as nice as anything done by this author. Her drawings are just gorgeous, and the book is worth buying just to look at the pictures.
   
   One thing I noticed is that the artist doesn't solely work with coloured pencils. In some images she uses gouache paints to draw whiskers, for example. It's a small thing, but worth noting if you hope to produce these images.



4. This book would be less misleading if the "realistic" were left off of the title. The drawings are good illustrations, say for a children's book or the like. There's actually a couple included drawings that I had to wonder why they were included because they looked like good drawing for someone in highschool. Anyway, it may help if you really are just beginning to draw, but it was not what I had hoped for at all. If you want to see amazing colored pencil drawings and some interesting techniques, I would recommend the "Colored Pencil Solution Book" by Janie Gildow and Barbara Benedetti Newton.Colored Pencil Solution Book



5. Lots of details about producing the appearance of details in animals. It is amazing what you can produce. I refer to this book a lot.

3 comments about Color and Meaning: Art, Science, and Symbolism.

1. Great book, interesting, but am I the right public? As my first book on colour it misses homogenity. The same with references, nice but I don't have access to those hunderd other books about colour.



2. Is color just a physiological reaction, a sensation resulting from different wave lengths of light on receptors in our eyes? Does color have an effect on our feelings? The phenomenon of color is examined in extraordinary new ways in John Gage's latest book. His pioneering study is informed by the conviction that color is a contingent, historical occurrence whose meaning, like language, lies in the particular contexts in which it is experienced and interpreted.

   Gage covers topics as diverse as the optical mixing techniques implicit in mosaic; medieval color-symbolism; the equipment of the manuscript illuminator's workshop, the color languages and color practices of Latin America at the time of the Spanish Conquest; the earliest history of the prism; and the color ideas of Goethe and Runge, Blake and Turner, Seurat and Matisse.

   From the perspective of the history of science, Gage considers the bearing of Newton's optical discoveries on painting, the chemist Chevreul's contact with painters and the growing interest of experimental psychologists in the topic of color in the late nineteenth century, particularly in relation to synaesthesia. He includes an invaluable overview of the twentieth-century literature that bears on the historical interpretation of color in art. Gage's explorations further extend the concepts he addressed in his prize-winning book, Color and Culture




3. John Gage, the most thorough and clear-thinking historian of color theory, has produced another superb book, rich in references and sound historical bases from which we may go forward ourselves. There are a number of things any reader will delight in finally grasping. With me, it was that interesting distinction between pluralist and unified color modes (page 224) that I finally understand; and there are many other sound explanations that will delight the serious student of color. It is all the more baffling that Gage never reaches a discussion of such things as Land's color theory in relation to Polaroid, and even more important, the workings of color in the computer and its printer. If there ever was a codification millions of colors in relation to primaries it is in the design of these systems used by all of us. Yet Color and Meaning reads as if the computer has not yet been invented. I yearned to get to those chapters, but they were not there. And I regret it.

2 comments about Calligraphy: A Course in Hand Lettering.

1. Beautifully and intelligently executed, both beginners and advanced calligraphers will find value in this book. The scripts are rendered beautifully with excellent instructions and diagrams for practice as well as final lettering. It is spiral bound - a thoughtful touch for a book that will be left open to certain pages for lengthy periods of time. There are pull-out templates to use on a light-box underneath paper or vellum. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's well worth the price and could replace an entire bookshelf of less worthy tomes.



2. This has to be the best Calligraphy Book. It lays flat and will also "hang" off the top of your drawing table. The descriptions and explanations are well thought out and easy to understand. Maryanne Grebenstein has put a TON of thought into this book and how well its laid out. The tear out sheets in the back are fantastic! The only one I've come across that has them (and I have MANY calligraphy books). I recommend this book above all the others out there.

2 comments about Claude Monet - 1840-1926: a Feast for the Eyes.

1. Monet by Karin Sagner provides a chronological account of Monet's life and work, with perhaps the emphasis on the former. While his paintings are discussed in relation to his life and travels, and occasionally influences, there is only a little in the way of in depth discussion of the work itself. The book concludes with a Biographical Summary illustrated with black and white photographs; there is no bibliography.
   
   This is a well produced and attractively presented book; the pictures run with the text, and appear on the same page or as close as is practical to their mention in the text. The text is printed in quite a large size, and the images vary from around postcard size to full page plates and are almost entirely in full colour. There are about 225 illustrations, all but a very few of the paintings in full colour, most of the black and white images being period photographs. The quality of the plates is excellent often revealing the bush work and texture of the painted surface.



2. Taschen always offers high-quality art books on glossy paper at very reasonable prices; this Monet volume is a case in point. My only gripe is that more late work is not presented, such as full-page spreads of the late water lily paintings. Still, you can't beat the price.

5 comments about The Craftsman's Handbook: "Il Libro dell' Arte".

1. This ultimate treatise on painting technique, together with the perception and insight of the artist Cenninni opens a wonderful new window into the realities of art and craftsmanship in this fascinating period. One also gets an idea of just how skilled these people are and how hard they worked to achieve the perfection in their works. A MUST-have for anyone interested in Renaissance painting, or painting technique - from the horse's mouth. I'm thrilled to possess this book!



2. Learn how to paint like medieval artists, right down to the colors and techniques they used.



3. This little gem contains a great deal of use for anyone trying to duplicate authentic, medieval /rennaisance painting techniques. The instructions on making egg tempera paints, for example, are extremely clear. This book may as well have "required reading" on the cover for anyone who is interested in painting, calligraphy, illumination or related fields in history and practice.
   
   Please be aware! many techniques, pigments, and methods used in history were hazardous. many pigments in use in proffessional art workshops today are hazardous as well, but the Medeival artist did not have OSHA regulations and disclaimers. Please investigate the safety of ANY procedure or pigment before use.
   
   This book is referenced by many other authors and webpages for their instructions, and can be used as Primary Documentation for most living history groups



4. When you open this little book you are in for a shock. Or, shall I say - a jolt back to a reality show from a florentine painting workshop circa 1400?
   
   It is a completely unrefined(even quite raw to some tastes)step by step manual on the nitty-gritty of paint and medium preparation which can generally attract two types of readers - the professional painter who has heard of this little collection(and its mysterious "painting secrets") from word of mouth; or else, the seeker of bizzare and obscure literature of times past - in both cases you will go through this book alternating between bouts of disbelief and hysterical laughter...
   Great entertainment, and perhaps even a thing or two to learn about how renaissance artists saw themselves and their work.



5. 
   Art, genuine art, is a pleasure not only in the thrill of color and line but in its procedure and materials. In fifteenth-century Florence, an artist named Cennino d'Andrea Cennini compiled a handbook for contemporary and future painters to consult in their drawing and painting from the beginning, in choosing their ingredients, mixing their paints and preparing their paper or cloth for painting on.
   
   Unlike the making of sausage, the elements of creating art are a delight. Here are some how-to's excerpted from this wonderful little book (translated by Daniel V. Thompson, Jr., 1933, reprinted numerous times by Dover), still vibrant five hundred years after it was composed. The details also unwittingly reveal something of contemporary everyday life, where the art came from.
   
   To paint on a panel, you start with a little boxwood panel nine inches square, washed with clear water and rubbed and smoothed down. "And when this little panel is thoroughly dry, take enough bone, ground diligently for two hours, to serve . . . take less than half a bean of this bone, or even less. And stir this bone up with saliva. Spread it all over the little panel with your fingers; and, before it gets dry, hold the little panel in your left hand, and tap over the panel with the finger tip of your right hand [presumably Cennino was right-handed] until you see that it is quite dry. And it will get coated with bone as evenly in one place as in another."
   
   Wondering where to find the bone? "You must know what bone is good. Take bone from the second joints and wings of fowls, or of a capon; and the older they are the better. Just as you find them under the dining-table, put them into the fire; and when you see that they have turned whiter than ashes, draw them out, and grind them well on the porphyry."
   
   Parchment comes from sheep or goats; to draw on sheep parchment, the artist lightly inscribes the background of bone with a sharp point. "On the parchment you may draw or sketch with this [stylus] of yours if you first put some of that bone . . . all over the parchment . . . dusting it off with a hare's foot." To add ink, "shade the folds with washes of ink; that is, as much water as a nutshell would hold, with two drops of ink in it; and shade with a brush made of minever tails . . ."
   
   "And if you ever make a slip, so that you want to remove some stroke made by this little lead, take a bit of the crumb of some bread, and rub it over the paper, and you will remove whatever you wish."
   
   The artist gives equally clear and detailed instructions for whittling goose quills to get a sharp point for ink drawing, to tempering paper with several coats of glue (tempera), to making clear tracing paper by scraping kid parchment and treating it with linseed oil. White lead is a basic ingredient, so is saliva. (Saliva combined with lead poses a health hazard; painters often died young.) Colors come largely from minerals, and the author explains how to pulverize and mix minerals to produce the paints desired.
   
   Cennino explains every procedure in gessoing, stamping on gold, working on cloth, painting on velvet (yes, it goes way back), gilding saints' haloes, designing brocades, and embellishing with gold or tin. Much of a loss for art history, his instructions for mosaics are regrettably long since gone.
   
   The author also makes some opening remarks designed to put art in context in creation. Much as he loves art, Cennino subordinates it to thinking, and he never loses sight of the fact that it is work. After the fall, "Man . . . pursued many useful occupations, differing from each other," some "more theoretical than others; they could not all be alike, since theory is the most worthy." Art is a "labor of love," but it is still labor.
   
   Still, his praise for art, being genuine, is as strong as any I have ever read: "Close to [theory], man pursued . . . an occupation known as painting, which calls for imagination, and skill of hand, in order to discover things not seen, hiding themselves under the shadow of natural objects, and to fix them with the hand, presenting to plain sight what does not actually exist. And it justly deserves to be enthroned next to theory, and to be crowned with poetry."

2 comments about Space (Creative Painting Series).

1. I have looked at three books in this series: Form, Space and Color. The exercises sound interesting, but the demonstration pictures are very rough and not very inspiring.



2. Space is truly a final frontier for informative and inspiring painting techniques.
   Without getting bogged down in too much instruction-speak, the painted images serve as the best and most useful models for understanding perspective and spatial theories.

1 comments about Landscape and Power.

1. When reading this book, you'll find yourself having to reread portions again just to know what you read. As for myself, I read the first chapter (30 pages) and had to go back the next day and read again because I had no idea what I had just read, only that it was something about landscape. The language does not flow, and too many quotations from sources within the essays interrupt the flow of the author's own ideas. It may be groundbreaking in the study of landscape, but the difficulty of writing style gives it a definite drawback.

5 comments about How To Draw Manga Volume 6 (How to Draw Manga).

1. This book has 5 chapters.
   Judo
   Karate
   Kendo
   Boxing
   and street fighting
   
   The first four chapters are really good. They're researched very well and cover little things that only an expert might know. For example, the differences between a judo uniform and a karate uniform, the fact that if a corner man enters the ring during the round the boxer is disqualified, how to put on a kendo headwrap, things like that.
   
   Also, the book does a very good job of covering both sexes. There's even a note that says "women usually wear a t shirt under their judo uniform, men don't"
   The beginning of the book also has some illustrations with some great ideas and techniques
   
   However. The street fighting section is HORRIBLE. And that's the section I needed the most with the way I do my manga. Also, the artist of the street fighting section doesn't bother with facial expression AT ALL. ALL of the characters have the exact same expression on their face in every pose on every page of the last chapter. It's horrid.
   
   But overall, a pretty good idea. Well researched and well drawn, save for the last chapter. I'd recommend the book to anyone who wants to learn how to draw real, accurate martial arts



2. I must say, when you look at the cover you are going to expect the contents of the book to be a little different than what's in it. It's okay though, especially if you plan on drawing a manga that contains kendo, karate, and other forms of fighting. It gives you a run down on the gear you would use. So it's perfect for those who are interested in doing a action manga in that category.



3. This is a great reference book. I must say though that the art inside isn't too, well.... pretty. Not that its horrible, but it certainly isn't as anime/manga'esc as the cover might suggest. So in that case, I suppose you'll just have to incorporate your own style with the poses and such inside.
   
   This book is NOT for beginners. To those of you who are beginners, the pictures inside might be too confusing to imitate on a piece of paper.
   
   Other then that get it, if none of the above are of any concern to you.



4. Don't let the cute cover-girl fool you; this isn't about manga fighting styles. These are real styles, with real people. There are also pages dedicated to the uniforms and equipment needed to make your drawings come to life. It's a very useful book.



5. When I first got this book I wasn't a very good artist, so I thought that it was bad. However, as my skill grew I realized it had alot more to offer then what I had originally though it had. I don't think the book would be very suitable for beginners, but for more intermediate artist I think it is rather helpful. The book features several styles of martial arts, like karate and judo and various outfits and positions that would be found in those sports. It makes an excellent reference for when you need to draw a fighting scene or someone wearing the uniform that would go with that individual martial arts.