5 comments about A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book: Abstract Adventure (Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book).

1. The wild designs to color here present the most perfect break from your other daily activities -- creative or otherwise. This book is so good for releasing stress that Amazon should require a perscription to purchase it. That's some powerful tension-release!
   
   A Kaleidoscopia Coloring Book: Abstract Adventure is filled with beautiful images just waiting for your finishing touches. It's an inspiration.



2. This coloring book is imaginative and fun! The pages are full of interesting & creative designs. a++



3. I Love this abstract coloring book !! This is a wounderful product and i would recomend this to anybody who loves to color abstract coloring pages.



4. This is one that I have already started on,..with colored pencils,...,..I really enjoyed what little that I have started on,.last night,..Arcystal



5. Thank you for bringing these wonderful coloring books to Amazon.com! Year after year, at Minneapolis's Art a Whirl I look forward to finding Kendall Bohn's art studio because of the colorful and intellectual art he produces. Kendall is an artist who has not forgotten our children (and the children at heart) and their need for abstract, creative and fun art. Each coloring book is a flawless masterpiece which makes them a fantastic gift for cultivating imagination. At any age, anyone can color one of these beautiful pages to match any room and frame them for all to admire. I look forward to your continued releases!

5 comments about The Art of Painting Animals on Rocks.

1. I purchased this book for my father who loves to do painting and other art work as hobbies. The pictures and the descriptions are very good. I recommend this book.



2. It is realy an art. I guess practice is what makes this rocks look beautiful.
   You must love to paint, plus you need talent. At the end the time and effort is worthy. Get this book if you really feel a passion por painting animals in rocks.



3. Fast shipping. Book smells like mildew.
   Lots of good fun with this book.



4. Love this author. This book is outstanding. Can not wait to get started.



5. I enjoyed this work from the moment I opened it. This book is not only "pretty," it is actually useful. The illustrations are perfect and uncomplicated. The text is easy to follow. Even someone with minimum artistic tallent, such as myself, can actually creat something quite pretty and eye catching. The author offers step by step instructions which even includes how to choose your rock. She gives examples of quite simple projects (like lady bugs), to more complex projects. I simply cannot see how you could go wrong owning and using this one. It has given me a lot of pleasure. Highly recommend this one!

No comments about Advanced Painter Techniques.

5 comments about The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists.

1. I have way too many watercolor books (buying WC books is addictive, although not as addictive as buying new colors). This book is one of my absolute favorites, and one I find myself returning to over and over. I am a very big fan of the entire "Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists" series, and I own their Drawing Book, Pen & Ink Book, Pastel Book, Acrylic Book, and Oil Painting Book.
   
   All of the books in this series seem to follow the same basic format. The first third or so of the book cover materials in great detail. The emphasis is on the types of materials that you need, options available, and characteristics of specific brand names. If you're a beginning watercolorist lost among all of the brands of brushes, paints, and paper available then this will be a great resource. The middle 3rd of the book focuses on general techniques, followed by a series of discussions related to specific subject matter. The final third focuses on mixed media - and in my opinion this is the area where Dewey's books really shine. I think he's a great pastelist and uses pastels and watercolors together to do some amazing stuff.
   
   I view this is a great book for folks that know at least a little bit about watercolor painting and are interested in getting into more depth and detail. I probably wouldn't recommend the book for absolute beginners, because I think absolute beginners would find the book a little overwhelming. Some initial questions that absolute beginners might ask (like "What colors should I have on a basic palette") aren't really addressed until pretty deep into the book. For an absolute beginner, something like Jack Reid's "Watercolor Basics: Let's Get Started" or Charles Reid's "Painting Flowers in Watercolor With Charles Reid" could be a better choice. But if you've seen enough of watercolor to know that you want to know a lot more about it, this book is a great resource.



2. I found this book very helpful -- a good introductory book on water color techniques and products. Lots of detail on the different materials and tools used in watercolor (paper type, brushes, paints, misc). The author discusses the uses of each and which products and brands he finds most useful/of the best quality. The author also discusses different techniques (with examples). The book is in color and the step-by-step instruction is useful for beginners or those of us that are a bit rusty. This book will also be useful for people that have never taken an art class as there is background info as well (the color wheel, values, etc.).



3. I wish I would have bought this book before I bought the supplies I did. I know that I would have saved a lot of guesswork and helped form my style faster and more satisfactorily. I am an amateur painter and will always be, so cost effectiveness is an issue. Even though I have brushes and stuff that I will not use (probably) I have the feeling with this book that I have an instructor at hand. Thanks guys!



4. After reading several books about watercolor, I found this book to be the best watercolor book on the market. It is the clarity and thoroughness of the explanations that make this such a valuable resource. I particularly found the section on color theory helpful. This is not a book with a few scattered tips against a background of gorgeous pictures of the artist's work. Rather, it is a master teacher reaching out to all levels of learners as he takes the mystery and confusion out of doing watercolors. If you were only going to buy one book about watercolor--this is the book!!
   
   The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists



5. I was recommended this book by a professor to use as my guide in an Independent Study in watercolors. I don't have any other to compare it to, so I'm just writing what I got out of it.
   
   It has very good descriptions about types and brands of paints, papers, and brushes to start out with. There are also some chapters dealing with general composition and color theory.
   
   I was more interested in techniques though, which I thought Dewey covered well. As a newcomer to watercolors, I was introduced to different types of washes, layering, lifting techniques, etc. I really liked the mixed media section which discusses laying watercolor with things like pastels or colored pencil.
   
   It was nice to see a variety of work too. It's not all of Dewey's pictures (though I thought his stuff was pretty dang amazing).

5 comments about Draw 3-D.

1. This is an essential starter book for anybody who wants to learn to draw in 3 dimensions.
   
   Draw five circles in a ring
   And add a little dot
   Use a ruler to connect
   the edges to the spot
   Chop the ends with curvy lines
   Erase what you don't need
   It's so easy, anyone
   Can follow and succeed
   
   Write your name or draw a box
   Then draw another two,
   Or three and four, and before long
   Your perspective comes through
   Horizons, roads, vanishing points
   Interiors and out
   With practice you can draw this stuff
   Without a single doubt
   
   It gets much harder at the end
   But once you've grasped the rules
   You'll find it takes a little time
   Applying all the tools
   This makes it so much easier
   It has a chatty style
   I think that once you try this book
   You'll find it quite worthwhile
   
   
   Recommended for ages 9 to just before senility.
   
   
   
   Amanda Richards, July 13, 2008



2. This is a very fun to use book, with detailed and specific explanations and easy to apply examples, so that, by the end of the reading, you can do some things on your own that look very real.



3. "DRAW 3-D" has given me a new eye for perspective drawing, how to size objects for distance. I love practicing technique. Great book!



4. This is one extraordinary book on perspective. Although directed at young people, it is wonderful for anyone who likes to draw. I got two copies, one for my niece. She loves it! It makes perspective fun and easy. This author is an amazing teacher. Makes it completely panic free.



5. this book was to vague for me. I have read other books about perspective so i am fimiliar with perspective terms. I would not advise someone who is just beginning to learn about perspective purchase this book as a first one.

5 comments about The Impatient Beader.

1. This book has great ideas for necklace and bracelet designs. The only thing you need to be aware of is this: her list of what you need for each project is not accurate. For example, the grey scale necklace on page 48 calls for 74 pearls. You actually need about 74 for each of the four strings.



2. Almost everything I know about making jewelry I learned from Margot Potter's Impatient Beader book. Seriously. I bought this book because after a winter of being snowed in with nothing to do, I found myself obsessively shopping online auctions and buying piles of pretty beads. I had no idea what to do with them, so I needed to learn--quickly. Margot's book was exactly what I needed. It has excellent visuals (good for the person who is too lazy to read) and truly FUN projects. Most important if you're just learning: The book is set up so that the projects build sequentially in skills and complexity.
   
   Reading the text gives you the impression that Margot is looking over your shoulder (not in a creepy way) giving you good advice and cheering you on in your learning and creative expression. This is also the first craft book I've ever owned that is actually funny.
   
   When I started teaching non-English-speaking, nonliterate refugee women how to make jewelry, this was the first book they wanted to borrow and it's still making the rounds--I haven't seen my copy in months. Margot's work transcends cultures--and language.
   
   I only wish I, too, could get a little cartoon character representation of myself, then my Margot Potter-inspired beading joy would be complete. Buy the book--it will be money well spent!



3. From the cover to the very end, this is definitely a great starter book for the neophyte beader. Margot Potter takes you carefully, step-by-step, in how to use findings and how to attach them to your projects. Not usually shown in other bead primers is the use of a bead board and how to make your own jump rings. The projects are not quite as funky as in Margot's later Impatient Beader books but, after all, she's just preparing you for the uninhibited possibilities in her follow-on books. Her chapters lead you on increasingly more difficult, but still fairly simple, projects that won't serve to discourage a beginner. Get this book first and learn the basics then learn how to go crazy with these basics using Margot's later books.



4. This books is full of really fun projects which I cannot wait to do. However, it's also riddled with typos--especially on the quantity and colors of beads you need so pay attention!!!! I'm working on Mermaid's Bounty and if you follow the instructions, you'll have 120 beads left over.



5. This book is all that it is supposed to be...fun, fast, and funky! Margot Potter has a sparkling personality that shines through in her off the wall designs. She doesn't take herself nor jewelry making too seriously and that is why it is so much fun to read this book. Even if you don't make all the designs in the book you can't help but be inspired by her infectious style. It also helps you to see outside of the jewelry box and think about things that aren't meant for jewelry in a whole new light. Both this book and the follow up books are worth having in your personal library no matter what type of jewelry you like to design. Ms Potter brings a lot of fun to an age-old art and challenges us all to be inspired by the mundane ordinary things around us.

4 comments about Drawing with Your Artist's Brain: Learn to Draw What You See, Not What You Think You See.

1. I am sold on this book. Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is awesome, and its insights are foundational for a good artist, however, I think Carl's book is more hands on and simplifys the basic teachings with more exercises and less theory.
   
   I recommend buying, reading, and doing the exercises in both books, but if you only get one, I would go with this one.



2. I wanted to learn basic pencil sketching, so I went to a bookstore and browsed all the books they had on the subject. This one definitely stood out as the most practical for me as a beginner. I just want to be able to draw for fun, and the ideas of this author made a lot of sense. So I bought the book and brought it home. I skimmed the whole book quickly to get the main ideas, then I sat down, took off my shoe, and started to draw a picture of my shoe based on the ideas. It is definitely the best freehand drawing I have ever done in my life - by a mile. And that's only applying a fraction of the principles and tips in the book. I'm looking forward to digging in more.



3. If you think you can't draw, then Drawing With Your Artist's Brain is for you - and for any general-interest lending collection where how-to arts titles are popular. Here is a guide which offers step-by-step insights into how to create true-to-life renderings, overcoming personal angst and understanding how to define form, see values correctly, and use value patterns effectively. An observation-based approach covers landscapes, portraits and still life equally, applying important concepts and principles to the mix. A top pick from an artist whose PAINTING WITH YOUR ARTIST'S BRAIN has proven most popular.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This is a good comprehensive book for beginners and covers most things of importance, but it has a few defects. The reference photos from which the drawings are done are too small, making it difficult to see what the author is talking about. The author leaves his sighting lines on his drawings, which is like leaving up the scaffolding after painting a house--it looks unsightly. He drones on for too long about values. Toward the end of the book, he runs out of things to say, and the book becomes a gallery to show off the author's drawings.

5 comments about Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities (Jumbo).

1. I first saw this book at a resort we were staying at. I had to have it!! I have never seen a more amazing book. This book is something I believe everyone should own. It is a wonderful teaching tool for young children, an interesting study for adults, an artists dream to have each specimen right there in front of you, an interesting and colorful study of thousands of specimens of sea, land and sky. To think that these were drawings that occured way before the camera was even thought of. Once you see this, you won't believe you lived without it. Don't skimp on this one; buy the Jumbo book and enjoy. Don't forget to order a new coffee table to hold it! ( : You won't be disappointed...ever!! ( :



2. This book is an outstanding bargain. It is beautiful and breathtaking. I hadn't read the dimensions of the book before ordering and was really surprised when this 16 pound book arrived in its own cardboard case. The pictures are so gorgeous and some poster sized prints are included -- unfortunately, the images selected for the posters are not the most attractive of Seba's work. Before ordering, I had planned to cut out some of the prints for framing, but I can't bring myself to do that now --this book is just so amazing.



3. The book is more than I expected. It will be proudly display at my store Sol Interios. I know it will get lots of attention.



4. You have to see this book in person to really appreciate how beautiful it really is. Every single page is filled with excellent drawings of hundreds of animals, plants, seashells, etc. It is absolutly outstanding. Every book lover, or nature lover should add this book to their collection. The price seems expensive but when you see the book it will be the best 140 dollars you have spent in a long time.



5. This is a beautiful book, but I've had to factor in the cost of a dictionary stand or console table to display it. It's giant! and it looked silly on my average-sized coffee table.

5 comments about Secret Knowledge (New and Expanded Edition): Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters.

1. Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters
   
   This book researches and explains the methods used by the old masters to achieve beautiful results in their realistic paintings. A must read. I buy it as gifts to educate my friends, artist & non artist alike. Cynthia



2. quality of pictures is good,but words are too much,
   it is different to read,



3. Despite some negative reviews here, I thought this was a good book, and I find Hockney's theory quite credible, due to a study I did some time ago.
   
   Twenty years ago, I wrote what was probably the most detailed analysis of perspective and visual distortions in van Gogh's famous painting, Bedroom at Arles. The research showed that the visual system can create several spatial distortions in a painting if the painter fails to map out a precise perspective. These deviations from geometric perspective--such as exaggerating the perceived sizes of objects in the foreground (to about 20 feet away from the observer), minimizing the sizes of objects in the distance, and the famous overall hyperbolic distortion of the human visual field, were clearly demostrable using standard perspective analysis, especially using the advanced techiques that I learned from Dubery and Willits's fine book on the subject.
   
   I wasn't the first to note them, as these distortions have been noted by many observers and discussed by the great John Ward and Patrick Heelan in their journal articles in The Art Bulletin on the same painting, but no one had done the full quantitative analysis yet or linked them to the visual neurobiology. In addition, van Gogh also showed a spiral or torsional twist in some paintings that suggested something further in the way of physiological optics going on or perhaps even something neurological.
   
   Through close obsevation of the real world, the great artists are aware of many of these problems, and how difficult it is to paint perspective precisely, and ever since my earlier study I've always suspected that Hockney's hypothesis was correct, I just didn't have the data myself, since I was working in a somewhat different field of perceived visual distortions in paintings that result from the operation of the human visual system itself.
   
   So Hockney's thesis seems very plausible to me. I note one very negative review, but based on my own investigations, I think Hockney is probably right. Various geometric drawing devices and optical projective devices were available to the artists of old, and it's very likely that at least some, and perhaps many of them, used them as integral aids in their painting. Furthermore, there is the obvious case of anamorphic art in the Baroque period, where artists were known to have used optical devices to paint pictures that couldn't even be understood without the use of cyclindrical mirrors.
   
   I found Hockney's book well written and a very interesting read. I think he did a great job on it and I learned a lot myself.



4. Critics and reviewers who have rated Hockney's Secret Knowledge low seem to me to overlooks some major points. Some of these I find more persuasive than the the issue of alleged perspective misjudgment which seem to attract the greatest heat.
   
   1. H points out that a huge majority of portraits in the period show the model as left handed--some 80%. This is consistent with use of lenses and inconsistent with the frequency of left-handedness in the population. Now, here is a verifiable fact. Are H's numbers right--or are they not?
   
   2. H is not claiming that everyone 1400-1650 was a poor draftsman. At least in what I've seen so far, he doesn't claim e.g. that Rembrandt used optics. Part of his evidence is however that some artists who were great painters were not great draftsmen--their painting exceeds in accuracy their draftsmanship. Now this appears to me again something that is verifiable by a third party. (The question of H's own draftsmanship abilities is totally irrlevant. I don't like his art much myself).
   
   3. In a highly competitive art market, where realism counted, what is the likelihood that artists would >not< use devices that helped them both with accuracy and speed? Even if the great Ren artists could paint and draw realistically without optics (and their education certainly was thorough), throughput and competitive concerns surely would have pushed them in that direction.
   
   4. To my knowledge, no one has responded to H's claim that the change in light to very strong with dark shadows from about 1400 (light is flat) to 1500 is very consistent with use of optics. Yes, that is not the only possible explanation. But from a philosophy of science perspective, this phenomenon and the phenomenon of increased accuracy need to be explained. H at least offers an explanation. The burden of an alternative explanation is on the critics. H's hypothesis could be falsified by showing that in fact strong lighting was used before this period and flat lighting afterwards.
   
   5. Another phenomenon for which H has an explanation but for which I haven't seen alternatives is the fact that in many realistic paintings, depth of field is evident. An example is the famous Vermeer milk pitcher painting. H has an explanation of why the foreground breadbasket is out of focus, while the background basket is (oddly) in focus. If a critic doesn't like H's explanation, he/she should provide an alternative.
   
   6. H shows that in some cases extremely precise scaling is evident--scaling that would be very difficult to do by hand. Prof Falco, the optics and superconducting physicist who collaborated with H., has done the math and claimed that obtaining such accuracy by hand is very difficult since the error is (as I remember) under 2%). Doing anything by hand with under 2% error is quite a feat--including reconciling bank statements :)-- never mind drawing. Here is another phenomenon in which either the factual statements by H and Falco can be easily verified/falsified or need an alternative explanation should be provided.
   
   On an ad hominem note, I think it is worth pointing out that art historians have a built-in motive for rejecting H's hypothesis: They didn't find it! I took an amateur to notice the discrepancies. Finally, personal experience suggests that some people have a lot more difficult time with accuracy/obtaining a likeness than others. For H to be correct, he does not need to support the claim that everyone who was accurate used optics, only that some did and these raised the bar for the art community as a whole.
   
   Thanks for reading.



5. I have spent years painting and teaching and drawing the figure. Its amazing how much a person still can learn after practicing it for so long. This is one of the joys of drawing. Every investigated mark is a learning experience. That is what I also love about Hockney. This man might not be the greatest shining star artist of our time, but it would be easy to defend him as the greatest thinker in the arts since Da Vinci.
   
   'Secret Knowledge' is just a small chunk of Hockney's oeuvre. He has been writing books primarily through the interview form for decades. Each book has looked at aspects of art in different lights. This book only happens to be the most concise and stylized of his many efforts.
   
   Basically, if your here reading this, I bet you have some idea what this book is about already. You know that Hockney is putting forth a thesis on how drawings were so precisely crafted by the masters two hundred years ago, while today as one of our societies foremost draftsmen, Hockney cant even come close to matching those abilities. Hockney goes into detail on how he can see characteristic pencil marks created by Warhol or other artists using over-head projectors and Ingres' drawings. This is pretty obvious if you have done both. Hockney then goes into precise detail on the drawbacks of using the camera lucidea and obscuras and how they were used.
   
   I really find some qualms with the reviewer who says that Hockney's arguments are on par with a junior high school students and that they are not scientific. Quite the contrary. Hockney's arguments are precise and unfold in a step by step process. You can't really give scientific proof over how a drawing was created any other way than Hockney has done so. The more time you spend drawing the figure, the more you will realize what Hockney is saying, is right on.
   
   I think that this book will go down as one of the benchmark art books of our era. Its well worth pondering over and I think that even though it does not have quite as much relevance in our post-modern era, it will be around for as long as people still want to understand art.

3 comments about Chromophobia (FOCI).

1. I picked up this book from a list of gotta-haves for a class on aesthetics and I gotta say this enormously eccentric work of journalism/philosophy/strange-spooky, kaleidoscopic-microscopic assorted collection (loosely connected?) on art and its psychological reception is worthy of many, many more clauses weighed down with much, much praise.
   
   Anyone with a theoretical interest in aesthetics will find this book packed with gems begging to be peeked at.
   
   A quirky and compelling read. And short too (+).



2. Fascinating and readably well-written argument that western civilization has a long-held prejudice (though not one shared by the author) against color, especially bright color.

   Batchelor is highly literate and informed, plus has an impressive knowledge of contemporary art. His suggestion that color tends to be seen as frivolous/minor/feminine/or even evil is backed up with wide-ranging references to culture (contemporary and earlier), art history, lit., and more. (Including an unexpectedly timely observation that historically, evidence of the decadence of Islam included its profusion of color and pattern.)

   Just a few other examples:
   --the white space as sign of seriousness and quality in the modern gallery or collector's home
   --the art historical ranking of disegno as superior to colore
   --in French lit, the symbolic association of rich hues and precious materials with decadence
   And much more.

   As for me, I almost had to buy this book for its hot pink cover alone




3. Batchelor's own take on color theory is not only a well-researched overview of color in art, architecture, cinema, and literature; it is also a call to action of sorts for artists to reclaim color from its minimalist bastardization in art and its commercial bastardization within the market culture. Batchelor uses the terms "chromophobic" and "chromophilic" to characterize to what extent this bastardization takes place and cites examples from (mainly contemporary) art history as to where the shift from color-as-representation to color-as-color took place.

   That discussions of color as secondary to drawing (or design) are neither prevelant in the industry nor in academia proves how engrained into art theory the secondary status of color is. Also of interest is the chapter on the role of semantics and color interpetation. How for example some colors in the abstract such as green-yellows are univerally more difficult to convey than others.

   Every serious artist should read this book to reintroduce the importance of color to his/her concerns and to adress contemporary concerns over the loss of color by its oversaturation in less artistic settings.