4 comments about The Practice of Tempera Painting.

1. Uno de los mejores manuales existentes, con consejos y ejemplos sobre la practica de la pintura al Temple, comodo de leer y directo al grano...pequeno de tamano, pero con las bases tecnicas de dicha practica.



2. This is, as the title promises, a very good foundation for any artist interested doing traditional egg tempera painting, or for any art lover who wants to know more about the medium itself. It covers everything from mixing gesso accoording to traditional recipes, to framing and care of the finished work. For me, though, that's the least of it.
   
   First, it's an incredible reference on the tools and techniques of water gilding. It limits itself to gilding as it works with tempera painting and frames, but is exhaustive within that scope. It discusses everything from the laying the bole ground to burnishing, then tinting the finish. Although this emphasizes traditional tools and materials, the author isn't afraid to use modern aids, like rubber cement masks. By the way, anyone who wants to use scrapers to smooth the gesso ground, as this author suggests, should consult a woodworker's guide for directions on sharpening the scraper. A little extra effort up front makes a world of difference in the scraper's performance.
   
   Second, it's a fascinating historical document. Although the book was written in the early 20th century, most of its recipes go back to medieval times, maybe earlier. Therein lies a potential problem, though. Back then people were a bit less careful about pigments like lead white and mercury-based vermilion. Since egg tempera doesn't keep well in wet form, the artist must use many pigments in their hazardous dry form. The practitioner should review the safety of pigments and techniques very carefully before trying the directions in this book.
   
   Still, it's interesting to read about the daily practice of art, including the artist's relationship to a pigment supplier, from a time so different from our own. The recipes, too, have an antiquated sound. I'm not sure I've ever seen sandarac, for example, let alone the range of colors all identified as "vermilion."
   
   This isn't just history, though. It needs some adjustment for modern safety and materials, but it's a very practical guide to everything there is to know about the many techniques in tempera painting.
   
   //wiredweird



3. There are not many books available on tempera painting mainly because few artists these days have either the time or the patience to grind their own pigments and mix them into a binder. For anyone who does have such an interest egg tempera is a fascinating and beautiful medium to learn. Anyone who has ever tried to scrape off dried egg yolk from a plate will soon realize how incredibly durable a binder it makes for a painting medium. The Practice of Tempera Painting covers a lot of subjects in-depth. Everything from preparing the surface, pigment to egg to water ratios, discussions of various pigments to actual instructions for the traditional hatching and cross-hatching brushstroke technique is shown.

   The only section readers today might want to supplement is reading up on a more up-to-date book on pigments. Many of the pigments discussed in Thompson's book, while still available, are now known to present health risks. Modern pigments that are safer and just as lightfast (in some cases even more lightfast) are now available that Thompson and painters of the 1930's didn't have. Other than that one caveat this book is a great introduction to egg tempera painting.




4. This excellent introduction to egg tempera is invaluable to oil painters as well. Thompson's writing is filled with humor and wit, making the book very readable.

   I was delighted to discover that, unlike so many books about painting techniques, Thompson's is clear and thorough without being a condescending "how to" manual. It also avoids being mired in footnotes and tedious tangential detail. It is obvious that he speaks from the perspectives of both painter and scholar. The only drawback is that the reproductions are in black and white, but as this was standard when the volume was written it is forgivable.

   This book will prove informative for artists, teachers, and museum professionals (I am all three) who are in search of solid information on tempera painting. Look no further and enjoy the read!

2 comments about Miro.

1. I could not find this book in any book store. However, it was easily available through Amazon.com, and was delivered on a timely basis. The over all experience was very smooth.



2. This is a magnificent art book, written by a leading authority on Miro, replete with high-quality illustrations and served by a brilliant text. Undoubtedly the best available work on the Spanish master, it enables the reader to wander through Miro's oeuvre with almost the same enjoyment as if the paintings were actually before your eyes. The entire career of the painter is covered and the text is historically informative as well as enlightening in its explanations of major works. A must-have in any fine arts library.

5 comments about People & Portraits (Drawing in Color).

1. I had heard that it's always best to see if you like the art in the book before learning how to create a similar style. This is a great book if you like the style personally. I, however, do not. I prefer the MUCH more difficult style where the skin tones look buttery smooth but I like the book anyway as it's always helpful to know more technique whether you ever use it or not. So, if you like the style, you'll LOVE the book as it's well-explained and demonstrated!



2. I have learned so much from Lee Hammond! She is the best illustrator, telling you what you need, what paper to use and how to use all your tools of any book that I have ever read. I am trying to buy ALL of her books. She leaves NO details out! It is almost like being in one of her classes. Thank you Lee Hammond!



3. Excellent book - especially for those just learning the art form. An excellent adjunct to Ms. Hammond's books on drawing with graphite. Helps the beginning artist make the transition from grayscale to color.



4. Ms. Hammond's pencil portrait book is not remarkable, but at least in that book she stuck to graphite -- not color.

   This book shows a decided lack of colored pencil rendering technique. There are examples of awkward and somewhat untidy rendering coupled with mediocre drawing skills. This combination does not make for a good art instruction book.

   Colored pencil can easily look messy and blotchy (or uneven) if rendered improperly. There were definitely some examples of that here. Also, one would assume that a portrait book would show, well, portraits that were well-drawn. Nope, not here. Some have misaligned features which are rendered with little sensitivity.

   There also seems to be a lack of understanding about how to use color as well. Some of the shadows and dark colors are "overkill" and too harsh for the face.

   However, to be fair, a few of the portraits were not bad. Some portraits used a deliberate "light touch" with a more limited color scheme (one portrait in particular springs to mind) and these looked better.

   There was also little actual *drawing* instruction. Sorry, but just teaching the graph or grid method isn't going to hack it. That's just one tool used for drawing, and it very easily can become a crutch of that's all an artist knows how to do. What about drawing from life? How can someone use a graph or grid to draw from life?

   I understand that the author is a very encouraging teacher and that's great. But my goodness! This certainly is not the best colored pencil book out there. A *much* better choice would by any colored pencil book by the fabulous Bet Borgeson. Now *that's* colored pencil done right.




5. i think that is a great book. it explains all the techniqes in detail. and shows you step byt step how to the drawing and coloring. Lee Hammond does great work and i love her books.

1 comments about Drawing & Painting Flowers - Problems & Solutions.

1. Very good book. Excellent instruction on what not to do as well as how to do it correctly. highly recommended.

5 comments about Stained Glass Basics: Techniques * Tools * Projects.

1. Years ago I took a beginner's class at a local community college, then raising a family took my time. My tools and glass sat packed away for years, now the kids are grown and I am starting out as a beginner for a second time. Once again I am taking a class and wanted a book to supplement my learning and practicing at home. The photography is very striking, the best part of the book. Instructions are very basic. I am doing copper foil and hoped to find more tips on how to correct foiling mistakes. If I hadn't done some soldering, the instructions would have seemed very vague. I have read over the lead glass techniques, which I have not learned yet, and I am truly lost, can't make any sense of the directions. Consider this a bare bones introductory book, and once you become more proficient through other sources, perhaps return to it to recreate some of the patterns.



2. There's one thing you have to say for this book. It doesn't give you more information than you need. In fact, it doesn't give you a lot of information at all. However, the real truth about doing stained glass art at its most basic is that it really is a very simple process. The most complex Tiffany window is really a reiteration of the basic copper foil technique carried to magnificent extreme. Therefore, once you master the basic skill set of cutting, grinding, foiling, and soldering--you will be able to do great things. The only limit is your budget and your imagination.
   
   The good news is that once you are set up with a few basic tools--and the only really expensive one is your grinder, which can be purchased for under $100--all you really need is glass, and glass is not nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. It averages around $5.00 a pound, and in most cases, a pound is a piece that measures about a square foot. I've been sticking to glass in the $3.50 a pound range, and have made some pretty cool stuff.
   
   The projects in this book are the real problem. There are no full-size patterns. There are just pale little outlines, which say things like "enlarge to 375%" and give no directions about assembly, only a few tips. Most have no guidance whatsoever about what kind of glass to use. They really are just suggestions. Your local glass shop is packed with project books, but though they are in fact little more than pamphlets, they are extremely expensive--$17.95 and up. Puleeeze. The best thing to do for a beginner is to draw out some simple diagrams on graph paper and just start cutting. Don't overthink this thing or you will become so intimidated you will never get started. Buy some glass and don't be afraid to break it. Practice cutting and grinding on some Spectrum glass--beautiful and inexpensive--and you be surprised how quickly you progress past this book.
   
   I would recommend this book to a rank beginner, but I would also recommend that somebody out there write an up to date, useable instruction manual with real directions.



3. After I began taking a stained glass class, I ran to the library and the bookstore. My instructor is good, but he's only one opinion. I must have looked at a dozen books, but this is one of the two that I brought home. I'm certainly glad I did.
   
   Like many such books, there are three sections: basic techiques, projects, and a gallery that shows what you can do (but offers no instruction -- just an ooh-ahh opportunity).
   
   The strength of this inexpensive book is in an exhaustive series of photos. They don't just tell you, they SHOW you. Other books might give you one picture or drawing to explain how to cut an inside curve; this one has three. With clearly numbered instructions and five photos, it's easy to see how to, say, make and attach hooks to your project. And, unlike any other stained glass book I examined, this one explains how to make minor repairs, such as what to do when you crack a piece of glass after you soldered it into place.
   
   Speaking of projects, these are lovely. None of them are dorky. They start out with lots of instruction -- 9 pages for the first lead came project -- and give less and less. At the end, they present a simple lamp with two variations, on a single page; clearly, they expect that you've worked up to a level of expertise where you don't need quite as much assistance. It might be a bummer if I wanted to jump ahead.
   
   I'm glad that I'm taking a hands-on class in stained glass; there's no question that the one-on-one instruction is minimizing the number of mistakes I'm making. However, this excellent book is a great reference for the information that was unclear or which didn't stick in my head. I'm glad it's in my library. You should get it for yours, too.



4. Awesome book - must have for any stained glass artist! Great patterns, very easy to difficult. Glass descriptions. Great reference manual.



5. This is a great compendium of technical advice, suitable for a beginner. Tutorials included for both foil and came techniques. Lots of additional projects included. Recommended as a first book.

4 comments about The Complete Mosaic Handbook: Projects, Techniques, Designs.

1. After I bought this book, I read the reviews. So I ordered two other books...The Mosaic Artist's Bible and Mosaic Patterns. I by far like the Complete Mosaic book the best for the beginner. It has all the information that would be important for the beginner to know. I like the other two books I ordered, but I will use them after I get started and am into it for awhile. I read The Complete Mosaic Handbook often and get more and more insight how to go about my mosaic projects. So don't pass up this book! It's great for the beginner!



2. There are so many books 'how-to' books out there on mosaic technique. Some are accurate, clearly based on extensive practical knowledge and experience, and some have very misleading and incorrect information. I'm afraid this book falls in the former category. When an author mentions using Elmers craft glue to create a mosaic or seal a substrate, then I would hesitate to trust any of the other information in the book.
   
   For a proven 'how-to' book on creating mosaics, I would suggest 'Mosaic Techinques and Traditions' by Sonia King or any of the books by Emma Biggs, Tessa Hunkin, or Elaine Goodwin. These are all working mosaic artists and instructors and the techniques they share can be counted on to provide you with a solid foundation in this wonderful art form.



3. This is an excellent book which has a variety of projects that are sorted into difficulty, cost and time levels. THese useful categories help you to decide how you will proceed with projects. The how to parts are easy to follow and the pictures are beautiful. OVerall this is a great book for the beginner to the more advanced mosaicist.



4. The book was received quickly. It appeared that the book was taken good care of.

3 comments about Chinese Brush Painting Step by Step: Step by Step.

1. The book is easy to read (and I'm not speaking English as mother tongue), clear plus pictures and paintings are gorgeous from cover till the last page. I find this book over and over again from my hand. Also contents are excellent, speaking of learning how to paint. Although I have taken one basic course in Chinese painting, it still gave me more information including the repetition of the basics. I only can recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the technique. I already bought one extra for a student of mine.



2. This book has been translated into FRENCH and is selling now. It is about painting, about art. The French Title is " La Peinture Chinoise, pas a' pas".ISBN: 2-215-07592-9 It is good enough for France to have a translaed copy is good enough to be rated 5 stars.



3. I am drawn to Chinese brush painting by its emphasis on form, simplicity and elegance. I also love the use of pen and ink and watercolor. This book is a beautiful introduction and has made me want to read more as I begin to paint in this centuries-old tradition. In my search for serenity and beauty in Nature, Chinese brush painting has calmed my restless soul. Truly a wonderful book!

   Tony Cerreto

5 comments about The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting.

1. This book is almost priceless to me. Not only are the illustrations well reproduced and are a huge benefit to the artist, but the text is a testament to the Spiritual eyes and heart of its authors. Few people are patient enough these days to really take the time to understand what these subjects really are...living, breathing, knowing life-forms. I have discovered a new way to look at the subjects I paint, they require one to sit and share conversation and acceptance on the deepest level. I will treasure this book more than any others in my collection.



2. A solid book that encompasses the subject matter very well. excellent as guide for learning techniques.



3. I really love this book . It has an old world flavor but is easy to understand . This isn,t a book to read but one to study for a lifetime .
   I,m a beginner brush painter and it has offered me many ways of looking at one subject. That is the true beauty of this art form .
   I,m very glad to have it in my library .



4. I am a student of Chinese painting and this book was recommended by our teacher as the most reliable reference book for Chinese painting. I am very pleased with this purchase since it is everything that I expected.



5. This manual has been used for centuries in China and Japan and illustrates all the basics needed to paint in oriental style, with helpful written pointers. Be aware that the black ink illustrations were originally wood-block prints so grey tones do not translate. Particularly useful for compositional study and models of outlline figures, animals and architectural elements. For more up-to-date and in-depth instruction in the Four Gentlemen, including stroke-by-stroke illustrations, try the "Book of Bamboo", "Book of Plum", "Book of Orchid" and "Book of Chrysanthemum" by Prof I-Hsiung Ju.

5 comments about Drawing: The Head (HT197).

1. ...for beginners & intermediates in ability. It's 32 pages taken from several of his original books- easily my favorite Loomis collection!
   
   In recent decades there have been 3 main teachers in learning to draw heads from memory. For cube-based construction we have George Bridgman. For ball/sphere-based construction we have Andrew Loomis. And for oval/ellipse-based construction, we have the famous teacher of the Dynamic Drawing series- comicbook artist Burne Hogarth. Many of today's Japanese animation & comicbook instructionals are using these very same principles, along with some of the teachings by the Famous Artists School. My current interest is in oval & cube-based construction, but it's Loomis' famous *ball/sphere-based* construction here that many people consider to be the BEST. All artists, from beginners to even professionals(!), could easily benefit in learning these 3 popular standards.
   In any case, this is a great work *in pencil* on heads of all kinds. All popular aspects of construction are covered: men, women, children, teens, elderly, fashion-models, proportions, rythmic lines, planes, anatomy, bone structure, simple lines & shapes, perspective, common actions, expressions, clear line drawings, and even full-blown tonal studies (whew!). That's a lot in just 32 pages. It's all done in a classic mid-20th century style, similar to Jack Hamm's excellent Drawing The Head And Figure. My favorite pages here are p.26, p.27, and p.30, because these are his clearest & most detailed pure line drawings- exceedingly great to copy & learn from. A tremendous help for anyone interested in learning to draw from memory- get this great book today!
   
   P.S. ...just so you know: this reviews page is shared by 2 Loomis books. The 1st is his slim & tall, 32-page Walter Foster paperback collection currently entitled Drawing: The Head (HT197). This HT197 guide was also known as Heads/2. My review is for this Walter Foster collection. The 2nd book this reviews page is linked to is Loomis' original hardcover called Drawing the Head and Hands; a full-blown book- more than 32 pages. At this writing, this 2nd book is out of print. The real reason these 2 books share these reviews is that the shorter, Walter Foster collection takes a few pages from several books, including pages from this full-blown Drawing the Head and Hands.
   As I understand it, Loomis actually *created* ball/sphere-based construction for heads, printed in Fun With A Pencil circa 1939- and I see no evidence to contradict this. And today it's one of the most popular methods around. His books being out of print confuses many! That's why I give this 5 stars: instead of slamming Walter Foster's publications for their lack of completeness, we should thank them for keeping Loomis' name alive(!). If it weren't for this Drawing: The Head collection, I might never have given his Figure Drawing For All It's Worth a chance. Now I have both- thank goodness!



2. I held Andrew Loomis's books in the highest esteem. Then walter foster came along and decided to cut cost by publishing every third page and discarding everything in between. Think this statement is absurd! Compare Andrew Loomis's books BEFORE and AFTER walter foster got his hands on them.



3. The human body is the hardest thing to sketch, and of its parts, the head and hands are most intimidating. Loomis found a way to bring these challenges into the realm of the achievable for amateurs, with a text that, while a bit old fashioned in style, feeds the drawing brain.
   As a bonus, Loomis'own pieces, particularly the finished sketches, are deeply satiafying to view. To be sure, the style is genre-past, but the evocation is sweet, recent, and wholly American. One can see in the sketched heads the tender, yearbook faces of our parents now aged or departed.



4. "Drawing Heads" by Andrew Loomis is a very thorough and comprehensive book that has amazingly been crammed into under 70 pages.

   There is no waste whatsoever in any of the pages. The illustrations are beautiful and it contains simplified, easy to understand approaches to drawing the head as well as basic anatomy and facial planes. Also contained are the proportions for small children, babies and teens.

   It would have to be the best book on drawing the head i have come across and is at a bargain price. It is a "must have" for anyone serious about learning how to draw the head.




5. I've owned this book for quite some time now,but the only thing is that it's a translated chinese version of it & the translatiton was done very badly.Still with the well drawn images,I was able to learn everything on drawing of the head & hands.It's a great book & everyone should at least flip over the book to see how faces should be drawn well.Sorry for those who wants this book,I'll never sell it away(May be after I've got the english version of it).

5 comments about Happy Trails.

1. Happy Trails begins with Opus deciding to get an illegal back-alley liposuction of his nose, and ends with him saying "Good-bye" to all of the familiar faces and places of Bloom County on the way to the sequel "Outland". On the pages that intervene Berkeley Breathed gets in some hilarious and dead-on pokes at religious fanatics, Donald Trump, Swimsuit Editions, and phone solicitors.

   Not quite as coherent a collection as the previous books as Breathed tries to get in his "last shots" before retiring Bloom County forever, this book is still hilarious and interesting, and a must-have for those looking to complete their BC collection.




2. This book was very sad.For those who have read Bloom County before it is a must read.And the ones who haven't,still,it is a must read.The ending to this magnificent comic strip was done in excelent taste.You can feel the sorrow as it is over,never to be done again.The charcters are great,which makes it so sad.It truely is a gift on what he did in this last book.I cried,I laughed,I jumped on dandylions.



3. It is a testament to the talents of Berke Breathed that well over ten years after he suspended "Bloom County," it is still sorely missed by its legions of fans, myself included. Once described as "Doonesbury with animals," "Bloom County" took on a life of its own, and what a life it was. "Happy Trails" consists of strips from the County's last year, and all the familiar characters are here--Opus, Bill, Steve Dallas, Cutter John, Milo, and Hodgepodge--as well as a couple of new characters who would star in Breathed's follow-up strip "Outland." Breathed's observations are dead on, and the strips will often have you thinking--once you get enough oxygen back to your brain after laughing so hard. With the possible exception of "Dilbert," no comic today has the fan loyalty that "Bloom County" did--and now that Charles Schultz is no longer with us, I doubt any will again.



4. I stopped reading the comics regulerly when Bloom County stopped. I didn't find the comics funny anymore. This work, which shows some of his earliest strips are funny, and if you understand the poltical references because you were alive then, which I was, it makes this all the more funny.



5. As one progresses through this book, as well as the other outstanding volumes in the Bloom County "Anthology," you remember the quirky concepts, ideals, and opinions of your childhood. You didn't understand much of the strip growing up, as I did, but in retrospect it offers a frank, comical, unyielding, and nostalgic trip through our lives. True Bloom county fans will share my utter sorrow when the last few pages bring an end to an amazing book. I hope Breathed has some more projects in the future.