5 comments about How to Draw Cartoon Animals (Christopher Hart Titles).

1. This book is by far the best one in my collection:) It's stuffed with inspirational pictures and it's very easy to read:) It took me only about a half hour to create my very own cartoon character after reading a bit in this book:D
   
   The step-by-step drawing guides in here are so easy to follow, and the book also show you different degrees of hardships in creating a character. You have the easily drawn characters, the medium hard-to-draw characters, and the really hard-to-draw characters:S
   
   I'd say i was already in the "Medium" category when i bought this book, so the easily drawn characters were just to simple for me to even bother with. But still, they make good reference::)
   
   If i am to say something about what audience this book is aimed for, then i'd have to say it's for beginners and people like me(A bit past beginner:p). There are VERY few hard-to-draw pictures in here, so i'm gonna have to buy another book soon if i keep progressing like i do:p
   
   Different animals you can learn to draw from this book: Cats, dogs, horses, sharks, elephants, lions, tigers, bears and a few other critters...
   
   I love this book :) I do not regret buying it at all:) I can actually REALLY reccomend this book to people who are out for learning this subject:)



2. I actually have some of my own characters now just from reading this book. Keep up the good work



3. As a cartoonist and author myself ( of "Let's Toon Caricatures"), I have quite a collection of how to draw books that I've amasses over the years. This book is my all time favorite for drawing great, cartoony animals.



4. I love the idea of putting cartoon animals into humorous situations, and this book shows exactly how to do that! Shows simple ways to draw some of the most seemingly complex cartoons! Highly recommended!



5. Christopher Hart's how to draw books are all wonderful. I own this one and a couple others and I often go back to them when I just can't get my sketches perfect. When I first received them I couldn't tear myself away. I was drawing up a storm 24-7. I've drawn realistic pictures all my life, but until buying these books, I'd never been able to whip out anything cartoony. Unexpectedly, his instructions and tips on cartoon drawing also helped me out in my realistic drawing and creativity.

   I can't say enough about this book! You won't be disappointed! It's well worth the price and more. One great thing about it is that not only does the author really know his stuff, he's managed to present it wonderfully. It's a fun & easy read!!!

2 comments about Encyclopedia of Sculpture Techniques.

1. Clearly describes a wide range of sculptural terms, techniques and materials. Enteries are concise yet are often in-depth providing a clear understanding of complex or obscure subjects in this field of art. For the non-art school sculptor (like myself) or the new art student, it is invaluable reference book. Well-written with a personal and occassionally witty voice, I found it easy to read it from front to back. Pictures and diagrams instructive and relevant although more would be helpful for a few enteries to assist in understanding the subject in question. Well-bound and sturdy book for a paperback. A must-have for a student of sculpture.



2. A revised & updated version of the 1991 edition. This reference work now encompasses new materials such as resin & metal particle castings, synthetic clays, alloys, polymers.
   
   The book serves as an indispensable encyclopedia for sculptors/studio practitioners or enthusiasts/collectors - describing all methods of sculptural creation from the lost wax casting process to contemporary materials and associated techniques and tools.
   
   It covers sculpting techniques (hand-building, carving, forging, casting, moulding, modelling, welding etc) materials, processes, tools, patinas, finishes, glazes, fixings, mountings, how to light sculptural work, and many such creative options. It's well illustrated (photographs and drawings).
   
   Wide-ranging, with real depth and breadth - for example, on materials alone, it includes types of stone, categories of rock formation, plastics, metals, clays, woods, concrete, glass, plaster of Paris, polystyrene, papier mâché, wax, gelatine and so on.
   
   There's a sense of the history of art in many of the explanations and the rich cumulative inheritance of sculptors, sculpture and sculpting.
   
   A major achievement by accomplished sculptor John Mills, who provides an indispensable reference work for any practitioner, art historian or committed collector whether beginner or experienced.

1 comments about Giorgio Morandi: The Art of Silence.

1. I found the book to be very revealing about the misconceptions of the artist Morandi. It gives the political and cultural backgrounds of the artist's life in Italy. It traces the hopes of fascism and its ultimate disappointments.
   While revealing much about the life and times of the artist it leaves the mystery and beauty of his work intact. Knowing about the forces against him made me more appreciative of his unigue gift.
   I would have liked to see more reproductions of the paintings mentioned in the text. I get annoyed reading about a painting I can't see for my self.
   Over all I found it a rewarding reading experience.

3 comments about The Pastel Artist's Bible: An essential reference for the practicing artist (Quarto Book).

1. A beautifully written and produced book that will be a hit with all beginning as well as advanced pastel artist. Like all good art 'how to' books, the book is rich in photographs, while still being a small enough to handle reference to take with you with your geat. This entire series is good.



2. Must admit to adding this to my collection of pastel art books in the hopes of returning to my penchant for this type of painting. Have been removed from it for some years and plan to resume the hobby in the near future. All knowledge for the project reside on my book shelves. Can't wait to apply that knowledge.



3. I have worked in pastels on and off for over 50 years and I was looking for a book to help me catch up on the latest techniques and what materials were available. I found this book to be very concise and helpful it is well laid out and the information in it is very credible the illustrations are both colorful and well done and are good examples of what is being expressed in words. I highly recommend this for anyone starting in pastel work because it is simple and well laid out and easy to follow. I also recommend it for anyone who has worked in pastel but has not worked in it for the last few years.

5 comments about How to Draw Fantasy Females: Create Sexy Cyberpunks, Seductive Supergirls, and Raunchy All-Action Heroines.

1. I tend to buy a lot of "How to Draw" books, art books, etc. and, over the years, I've developeda pretty good sense of what works and what doesn't. Unfortunately, "How to Draw Fantasy Females" just doesn't work.
   
   This book is basically a look into different kinds of female sci-fi/comic book/fantasy characters. It gives information on archetypes (actually, there is a little character sheet-type list at the beginning of the book that will help you design different character "types") and provides a couple of pseudo-helpful tutorials on Photoshop and other programs, but is mostly a showcase of different kinds of femals genre characters. I was underwhelmed, to tell the truth - there is very little "how to" to this book at all. Unless you are a collector or a completionist, I recommend just staying away from this one and looking elsewhere.



2. this book talks about the type of characters there are in stories and what not. And if you plan on drawing fantasy stuff, chances are you already know about these character types. Theres plenty left out and this doesnt teah you much if you know how to draw and if you dont know how to draw, this doesnt teach you how.
   
   I got this thinking it'd show me how to draw suits and armor and stuff for females, not tell me that i could draw a girl with a gun or a female alien shaped like a uterus (im dead serious), whats up with that?
   
   If i knew what i know now about this book, I wouldnt buy it. I can't really say who this book would be useful for. I guess its for those who want to draw fantasy style, but have no idea what kind of fantasy settings exsist. And with all the movies, cartoons, videogames, and comic books out there, i dont thing such a person walks this earth.
   
   I wouldnt call it a waste, it does have some nice artwork in it, but overall its useless for me. I'm not an expert or draw for a living or anything like that and im not new at it. This would have been useful if it tought you how to draw stuff or at least had more/unheard of archetypes. Another thing is that this book does is assumes you want to make a comic book which gets annoying because it gives story ideas instead telling me what i wanted to learn.



3. This book isn't worth the paper it's written on. There's next to nothing useful in it, any other drawing book on the market is far better. I'm amazed a publisher released it.



4. Overall, besides the 'cheesecake' appeal, the breakdown of styles and techniques justify buying this book. I haven't yet, but I might.
   
   I reccomend anyone using this as a learning tool also get a DVD/Digital cable and once in a while use the 'pause' feature, to sketch what they see on the TV. Have a sketchbook devoted to 'life drawing' from this source, seperate from the 'fantasy' stuff. Also, "Drawing and painting fantasy figures" should be purchased first, as more versatile, along with its companion on "Fantasy Worlds".
   
   
   Poser, mentioned heavily in this book, is also a very good tool. Ever see a movie called "Fire and Ice"? It was done with a "Rotoscope" where artists drew over still frames from a movie that used actors approximating what the animation would be. Today, with Poser and some decent software, such as flash and painter, such a movie could be made far more easily. One of my projects once I think of a good "Thud and Blunder" plot to tribute to Heroic fantasy;-)
   
   I use TrueSpace for more ambitious 3D, but for general figure position experiments, Poser works good. Got a copy of Poser 5 here, and it works great. Previously, I'd used Poser 3, which I got for free in a magazine, but when I got a computer with more than a Gig of Ram, Poser 3 couldn't recognize it.



5. Drop the How to Draw from the title and you will get what you are paying for. This book covers software and tools used in the profession but lacks any step by steps useful to beginners and contains info already known by anyone with basic knowledge of character design. This book is more of a gallery of created characters.

5 comments about Design Management: Using Design to Build Brand Value and Corporate Innovation.

1. This book repeats itself in almost every chapter. It's three sections are chopped up by quotes that make sinking into each topic almost impossible. A book labeled Design Management, I would think, would be designed better for an enjoyable experience. Good for reference, not for reading.



2. While the title is promising the book turns out to be more of a collection of literature on the subject. Great quotes about the importance of design can be found throughout the text. Unfortunately, the book never goes into how to use design to build brand value or corporate innovation, although it proves that it should be done. Anyone looking to strengthen their case through quotes, or anyone who is just interested in what people throughout history have done should get this book.
   Overall, it is a great effort that doesn't quite fullfill the promise. Worthy nonetheless.



3. Good overview of the history of Design Management and the value it brings to companies



4. This is a very thorough treatment of a new and growing topic, design management. Brigitte has effectively jumped the gun here, coming up with one of the first significant books in this area. There are often splits between the design and marketing functions in a company, yet she shows, in careful, methodical detail, how they best work together to come up with successful new designs.



5. This author takes a practical approach to define the key competancies of the field of design maangement. Her scholarship is strong, and her examples and stories are meaningful. If anything, she sees this field both too broadly and too narrowly. Broadly--one might think that design management is the new business religion, seeking to fix it all. Narrowly--She spends less time on the process of design in favor of the activities possible. it is very good in the sense that it is not about industrial deisgn, but truly management.

2 comments about The Layout Book (Advanced Level).

1. I am a student at a designschool in Denmark (third year), and I bought "The Layout Book" by Ambrose/Harris. This book is a good and basic introduction to graphic design. Maybe a bit to basic I realize, but still good. It has a short historic view and treats subjects like The Golden Section, The grid, and Typography in a very basic manner. A good introduction, and perfect for new students of graphic design or people with beginning interest for this field. I give it four stars because it really is good for beginners, but realize I probably should have bought a book the deepens more into the subject.



2. The collaborative work of freelance writer, journalist and editor Paul Harris and professional graphic designer Gavin Ambrose, "The Layout Book" is a profusely illustrated introduction to the basic principles of graphic design as they have been employed for in the worlds of fashion, the principles of architecture, the creation of art, and the organization of the illustrated printed page. With a wealth of images ranging from magazine covers, to maps, to packaging design, "The Layout Book covers everything from the use of white space, to the measurement of images, to the balancing of lines and geometrical spacing of individual elements into something that is so much greater than the mere assembled sum of its parts. The transformation of image and proportion into graphically designed works of art. "The Layout Book" is the perfect introduction for graphic art design students, and will prove to be of immense interest to non-specialist general readers with an interest in art and design as well. Also very highly recommended from AVA Publishing is Tony Gibbs' "Fundamentals of Sonic Art and Sound Design".

5 comments about Beautiful Botanicals.

1. If you want to learn to draw and paint flowers and plants from a botanist point of view, this is probably a great book for you. I have the DVD that can be purchased to go with this book and it is also great. Bente Starke King is an incredible artist with an impressive background in botanical illustration. She begins with teaching about basic form and perspective and then teaches about the use of graphite pencil in botanical drawing and how to depict a 3-D surface using 2 step-by-step demonstrations. Next, the book progresses to Pen and Ink with two stepped demonstrations. Next, you learn ink wash and again, demonstrations are given. Chapter 5 is Transparent Watercolor and 7 step-by-step demonstrations are given. Chapter 6 is Mixed Media, where watercolor is combined with other media such as pen and ink and colored pencils, along with 6 step-by-step demonstrations. The end of the book ties the loose ends by including how to choose a mat, framing,exhibiting,
   copyright, etc..
   
   This a beautiful book that can teach you a lot about drawing and painting flowers and plants. It is well-designed and written. I like the way Bente King combines the medias and demonstrates how this method enhances the richness and textures. Her DVD is excellent. I would recommend buying both the book and DVD if you want to speed up your progress. She is a wonderful teacher.



2. This gorgeous, well-written "how to" book for drawing and painting
   beautiful botanicals is a treasure! It is spiral bound so the book won't flip closed on you. It is written by Bente Starcke King, a Botanical Illustrator who teaches at Cornell University. She covers everything from form and perspective, materials that she uses in her demonstrations, and beautiful illustrations.
   
   She covers, with clear, easy-to-follow instructions, lessons in drawing with graphite pencil, using pen and ink, ink wash, transparent watercolor and mixed media. It's like having an instructor in a book, and you can go at your own pace.
   
   The most fascinating aspect to me is how she layers watercolors to create her luminous color illustrations. Fabulous.
   Sharyn from Portland, Oregon.



3. Whomever thought of the spiral binding inside the traditional binding should be knighted. That was a stroke of genius. If I am trying a new technique, I usually scan and copy a page but with this book, I just leave it open.
   
   Bente's book would be useless (as well constructed as it is,) if it weren't for her terrific explanations. She shows the same painting in different stages, tells the reader where she or he can take short cuts and is over-all a great book for the beginning or advanced student.



4. As someone who is just beginning in botanical illustration, I could not find a better instructional book. The author teaches you what materials to buy, what typse of paper to use, and leads you step-by-step through a number of lessons covering several different types of media.
   
   I could not believe how well my first efforts turned out! I've looked through a lot of drawing books, and this is by far the best I've come across if you are interested in botanical drawing.



5. It is a beautiful book with easy to follow instructions arranged in a very organized way to help a student progress step by step. The spiral binding inside the traditional binding cover also makes it really easy to actually use this manual. It stays open flat on your table for easy reference while not looking cheap when standing in a bookcase. This book is actually worth buying and keeping. Unlike a lot of others, it doesn't disappoint and is truly informative rather than just being another pretty flower book.

5 comments about Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries 1900-1969.

1. Yes...it is a great compliation of some of the forgotten Golden Age cartoon work...like the wonderful "Explorigator"...but, and this is a Big BUT...
   
   Those great old full-sheet Sunday Comics have been reduced to 8 x 11...can't even read the type-face with a good glass magnifier. And while the art work has some fabulous color it too is reduced to the point of....well you think about it!
   
   The good news is the Intro, the Bibliography and the Resources are excellent for your further research.
   
   P.S. My "mint" copy will be available on eBay shortly



2. This book is an eye-opener. Beautiful quality and reproductions here. Every time I look through this I discover something else. I love the works of McCay and Herriman as much as anyone...but there are real treasures here waiting to be rediscovered. Dan Nadel has done an outstanding job bringing this work to the attention of present day comics afficionados and art lovers in general. I really hope that Dan decides to do a volume 2 of this...and if you own this book, you'd know exactly what I mean.



3. I bought this book for my husband for Christmas on the recommendation of one of his friends who knows his taste. A comics afficiado from way back, he has been over the moon about the book to the extent that we have given copies to various other of his friends as well. Everyone who has received it RAVES about it ... its coverage, thoroughness, graphics, etc. So no doubt that this book is da bomb! If you're even vaguely interested in the subject area, this is definitely the book for you.



4. Any involved in the comics must have ART OUT OF TIME: UNKNOWN COMICS VISIONARIES, 1900-1969: it celebrates the lesser-known work of Bob Powell, Astan MacGovern, Boody Rogers and others who proved eccentric but influential comic visionaries before the rose of underground comics in the late 1960s. These artists created their own versions of western, romance, humor and horror genres and worked within the confines of popular comics of their times to provide visionary works. Some became famous, others remained obscure. ART OUT OF TIME reprints complete comic book and strip stories: many appear here for the first time since their first appearance. A thematic organization allows for quick access while surveys of pre-underground stars makes for a winning collection. Another big plus: the strips appear in full color, capturing all the nuances of the originals and losing nothing in translation. Readers involved in comic history, evolution and art simply must have ART OUT OF TIME.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. The edition and compilation of material is brilliant, and also is the reproduction of old pages. It's a fantastic purchase for comic lovers.

5 comments about Expressive Portraits: Creative Methods for Painting People.

1. Has some nice pics but I didn't find it very instructional. Author can do some nice paintings but to me lacks the ability to teach someone how to paint them.



2. Expressive Portraits is inspirational and provides valuable information.
   The strong visual images coupled with the clear use of text were informative and helpful.



3. This is by far the best watercolor book out there. I've learned so much from it. I love the color pallette Jean recommended in her book. I highly recommend this book to all levels watercolorist. Thank you Jean for sharing your talent and knowledge with us.



4. I have had the pleasure of taking classes with Jean and feel that the book admirably projects her lessons. I especially like her information on using different medias. She has given me the courage to break all rules and experiment for myself. I think it is a very good book on painting portraits and a good addition to an artist's library.



5. What an amazing artist. I love her contemporary take on portraiture. I'm hoping to adapt her techniques to acrylics or oils on board and/or canvas, rather than watercolor and gouache on paper. She does use some acrylics however, and overall I give this a thumbs-up. Very inspiring!