2 comments about Watercolor Painting For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies)).

1. Wow! Most art books are like the ones you remember from college--sky high prices and nothing but print. Art books need pictures, and this one has plenty of them in color--no guessing as to the artist's tecnique. You can use it as a reference, or start from scratch. It gives you sources for everything you need. A must have for any artist's library.



2. Watercolor Painting for Dummies is a great book for both beginners and artist who just need to brush (no pun intended) up on the fundamentals of w/c painting. If you're looking for a book to give you all the information you need because you are just beginning, this is it. This book is chock full of everything you need to know and everything they teach in art class.
   Another good thing about this book is you don't have to start from the first chapter and read from there (unless you are a beginner).
   And there are several projects you can paint "along" with.
   This is a good book to have and refer back to again and again.

5 comments about Audubon's Birds Of America (The Audubon Society Baby Elephant Folio).

1. I bought this book as a gift for my parents, who are elderly and who enjoy watching birds and looking at pictures of birds.
   
   But when I later went to visit them I got an unpleasant surprise: this book is HUGE. Ridiculously huge.
   
   It's the biggest book I've ever seen. It's about the size of a computer tower laid on its side. Bigger than any unabridged dictionary.
   
   As a result my parents never use it: it's simply too heavy for them to lift. I'm not joking around here. They're afraid of getting a hernia or hurting their back if they lift it.
   
   So it just sits on the shelf gathering dust.
   
   Actually, not on the shelf, since this book won't fit on any normal bookshelf. So they just stand it on the floor.
   
   If you buy this, make sure the person you're getting it for is in excellent shape.
   
   You've been warned.



2. This "baby elephant folio" is indeed a tiny but complete book of Audubon's "Birds of America." It is a perfect edition to give as a gift to friends and family who are Audubon aficionados. It is great quality and the price can't be beat; I purchased several.



3. Having recently read the biography of Audubon, I was very interested in seeing the actual drawings. The book I read had a few of them in black and white, but I wanted to see a larger sample in color. I decided to see if Amazon had anything and was very surprised to see that they offered all of the original drawings in color for a very small price. I realized the book would be smaller than the original life size drawings, but was a little surprised to find that the book was so small. That is my main problem with the book. Otherwise - WOW. To see these birds in all their glory in full color is just breathtaking. Furthermore, when you consider the original size, to have shrunk them down and still maintain the detail and the beauty is quite impressive. One can appreciate the drawings without having read about Audobon's struggle to create and then publish them, but I would suggest this book as a companion to a good biography of Audobon. Once you have both, his accomplishment can be fully appreciated.



4. This book is spectacular. The images are breathtaking, and the quality of their presentation is nothing short of superb. Wow!!!



5. Let me qualify my remarks by first saying that I have not even seen this version. I have no doubt that the printing is of the highest quality, but I have a serious reservation about the organization of this book. Audubon deliberately mixed his birds in a non-taxonomic order to maintain a freshness and an element of suprise. I recently acquired a large format copy published by Welcome Rain, which follows Audubon's original order. The effect is a delightful romp through nature, full of suprises, drama and movement. He never intended it to be a catalog with all his ducks in a row, it was to be an experience. I have seen an abridged, small format edition of his paintings arranged in the standard, dull taxonomic order of a typical field guide and the effect is nothing like seeing them in the order Audubon intended. Rearranging the plates for convenience of listers diminishes this work, and to a certain extent, is a disservice to the artist. While I am happy to see that his work remains in print and is being reproduced at very high standards, I would hope that it would be viewed as a symphony, not as a random collection of notes needing to be organized alphabetically.

3 comments about Trout of the World.

1. Perfect gift for those who fly fish. Recipient was thrilled. Book arrived within a few days. New book at a very reasonable price.



2. I have been a fly fisherman (Yes I am female and also not politically correct) since I was around age 8 and after pestering my Dad for days to teach me how to cast a line he relented and a great journey began. As well as a library on the subject of fly fishing, tying flies and trout art. Which is why I am in awe of James Prosek's writing, art and passion for fishing.

   This and his Trout : An Illustrated History are a must own for anyone who loves fly fishing, painting trout or simply sitting mesmerized watching trout in their back yard creek like we do or from a bridge in rural areas of the states and world.

   I recommend ALL the books this young talented and knowledgeable author has written.




3. I was not a big fan of James Prosek's first book. Next to the hyper-realism of Tomelleri, these water color illustrations did not work. Also, several were drawn from photos and were not morphologically (especially morphometrically) correct. So what? some may say.
   
   Everything changed when I picked up a copy of Trout of the World. The style has changed just enough to make a huge difference. Sure, some of the paintings still look like he was in a hurry to meet a deadline but on the whole, I loved it. This is what we Americans (and Canadians) needed. There are other "cool" salmonids besides the stuff we are used to. Again, photos from books such as Freshwater fishes of Japan have been used as source material but I don't care. Great lateral views of some amazing fish!
   
   James Prosek has found the right balance of color, detail and morphological information. The overall design of the book is also lovely. The lenok and taimen pictures are priceless as are the weird browns from places you would think, well...shouldn't have browns.
   
   I think he used my Russian longfin charr as a source for his illustration. Looks very similar to the one I did some years back in pen & ink. Anyway, all fish lovers, wildlife painters and fisherman will adore this book. ANd don't just look at the pictures, read it!
   
   Well done Mr. Prosek. I'm mad about trout, again....
   
   Update, October 2004
   The text that accompanies each illustration is fantastic. The author meets with experts of most species featured in the book. Some are academics, while others are just, well...ordinary folks who have an obsession with a certain morph, form or species of trout. The varied personalities and the strange places the author visits in quest of these wierd trout make this an unforgettable volume.

5 comments about The Art Spirit: Notes, Articles, Fragments of Letters and Talks to Students, Bearing on the Concept and Technique of Picture Making, the Study of Art Generally, and on Appreciation (Icon Editions).

1. Received the book promptly and was received in the condition described. Thank you. V. Santana



2. The Art Spirit is a classic. No artist should ever be without a copy. This book invites reading time and time again. It brings us back to the principles. The value of things. Right thinking. Relationships. As a practicing artist, I can think of few books that have meant so much.



3. Any artist who does not have this book in his or her library is being cheated out of great insights:
   
   "There are mighty few people who think what they think they think."
   
   "Be willing to paint a picture that does not look like a picture."
   
   "...pictures which do not represent intense interest cannot expect to create an intense interest."
   
   "Effects of perspective are made or defeated by sizes of strokes or by their tonality."
   
   And this is just the teaser.



4. George Bellows, Edward Hopper, Patrick Henry Bruce, Stuart Davis, Rockwell Kent, Guy DuBois, Alfred Maurer, Carl Sprinchorn and countless others studied with Henri and went on to do great work. There are too many for this to be simply coincidence. The "Art Spirit" is the closest thing we can get to the Kool-Aid that flowed in Henri's classroom. One can glean quite a bit from the pages of this book. It is both practical and inspirational. I have to say that it can be a bit frustrating not being able to see anything or ask a question, but its much better than nothing (thank you Ms. Ryerson!). Buy a copy and read it.



5. 
   The Art Spirit. Now there's a bold title. The implication is not only that there is such a specifically identifiable thing as an "art spirit", but also that the author, painter, and teacher, Robert Henri knows these specifics; a bold implication indeed. The difficulty (wherein lies the boldness) whenever one attaches the word spirit -or spiritual- to anything, there are, of course, as many understandings or perceptions of that word as there are hearers and readers of that word. This may exist to no greater degree and appear no more obvious than in the world of visual arts. Henri himself acknowledges this, writing in the forward, "...the opinions are presented more as paintings are hung on a wall, to be looked at at will and to be taken for what they are worth. If they have a suggestive value and stimulate to independent thought, they will attain the object of their presentation..." And later, "There is no idea that anyone should agree with any of the comments or that anyone should follow the advice given. If they irritate to activity in quite a different direction, it will be just as well." Although he embraces this free thinking, to-each-his-own, take what you will from it approach, it is merely one of the specific personality characteristics evidenced in the Art Spirit. Henri intends to show there is an "art spirit", and it is the province of every human being.
   This is the crux of the issue for Henri, his point of departure from other artist/writers, and the chief value of this book: The Art Spirit is attainable by anyone, can be exhibited by everyone.
   Other works on the subject tend to be either the less specific, more nebulous notions where we are expected to buy the fancy explanations and just accept that there is something spiritual, or of the spirit, going on here, or the very specific, artist-only oriented varieties. For example, consider Mandarin's grid "composition" series and his writing about them. While his theosophically induced explanations may help some to a degree of understanding, we are essentially left to take his word for what we are supposed to be seeing in the canvas. In his "Concerning the Spiritual in Art", although Kandinsky presages Henri -discussing psycho-emotional, expressive, and contemplative states of artists out in the real world and before the canvas- he ultimately leaves it with the artist, not really taking it out of the studio and into the factory, construction site, or office cubicle as Henri does. Whereas Kandinsky seems to digress at times into a sort of "how -to" instruction guide for defining and placing spiritual elements into a picture, Henri takes it further, defining his Art Spirit, then setting about showing us how to tell when it's present. This every-man definition is offered at the very beginning of his book:
   "Art when really understood is the province of every human being.
   It is simply a question of doing things, anything, well. It is not an outside, extra thing.
   When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature. He becomes interesting to other people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for a better understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book, he opens it, shows there are still more pages possible.
   The world would stagnate without him, and the world would be beautiful with him; for he is interesting to himself and he is interesting to others. He does not have to be a painter or sculptor to be an artist. He can work in any medium. He simply has to find the gain in the work itself, not outside it."
   Henri then spends two hundred and forty five more pages illuminating and reiterating how one is -or can be- an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature; how to live life to the fullest. The Art Spirit manifests itself in the appreciation of the non-material things in life; in the "true student" who self-educates and explores feelings, meanings, who contemplates, who really sees, who learns to express "who is you"; in what comes from the external world and inside you; in the full enjoyment in the living of life; in doing a thing well ... anything.
   Henri accomplishes a difficult task here; a book with specific and important information for the artist, yet within that structure filled with insight and compelling ideas for the non-artist. One is urged to make a full reading, since quite often both are mingled in the same sentence or statement. For example, a non-painter might be tempted to skip the ten-page section on brush strokes (pg. 62-72), seeing no need for it. The unfortunate reader would then miss out on many little gems of insight and information. What is a brushstroke but a purposeful committed action by an artist? So then, consider the message in these statements when you substitute the word "stroke" with "action" or even "attitude" (parenthetical insertions are mine ):
   "Strokes carry a message whether you will it or not. The stroke is just like the artist (person) at the time he makes it. All the certainties, all the uncertainties, all the bigness of his spirit and all the littleness are in it."
   
   "There are more strokes which laugh, and there are more strokes which bind laughter, which freeze the face into a set immoveable grimace."
   
   "(There are) bad strokes which are bad because a brush (a method) or a condition of paint (situation) were chosen which could not render them."
   
   While Henri plays to both artist and non-artist audiences, it is at these times when he addresses the artist more directly he more closely aligns himself with Kandinsky. Both men bring their great passion for the subject into their text in their strong, clear, and pleasing voice. Kandinsky, sounding alternately-yet only slightly more- poetic here, technical there; Henri with a bit more enthusiasm. They share the same territory on many issues, such as the shape, direction, and function of line, intention of every stroke, careful planning followed by exuberant expression and more. Yet, while they may travel the same road, they do not share the same vehicle. There is an important distinction in each man's approach to spirituality, or the art spirit. For Kandinsky, there is a spirit world out there, and a spiritually inspired painter can -and should- find ways to represent both that indwelling spirit and that exterior spirit world to which we are all connected. Henri says (when) we search the external world with appreciation and wonder, and we search within ourselves, and when we become more self-expressing creatures, we have the art spirit...we are the art spirit. Kandinsky believes only non-objective images can reveal the spiritual, Henri says it matters not what you paint but how you paint it-compelled by the spirit. So while Kandinsky can use the "psychic effect" (pg. 24) of color to manipulate the viewer's emotional state toward a comprehension of the spiritual, Henri says the artist's mark itself can manifest the Art Spirit. While, in both cases it takes a more or less purposeful opening up to the notion of the spirit, for Henri it is not trying to grasp the spirit and record it, it is about internalizing and building the spirit inside ourselves, and our resulting expressions will, by definition, represent the Spirit. And it is possible for all of us.
   The long quote above (from pg. 5) is written exactly as printed in the fifth edition printing not only as expository text, but as a means of illustrating Henri's bright, clear and energetic voice that runs throughout this book. The subtitle for The Art Spirit reads, "notes, articles, fragments of letters and talks to students, bearing on the concept and technique of picture making, the study of art in general, and on appreciation," and that is exactly how it reads. Much of this is due to Henri's considerable gift of communication, and the balance is credited to the physical layout of the book. There are no chapters, even very few headings to sections, lending itself very well to opening to any page and beginning to read. At times, a lecture, or perhaps advice to a single student goes on for five, six, seven pages. Other times, pages are divided into two or three sections, or set up in individual sentences which concern the same subject, yet stand on their own. The resulting effect is the feeling of being in the very classroom of Professor Henri. There are also considerable instances of repetition here, albeit in subtle variations. The index, however, is usefully repetitious as well, helping to differentiate between those subtleties when one may be in need of a specific quote or reference.
   The last thirty pages are exact notes taken by Margery Ryerson, a Henri student who eventually compiled the notes, fragments, etc.(in the revised edition, she is credited as Editor). This is an excellent addition to the book. Reading Henri's comments and insights in her necessarily abbreviated, note-taking style provides fresh psychological weight to the reality of Henri's classroom.
   One area of disappointment concerns the photograph illustrations of Henri and his work. In the fifth edition, the plates are in black and white. Although understandable at the time of inclusion (1930), they do not allow for close comparison with Henri's ideas and techniques about painting elaborated in the text. The real disappointment is to find that the current edition available from booksellers has not updated to colorplates, but jettisoned the pictures entirely, save for the full color cover.
   I recommend The Art Spirit to anyone involved in the creative process. It is a must have, particularly for those times when one may be experiencing a creative burnout, or to shake off the cobwebs. I am recommending The Art Spirit to non-artists as well -anyone who is looking for a little spark, a little positive push toward self-actualization.
   For the artist, I am not recommending The Art Spirit over the Kandinsky classic; I see Henri's work as more of a continuation, or a rounding out of what Kandinsky started years before. Artists and aspiring art appreciators must read both if there is to be any hope of understanding

5 comments about How to Master Airbrush Painting Techniques (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. I've been looking for an informative,complete and properly illustrated book that doesn't make the attempt to go over the heads of any novice, like me, and yet, covers all the neat little tricks that a good teacher of any skill and art combined, can put into a comprehensive book. I never lost interest at all. My attention span is a good way of telling me when a book that I'm reading is worth it's mud at all! I like this author,Ms. JoAnn Bortles puts it all out there in a way that makes it easy to apply to my own techniques as I go through each lesson. I like this book. I think it's the Bomb!! And I would recommend it as a fine gift for a friend or a personal purchase any time.



2. just got my wife a used air brush. she thinks this book will help her get started on several projects she has planned. she is used to oil painting, and says this looks like fun.
   thanks!



3. This would have to be the best book I've read about custom painting and airbrushing on cars/bikes. The book is great for the beginner (like me) who wants to know about airbrushes, suitable paints, and the techniques to start creating a custom paint job.



4. Very comprehensive. I felt the author was having a personal casual discussion with me about what I wanted to learn instead of just documenting technical information and techniques. Teaching painting techniques in writing must be a tough task, but I think the author did a good job.



5. I'll start off by saying I keep picking up this book over and over. The Troubleshooting chapter is so detailed. It covers nearly every problem I have ever had with an airbrush. I have other airbrush books and none of them have this much "fix it" info. That one chapter has saved me so much time and stress.
   The rest of the book is great also. One of the learning chapters has a really fun exercise that was so easy but gave me really cool results.
   The book is very easy to follow and the examples in the book can be applied to almost any airbrush project. She uses a common sense approach that takes away the complications that come up when I'm trying to learn a new technique.
   And unlike my other airbrush books, it has lots of photos. The example chapters have many photos that cover each little step.
   It also tells how to get great ideas to airbrush.
   And I really appricated the way she also tells how to deal with how to not get discouraged when things go wrong. How to deal with the stress that comes from trying to be be artistic.
   I have another of JoAnn's books and while I enjoyed that one, I like this one better.
   It is also a large book with nearly 200 pages. I feel this book was a great buy.

No comments about The Painterly Approach: An Artist's Guide To Seeing, Painting And Expressing.

4 comments about Children and Their Art: Methods for the Elementary School.

1. The book looks brand new and I received it in less than a week. I am very satisfied and would highly recommend.



2. I am beginning art teacher and I have found this book incredibly helpful. What I like most about it is that it is thorough, but condensed. It covers a lot of important information in an accessible and easy to read way. A great overview on child development, and practical methods for the Elementary Art Classroom. A great reference.



3. Children and Their Art is the most comprehensive textbook available for teaching art education methods. This bestselling textbook covers all aspects of teaching art in the elementary classroom: the basic principles and goals of art education, the characteristics and needs of children as learners, the core principles of art as a subject-aesthetics, principles of design, art history, art media-and all aspects of instruction-curriculum planning, sample lessons, classroom management, and assessment. The seventh edition has been thoroughly updated and includes coverage of the National Standards for Art Education as well as the impact of postmodern thought on the practice of art education. It also provides a concise overview of child development theories and the latest findings on child development and brain research, including Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences.



4. This is a great book to use in a pre-service teacher education program. However, I am a long-time art educator and I still refer to it because it has a wide range of information on issues we encounter every day. This year I am teaching the art class for undergraduate elementary teachers and it is proving a very valuable resource. It is written in a readable, highly practical way with lots of examples that make adding art into an elementary curriculum not seem so foreign or so daunting. I do feel that there is a need for other supplemental reading and resources to accompany this text, but it is a great overall art education text, especially for the generalist teacher.

1 comments about The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Reader's Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts.

1. Featuring rich color photography, The Art of Saint John's Bible: A Readers Guide to Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels and Acts is a beautiful tour of illuminated Biblical text in the first three published volumes of "The Saint John's Bible": Pentateuch, Psalms, and Gospels and Acts. The text examines specific illuminations with all the fine attention to detail, history, and context worthy of museum pieces, while the copious color pictures reveal the wondrous detail of visual elements and textual treatments. Highly recommended for church libraries as an aide to more deeply experiencing and understanding illuminated biblical text.

1 comments about Letterhead and Logo Design 10 (Letterhead and Logo Design).

1. The book is good material, but the deal feels a bit like a swindle. I'm use to buy items on amazon all around europe and it's the first time I have to pay extra taxes. Taxes that rised the price up to double the original price. There is no warning telling you that there will be an extra tax to pay to get the item. Most probably the last time I buy something on Amazon US.
   Very disappointed!

5 comments about Eames Design.

1. Charles and Ray Eames were not only creative artistic talents, they were also commercial geniuses (just like George Nelson was). These two talents provided the secret for success that would reward them throughout their life. This book gives in debt view about the vast creative inspiration that Charles and Ray Eames had. It documents in detail how Charles and Ray Eames got their early start (working on projects for the army among others) and how they expanded their line with Herman Miller.
   The book covers the entire span from 1940 to the 1970's.
   And everything is included, from their early plywood chairs, art and films. The stills that the book includes from their films are truly wonderful. This is a wonderful coffee table book, a joy to browse through. If you like modern design I also suggest to visit the wonderful online archive about George Nelson at WWW.GEORGENELSON.ORG and also the museum archive from Verner Panton at WWW.VERNERPANTON.COM



2. This is THE book about Charles and Ray Eames. Beautifully printed and designed and with more than 3500 photos to explore the work, year by year, of these two famous designers. The range of work is amazing, furniture (domestic and commercial) films, exhibitions, architecture, books even toys. I have a set of their 1952 House of Cards, a deck of fifty-four playing-card size cards that can be interlocked to create three dimensional structures, a very simple idea beautifully conceived.
   
   If I have a criticism it is that the book does not have an index and that makes refering to it rather frustrating.
   
   I think the book easily reflects the joy and stimulation that Charles and Ray Eames got out of the creative process.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
   
   2005 REVIEW NOTE Many of the pages in the book are devoted to the short films Charles and Ray created, you can get thirty-five of these on a wonderful six DVD box set 'The Films of Charles & Ray Eames' (ASIN B0009S2K92) they are available individually but cost a lot more than the box.



3. An exceptionally comprehensive year-by-year summary of the work of the Eames Office from the early 1940s to the late 1970s. Covers everything equally -- from wartime plywood experiments and herman miller furniture to toys, exhibitions, and, of course, films. A must for anyone interested in Eames design. Full of hard-to-find information and photos of rarely seen items.



4. This is an excellent survey of the work of the Eames studio. It provides a chronological survey of the furniture, films, exhibits, and other work of the studio. It even provides a listing of the Eames staff at each point and time. Lavishly illustrated, it provides photographs of furniture, exhibits, and stills from the over 100 films produced by the Eames's. Highly recommended as the one book you must have about their work.



5. Is the great book on Charles and Ray Eames I 've even read. The best book on my shelf. Even thought I can't afford to buy them all