4 comments about Color Full Pain: Tattoo Piercing.

1. 'This book contains photographs of mainly piercing but also tattoos. The photographs range from a variety of genital and facial piercings. Has very big, clear pictures. Excellent quality. When i bought it i expected it to have writing so I was disapointed to get a book that solely contained photographs. However if what you are interested is a book with pictures and nothing else this is a very good choice. It contains very nice detailed closeups and is really a pleasure to look through.



2. I own quite a few books on tattoos and body modifications, but this one just doesn't make the cut. There was nothing special about the tattoos and piercings featured in this book, you could pick up a copy of any number of tattoo magazines for under ... and see more interesting work. The photography was good for the most part, but the subject matter was lacking. If you want a really good book on this subject get a copy of The Customized Body by Ted Polhemus. Charles Gatewood also has several outstanding books on the subject.

   If you do decide to buy this one, make sure you save your return label, you'll probably need it.




3. Kehr does an extraordinary job of documenting a very specific lifestyle while maintaining an engaging and original perspective. Very talented, keep your eye on this one.



4. Very simple and nicely taken pixes

4 comments about Kids' Country Knits.

1. This book has adorable, as-yet-untried-by-me, knitting patterns, but one of the worst designs I have seen. The front of the book has lovely photos of each pattern clumped together with text on them in big letters which gives the name of the design and "See Page such and such," which, in many cases fade into the photo. The bigger problem arises when you are looking at the pattern, which tells you the number of the page of the photo -- but the photo pages are not paginated at all which makes that useless and makes you have to count backwards from the first pattern page (page 36).



2. I made the pig booties which certainly turned out cute. However, the pattern lacked a tension gauge (which is as fundamental as needle size) and didn't have any diagrams to show the knitter how to piece the body of the bootie together. Her patterns are really adorable and I would buy the book again. But if it ever gets into reprint adjustments should be made.



3. A friend of mine has a cute 2 year old and she knit the barnyard duck sweater for him. (This kid was leaning out of his stroller at 3 months of age, waiting to see the ducks on the river that runs through the center of town. He'd go wild when he saw them. Unbelievable. )

   The slippers are so cute, you want to wear them too.

   My only caution is that to get these darling designs, you need to knit intarsia. This is the method where you use a small bobbin or ball of color for the design patches and you do not strand as you do with fair-isle type knitting. That takes some practice. There are some good instruction books available to help you learn this useful and gorgeous technique.

   Don't let fear of intarsia stop you. These sweaters are small projects because they are kiddie-sized and boy are they EVER cute. Enjoy.




4. I LOVE this book. As a mother of two small children, a boy and a girl, I am always looking for books that have many cute options for either gender. Not only does this book have that, but I find this collection to be extraordinary. There is a duck all-in-one that is SO cute, barnyard animals to knit and the most adorable cow, pig and hen slippers that you could ever find. I love Debbie Bliss' other books as well, but this one is probably my all time favorite. Many of the knits are done in primary or other vivid colors and involve intarsia knitting. But even if you don't love intarsia there will be cute options for you (fair isle, texture knitting). I am really glad that I decided to splurge on yet another Debbie Bliss book - it has been well worth it!

5 comments about Big Up.

1. Not great. Overly dressed-up showing of routine magazine-type celeb pictures. Big Whatev...



2. Everything about this book oozes quality.the photography,
   the printing,binding , and art direction make this book so interesting to look through.i got the book yesterday and have been through it about 3-4 times and am so impressed by it .ben watts is definetly one of this generations
   hottest photographers.this book is a rare gem.it will never bore you.



3. As the most vibrant photographic documentation of youth culture I have seen to date Ben Watts shows us a side of life that can have been easily forgotten in more recent times - freedom and dignity! The people who for whatever reason have come to be the subjects of this photographer are portrayed with a common sense of pride and are not the least bit self-concious, be they wealthy celbrities or youth from the 'hood. These photographs pretty much wreek of enthusiasm.
   The random, 'scrappy' design of this book is evidence of the real joy of putting a photographic diary together rather than the fuss and pomp of what some of his professional life must offer, however does not necessarily leave that behind. The way it's been put together is almost autobiographical, the baggage tags, grease pencil and camera tape etc all serve to inform us that he is also a hard working, hard travelling professional photographer and the imagery shot over what would seem to be well over a decade reminds us that the personal and life long journey from youth to adulthood does not have to be solely devoted to being 'the career guy' as there is a life out there and you can be a part of it.
   If this is his first book - I say, "bring on the second!!"



4. I saw this book and grabbed it at the bookstore. Even though I am no youngster, I found the images in this book to be so tantalizing and alive, that I wanted to go out dancing. Ben Watts' ability to document culture with a non biased view really took me aback. An avid reader of fashion magazines, I have always been a fan of his work. I had no idea that someone of his stature ( I see his work in Elle) would be able to touch the soul of inner city youth. Most people would be afraid to photograph the subjects he has so beautifully presented in this diary of life. Growing up as a Puerto Rican in New York , I am proud to see that there is finally an art book which celebrates the diversity present in our culture. The fact that Ben Watts reaches out and shows us this classically demonished part of society in a jubilent and non judgemental way makes me want to shout. I look at these images and remeber what it is like to be so fearless,so brave and so young.



5. What does it mean to be young ? What does it mean to have fun? This book really breathes with all the excitement and energy of our times. Big Up was recently given to me by a freind a week ago and I have not been able to stop looking at it. Each time I open it's high voltage collage pages, I see something new. It's fresh and real, candid and raw. Big Up is right up my alley. I see myself in these images, hear the music, feel the joy. It is a delightful tribute to youth culture now and always.

No comments about The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion, 1947-1997.

3 comments about Basic Pattern Skills for Fashion Design (Currency Modern Drama).

1. Loads of info on tops and skirts but not a thing on pants. Crazy man... Crazy!



2. I encountered this book at the beginning of trying to teach myself clothing design, and found it immediately illuminating.

   The book is divided into four sections: Bodice, Collar, Skirt, Sleeve. Using a series of pictorial examples, you are shown how to progress from the basic pattern through many, many variations, using dart movement and seams. Each example takes up a full page, with the minimum text needed and lots of illustrations. (Each example is given a punny name, such as "Seams to Me" or "Absence makes the Dart...Grow Yonder".)

   The book starts with a section on the Bodice, covering close-fitting, loose-fitting, and flared versions. The Bodice section starts with a basic pattern, showing how a simple piece of fabric drapes across a bust form, and then showing the flat pattern version of the same thing. A series of examples then show you many ways to modify the basic pattern by moving darts, combining darts with seams, gathering excess fabric, and slashing and spreading the pattern. Each technique is shown by multiple examples, starting with the simplest changes and progressing to complex ones.

   If you like learning by example, the detailed drawings in this book will make it very easy for you to learn flat pattern clothing design.




3. grea

No comments about A World of Faces: Masks of the Northwest Coast Indians.

No comments about On The Apparel Of Women.

1 comments about Butterick's 1892 Metropolitan Fashions.

1. If you enjoy costume and accuracy this is a catalog with a snap shot in time. The picturs are large with period description. This isnt a pattern book but rather an idea book.

No comments about Beads in Fashion 1900-2000 (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1 comments about J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere: Photographs.

1. This is more than a coffee table book. One may pick up Ojeikere's book out of curiosity. However I guarantee that when you put it down you will have a broader sense of what cultural objects and practices can provide meaningful insight into a society. In relatively little text, Ojeikere's clearly explains the importance of Nigerian hair sculpture as a mode of cultural expression and documentation. The book captures fifty years of Nigerian women's hairstyles and represents only a fraction of his collection of hairstyle photographs which numbers in the thousands. Since it covers several decades of Nigerian traditional styles it has a historical dimension absent from similar efforts with a modern focus such as Francesco Mastalia's beautiful collection, "Dreads" (Artisan: 1999). An appendix accompanies the photographs which identifies hairstyles by name and region.

   I enjoyed this book. The black and white photography is stunning and helps the reader to make the transition from seeing these hairstyles as incidental aspects of personal adornment to recognizing them as public works of art. The women's faces remind us that this is a living art form. The portraits, accumulated from weddings, offices and public festivals truly convey the extent to which these styles meld contemporary style sense and awareness of traditional Nigerian adornment practices. I highly recommend this book for those interested in photography and the modern history of women's adornment in Africa. This book will also provide wonderful insights for a wide variety of individuals, for example, interested in the politics of African and African diasporic hairdressing in the context of cultural studies, women's studies, African American studies and art history.