5 comments about Art of Calligraphy.

1. I recently took a calligraphy class, and my teacher used this book to teach the class.
   
   I immediately bought it, even though I already own a "few" calligraphy books, but this is one I reference more than any other.
   
   I particularly appreciate the history lesson of written script, as well as all of the samples of historical works throughout the book. I don't have this info in any of my other books.
   
   Harris utilizes multiple colors to illustrate the order of the strokes. This is very useful in tandem with numbers and arrows to show how to form each letter.
   
   25 letterform styles plus "cadels" are taught in this book.
   
   The GLOSSARY in this book is fantastic. Any term you come up against, you can find it in this glossary. Saves a LOT of time instead of searching each page for the definition!
   
   There is a reference table of all the letterforms in the book, which makes it easy to decide which hand you may want to utilize at any given time.
   
   And to top it all off, there's a comprehensive bibliography. So, if you want to research anything on your own you have a great guide!
   
   I REALLY wish this book was spiral-bound so it would lay flat without a lot of bending and creasing, but it is NOT spiral-bound. It is a regular paperback. However, once you do your creasing and bending and folding, the pages eventually stay open and flat. I have resorted to clipping my pages open with a binder clip because the book is still new.
   
   Mr. Harris, if you are reading this review, PLEASE PRINT THIS BOOK WITH A SPIRAL BINDING!!!! Otherwise, 2 thumbs up!



2. David Harris's "The Art of Calligraphy" is one of my two must-have historical calligraphy books (the other is Mark Drogin's "Medieval Calligraphy"). While it's not comprehensive--one must turn to other books for information about inks, illumination, and so on--it provides a very nice overview of the evolution of calligraphic hands, from Rome to copperplate script. It's full-color, and includes historical background and images of historical texts. Charts of all the alphabets included and of their evolution are nice additions.
   
   I appreciate that the hands are not modernized--while additional modern letters (such as W and K) are included, the historical letters are accurate. The use of transparent ink to show stroke overlap, and of stroke direction diagrams is very helpful. The directions for cutting quill and reed pens are fairly good.
   
   The hands presented overlap considerably with Drogin; however, "The Art of Calligraphy" includes both French and English bastard hands, italic, and humanist, and goes into greater detail on the construction of cadels. For those interested in Renaissance hands, "The Art of Calligraphy" is a better choice.
   
   Overall, I strongly recommend "The Art of Calligraphy" for calligraphers interested in historically accurate medieval and Renaissance hands. I found it easier to read and follow than Drogin (although I recommend having both). Beginners should probably supplement with a basic book on calligraphy.



3. An excellent reference as well as a "How to" manual. I can and will recommend this book to beginners and to people who have been practicing the art for a long time.
   
   FKA Heidelberg, Germany



4. David Harris's Art of Calligraphy is the best book for learning calligraphy by far. No other calligraphy book should be considered.



5. This is the text that made me fall in love with calligraphy. The exemplars and facsimiles are beautiful, reason enough to own this book.
   
   It is more historically than pedagogically oriented, and serious students will need more than this book to progress far in the art. Nevertheless, anyone contemplating the study of calligraphy can do no better than to begin here. The calligrapher David Harris is an artist of the highest caliber.

No comments about 100% Evil.

2 comments about The Original Art of Basil Wolverton.

1. The visage of "Lena the Hyena" in Lil' Abner blew this seven year old away in 1946. Basil was a hero from that day forward. This book, The Original Art of Basil Wolverton, is a wonderful compilation of the bizarre art of Basil. Well organized, clearly annotated and crisply printed all help to pop Basil off the page. Many memories came flooding back and if you ever loved Lena, you will love this book.



2. Thanks to Glenn Bray for putting out this monster of a collection of Basil Wolverton's work.
   This volume is filled with previously published and unpublished works.
   I felt like I was four years old again looking at the sketches for the unused Topps "Make Your Own Name Stickers". That's how old I was when I first remember seeing Basil's amazing illustrations.
   Wolverton is the reason I became an artist.
   How nice that this book was released on my birthday!
   
   -Stephen Blickenstaff

5 comments about Terrific Training Materials: High Impact Graphic Designs for Workbooks, Handouts, Instructor Guides, And Job AIDS.

1. I bought this with high hopes that it would have inspirational page layouts. I often create templates for training materials, and use these types of materials for reference. In this case, I wish I could return it. This was written with early word processors in mind, I think, uses mostly cliche'd layouts, and it's all black and white.
   
   I would refer people considering this book to purchase Robin Williams' Design Workshop, or Design for non-designers, instead. Those two are way more worth the money than this one.



2. The materials were good ideas if you have no experience in training or educating people. If a person has any experience at all, it would be better to find a text that gives more, and also comes with a CD so you can implement the ideas easily and quickly.



3. This book is a great reference material to have on hand when you need an idea for an outline.



4. This is written for people writing adult training material...but I would recommend it for anyone who is new to page layout and publishing, and wants to get an introduction to "the basics."
   
   This book is easy to read and understand. It practices what it preaches--a straightforward layout with clear examples of what to do and what not to do.
   
   Once I started using the ideas in this book, my page layout moved to a whole new level. I started getting compliments left and right...people thought that the content had improved, but it was the page design.
   
   I bought several other training books at the same time, but this is the one I turn to again and again.
   
   Frank includes suggested layouts that are easily copied into MS Word. She also includes consistency checklists to help you create an overall design for your publication.
   
   Advanced users may wish that she discussed color and use of photographs. She also did not discuss material to be viewed online. I feel that those two elements really add to modern training. However, as a primer this is excellent.



5. If you're like me, you know what you want to write but have to visualize how you should write it. This book is a great guide on how to visualize and create great documents and training materials and I'm truly grateful to the author for writing it.

2 comments about Capturing the Magic of Light in Watercolor.

1. The book has lots of information in it and would be an excellent book for a beginner watercolorist.



2. This book was purchased as a birthday gift for our daughter-in-law, who is an amateur painter. It arrived just in time and we thank you for the service.
   
   Alan Platt

5 comments about Missing Persons: A Writer's Guide to Finding the Lost, the Abducted and the Escaped (Howdunit Series).

1. Only wish the author would stop trying to be clever all the time.
   
   People who think they are witty, (very often) are not.
   However, book contains info Private Eye writers can use.



2. If you plan on constructing a plot for your novel that centers around finding a missing individual, then this book offers in-depth explanations of the people involved in conducting searches. It's convenient to possess this information in one book that is informative.



3. It's supposed to be a reference to find the lost, abducted and escaped. But the tips could help you become a missing person!

   Some of the most interesting sections include:

   "How People Purposely Hide Their Whereabouts"

   "The Four-Step Formula for Finding Someone"

   "Profile of the Lost Family Member"

   There's so much more to this book than you can imagine. You're sure to find it a nice collection to your reference library.




4. This is one of the highlights of the "Howdunit" series: it's not only informative and thorough, but it's great fun to read too. Besides being an experienced and successful PI, Faron is a lively writer who knows how to choose an anecdote to make a point, so the book is engrossing as well as useful. She clearly knows the business inside and out, so she covers aspects of the subject that most of us don't know exist, and her remarks on the seamier sides of the PI's job are priceless. She occasionally seems to remember that she's writing a book for mystery authors, and tosses in a few suggestions for plots or episodes that I found rather pointless, but these don't detract from the general helpfulness of the book. Her more "reference"-oriented final chapters are less entertaining, but I greatly appreciated her summaries of what kind of information is available from a particular source and how easily accessed it is: many books that purport to give information on how to find people are just unselective lists of sources without commentary. And her state-by-state breakdown of PI licensing laws and legal information was great: I'm working on a couple of mysteries set in the state where I used to live, and her guidance was very helpful. I hope Faron keeps the book updated: the Internet has transformed searching (for people or information), and some of her suggestions are already out of date. But, as a whole, this book is a terrific "checklist" of how and why people go missing and how to look for them, and well worth reading.



5. Faron strikes again in the Missing Persons volume of the Howdunit series. Faron's advice on tracking people down was extremely helpful to me, both as an aspiring writer and a police officer (Faron gives tips on locating the hidden that they definitely don't teach you at the Academy...simple, easily-overlooked stuff that involves very little research). Faron's laid-back writing style and personal anecdotes make this an entertaining, as well as informative, read.

4 comments about The Art Forgers Handbook.

1. Be warned, this book contains a lot of recipes for art materials - so if you are reading just for the anecdotes you might be a bit lost in some of the process descriptions. However, Eric has done a wonderful job of weaving wit and humor into the text; it is never dry or technical. A painter looking for recipes to create decorative fakes will find this book useful, altho I think it is far too vague to provide any information to the serious forger. It excells in the anecdotes about Erics own forgeries, the art establishment, and the nature of collectors. I found myself laughing out loud at many points - a rare accomplishment for a book.



2. Interesting to read and covers a wide area of the forgers requirements, however its like swimming.
   
   You can read about it all day long but unless you do it the books pretty much useless.



3. The art forgers handbook is an intriguing confession. While having reference worthy material I would advise against
   believing the book is the bible on the subject. Forgery involves a talent for broad and bizarre logic that involves not
   only the crafting but also a mental empathy inside the universal mind of the collector, the dealer, and the expert.

   As far as I'm concerned there are more valuable resources how ever there can be no complete source that one book
   could provide and Hebborns books makes a decent edition. The real success in a forgers ability would be in there
   logic and this is something that Hebborn can't teach. Hebborn never the less seems to be a master and his
   confessions add light on how one might tackle the subject.

   I do hold the book in high regards but in fact I have learned very little from it. A study in the history of artist
   materials and techniques, conservation, authentication, and a study of how these have been flawed, artistic
   competence in craft, creative logic, and ones own trial and error will be the only all inclusive bible into successful
   forgeries.

   The book has a catchy title, is informative and intriguing just don't be misled that the book will give you the ability
   to turn Degas and Rembrants. In my opinion there is only an illusion when it comes to success in forgery. The real
   success of the book is a demonstration that history is flawed and art; mystical and intriguing art is indeed a
   commodity illusion and nobody in the field is safe if fakes are indeed fakes in what ever context a fake is regarded
   in. If you are interested in the subject read the book it may after all have cost the artist his own life. Oh yeah, look for
   my own book in two-three years!

   Good luck




4. Hebborn certainlly knew his stuff and succeeded in selling many of his "creations" through dealers such as London's Colnagi. If you are interested in the nuts and bolts of forging old masters, this will certainly get you started. Other good, though more technical, books to look at are Gettens and Stout (and don't overlook the bibliography) and the immortal Max Doerner. There are some errors in the book, e.g., bistre and orpiment are easily found, if you know where to look. Still, Hebborn writes with rare wit and, quite often, with more humor than you will find in most deliberately humorous books. Well, are ya gonna do it? Assuming, of course, you have the skill.... That's up to you and if this book has a weak spot, it is in its cloying self-justification for doing this.

5 comments about Space Art: How to Draw and Paint Planets, Moons, and Landscapes of Alien Worlds.

1. This book is exactly the book I need to continue developing as a space artist. The book has a number of step-by-step exercises, each of different levels of complexity/expertise. Even if you don't use the very same techniques he uses, you can still get a lot out of seeing a painting develop. This development was exactly the Rosetta Stone I needed.
   Thanks Mike!



2. I learned to paint from the wonderful Walter Foster art book series, which featured titles such as "How to Paint Landscapes," "How to Draw and Paint Seascapes," etc. Every niche of hobbyist painting was covered, from sunsets to still lifes. Typically, each subject would be explored through a series of illustrations showing the development of a painting from simple charcoal sketch, to rough color, to the finished work. Popular masters of the 50's and 60's such as Robert Wood and Violet Parkhurst let us look over their shoulders, sharing their "secrets" with struggling beginners. How I wish Michael Carroll's Space Art had existed back then!
   
   Space Art is not a primer on painting, although a beginner can pick up valuable techniques unlikely to be covered in more traditional "how to" books. While there is a good, brief discussion of media and tools, and an excellent presentation on color, the book assumes a basic knowledge of how to mix and work acrylics. What the beginning painter might find particularly useful, however, is Carroll's discussion, throughout the book, on how to "see" -- how to observe and depict the interplay of light and objects and atmosphere.
   
   Any basic art book will contain a diagram showing how to render and shade the cube, cone, and sphere, but Space Art links this exercise to nature in a way that traditional art books generally do not. For example, most landscape artists rarely paint the moon correctly, either depicting it as a featureless white disk or a weird, banana-shaped crescent. This is, I think, because they haven't made the conceptual leap that allows them to see the moon as a sphere, subject to the same rules of lighting as is an orange in a fruit bowl. They don't see the illuminated part of the moon as its "day" side, and the dark part as its "night." They haven't realized that the dividing line between day and night -- the terminator, to use astronomical parlance -- is an arc of an ellipse: the shape of a great circle seen in perspective. After reading Space Art and attempting its exercises, beginning painters will have a deeper understanding of light and shadow that will make them better artists in any genre of painting.
   
   Space Art takes the reader through fourteen exercises, ranging from the the almost mundane -- "Earth seen from the Moon" -- to the science-fictional landscapes of extrasolar worlds with binary suns. Brief essays by established space artists punctuate the exercises. These essays touch only lightly on technique, but delve more deeply into how space artists interpret the raw data of science and apply this knowledge to imaginatively portray a subject in a way that transcends a mere photograph. The sample illustrations by these guest artists range stylistically from plein air sketches to digital photographic realism. Carroll wisely restricts his exercises to techniques available to the beginner. Although he may sometimes use the airbrush or computer in his commercial work, subtle gradients in the exercises are created using fan brushes and sponges.
   
   Space Art is not only a useful book, but a beautiful one, well printed and rich with color. A reader is likely to learn a bit of astronomy and geology along the way, and Carroll's impish sense of humor comes through in the text, maintaining the friendly tone of a teacher who loves his work. Again, I wish some time traveler had brought this book to me forty years ago. Highly recommended for beginning -- and developing -- artists, in any genre.



3. SPACE ART: HOW TO DRAW AND PAINT PLANETS, MOONS, AND LANDSCAPES OF ALIEN WORLDS comes from a leading astronomical artist who explains the basics of styles and paints needed to produce the hues and excitement of alien worlds. Carroll has been a professional space art painter for over 25 years: his experience lends to a blend of science and art ideas which not only provides an overview of techniques, but provides some fourteen paintings, building in complexity, for step-by-step teaching. Any general-interest or art library will find it easily accessible and a popular pick.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. I bought this book to gain an idea of how to paint western backdrops for a model railroad. The book is thouroughly illustrated with progressive views of how to create different images. Work of multiple artists are presented, so it goes beyond just one style. Explanations are given over the use of color. I have found it to be a very useful guide, and did I mention, it has lots of pictures!



5. Michael Carroll has written, once again,a very fine book. This one meets a specific need in the artistic painting market of today. Space Art is a unique topic that is a favorite of the author's and it shows. The narrative is presented clearly with step-by-step, easy-to-follow directions, including which colors to use, how to create textures, and specific tricks of the trade used to make the artist's space paintings as realistic as possible. The book portrays painting lessons, with colorful thumbnail views, for all levels of students, from beginners to intermediate through to advanced. Michael has also included educational highlights to broaden the painter's knowledge of his/her favorite space subject as they seek to broaden their painting experience to include the wonderful world of Space. It's a great book and very helpful.

1 comments about Best in Show: The Dog in Art from the Renaissance to Today.

1. I am an artist who paints animals - wildlife and pet portraits. I bought this book in hopes that I would have, in one volume, fine art images of dogs: to learn from, to get inspiration from.
   
   This book did not disappoint me. WHile it is not by any means a scholarly work - in other words, it contains no real information on the methods, motives or analysis of the works depicted. It is very well illustrated and has light context commentary about the works and the artists who produced them. The number of color plates is generous, the range of illustrations is broad, well produced and includes little known as well as famous works, by masters from western and eastern traditions, from pre-renaissance through modern times.
   
   I recommend this book for anyone who loves dogs - and for artists who are looking for a compilation reference.

5 comments about The Simple Art of Chinese Calligraphy: Create Your Own Chinese Characters and Symbols for Good Fortune and Prosperity.

1. I have found this book very useful. It gives instructions how to use brush and how to write characters. Really easy to understand the instructions. The chapter with names and citations is also useful when someone want to make a decoration or gift, so altogether it can be useful even with very poor Chinese knowledge.



2. This is a good book for the beginning Chinese calligraphy learner and anyone who wants to know the history and basic principles of the art. It explains "the four treasures" -- the brush, ink, paper, and the ink stone -- and shows how to choose the right ones. It has beautiful calligraphy writing, superior to what is found in many other books on the same subject.
   
   The book contains many easy-to-follow projects. The book does not explain this, but on page 107 it presents the "mounting" project. The two characters shown make the name Tai Shan, also known as Mount Tai, a famous mountain in Shandong Province. Interestingly enough, Tai Shan is also the name for the National Zoo's baby panda. If you are in the mood, you can copy the characters and present the copy to your father-in-law to show your respect. After all, Tai Shan is also one way to address one's wife's father.
   
   I did find a small mistake in the book. On page 123 the last character in the last line should be Gan with the first tone, meaning dry or dried, instead of Gan with the fourth tone, meaning the trunk of a tree.
   
   Overall a very good and eye-pleasing book. Highly recommended.



3. Well a do not believe this book is rated as 5-star. I do belive the author is extremly good caligraphy painter but this book is intended may be for really small kids at age like 5-10. Everything is explained in souch a simple and shallow way than nobody seriously interested can be satisfied. Sorry .. nice pictures but for sure.. This book does not have anythink but 10 pages in common with caligraphy. So if you are interested in calligraphy and not in creating smal simple gifts to your child friend dont byu it. But once again the book is not bad.. but badly described or may be I just chose it badly, any way I hope this can help otherst to buy or not to buy.



4. This is the absolutely perfect book for ANY beginner as they take their first steps on the 1000 mile journey of Chinese calligraphy. From beginning to end, the bold, large text, striking colored illustrations, step-by-step definitions, impressive historical references & accuracy make this book a complete calligraphy BIBLE! This book covers EVERY single aspect of calligraphy from its ancient history and style transformations to individual sections on brushes, inkstones, ink, holding brushes, stoke techniques, components of the basic character of Yong and everything else one would need to understand, getting started, practice and perfect this masterful artform. Sections include: Materials, Techniques, Creating Characters, & LOADS OF PROJECTS to keep the novice entertained and motivated to share their new art with others. There is an abundance of information in this book and the format is rich & well-written. The plethora of character examples and practice techniques can quickly provide the much needed confidence and encouragement to not only keep a dedicated student going but getting the sheepish to begin to pick up their first brush.

   There is absolutely nothing missing from this oracle and this is an absolutely must buy for all calligraphy followers. The projects in this book cover everything from fans to greeting cards, bamboo placemats & calligraphy on stone. If you want to be delightfully entertained and educated on the ancient art of calligraphy, then pick up this book! Wishing you a blessed journey!




5. The Simple Art Of Chinese Calligraphy is a captivating introduction to learning and practicing the 6,000-year-old art of Chinese calligraphy as author Qu Lei Lei draws upon his personal expertise as an artist and calligrapher whose work has been exhibited in a number of galleries and museums in London, Paris, Geneva, Singapore, Tokyo, and Venice, and who has been a guest lecturer in Chinese art and calligraphy at the British Museum, the Victoria& Albert Museum, the Ruskin School of Art, as well as the Christie and Sotheby auction houses. Basic characters for good luck and other worthy concepts, stroke techniques, beautiful paper fans, and much more are discussed and described with easy-to-follow instructions and gorgeous full color photographs. The Simple Art Of Chinese Calligraphy is a superbly presented and truly first-rate introduction to the timeless joy of an ancient art form with an enduring popularity.