1 comments about Moira Huntly's Sketchbook Secrets.

1. The author shows how to make the most of sketching as a holiday visual diary and as preliminary study and inspiration for later paintings. Her trips to Hawaii, Wales, Spain, Portugal, the UK and Canada fill the pages with quick sketches in a variety of mixed media, though the majority examples are pen and ink with watercolor.
   
   The value is in sketching 15-30 minutes and keeping your line relaxed yet focussed on what captures the eye. Huntly's examples include interesting plants, landscapes, cityscapes, harbor scenes, and even a quaint toilet directional sign! - these capture mood and character of a place imprinted on a traveler. The results are sketches that look spontaneous and energetic, demonstrating the value of simplifying a complex scene while maintaining its realistic flavor.
   
   Huntly gives tips on packing art supplies for long distance travel or day outings, what to expect in public places, how to accommodate weather and making the most of available drawing opportunities wherever they arise - like waiting in an airport, resting at a mall or relaxing in a cafe after lunch.
   
   A wonderful travel sketching reference book for an artist's library.

5 comments about Erte's Fashion Designs.

1. I love art and am always on the look out for great art books. Erte is a favorite artist of mine and when I found this inexpensive book, I jumped at it! Plenty of pictures, mostly black and white, and less fluff! Too many art books fill entire pages with well known images. This book is the opposite and has tons of great illustrations from Erte. For the price, who can complain? I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the 20's, studies fashion, and/or enjoys art.



2. This is a lovely little book that includes many georgeous fashion illustrations in the art deco style. An excellent book for the art deco enthusiast, or those those looking for new design ideas.



3. These designs may not always be emblematic of actual clothing in the 1920's, but they represent some of the most innovative, dramatic, and stylish stuff from the era, and remain inspirational to this day. The book features a few of his more ordinary designs, but also includes "Harper's Bazar" covers, theatrical designs, and some amazing haute couture. While there are no pictures of extant costumes, this book of illustrations, quite a few in color, is beautiful, stylish, and motivating.



4. One of the best! Truly unusual designs for creative figurative art dolls. Highly recommended.



5. With this book you get a glimpse into the master's mind at the birth of Art Deco and beyond. Erte's designs flourished in the mid-20's, when the Deco age was new, but you can still sense a taste for the noveau and baroque ages in his art and gorgeous designs. Erte was a pioneer artist untill his death and anyone seeking to learn true fashion design will benefit from the vision of Erte.

2 comments about How to Look At Japanese Art.

1. I was looking for a concise, simple and clear introduction to Japanese art for a course I am to give to a group of seniors (citizens, that is, not high schoolers!) and hit upon this title. After reading this small but well illustrated booklet I congratulated myself for having hit gold on my first try. This quite inexpensive volume covers just about all aspects of Japanese art, from the Jomon period to recent times, with well-chosen examples accompanied by enlightening commentary. Each chapter ends with a list of questions one should ask oneself when looking at art under consideration. A fine manual that will surely lead its readers to pursue their study of Japanese art.



2. This is a great book! It touches upon all the major categories of Japanese arts, such as ceramics, Buddhist sculpture, Zen painting, calligraphy, woodblock prints and gardens, in a simple and delightful way without missing essential points. Its excellent color plates and clever comparisons enable beginners to travel easily in this new and enchanting world of arts. I especially found the "key questions" for different types of arts at the end of each chapter useful for my continuous appreciation of Japanese art as well as the visual arts in general.

2 comments about Six Mermaids in Art Cards (Small-Format Card Books).

1. They were really great my niece has loved mermaids all her life she swims like a fish she is now preparing to attend the Coast Guard Officer Training School and these mermaids she can take with her I got these for her birthday.



2. I love mermaids and this little book contains small 3x5 inch cards with J.W. Waterhouse paintings of memaids. All are lovely images. They can be used as note cards or put into tiny frames or on the fridge to remind one of these lovely creatures.

5 comments about The Beat of Urban Art: The Art of Justin Bua.

1. Bua's work is amazing. I truly enjoyed his work as well as his story. I highly recommend this book.



2. Justin Bua is not just a talented artist but he is prolific as well. His stylistic caricatures and illustrations with there amplified perspectives and edgy stylings bring the urban street scene to life in a poignant and entertaining way. He presents a diary of his life on the streets. He shows a cast of characters that resonate with energy and rhythm created by his skills at applying line, color and texture. Awesome! Justin Bua is a poet with a paint brush!



3. If you like Justin Bua...you'll love this book.The artwork is beautiful and he provides a detailed outline of his life,his inspiration, and his direction for each of his pieces... The layout is beautiful, the design is lovely, and the art is brilliantly Bua. It's a great book to share with others too.



4. I bought this book as part of research for a 15 min adaptation of a play Marisol (Jose Rivera) for my drama class. Bua's artwork is stunningly beautiful, with a great portrayal of a city that brings so much awe, culture and mystery...NYC (where marisol is staged).
   his telling a story through art is an amazing feat, the colors are great and a few really nice quotes about progression in any artform is in need of skills, as the book states:
   
   As one of my teachers Glenn Vilppu put it: "if you think of all the possible visual elements that you must learn as keys on a piano, the more keys you have, the wider the range of possibilities you can enjoy. Of course, you can make music with just a few keys, but that should be based on choice, not limitations."
   
   Eloquent in his words and thoughts (and his teachers words for that matter), and passionate about his artform, i found the book a great story into the heart of new york.



5. I put this book in the must have catagory. I have followed Justin bua's art the last few years and have found this book a great source of info on his methods and background info on his work. I have a book by ernie barns and I put this one right up with his. This book is a must have for any Bua fan or fan of black or urban art.

2 comments about Interior Color By Design, Volume 2: A Design Tool for Homeowners, Designers, and Architects (Interior Color by Design).

1. This text spoke to me louder online, then when I actually received it in the mail. Although I bought this book as a gift for a young inspiring decorator, I did review it briefly before wrapping the holiday paper. First, my intial attraction to this product was its title and the layout/composition of the text cover. This medium-sized book (image online has a sense that it is larger, maybe because of its width, than it is) contains the foundation of color basics, and the online synopsis for "volume two" seemed more intereting than the other volumes in the series. I had hoped for a more generous showing of color photo examples, but the included photos do seem to highlight the text decriptions adequately. Second, I did not buy volume 1 or any additional volumes, but I have a sense that the publisher or author could have merged the others' content into one stronger text. With a quick read as my only resource, the book was lacking something: some excitement, some movement, some color! From my advantage point, the book delivers the basics of color and provides an adequate resource, but, in the future, I would not buy the accompanying volumes.



2. For anyone who wants a basic, practical, concise, no nonsense understanding of color theory, this is the book for you. I found the examples in Chapter 3 most helpful when I designed rooms with specific color schemes. It defined each scheme type, breaking down the cool and warm tones in each and showed full pages of examples for each category. Color being such an integral component of our everyday lives, this book is definitely a necessary addition to a reference library for any color applications such as interior/exterior structure, gardening, and wardrobe design.

No comments about Simply Material: Exploring the Potential of Materials and the Creative Competency (Simply (Victionary)).

3 comments about Pieter Claesz 1596/97 - 1660.

1. Having purchased this book a week ago I have been on cloud nine. The book traces the development of Pieter from the age of 24 to age 61. The book shows his steady progression as an artist. He arrived very early on a high plateau so don't be discouraged. His compositions got better and better as the years went by. He also had a tough life. It was not all a bed of roses.
   
   My favorite aspect of the book are the close-ups where one can study the brushwork. His paintings look photographic but up close they are often painterly. He was not a photorealist but was able to emphasize portions of his paintings with wonderful lighting. If you paint still lifes you'll drool over these masterpieces.
   
   Surprisingly some of the paintings are quite simple but absolutely stunning. This is a gorgeously bound book and a keeper.



2. I am an artist concentrating on still life paintings - this is a beautiful book with many photos of
   his art work. Book talks of his life, if you're looking for a "how to" ... it's not this one.... but
   his work is very fine!!



3. I've always admired the Dutch still life paintings by Claesz, Heda, etc. Their paintings helped launch one of the largest "genres" of painting today (still life), and the mastery that went into these creations is astounding. The value of these paintings shouldn't be underestimated; they serve to not only tell us what was happening in the art world at the time, but they often give us a look in the lives of both rich and common people, bringing us a little closer to them.
   
   This is the first book that shows Claesz's work over his life. As stated in the book's forward, it's astonishing that no one had assembled these before and it was a task long overdue.
   
   This book surprised me when I received it. I expected it to have some impressive images, but these are truly outstanding and there are so many. Published as a catalog to a traveling show that ended December, 2005 (Washington National Gallery of Art - [...] it includes all the important still life motifs. Represented are "breakfasts", "banquets", and one of my favorites, the vanitas paintings.
   
   I'm sorry I missed the actual show because I would have enjoyed seeing these paintings in person, but it's hard not to be enthusiastic about this catalog. Many art books are published every year and many of them are in the mediocre to good range, but this book is in the great range. If you're a still life artist or just a fan, this is something you should add to your collection. Superb! Highly recommended.

5 comments about Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects.

1. No one would ever have guessed that when Industrial Light & Magic opened its doors in Maren County that day way back in 1975 that they would produce the standard by which other special effects and other effects houses would be judged. ILM has formed the cornerstone of LucasFilm Ltd. a company that has spawned more spin-offs such as THX Sound, Skywalker Sound, all held neatly under the Lucas Digitial banner. Back in the days of Star Wars it was mostly using what was already known, and inventing everything else. ILM has been at the forefront ever since, from the early days of motion control cameras controlled by Apple computers the latest CG marvel like Galaxy Quest, Phantom Menace or Mission to Mars.

   The Art of Special Effects deals more with the older films-those before 1986, illustrating a time when computers were not so large a part in the film-making process. It gives the reader a great look at the sheer amount of detail that went into the models, the props, costumes from Star Wars to Explorers, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to the some of the Star Trek films, ILM constantly and consistently proven to innovative. The book as a whole is on a level lower than, say, Cinefex magazine, assuming that the reader doesn't know how blue screening and rotoscoping works or how miniatures are lensed. It is light reading without getting itself bogged down in too much technicality, for those who want that, read Cinefex.

   It also strikes me that this book is also best at presenting a dying era. A time when model makers kit bashed hundreds of plastic models just to build a Super Star Destroyer - few companies bother with that any more when everything can be rendered on a Silicon Graphics box and Maya and Soft Image software. Such films as Star Trek: Insurrection used few practical models and a completely CG Enterprise-E. The time of the supremely detailed, hand crafted model or set may be at an end, and I think the industry will be sadder for it. Partially because when I read Cinefex, a lot of what I see is the same-different movie, different space ship, but they're all rendered the same way and most use the same software, with only minor modifications or original code going into it to get a certain look or solve a certain problem.

   I suspect the Digital Realm of the movies, while producing better special effects, lacks the mystique of knowing that several people labored for months to build that model. That instead it was modeled by a few people over a period of a week. (Though it should be noted that a lot of films, including the Phantom Menace, used practical models). I suspect their days are number.




2. Thomas Smith was general manager of Industrial Light and Magic a year before he came to write this impressive book. The book is centred around the film special effects creations of ILM between 1975 and 1985. This includes the then "Star Wars" trilogy, two Indiana Jones movies and other lesser known projects. For the Star Wars fan theres plenty to learn about one of your favourite movies. This book is lavishly illustrated with full colour photos including triple page or gatefold images. The focus though is on how the effects are done and who did them at ILM. From the art work in developing concepts of storylines, through modelling, creature creation, the actual filming methods and matte image creation to the finishing touches of animation and optical compositing this book gives a gradual demonstration of the work of a special effects company. For someone with no knowledge what so ever of special effects this is a good introduction and to those involved it must be fascinating as well. As Thomas Smith points out, while film fans still love the movies from this era (1975-85), movie goers constantly seek new visions on screen. The digital era has brought movies like Toy Story etc but these were just figments of imagination at the writing of this book so its worth noting Thomas Smith's far-sightedness in the final chapter on digitized movies. The format of the book is to take each department of the special effects process and show what it does and where its part comes in the crafting of a movie. In each chapter there are short biographies of the leading people in each area of effects, this is a nice touch as it can serve as guide for those interested in getting involved. Its worth noting, many of those profiled have a long interest in their specialty going back to their youth and through the various twists and turns of working in an industry knew of other members of the ILM company before actually joining this now esteemed organisation. Thomas Smith by no means is setting out to sell ILM's considerable expertise though he tells the story of a company making dreams into reality, itself moving from an idea to a serious business proposition. (As a final note another book on movies of this period Paul Sammons "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" contains insightful descriptions about the crafting of a movie not least its special effects.)



3. Years ago I longed for this book, as it sat on the shelf in the local book store(it was not cheap). I received it with much gratitude on my birthday. Now as a teenager I found a reinterest in this book, and was overjoyed when the next book "into the digital realm" came out. For anyone who is captured by the magic of special effects, this is for you.



4. Pér tutti quelli che vogliono sapere come fanno i film, per tutti quelli che amano Star Wars con tutti i suoi segreti, direi che questo è il libro che fà propio al caso vostro.Scritto in un inglese molto facile è un libro che può veramente appassionare



5. This book shows how I.L.M. made most of their films. It goes into full detail about special effects for their films

3 comments about Creative Code: Aesthetics + Computation.

1. The book is carefully, beautifully designed, it really shines in your bookshelf. Nevertheless, i found it to be lacking more thoughts, ideas - something to fill the void, to make the images meaningful. It fails to inspire, to make you ask questions, to expose the deeper structures and ideas behind the artwork. That's a big "sin" so to say, since maeda is well known for having interesting things to say.
   
   Without real text i think it's just a beautiful book, no more and no less than that. Great for snobs, or for having in your living room...



2. I read 7 times in a row this book to analyse it in depth. It is fun and very exciting to read as you go through dozen of highly interesting projects. My analysis of this book brought me to the conclusion that it also contains a vision, a powerfull secret message. It convinced me we are builders of a new era, a "renaissance" of human knowledge and activities with computational technologies.
   Within a friendly package, i got intimately convinced by the faithfull project of John Maeda, and I'm now driving my research having in mind the many accessible yet visionary projects i have seen in this book. I'm applying to MIT Media Lab and i want to change the world, with my vision.



3. Maeda is a certifiable genius, but his books have gone downhill since his first, "Design by Numbers." That book is an exceptional introduction to computational design, original, and elegant. His next, "Maeda at Media" took many hundreds of pages to sum up Maeda's years a the MIT Media Lab. It was something of an egotistical embarrassment. Maeda, then just in his mid-thirties, included pretty much every experiement and project he'd done to date. Even geniuses need editors.
   
   Now, in "Creative Code" we get a book not really different from the "New Masters of Flash" series that's now in (I think) its third edition. CC is a collection of case studies of work by some very smart people, and some essays about digital media, working methods, and so on. Much of it is great work and pretty. It's rendered pretty lifeless in a printed book, of course, so you'll want to track down this work online to actually check it out.
   
   How valuable will this be to you? Do you need another heavy, sexy design book? If you're really interested in this kind of work, you'll certainly already know about all of these designers, and probably about most of the peices included here. You've probably also read the designers' own blogs or web sites, so you'll know about their methods and interests in much more detail than you get here. (The description's statement that "little of this research has been seen outside the laboratory" is not true.) In that case, you get a book of pretty pictures that probably will sit on your shelf more than on your lap. If you're looking for code samples or detailed technical explanations, you'll be better off looking elsewhere.
   
   It's kind of a shame in the end. He's so talented, I want to see Maeda doing less surveying of the state of interaction design and more genuinely innovative and interesting things. In fact, I'll tell you what's needed: to finish the project he started in DBN, which is to really explain the concept of "coding elegance" (and the creativity behind it). There's a lot in all three books about the aesthetic appeal of well-written computer code, but there's not much about what specifically makes one algorithm more beautiful than another. This algorithmic elegance is really central to Maeda's work; he says that digital designers should appreciate both the coding and the visual/interactive design natures of the medium. The people represented in this book are the ones who'll be able to do that, but it hasn't happened yet.