No comments about Culture and Values, Volume I: A Survey of the Humanities (with CD-ROM) (Culture & Values).

5 comments about Vincent Van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars (Smart About Art).

1. My 5, 6 and 8 yr old kids are entranced when I read them the Smart About Art books. After reading one, I came back to Amazon and ordered as many as I could.
   
   They are written as a student would write a book report, but are humorous, touching and extremely informative with plenty of examples of the artists' work. I attended Art School 20+ years ago and it was a refresher course for me as well. It includes background/personal info about the artist, but only as much as a child can comprehend and as it pertains to his art. These books have just the right amount of info on the artists and their work.
   
   I wanted to share the world of art with my kids. Though my youngest two still use coloring books and my oldest reads chapter books without illustrations, these Smart About Art picture books are the perfect mix where they all can gain something from them--this series is neither too young nor too advanced.
   
   After years of reading picture books, my kids often ask "can that really happen?" or "is that person real?" I wanted a break from the imaginative world of children's lit and now I'm happy to finally answer "Yes, this person really existed, this really happened!" after reading the Smart About Art books.



2. My five year old was so inspired reading this that she went to the basement and proceeded to make her own copies of his works. It is nice and simple, but with a decent amount of info and great pics.



3. I wanted something to spark my 6YO son's interest in art. This book sure did. He asked me to read it to him a 2nd time right on the spot. He also spotted a Van Gogh print that I brought home. This is a fine series. I also got the Degas which wasn't quite as interesting but he still liked it. I just ordered Picasso and a few others. Get the Van Gogh and if your child loves it, try some of the others. (I also liked that this mentioned Van Gogh was very depressed once at loving a woman who didn't love him back.)



4. This is what my daughter called the famous painting when I first bought her this book. She is almost 4 and has owned this book for about 9 months and it is regularly a favorite that she likes to read...well, more often she likes to look at the pictures and name the paintings. This is a great intro to art book for young children. I highly recommend as a first book for your little art-lover, or art-lover-to-be.



5. My daughter read this book for a class report, and we liked the fact that this book coincidentally was written as though it was a child's report about Van Gogh. She was intrigued to find out that Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime, and was not a rich artist. The humor in the writing and illustrations make this book accessible, fun, and informative, and help kids relate the artist's life. The evolution of Van Gogh's painting style beginning with Potato Eaters and the influences on his art are discussed in understandable terms. It was fun to learn that throughout his life, Vincent's best buddy was his brother Theo, even though they fought as siblings often do. The book contains many photos of Van Gogh's actual paintings. Great book. We both recommend it.

5 comments about The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal.

1. Unlike other reviewers who felt the Morning Pages Journal should offer more than just bound blank pages, I think that it serves that purpose admirably well, and has the added benefit of the quotes from The Artist's Way.
   The only drawback (the reason I give a 3 rather than a 5) is that it ought to be spiral-bound: if you are writing pages as you are supposed to be (early AM, in bed) then you have to struggle to hold the pages down to write.
   This is an easy fix that I hope that the publishers will finally clue in to and remedy.



2. A necessary part in the first faze of your continuing journey of The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. Each page is filled with reminders, insights and beauty , supporting the very nature of your being.
   
   The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal



3. My twenty-third and twenty-fourth copies. The first twenty-two are full and lined up in my book case. A magnificent tool for starting the day.



4. The "How to" of Morning Pages, divided into 12 weekly sections and thoughtfully filled with exerpts from "The Artist's Way." The Artist is offered the perfect format for writing the Morning Pages at the beginning of their journey to recovery. Large pages, generously spaced lines and "right on" spiritual support for healing the artist child within.



5. I have nothing against the idea of this journal, it's just frustrating to work with. As another reviewer mentioned, spiral-bound would have been a lot nicer. It is extremely difficult to write in due to the thickness and the binding. I am also left handed which never helps when trying to write in books. Instead, I bought myself a notebook that I love. It's much more pleasant to write in the morning, now. I'd save your money for something else that you would like.

5 comments about Tattoo.

1. This book is a work of art. Whenever I have friends over, we always end up looking through it. Some of the photographs are just awe inspiring. I went back to the drawing board with the design of my own tattoo after buying this book, as it completely opened my mind up to possibilities I had never considered. Makes a great coffee table book too, and certainly provokes conversation!



2. I bought this book as a present for my sister-in-law who just started a tattoo business and she loved it. She sat down to read it right away, the illustrations were great and gave her many ideas!



3. I bought this as a housewarming gift for a dear friend of mine who is a tattoo artist. But before I wrapped it, I couldn't resist taking a peek inside. The book is thinner than I expected, but still fantastic for the coffee table.
   What really makes it impressive is the collection of stunning pictures... each large, vivid, and crystal clear. Absolutely beautiful shots of body art.
   The recipient loved it, and the book was passed around at the party all evening.



4. Tattoo by Dale Rio and Eva Bianchini belongs to the best books currently available about Tattoo Art. Just skimming the book and looking these photo's at a glance, it already reveals very excellent tattoos, made by some of today's most well known, most talented tattoo artists in the world of tattooing. In beautiful, often very detailed photos, this book shows different tattoo styles, including very realistic tattoos, of which it is hard to believe these are actually tattoos. If you consider getting tattooed by one of the best artists and want something to inspire you, then certainly this book can be a great help to make yourself acquainted with the amazing possibilities of the most modern tattooing techniques, when applied by the most skilled Tattoo Artists. And once you got your own, very best Tattoo Art, who knows this book will be a great reminder of how you started to prepare yourself to obtain that personal Art.



5. I may be a bit biased as my fiancee is featured in this book (pg. 94), but I think this is one of the best tattoo books I've had the pleasure of looking at. While some of the designs chosen are a bit simplistic for my taste, it shows a wide range of tattoos in color and also black work.
   I like that it doesn't just feature big name artists. The author took into account many artists no matter how well known, based on their talent (which is how it should be). The photographs are amazing and you won't believe some of them are tattoos because they look so real.
   This is well worth the small price that is being asked for it. Any fan of tattooing would be pleased with the work in this book.

2 comments about Art History, Volume 1 (3rd Edition).

1. This textbook was so well written and put together, that I'm going to take the course that deals with the second volume. The pictures of artwork were amazing.



2. Good book with a lot of images and art knowledge. Good for reading to understanding more about art.

5 comments about Ed Emberley's Great Thumbprint Drawing Book.

1. I used this book w/ my Preschool classroom to use at project time or if we needed to make a Thank You card for someone - a way for them to "sign" it!
   
   This book is awesome and VERY easy to use. It would make a great gift for an early drawer.



2. This is the perfect craft activity. Cute, fun, simple. I love doing this with my children. I also love doing this with my students as I am an educator. All ages young and old love it. You can use fingerprint art for greeting cards or just making things up. This author is really wonderful. I have many of his children's books.



3. I have a 7, 5 and 3yr old. They received this book along with a kid-safe ink pad. They love it! It's easy enough for them to follow and they love how easy it is for them to create the different animals and facial expressions. It's actually taught them quite a bit.



4. These are classic books that expand imagination. How could you not love them? I especially like how they encourage kids to draw without making it *too* detail oriented. (Alot can be achieved with a few simple lines!)



5. As a child who loved to draw - but was all "thumbs" in drawing - Emberley's Thumbprintbook was an amazing gift. Suddenly, I could duplicate the art in a drawing book and then go on to create my own shapes and creations. As I got older, I moved onto his other wonderful art books (such as Red, Puple, Orange, Green), but my thumbprints always remained my favorite.

   This is a simple but enlivening art book for preschool and elementary school aged kids. I used it over 25 years ago and it is still a huge success with kids today. Don't miss it!

3 comments about Coloring Mandalas 3: Circles of the Sacred Feminine (Coloring Mandalas).

1. I have utilized the first two books in this Mandala series for meditative reflection as I colored with pencils. The third one has images that are not as condusive to meditation and are somewhat disconcerting. I am attracted to repetitive designs reminiscent of Rose stained glass windows. Some of these images were just odd. Some were ugly. There are many other books out there with better designs for contemplation.



2. Be daring to lose yourself in a mandala. One never knows what to expect. Open your heart, mind and soul. You will not be disappointed. Learn from these forms and then learn to create your own!



3. I would have preferred something looser; more latitude for designing my own Mandalas with a simple idea or direction given for "guidance". Actually, it's probably better to just create you own mandalas completely from scratch! There's probably plenty of mandala information free on the web, if you are interested in the history and/or the multitude of ways in which they are used today.

5 comments about The Monster Book of Manga: Draw Like the Experts.

1. This book really isnt bad persay - however I HEAVILY recommend it's cousins
   "Moster Book of More Manga:How to Draw Like the Experts" and
   "Monster Book of Manga:Fairies and Mystical Creatures" edition.
   
   I own the entire series along with roughly 8 other how to draw manga books and I am most impressed by the REST of this series. Not necessarily this book. The other three books are put out by Ikari Studios and you can REALLY tell the difference in the artwork. Its rich and colorful where the artwork in this book is good...however...it's not the best in the group.
   
   My personal opinon is all. Overall the book is helpful but not a beginner book. More of a supplement.



2. I bought this book a few months ago, and I have really seen my manga art improve. Some of the art in it is kinda lame, while other ones are amazing! If you look over the details of each character and how to draw part, you can really teach yourself how to improve your drawing. The key to making this book worth while is to look at each detail and learn that way, and not at the overall picture.



3. If looking for a few ideas to vary your work this is a good thought provoker. It has illustration from sketch to final and some of the steps in between. This is not a how to so dont purchase it looking for steps on how to draw this is more of a "I already draw and want to see different styles". I have looked through it and have gotten alot of good ideas from it.



4. I thought that a book entitled the Monster Book of Manga would have a lot more art in it. I was disappointed.



5. This Book is an excellent book if you like to look at pictures other people have drawn, but not if you are just starting out. it doesnt really give any in depth ways to draw. Sure, the artist gives you how he did the drawing but it doesnt give any real advice it. For instance it will say "make sure to give a shy look on her face" and show how he did it, but never really gives any suggestions on ways to do so. The book also didnt contain nearly enough pictures to be considered "monster". About the only useful section I found in this book was the very small Photoshop section in the back.

5 comments about The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss.

1. A visually stunning body of work. This book shares rare and unusual images not seen in the series of children's books Dr. Seuss penned. Some of the images are dark and disturbing but then that's what makes it worth seeing. A wonderful and beautifully written forward by Maurice Sendak, another children's author, adds an interesting insight to the quirky and unique personality, of my beloved childhood hero, Theodore Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.
   
   I recommend this book for kids and adults and anyone interested in animation or comic art.



2. this book is moving. in the way that a rainy day or a kitten effect your mood, this book too, will leave you changed.
   
   i love this book.



3. This book gives you some of the everyday images from Dr. Seuss' children books and sketches for those characters, but also invites you into a secret world of other at that he created, some reminiscent of his popular books, but some much more abstract and interesting.
   
   This book is a good buy for those who want to see more of who Dr. Seuss really was and what other art he created.



4. Ted Geisel, more widely known as Dr. Seuss, was a consummate writer and illustrator. His children's books have sold millions of copies; it is a near certainty that few children grow up in the United States without being exposed to Seuss books. This book contains some of Seuss's art that has not had a great deal of exposure. Most are paintings, although there are some works of three-dimensional art.
   There are some very subtle messages in these paintings. On page 67 the image has the title "A Man Who Has Made an Unwise Prochess (sic)." A sad-looking man is walking from a distant building along a trail where there are sharp drops on both sides. The image caught and held my eye as I tried to determine what was so familiar about it. Then I realized that the man looked a great deal like Adolph Hitler. The eyes, hair, mustache and shape of the face all match.
   Most of the other works contain characters similar to those that have appeared in his books. They are all well done, exuding a brightness and joy so typical of the Dr. Seuss books. Geisel was just as much an artist as he was a writer, perhaps even more so. If you examine this book, you may also reach that conclusion.



5. I've always been fascinated by Dr. Seuss's illustrations & the art pictured here just adds to my interest.

1 comments about The Best of Brochure Design 9 (Best of Brochure Design).

1. Some of the brochures were from 2003. Most of them looked like they were from 2003. It's a fairly good source of inspiration (and you'll get a look at the standard brochure design of the past few years), but I think they could've done better.
   
   Basically it just lacks original ideas that could be absorbed into your own creative thinking. It's more like a gallery of what is expected from professional brochure design. So I'd say it's good for brochure professionals with demanding clients, but people like me looking for good, experimental, exploitable ideas should look elsewhere.