5 comments about The Sketchbook Kit: An Artist's Guide to Techniques, Materials, and Projects.

1. This set is perfect with a travel-sized booklet accompanying a good quality sketchbook. My son is a serious artist and just loves this! It is a great size for a child, also. The text is a nice one, especially considering its size. This is not for "young" children not serious about art as it isn't "kiddie" oriented. The set is for adults or teens, or seriously artistic children. My son thought this was his best holiday gift this year and he is 10.



2. This is a nice item for beginning artists as a little gift.
   It is portable, practical, and beautifully put together.



3. My son (19) is into art and sketching. I had bought other sketchbooks but they were cheap. This one is excellent, the paper is thick, is bound very well, the charcoal and pencils are made of high quality and last a long time. Don't waste your money on other cheaper/cheezy products, this is a keeper.



4. Writing will never be the same for many children. The world of charcoal pencils is changing, for the better if i could shout it to the world i would scream i love this pencil set, buy it you won't be dissappointed!



5. My son is pleased that he finally has different types of mediums to use, and a book to show him how to utilize them properly. He is looking forward to using it, soon after he is done with all the video games from Christams! He is only 8, but has a great eye for detail, and I think this is definitely a good starter for his mature senses.

1 comments about Erte's Seven Deadly Sins and Other Great Graphics in Full Color.

1. This is a picture book featuring Erte's gorgeous designs in full colour glory. There is very little text, so if you desire biographical information, look elsewhere (I found some great info about Erte the man online).
   
   As an amateur costume designer and maker, this book is amazingly inspirational and stirs the passions of creativity.

5 comments about Sketchbook Navy Blue cover, 8 1/4 x 11".

1. Some previous reviewers say this sketchbook has only around 170 pages, but under "Product Details" above, Amazon says this sketchbook has 224 pages. FYI.



2. The texture and grain of the paper was really enjoyable to use, and I would consider this a great gift purchase to any aspiring journal writers or even artists. However, the major complaint I would have is the feeling that there aren't as many pages as originally anticipated. I was expecting over 200 sheets, but ended up with about 170 or so. Though this is not a big deal, but it would be advisable to list this someplace on the website and differentiate it from similar products of the same company.
   
   Great product in most other regards.



3. Great bargain and the weight of the paper is enough to handle light watercolour washes. The paper is smooth and works great with ballpoint pens.



4. I agree that these are great journals and sketchbooks. For some reason Amazon does not list the number of pages in the various Watson-Guptill sketchbooks, even though it is printed on the sticker. I have two versions of this book with the same ISBN number - one bought in 2001 with 224 pages and one bought in 2004 with 176 pages. Maybe Watson-Guptill has trimmed the size of the sketchbooks. So the most recent version has 176 neutral pH, nonyellowing archival-quality pages.



5. These make the best sketchbooks and journals. The binding is excellent and very durable. The paper is smooth and fine, a joy to write or draw on. For a two-week trip to France, I bought a Watson-Guptill sketchbook for use as a travel journal. This journal went everywhere with me, knocking around inside my totebag and being taken in and out of the bag many times a day for writing, and yet it arrived back home showing hardly any wear and is today my most valued souvenir of the trip. Every time I travel, I buy another of these wonderful sketchbooks. They're the best.

2 comments about More Fantasy Art Masters: The Best Fantasy and Science Fiction Artists Show How They Work.

1. With a dragon on the front cover I thought this would be heavily into medieval fantasy, Dragonlance-style book covers, and game art. There is but ONE artist in the whole book who is a medieval fantasy artist (dragons, elves, etc.). The rest are rather hard to describe. Some just seemed to push the limits of what we will put into the so-called fantasy genre (perhaps because it won't fit in any other genre?).
   
   Don't get me wrong...I appreciate the effort these artists go through to produce their artwork, but unless you have a very non-discriminate art appreciation it's just not for everyone. Just be forewarned that the artists covered in this book belong to a vast array of genres, and while all may be talented in their chosen medium, you will have to be VERY open minded to appreciate all of it.
   
   Even as an aspiring fantasy artist myself I found this book to offer little in the ways of inspiration. For some of the artists it doesn't even say where the works were used or displayed, or how the artist otherwise became well known.
   
   If you are buying this book because you are a medieval or sci-fi fantasy/game art enthusiast, you will be sorely disappointed. Don't judge a book by its cover (I wish Amazon.com had a "search inside" option for this book!).



2. More Fantasy Art Masters isn't just another collection of fantasy work by great artists...it is, but it's much more. Rarely in fantasy art collections do you get a chance to get a glimpse behind the creation of the art. That is exactly what More Fantasy Art Masters does. The book spotlights ten very talented, yet very diversified artists and lets them provide commentary on their own work. Fans now can get inside their heads to know their motivations behind a piece. What perhaps those novices among us may have viewed as random placements of items in a painting, of color and light is actually very carefully planned from the beginning. In addition the artists provide interesting insights into their own careers.
   
   We'll see how colors are chosen to present interesting contrasts between foreground and background and to set the proper mood of the piece. For example a Keith Parkinson painting, (one of my favorites) shows a couple of Orcs riding on horseback through a snow covered forest. The trees devoid of leaves and nearly of life provides an austere, grim setting as the pair seem hellbent on some type of evil quest. Most interesting and previously something I never fully realized is how color is used to very subtly convey moods and emotions, almost on a subliminal level. To hear the artists tell it in their own words sets off a bell in your head as you truly grasp what they hoped to convey in the painting. It's quite fascinating. The artists also go into great detail on the tools and materials they used for the works on display. Some work soley in one type of medium whether it's oil, acrylic, water color, digital, etc, while others are quite comfortable in combining several different types of paint.
   
   The artists included in the book are Keith Parkinson, Anne Sudworth, Judith Clute, Phil Hale, Ian Miller, J.K. Potter, Greg Spalenka, Dave Seeley, Darrel Anderson, and John Harris. The book really does a great job of spotlighting an eclectic array of talent.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson

No comments about The Glass House.

No comments about Joseph Beuys & Rudolf Steiner: Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition.

No comments about Art: Key Contemporary Thinkers.

5 comments about Sowa's Ark: An Enchanted Bestiary.

1. What can one say about Michael Sowa? His painting is superb nad his sense of humor and fun is also "to die for." He is a master, and I just love him......If you ever see his greeting cards for sale, you'll know what I mean. But to have the paintings in a book is even better.



2. Michael Sowa's book was introduced to me as a must to read after someone saw my own work, and I would say the same to you if you are thinking of buying this book.

   If you like funny, amuzing and often surreal imagery then you'll love Sowas work. Some of the pictures are quite profound and make you think beyond what you see. They have a dream like quality in many cases. Some pleasant and others ... well... it's hard to describe...... best discover for yourself...




3. I saw one of Michael Sowa's postcards in a small stationery store in Boston, and I have been in love since. His posters are difficult to find in the United States, so I asked for this book for Christmas. It is perfect for people who love personified animals, as in the Far Side. It is absolutely hysterical.



4. Like some kind of low brow Mark Tansey, Sowa creates images that truly stop you in your cerebral tracks with their weight and mystery. And he does this while being damn funny. The tragic and sometimes amusing conflicts between the human world and the natural world have never been so well shown. A coffee table art book I actually pick up and look at, it's far more relevant than it seems at first glance. Buy it now and give it to someone you would like to see with a smile on their face.



5. Sowa has slowly taken over my heart. Everytime I saw a postcard with one of his images on it I snapped it up but never sent it. Now, in this book I can relish him with each page. His images are both beautiful and funny but most of all they touch something deep inside via the animals he uses and the dark foreboding architecture of nature and man. The back of a cat bristles with emotion and we aren't talking cutesy-pie kitties. These animals of Sowa's have souls and yearnings. They are trapped and share the dark planet with us and reflect it, perhaps, more honestly than the humans. Whether joy via diving pigs or sheer runs for life via a Christmas goose sprinting away, Sowa has touched something new and tipped his hat to the masters too. He is divine. Discover him and then buy a copy for every friend you know. Great!

No comments about Dada: The Revolt of Art (Discoveries).

2 comments about Sex Lives of the Great Artists (Sex Lives).

1. A very interesting book for budding artists, professional ones, or the people who just enjoy knowing about books.
   
   Reading this book has made me think about certain paintings more, the paintings now have a story and make more sense. The one down side is that it is one story after another and many references to specific paintings or drawings.
   
   This book is best read with some art reference book (or the internet) close by, and not all in one night. Enjoy the peculiar artists one at a time and explore their art with the new information about their sex lives in a cozy chair with a cup of hot chocolate handy.



2. Picasso, Gaugiun and Augustus John are but a few great artists with insatiable sex lives and but a few mentioned in Nigel Cawthorne's book Sex Lives of the Great Artists. Cawthorne brings to life the stories of the sexuality of the sex and other men in the world of art. From the opening page to end of the book Cawthorne is able to paint a picture of what separates these artists from so many others. You'll read about men like Renior, Van Gogh, Leonardo, Michelangelo to name a few. The book gives you a small, but powerful look at what made these men tick. You'll be captured by the exploits, from the Van Gogh ear story to Goya, Dali and Lautrec. Cawthorne has certainly done a great work of investigating men whose legend made not be everything you might expect. Price to fit just about every budget and making a great gift for just about anyone, Sex Lives of the Great Artists is certainly one to have in your personal library. Cawthorne's revealing insight will unquestionably turn more than one head with this book.