5 comments about The Art of Richard Diebenkorn (Ahmanson-Murphy Fine Arts Book).

1. This book provides an excellent overview of the arc of Diebenkorn's painting style, from abstract to figurative and then to his final amazing abstracts. This is a good starting point for understanding Diebenkorn's art, with large beautiful color prints of his paintings. And, because it's a paperback edition, it's pretty affordable for an oversized, color fine arts book.



2. Great reference on Diebenkorn with lots of color plates and in-depth text on the process of his work. It was recommended by my professor and I keep it by my easel!



3. If you love the Bay Are Figurative movement as much as I do, this book is the definitive volume.



4. This is a great collection of Diebenkorn's work through the years. Though it's a paperback, the book is big, sturdy, and will last a long time. The color plates are very true to his original works.



5. Richard Diebenkorn has finally achieved the status of Modern Master, but his success was only secured later in his life and after his death. Although he was at first an Abstract Expressionist artist who painted as convincingly as Still, Rothko, Kline and Motherwell, he was too much identified with the Bay Area, and therefore he did not have the imprimatur of the New York critics. Then, in the 1950s, he was viewed as having betrayed the New York Abstract Expressionists, when he turned to figurative painting with David Park and Elmer Bischoff. Eventually, until his death, he returned to abstraction with his much-acclaimed "Ocean Park" series. And then the critics finally realized what had eluded them for years: That Diebenkorn painted abstract realism, leaning more to one and then the other, all his life.
   
   Jane Livingston does a fine job of portraying the life of Richard Diebenkorn through his stunning paintings, which exemplify fire beneath the calm. Be sure to read the Norland book as well, since his book is still the seminal book on Diebenkorn.

1 comments about Chinese Propaganda Posters.

1. Hello Kitty aesthetics meets scary Mao. A Cultural Revolution in a Book. Not for the faint hearted.

5 comments about Dulac's Fairy Tale Illustrations in Full Color.

1. So beautiful, Edmund Dulac a superb master of his art, all children should have the pleasure of these stories and illustrations



2. Unfortunately, the poor quality of the reproductions made this a disappointing purchase. I also bought Dulac's Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tale Cards by the same publisher, and they were beautiful.



3. I got this for me, as a collector of fairy tales and fairy tale art, but it is a good book for our bedtime storyhour. When my kids were not familiar with certain fairy tales (The Nightingale and The Wind's Tale) they made up stories to go with the pictures. So this was a good activity for them to be creative and use their growing imaginations. As much as I like this, I don't think of it as truly collectible because it is soft cover book.



4. I had never heard of Dulac before and ordered his book along with the Rackham collection. I actually was blown away by Dulac's work and am really amazed that after studying in art and exploring classic illustration, I had never come across this guy. I have heard of Rackham and seen his work, but I enjoy Dulac even more...his rich color and beautiful compositions are inspiring.



5. this book is very interesting , I like the drawings very much, Dulac is a very amazing artist.

5 comments about The Drawings of Heinrich Kley.

1. The fact that Heinrich Kley isn't better known demonstrates the flaw in the idea that "history will sort out the great work." Kley is quite simply one of the best and most imaginative draftsmen in the Western tradition, and he is never mentioned in the standard histories of art. (I discovered him in Harvey Kurtzman's HELP! magazine in the early Sixties.) This constitutes a coup (one of many) for Dover Publications, who specialize in the dissemination of classics (famous and forgotten) in well-made, affordable editions. Anyone who cares at all about drawing should pick up this book.



2. What an eye opener, what a fantastic, comical and totally genuine talent was Kley. Puts our contemporary "mark Maker" graduates of university art programs to shame. This guy did it all out of his head out of connsumate knowledge of anatomy and character. His skill with the plastic form in space is delightful to behold.



3. Heinrich Kley, an expressionist know for his work with pen and ink sketches, mostly of the black and white variety, is someone undeservedly without oceans of renown despite the fact that many of his works appear around us daily. He did have his proverbial "day in the sun," gaining notoriety for his satirical approach to world at large, but that seems to have ebbed off since his death in the 1940s and many have forgotten who this is. Well, this book is a wonderful showpiece of his works, containing two of his sketchbooks that many people have seen plenty of times but might not recognize by name, helping to revitalize the memory. Many of these works still have a lot of social merit today, taking shots at bureaucracy, militarism, and other satirical facets that we still find ourselves plagued with.

   I found myself attracted to this artist because of his strangely dark overtures showpieced in this volume, with snails consuming people and giants stomping villages full of what they deem their inferiors, plus its takes on industrialism and religion. Presented with an introduction that explains the life of the artist, this editions, actually two books brought together for one showing, has a total of 200 illustrations spanning 125 + pages and makes it an excellent deal. Still, if your easily offended perhaps theme presentation will most deservedly offend you and you might want to pass on it. If you like dark humor that has deep seeded, often missed, meanings, however, you'll love Kley.
   Highly Recommended.




4. Kley used his artistic ability to bring to life his unique form of satiric wit and whimsey. Pages magically come alive with his pen and ink social commentaries. The two sketch books published in this volume will bring a smile to your face and an admiration for his work.



5. A pesar de haberme encontrado con el libro hace unos años, aun hoy en dia sigo recordando los trazos con los que me encontre y lo que representaban. Copie algunos de los dibujos alli representados y luego hice algunos mios siguiendo el mismo tipo de trazo o similar y creo que esos dibujos tienen una gran fuerza.Es una manera diferente y atrevida de representar el cuerpo humano vivo y muerto. Son de los pocos dibujos a tinta que me han gustado, y me parecen muy buenos. ENHORABUENA.

5 comments about Dynamic Characters.

1. Drag out the highlighters, get comfortable and go to work. This book is filled with valuable information and instruction on characterization and how to keep a story moving. It explains how your characters can either make or kill a plot and how a character you love can still be a dud. I recommend purchasing this book as opposed to getting it from your local library. There are things in this book that you will refer to again and again. The Intelligent Dossier itself is worth the price of it.
   
   Although it took me a bit of time to get through it (because I was highlighting and re-reading things), it was written with humor and a vast amount of examples. You can put the things you learn to work today. You may not want to finish the book because of the ideas you get but do yourself a favor and finish it. It is so worth it.



2. Book Review
   Dynamic Characters
   by Nancy Kress
   
   Dynamic Characters is the fourth book on Characterization I've read. I have two to go. I've been beating my head against the wall of traditional publishing for almost forty years. Instead of taking creative writing classes at UCLA, and other universities, I should have been reading books like this one. I would have learned so much more. When I recently started on this quest to improve my craft for developing characters in the fiction I write, I thought that all the books I was going to read would echo and reinforce each other. I was wrong in my assumptions. So far, each book stands alone just like characters in a novel are unique individuals. Nancy Kress does an admirable job in showing the connection between character and plot. The book is divided into three parts. Part one focuses on creating strong and believable characters through such externals as choosing descriptive details, naming the character, how to use dialogue and the pitfalls of basing a character on real people. She actually answered a question I had in chapter eight. Part two of this book covers the internal workings of a character. Chapter thirteen was a learning experience for me, as I had never really considered it important to make your villain as real as your hero. Chapter fifteen provides a system for investigating your character in depth and Kress explains how such a system should be used. Part three focuses on character and plot and how both interact. I found chapter twenty-two specially rewarding when Kress addressed basing plots on real-life events--her advice was priceless. If I had read and studied this book decades ago, my writing would have been different and a lot of grief possibly avoided. Robert Frost wrote a poem about two paths in the woods and choosing which one to take. Forty years ago when I started to take creative writing classes instead of studying books like this one, I went the wrong way. I don't see how I can do justice in reviewing her book in such a way that it would convince all aspiring writers that you should buy this book and devour it, and then keep it on a shelf for support when needed. Once you have done that, don't stop there. Use [...] and the rating system it has to find other books that will teach and guide you to improve and polish your craft so the odds that the rejections slips that keep coming will stop and turn into acceptance. The books on the craft of writing I purchase were all highly rated and only one has disappointed me.



3. I ending up finding this because I was looking for sequels to her Probability series. No luck there, but I found this book.
   
   It was actually very readable, and filled with examples taken from a lot of books, which was pretty well done. Not that I am a writer at all, this book was still worth reading.



4. Nancy Kress writes really informative books, bottom line. This one is so full of great information that it is hard to incorporate it all. Good characters drive good fiction and this book gets to the heart of the issues involved in creating those characters. I'm a beginning writer who has no formal classroom training, so I'm relying on books like these to help me hone my craft. This one, and other titles by this author, are among the most helpful books I have read.



5. The reader-as-aspiring-author needs to know a little something on his own about writing dialog and creating characters. But it is a great refresher to return to again and again as you are polishing your story or novel.

5 comments about Writing Life Stories.

1. Roorbach guides you step-by-step with exercises and examples that help you write about your life. He also explains what makes good writing different from not-so-good writing. In other words, he holds you to high standards and helps you meet them. Your eventual readers should be grateful!



2. Brief Summary: Bill Roorbach understands that memoir writing is not as simple as putting everything you can remember about your life on paper. Memories are no different than any other source - the characters and the plot must be interesting. To that end, he combines instruction and advice with a series of exercises to produce "the bones" of a good memoir. Starting at the beginning, he covers: finding a good place to write, mapping your memories, scene making and exposition, the ethics of writing about real people, method writing and voice, metaphor and adumbration, and texture. You might not do every exercise in this book - there are 94 in all - but most seem worthwhile. Roorback encourages his students to think of the exercise work as "good, clean rocks for an eventual stone wall." Several of the exercises use a process which Roorbach calls "cracking open," which might involve finding a sentence or phrase from something you previously wrote that condenses or skims over a possible scene, and building a scene of at least two pages. (As a writer, I like thinking of myself as a cracker and polisher of stones and a builder of walls.) Other great exercises include: looking at as many books as you can to make a list of your ten favorite first sentences, making a map of the earliest neighborhood you can remember, and making a list of the subjects upon which you are an expert. The final chapter gives some good, practical advice about how to locate appropriate editors and agents, with a final cautionary suggestion: "The only helpful ambition is to write something good, something that will satisfy readers unknown to you in both predictable and unpredictable ways. If your ambition is about the work, the dream of publication won't eat at you and make a fool out of you."
   
   Sample Excerpts: Roorbach doesn't just "tell" us the rules, he "shows" us the rules. In this example, he shows us how a good scene replaces many pages of explaining. "Instead of a passage about your family's socioeconomic status, you show your dad pulling up in the brown Ford wagon, muffler dragging. Or does he pull up in a shiny Mercedes? Or does he walk up the hill with his jacket over his shoulder, car traded for shares in a new invention? Let the reader write the passage about class."
   
   Primary Strength: Writing Life Stories is to memoir what Joy of Cooking is to cooking. If you can follow directions and do what the book tells you to do, you'll have everything you need to create a fine memoir or a tasty meal.



3. This book has lots of exercises for those just beginning to edge near the writing-ledge and will help you dig into your own story. However, this book is only for those wanting to write an auto-biography and those just beginning to venture forth in their writing. If you buy this expecting help on writing someone else's life story you won't find what you're looking for. If you're not a beginning writer and you purchase this, it's likely that you'll be the proud owner of a book full of exercises you've long outgrown.



4. Good book. Instructs with small easy-to-follow "chunks". Writer has a good sense of humor--evident in his writing. Writing isn't overly academic or political (unlike some of the other "memoir-writing" books out there).
   
   After following Roorbach's lessons, you should be able to competently put out a very nice selection of some of the turning points in your life, special occasions, and those great memories. You'll have enough vivid "word-pictures" that folks will enjoy reading about your experiences rather than fall asleep from extreme boredom.
   
   Overall, this is a good book that will get you started with getting your own story out there. Don't let your part in history be lost--start writing now with this book as a guide.
   
   Regards,
   Dave (aka "EditorDave" -- Capture_the_Memories on Squidoo)



5. This book is full of insights into the writing process.
   It offers lots of assignments ,it helps me with writing my life story.

5 comments about Draw 50 Cats: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Domestic Breeds, Wild Cats, Cuddly Kittens, and Famous Felines.

1. I have a very artistic child and another child who isn't quite as artistic. Both love this book and others from the "Draw 50" series. The one has a blast changing little things and making the pictures his own and the other has fun realizing that she too can create some cool pictures with the easy to follow instructions. This particular book has some wonderful cats featured from your common tabby to more unique household cats and large wild kitties. It's definitely worth the money.



2. I wanted to draw more realistic cats
   and this book showed me that I needed to start with the head shape
   and not the ears. There was not a lot of writing, just good step-by-step instruction. From my first drawing with this book, my drawings have improved. I highly reccomend this book!



3. This is the best drawing book I have gotten to date. It gives detailed instruction. Almost immediatley I was able to draw realistic looking cats. Using the techniques in the book I was able to expand and draw other animals as well.



4. I am teaching my students to draw cats using this book. I like the step-by-step drawings and the different position and types of cats.
   We have gone one step further in class by making our own stationery and cards using our finished drawings. We add a complimentary quote to our drawing from the book 516 Sensational Cat Quotes, Proverbs, Quips and Jokes for Scrapbooking, Crafting and Fun ISBN 0966640578
   Teachers, have your student make a copy of the original so that they can make numerous copies. Save the originals.
   Great drawing book. I highly recommend it.
   We are having fun in class.



5. My daughter borrowed some of these books from the school library & loved them so much i bought some for her. It goes step by step with you,giving examples,to show you how to make wonderful drawings.Great book for anyone who likes to draw.

5 comments about Painting More Animals on Rocks.

1. I purchased this book along with the first one, "Painting Animals on Rocks" as a gift for my father who loves to paint. He really has enjoyed them. The details and the "how to" descriptions are great for learners and those who enjoy a challenge.



2. I stumbled upon this hobby by accident. I was an art minor in college and have done a lot of oil paintings. When a friend told me about painting animals on rocks, I had no idea what she was talking about. I have painted my first animal (a leopard) and it turned out great. I gave it to my cousin and she raved about it. The author is wonderful in her ability to inspire and direct "the student." My only disagreement is with having to draw the outline on the rock starting out. I think that may add a certain difficulty. I just go ahead and paint, making slight adjustments when needed. I find doing it that way to be much easier. I am really loving my new found hobby and hope to possibly sell some animals on rocks in a craft fair held annually here where I live. I am 67 and retired.



3. This book has so many ideas for a craft person. The instructions are very easy and the rocks are fun to make. My 5 year old grandson found it easy too. He made a Lady Bug. This book is worth having if you are loooking for a project that doesn't cost much money, and is really fun to do. You can take the whole family out on a hike looking for rocks, this was a nice outing too. Have fun and enjoy.



4. This book has so many ideas for a craft person. The instructions are very easy and the rocks are fun to make. My 5 year old grandson found it easy too. He made a Lady Bug. This book is worth having if you are loooking for a project that doen't cost much money.



5. I had been interested in Lin Wellford's books for a long time, but never really painted an animal rock. I bought this book, ready to try it. First I did a frog, which was very simple.
   The furry animals use a script liner, and that is not my favorite paint brush, so I was a little nervous that I couldn't achieve the fur strokes.
   I went ahead and tried a squirrel, and I was so surprised at how easy the fur turned out to be. I've painted a few more animals since then, and they are very easy to do. Very watery paint and a #1 script liner (the shorter one) makes it very easy.
   If you are looking to start painting rocks, don't hesitate...this is the perfect book! I would recommend it to everyone who is interest in painting!

5 comments about Drawing in 3-D.

1. I have never heard of Mark Kistler or have I ever seen his show. I picked this up because I already draw well, but wanted to try something fun. I couldn't have picked a better book. First of all you do NOT need the workbook. I don't have it, and have no problem using this book, though if you are getting it for kids it might be more fun for them. The whole point is, this book is fun at any age. It doesn't matter if you have an art background or have never picked up a pencil. This book is a great way to get inspired. With all the wonderful cartoons, you will enjoy and draw out of it for a long time. I really recommend this.



2. I am a professional artist and occasional art teacher but Mark Kistler products will teach my grandchildren better than I could. He is fun and has a gift for getting kids excited about art.



3. I like the book, but wish it included some information prior to purchase that it's best to buy the "work book" to go along with it!



4. I spend about a a half hour with this book every day - or a couple hours every other day. It's great for building confidence and practice.

   Ever feel that books like "Drawing on the right side of the brain" were somehow sterile and lifeless? This book is chock full of a million creative drawings that can be done with a little patience.




5. My 8 year old son is quite the artist. He can draw what he sees. He was given this book by my mother and ignored it for quite awhile.....so one hot boring summer day while cleaning his room I found it and started messing around.....I am so amazed at what I have put on paper. I am a 35 year old woman who can't draw more than a stick figure....well not anymore!!! Not only does my refrigerator door have my childrens art work -- IT HAS MINE!!!! THANK YOU MARK! Did not know what I was missing.

4 comments about Don Bluth's Art Of Storyboard.

1. Admittedly, I was drawn to the book (no pun intended) from the many hours I spent as a child playing the animated game, Dragon's Lair. The book is great for the examples that it provides from Bluth's studio animations -video games and feature film animations. It provides great insight into the process, although you can tell that it is a little dated in technique (computer references are a little lean). But the drawings, pages and pages of storyboards, and the transcripts from pre-production conversations are invaluable for providing creative insight. I would highly recommend this book to accompany other materials on the storyboarding process (such as Storyboarding Design Course by Giuseppe Cristiano). This is a great book and a has a wealth of content.Don Bluth's Art Of Storyboard



2. "Don Bluth's Art Of Storyboard" is a great "crash-course" for those interested in storyboarding. I loved the references to musical tempo as well as the commentary on the boards of past Bluth films.
   
   The storyboards for "The Secret Of NIMH" are covered in detail, and are among the most beautifully staged boards I've seen! Bluth (and crew) used pen and grey markers to convincingly portray texture, perspective, and relatively sophisticated lighting (personally, markers and I never got along, so I can appreciate the difficulty level). Many cinematography and acting cues seen in other, more technical books are cleverly and entertainingly utilized in the storyboards of films like "NIMH", "All Dogs Go To Heaven" and "Anastasia".
   
   Overall I'd say this is an excellent tool for beginners. It can also be a great gift for the experienced story artist who just happens to be a Don Bluth fan...



3. Very helpful book on stroyboarding from the master himself Don Bluth. Really enjoyable and fast read.



4. I think this is a decent overview of the storyboarding process. OF course each of his subjects could require a college-level class and large book to seriously cover, but I appreciate Bluth's perspective on what he views as the signficant elements of the workflow and his explanation of why they are important.