1 comments about Advanced Pinstripe Art: How-to Secrets from the Masters.

1. Timothy Remus and Wolfgang Publications have taken the successful formula used by Nikko Press (Airbrush Action) to provide tips and methods used by Stripers as an instructional "how to" very similar to the "Pinstriping Masters" (1 & 2). With 11 artists such as Robert Pradke and lots of useful tips, it is a very good book despite the fact that this book has less than half the artist's available as in the "Masters" series. Priced thru Amazon at just below the cost of Pinstriping Masters, it is still a reasonable buy. Pinstriping Masters 2 was not available thru Amazon, but I was able get it thru Coast Airbrush. If this book (Advanced Pinstripe Art) had the quantity of artists as the Masters series, it would have definitely gotten 5 stars, and in my opinion, it is still worthy of any collection.

No comments about MBGU: Jazz Curriculum, Diminished Workbook (Mel Bay Guitar University) (Mel Bay Guitar University).

No comments about Alex Katz (Contemporary Artists).

5 comments about Nature Printing: 30 Projects for Creating Beautiful Prints, Wearables, and Home Furnishings.

1. My grand daughters and I have enjoyed putting into practice several of the methods for printing from nature. Very worth while.



2. I purchased 2 books on nature printing...NATURE PRINTING WITH HERBS,FRUIT AND FLOWERS and NATURE PRINTING 30 PROJECTS ETC.
   Silly me, I thought these were 2 different books but alas they are the same exact book page for page printed under different titles.Isn't there some kind of protection for customers concerning that...don't get me wrong I love the books but I wasted money...one would have been enough!
   Elizabeth F. Broberg



3. Do you love nature? Do you have an artisic urge? Do you think creating art is difficult or expensive? If you love nature and want to bring it to your fabrics, walls, note cards, etc. then this book would surely delight you! The Victorians loved "capturing" nature in all its innocence, beauty, and comfort. They created so many wonderful collections, decorations, etc. This wonderful addition to the craft world shows the nature lover how to use nature to enhance the tranquility of your home or surroundings. The author shows you how to use an endless bounty from the natural world plus a few printing inks and paints to illustrate your world with the panorama of nature. The techniques within this volume are so enchanting yet simple enough for children to to accomplish as well. A wonderful way to enoy summer days!



4. This is a must have book for anyone who collects plants and other nature items. It is also a great find for rubber stampers and other paper artists. The book is in full-color and has many illustrations.

   The book starts out with a brief history of nature printing. It then details collecting, transporting, and pressing a wide variety of plants. Then paper & materials for printing and the printing process itself are discussed.

   Specialized techniques for printing objects such as spider webs, shells, feathers, gyotaku (fish rubbing), Taku-ga (rubbing picture), bubble printing & cyanotype are demonstrated as well. All the instructions are easy to follow.

   There are also many wonderful projects including fabric painting, wall printing & note cards. The resource guide is a nice bonus. This inexpensive craft is easy enough a child, yet rewarding for adults.




5. This is the most amazing book! I love nature and wanted to find a way to tie that love into an art form. This is definitely THE book for my purposes. Very detailed and inspiring with wonderful instructions and visual examples. I can't wait to take my next watercolor class and try these techniques on my work!

5 comments about A Year in the Life: Journaling for Self-Discovery.

1. I like A Day in the Life because the book is written in such a conversational voice. A reader may at times feel as if he is hearing the voice of a close friend. The writing flows with ease and is inviting.
   Another appeal is it is such a contrast to many journaling books. There is real meat and substance, exercises and commentary.I think most people who journal or are considering journaling will find this book rewarding.



2. I would consider this a book less about journaling and more about writing exercises in general. I've been journaling consistently for the past 7 years and sporadically for the last 15 years. I was looking for a book to suggest different techniques for composing a journal (perhaps some real-life examples), unique ways of formatting, and perhaps varying perspectives for reflecting on the days experiences and larger life events. This book is more reminiscent of an entry level composition course, describing how to draw a cluster diagram, and suggesting writing topics. Some of the exercises just seemed dull and not related to really keeping a chronology of one's experiences. If you're just getting started journaling or looking for general writing exercises then this may be your book. On the other hand, if you're looking ways of extending what you already do or looking for examples of what others have done, don't bother with this.



3. Sheila Bender leads you through a year of journaling with this well organized,thoughtful collection of prompts that will stimulate your creativity. First, through clustering and other steps she takes you through the process of starting your journal.

   These exercises trained me to show and not tell by developing my five senses. I believe that's one of the author's goals. If you want to develop creative muscle from the daily discipline of writing, then I urge you to add this book to your writing library.




4. I know the author. While killing time in Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, I started thumbing through A YEAR IN THE LIFE, and soon realized this is her *best* book yet (I have all of them)! This book is both deep and wide, meaning it is satisfying to read, plus providing outstanding exercises for writers and thinkers. My favorite content is the many "extensions" of the exercises, each of which can keep the reader occupied for hours (or months). Sheila refers to many outstanding books, which I hope to make time to read soon. At this price, buy a copy for yourself and a whole bunch more to give to friends. They will thank you over and over. Thank YOU, Sheila Bender.



5. Shelia Bender's new book is wonderfully creative and inspiring. Her book provides writing exercises for each week of the year. I suspect that by the time I've done a year of journaling with Shelia Bender, I will have gone way beyond my ordinary writing. I've been journaling for years as a way to capture and think about what's going on in my life while it is fresh. Little nuggets from my journal become essays. The exercies in Bender's book have a way of pulling out of me thoughts, images, and experiences long forgotten, as well as new discoveries. I used her special exercise on death to write about a friend who died recently. I imagined looking up at the sky with my friend, and wrote about what she saw in the clouds, about where she was when she looked at the clouds. I was amazed to write about a time when we actually did just that together. Once I started writing I couldn't put my pen down. The end result was an essay I was proud to give my friend's son. If you are serious about writing, and you are willing to put some effort into using Bender's exercises, you will mine information about yourself that will be astonishing. And you'll have a lot of fun along the way.

5 comments about All-American Ads of the 70s (All American Ads).

1. There are some drug related and "adult" type product ads in this book. You may want to keep it away from the kids!



2. An awesome collection of ads from this decade. Hundreds of pages w/ ads of all categories. Very enjoyable. I'm an advertising major & this is a fun book to own



3. Una recopilacion unica y fascinante, se puede recorrer la decada del '70 revisando las Publicidades que contiene esta obra. Infaltable para personas que trabajan en diseño, arquitetura, marketing y creadores en general.... no lo duden una obra maestra.Martin de Buenos Aires Argentina.



4. This book has porn, so if you're interested in buying this, do what I did and tear out those pictures and shred them so that your kids don't see them. Otherwise enjoyable.



5. All-American Ads of the Seventies adds another 702 pages to the 3418 pages in the first four books and only the Ads of the Twenties remains to be published. This latest book is really the weakest of the set though. As editor Jim Heimann explains in his intro, the Seventies print media lacked creative sparkle because television had captured most ad dollars. He also mentions the important point that in the Sixties ad art directors copied a lot of the really great creative stuff shown in the editorial pages of magazines and into the Seventies so much of this input had become everyday. Although he doesn't mention it I think another reason so many of these ads look bland is because they are just not old enough, they have not quite gained a nostalgic or curiosity value.

   Still there are some fascinating pages to enjoy, I liked the chapter on Consumer Products with ads for Sony Betamax, Electrophonic turntables, Advent VideoBeam television, Pioneer tape decks, Polaroid Sonar camera, Honeywell slide projector and an IBM Electronic 75 typewriter. All gone to that electronic dustbin in the sky. I thought the classiest ads were in the Business & Industry chapter, some really creative photography and design.

   If you lived through the decade you'll find some memory joggers here. As with the four previous books the production is excellent, all the ads have been carefully copied from the originals and no screen clash.

4 comments about Collecting Japanese Antiques.

1. If you love Japanese antiques, you cannot live without this survey, with superb photography, spectacular taste, ecclectic choice, and scholarly background by the editor of Daruma magazine. All of the major collectible fields are covered with practical, informative text, and beautifully photographed select finds. The photographic choices are representative, varied and exquisite. Not merely an introduction, the work serves as a springboard to understanding and appreciating many of the accessible antiques from the Edo and Meiji periods in particular. If the book had an index of marks for each type of collectible, it would be perfection. As-is, I like the book so much that I have bought extra copies for my friends, and a new copy when mine started to get worn.



2. This is not your typical collector's handbook listing objects and possibly briefly describing them and listing going prices. This coffee-table quality book with the title "Collecting Japanese Antiques" is a survey of Japanese art works and cultural items with sections of advice for collectors. The historical and cultural background on the different items favors what would be of interest to collectors. But it is also informative and relevant simply for its artistic, historical, and cultural material. Readers looking for concentrated information on Japanese art and culture accompanied by attractive color photographs would find this work exceptionally suitable. For the collectors it is meant for particularly, there's sections on "Tides and Trends in Collecting," guidance in developing collections of certain items (e. g., baskets), lists of artists, notable regions and schools for certain antiques, and especially desirable objects in certain categories. Seton also moves to the technical subjects of materials, production, and workmanship which are important for collectors not only in appreciating items and assessing their value, but in making a preliminary decision about their age and authenticity. Among Seton's 13 categories of antiques are screens and scrolls, ceramics, furniture, sculpture and metalwork, dolls, and tea ceremony utensils. Seton has lived in Japan since 1972, where he currently teaches Japanese art and poetry. In 1993, he founded the quarterly magazine "Daruma" to cover Japanese art and antiques; which he still edits. "Collecting Japanese Antiques" is a work any collector or lover of Japanese art and antique objects will want for sound education and easy reference, and at times for enjoyably looking at the numerous color photos of the varied Japanese objects.



3. This book is a real treasure. If you buy just one book about Japanese art and antiques, this is it. Its presentation, descriptions and explanations are excellent. Reading this book is learning and pleasure at the same time.
   I know the author personally and one can really see in this book his love and dedication to Japanese art.
   For everybody who wants to learn more about Japanese art and antiques I strongly recommend the magazine "Daruma" which is edited by Alistair Seton.
   Markus Zenhaeusern, Kobe, Japan



4. The photos in this book are stunning. The author is knowledgeable.
   If you can't live in Japan to be near the beauty of its art, then this is second best. Rarely will you be able to get such thorough descriptions, history and feeling for the art and antiques of Japan.
   
   Cyndee Nagy, Kobe, Japan

5 comments about Superman: Peace on Earth.

1. The authors are able to reach the core of the heart of the Superman carachter. This volume combines Alex Ross beautifully illustrated pages with Paul Dini very simple and meaningful storyline. Also read Batman War on Crime from the same authors.



2. This is a great story line and incredible art(literally beautiful art, this book should be bought just for the art work). The story revolves around Superman seeing the incredible needs of mankind and chooses to solve one...hunger. He does all the right things and finds out soon enough even a Superman is no solution to the deep fears and hatreds of man that seem to be the root of these evils.
   I really enjoyed this rather short but very touching and human touch to a Superman. Even the frustration of a man of such power being powerless to stop even one problem that you would think everyone would be glad to eliminate. A very thought provoking scenario for all of us. Though he is SUPERMAN he is no GOD and he knows this..I highly recommend this one on many levels...JB



3. Superman : Peace on Earth is a bigarse sized character spotlight by Alex Ross, basically. Also, it is Superman looking at the everyday basic problems that people on the planet face, as opposed to chasing Lex Luthor around. What to do about people that are hungry, and that sort of thing. So, lots of people will find this tame.



4. I love this book. The art is what drew me to it and a double plus is that it is Superman, the world's greatest hero. EVER!



5. The bigger the better for ross's beautufl paintings, so this supersized book is a joy. Collect them all!

2 comments about 101 Celtic Knotwork Designs (101 Celtic).

1. if you love celtic art, check out this book. I have only borrowed from the library, but it is beautiful.



2. I'm a long time fan of Courtney Davis' celtic art books and this book is even better than I expected it to be.
   
   The designs are from carvings, manuscripts, metalwork and other sources. They are easily adaptable for needlework, painting, fabric painting and numerous other arts and crafts.
   
   The best thing about the book is the duplication of each design, first as a clear black-and-white line drawing and then as a vibrant colour-filled design.
   
   What an inspirational book!

No comments about Learning by Heart: Teaching to Free the Creative Spirit.