5 comments about Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas.

1. I got this book at Disneyland yesterday. It was SO great! I'm glad I bought this instead of a stuffed Sally doll. It was very interesting, and I'm very pleased to see storyboards and the very informative contents of the book, especially the poem of The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, I wish I could've read more of the poem Tim Burton wrote. Then I could compare it to the original poem of The Night Before Christmas. Tim Burton is an exceedingly creative man, and I'm glad he makes stop-motion animation, because I'm SO sick of all the stupid computer animated movies that studios make nowadays. Tim Burton follows his own ideas, and this movie inspired me to be a stop-motion animator when I grow up, alongside with a career as an author.
   -Jo W.



2. If you've ever seen Tim Burton's truly excellent stop-motion animation film The Nightmare Before Christmas, then you've probably wondered, "How was all this done?" This book can answer that. Inside you'll find the stories behind the screenplay, the music, the process of stop-motion animation itself, and see some of Burton's original sketches that gave inspiration to one of the most imaginative and outright magnificent movies in the last fifteen years. If you love The Nightmare Before Christmas, then you'll go nuts over this book.



3. If you're interested in knowing more about Tim Burton's movie The Nightmare Before Christmas, this book is a great buy. It has all the details about the making of the movie and the characters plus loads of great pictures. A must have for every Nightmare Before Christmas enthusiast.



4. This book is definitely very illustrative about the process of creation of a film of the caliber of `The nightmare before Christmas'. With a foreword by Tim Burton, the book includes everything related with the making of this stop-motion animation classic. This book is more a documentary about the making of the film; it is divided in three sections (described below) and takes you through the whole process of creation of the movie. It is an interesting document indeed for people wanting to know about the creative process of making a movie of this kind. A perfect companion for the film!
   
   The Film
   
   The first part of the book focuses on the story ans the lyrics of the movie songs, beautifully illustrated with pictures from the movie, designs and Burton's sketches. Some movie facts are also given in this part of the book.
   
   The Art
   
   The original poem by Burton in which the movie is based on is presented in the firt part of the section. Most of Burton's sketches and character designs are here. The design of the sets, the characters and storyboards are well explained and presented in this section of the book with beautiful pictures, colored sketches and original drawings by Tim.
   
   The Vision
   
   In this section we get to meet all the people involved in making this film possible, and a little background on her profiles and how they were selected to partake on this project. Tim Burton, Henry Selick, Danny Elfman, Caroline Thompson, Kathleen Gavin and Denise Di Novi participate with comments and thought about the project.



5. I bought this book wanting to know more about the making of the movie, but didn't get as much as I'd hoped for. It does include many sketches from Tim Burton, but hardly an from others who worked on the film. Yes, it does include lyrics to the songs featured in the film, all except for the one I was hoping for ( I can't remember the name, but it's the last song in the movie sung by Jack & Sally... "if you don't mind, I'd like to join you by your side, Where we can gaze upon the stars, And sit together, Now and Forever..")
   Most of the book is a pictoral reference on the movie, and though I certainly would have loved to see more, it was still a good buy. It's just too bad I didn't get to read anything on the making of the film, or Burton's thoughts on its production.

5 comments about Exploring Drawing for Animation (Design Exploration Series).

1. This book has very little to do directly with animation.
   
   Plenty of the drawing principles explained are quite valuable to an animator. Rules of proportion, anatomy, perspective, etc... that are the foundation of most any form of drawing, This book is a decent primer in these principles, although there are plenty of other books that cover them better.
   
   But if you thought you were going to learn the about drawing in the manner & style of 2D animation, think again. Clean-up style linework is only covered briefly and most of the examples of it aren't that great. Most of the art in this book is too rough to be suitable for animation, which is fine for life drawings, but the rest can be little more than conceptual work, which can come from any style of art, really. There's not enough structure taught to create usable artwork for characters, backgrounds or even layouts for animation.
   
   There's definitely things you can learn from this book, but you're better off finding them somewhere else.



2. I bought tis book a few years ago. It has some good stuff of how drawing relates to animation. It also sheds more light on to the process than a lot of books. However, after a few years of animation art school, I realized how bad the drawings were. If you want to learn about drawing for animation, check out Glen Vilppu's books. (he worked as a drawing instructor/trainer at some of the bigger studios in L.A.)



3. Oh my, where to begin...
   
   I posted some images of a few of the drawings from the pages of this book on the customer images link above. Feel free to take a look at those to see where I am coming from.
   
   The authors of this book need a few drawing lessons themselves, though I'm not sure that would actually help, because they're beyond hopeless. The drawings in the book are beginner level, amateurish drawings and it's really sad to see that these guys are actually teaching students in an art school.
   
   Aside from the obvious lack of personal drawing skill on the authors' parts, there is a lot of bad advice from an animation drawing point of view, like too much emphasis on measuring and copying the model and a completely misunderstood/misrepresented view of the all-important line of action.
   
   Stay away from this book. These guys should be ashamed of themselves for putting this crap out there.



4. I made the mistake of buying this book, and I would like to warn you guys please , please dont waste your money on this title...This book is nothing more than a long overview on drawn animation , It is not and I repeate it is not a how to book , although the authors have tried to present it as a text book, its no more than an introduction to animaton drawing ,the authors try very hard to explain drawing and go all blah...blah...blah....but they dont tell you what to do , whats mentioned in this book can be known via a simple search on the net.I would advice customers to buy a copy of, Vilppu Drawing Manual by Glenn Vilppu and Animation : The mechanics of motion by Chris Webster. These books are practicle , simple , cheaper and would prove to be a thousand times more useful to the animation student.



5. I have worked as an animator, teacher and fine artist for over 30 years and this is the first art text I have ever seen that discusses how solid drawing skill relates to creating drawings for character designs and 2D animation. Most animation `how-to' books include some drawing instruction but do not address the important bridge between drawing and animation.
   
   The authors present an entertainingly written book in an easy-to-read conversational tone along with illustrations that show the well-honed professional drawing and painting skills of this book's creators. It is obvious to the reader that the authors are seasoned artists and educators.
   
   While this book is predominantly for learners of beginning to intermediate levels, anyone with an interest in the interdisciplinary issues within animation and drawing would benefit from picking up this gem of a text. Unfortunately, the title of the book suggests that it covers the technique of 2D animation in-depth, but this is a misnomer. Fortunately, 2D animation is commented on in a more important context: the development of effective observational drawing skills that will produce better animation drawings.

No comments about False Flat: Why Dutch Design is so Good.

No comments about The Book of Plants: The Complete Plates (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series).

5 comments about Scotch & Toilet Water?: A Book of Dog Cartoons.

1. Bought this as a gift. Recommend buying used, condition was totally perfect and with shipping only paid apx 5 bucks.
   Book is nice,not as funny as I thought, but guess you need to appreciate that kind of humor.Still nice, just not ROFL.



2. Already a New Yorker cartoon fan, I was excited to find this book in my vet's waiting room and had to get a copy for my husband. It's too funny. The facial expressions alone are worth the price.



3. ...you'll love this book. Just flippin' hilarious. A great gift, too.



4. As xpected, this was (is) great. It has given me LOL & tears.



5. Smart, crisp cartoons - many followed by a chuckle or a good belly laugh. My older son and I spent a good part of a rainy afternoon laughing together. As a woman who lives with four dogs, Cullum really hit the spot on many of the witty quips.
   Kate Nicoll, MSW of Soul Friends

5 comments about Snow, Wave, Pine: Traditional Patterns in Japanese Design.

1. This is a very high quality book that photographically documents the use of plant and animal images, natural phenomena, implements and structures, geometric patterns, miscellaneous patterns and family crests in textiles, lacquerware, ceramics, hair combs, paper goods, glassware, wood, metal, and glassware.
   
   Within the textile category alone, the book includes images of woven brocades, kasuri, embroidery, yuzen dyeing, katazome, woodblock prints, woven stripes and checks and free hand paste resist textiles. This is one of the most extensive of the very few widely available books that focus on images of Japanese craft production. Well worth the price, especially Amazon's discounted price.



2. The book is wonderful! Reach in picture and well structured. There is little research, but i'm proud i've bought it. It's really useful to my study.



3. Mr. Hibi and Mr Niwa, wrote this book,which has fantastic pictures of a variety of patterns used in Japanese Designs. I have used this book as reference for my students, and I strongly recommend this book for Japanese artist lovers. It has more pictures than detailed written research.However all in all it is a great package.



4. The photographs are wonderful, the book is classy. The text is kept short to not interfere with the pictures.
   A bit too compressed, in my opionion. I would have liked more than four lines of text telling me that something is often depicted.
   It's a wonderful book to have it displayed on a table, and to show off a little bit, but that's not the reason why I buy books...



5. This eye-filling book clearly illustrates the rich symbolism of Japanese design. Though not meant as an all-inclusive guide to Japanese arts, the pictorial choices are wonderful. Each design "theme" is accompained by brief but highly informative text. There is also a generous selection of family crests (mon), which would be of particular interest to kimono enthusiasts. This color-saturated album is a joy to look at and would complement Merrily Baird's more complete and scholarly tome, "Symbols of Japan," which, though awesomely researched, has rather weak illustrations in several sections.

5 comments about Flash 3D: Animation, Interactivity, and Games.

1. One of the first things I realized when the book arrived where all the colored images... and that's great because many of the explanations would be hard to understand without colors.
   I think the biggest advantage of the book may be for some the biggest disadvantage - it's very well explained, sometimes to well, and very extensive. The chapters are build like tutorials with step-by-step instructions complete with review after every chapter in 'what did we learn today'- manner. The language of the book mirrors both author's profession - they lecture in universities. So often I felt a little like sitting in a classroom reading this book.
   Nevertheless it's a great book. More for beginners than for pro's, obviously. One thing gets clear fast while reading though: There is not much 3D in flash :)
   But what there is, you'll find here.



2. Easy, concrete and full of very appealing examples. I read this book day by day without interruption, trying all the exaples in it. Sometime i found Actionscript a little bit redundant, but i suppose only to underline all the passages in the examples.It's not requyred a huge ability in math formulas or a great skill with flash. The only skill required is the individual imagination.



3. Book has been a disappointment and source of frustration. The authors are not good writers and have failed to really provide any depth on the critical principles that would help readers grow as 3d flash designers. For example, here is a statement from the book: "sine we now have multiple objects, the placeObj function needs the addition of calculating the angle myAngle at which each object is on the path (line 31)." HUH? This statement is far too vague to be meaningful. I won't get into the diagram they provide - just skip them when you reach that part in the book, it will do you good.
   
   The good part of this book is once you get past bad explanations and language, its a decent introduction into flash 3d. Lots of code in the book can be reused in other projects but if you attempt to build or expand on these projects, it would be better if the authors had spent more time discussing the more general principles of 3d in flash. Good luck.
   
   UPDATE - after finishing the section on "Viewer Rotation about the Y-Axis," I regret giving this book a rating of 2 stars -- it is at best 1.5 stars.\
   
   The section introduces new concepts which it skips over in a rush to code. The code is reusable in other projects but leaves readers with very little understanding of the mechanics involved. Without a sound understanding of the mechanics and concepts, most readers will only be able to perform the code as a routine, i.e. copy it on the next project and hope little customization is necessary. It is a real shame because this book is thorough in introducing fundamentals of 3d space in flash.



4. Flash was never really intended as a 3D application. That hasn't stopped people from trying to use it as one. Flash 3D covers numerous ways to add depth to this otherwise 2D program.
   
   Although this book's subtitle says it covers Animation, Interactivity and Games, the animation section is easily the shortest. Other than some good coverage of using shading to make things look less flat and simulating depth with parallax scrolling, everything else is pretty much programming based. Although a resourceful Flash filmmaker could still make good use of the other tutorials.
   
   The majority of the instruction involves creating mathematical 3D space we can use to move our 2D objects around in. Each example builds on the ones before to eventually create a scene with a movable camera and objects that maintain a believable 3D space.
   
   Flash 3D also covers how to mimic OuicktimeVR files, creating interactive object rotations and panoramas in Flash, as well as building a very rudimentary 3D engine that can draw and manipulate 3D solids.
   
   The final section shows you examples of how to take everything you've learned and put it together into complete projects.
   
   The comprehensive coverage in this book makes it a great asset for anyone looking to add more depth to their Flash projects.



5. I found this book to be an excellent guide to producing 3d Flash animations. It is easy to follow, well layed-out with clear instructions and examples.
   I use Flash occasionally and sometimes get rusty. This book has helped me immensely when needing to do specific animations. I sometimes struggle with actionscript, so the way the information is presented makes it clear and easy to understand.
   I recommend this book to anyone needing a textbook or a primer to create Flash 3D animations simulations.

2 comments about Antique Playing Card Designs CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

1. The images are interesting and high quality, and come in a variety of designs, but if you want a whole set of antique playing cards, this is not the place to go. There isn't even a full set of face cards.



2. Not a bad selection, haven't used the images yet but I'm sure I will at some stage.

5 comments about Balenciaga Paris.

1. I bought this book, but was somewhat disappointed with the format. There were still a lot of photographs of Balenciaga's and Ghesquere's designs, which I liked. However, the text was rather clinical and chronologically formatted. The format was almost scrapbook like, and the quality of paper was akin to thick newspaper with too many black and white photos. I would have appreciated a decent quality paper, sharper photographs, and a more engaging text. Unlike the other reviewers, I liked a lot of Nicholas Ghesquere's work, since it was less structured and assymetrical, whereas Balenciaga's work was a bit too architectural.



2. As a history of Cristobal Balenciaga, the founder of the original Balenciaga house of haute couture, this volume is quite good in its informative and studied approach to the origins and success of M. Balenciaga. However, as an exhibition catalog it is, in a word, worthless. Nowhere in its 227 pages does it show any of the creations displayed in the Parisian exhibition. All associated with this publication should be ashamed for offering this as an exhibition catalog and should have paid heed to such genuine exhibition catalogs as The Philadelphia Museum of Art's 2003 Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli by Dilys Blum (at this juncture the absolute gold standard for Costume exhibition catalogs) or The Costume Institute's 1996 Christian Dior by Richard Martin and Harold Koda. Ms. Blum accomplishes what Balenciaga is unable to accomplish, the mix of history within the context of a present reality. By this I mean, she offers the reader a detailed, exciting read by supporting her text with specially commissioned photographic examples of the creations actually displayed at her museum during the exhibition. For me, such exhibitions are marvelous, as one is afforded to see just how certain creations have weathered the storm of time, something not afforded in the Balenciaga catalog.
   
   Also, while I grasp the marketing reason behind this particular catalog, it should be pointed-out that Balenciaga, as it exists today, is no longer a house of haute couture, but a resurrected brand of ready-to-wear apparel. Anyone viewing the original creations of M. Balenciaga should be able to see at once, how ill-suited is Nicolas Ghesquière to be passed-off as the torch bearer of Cristobal Balenciaga. It's perfectly horrendous to view page after page of M. Balenciaga's exquisite creations to then be faced with the ugliness of M. Ghesquière's.



3. This book is good if you are interested in contemporary reviews of Balenciaga shows and information about the house and the designer. But it is not as well illustrated as I might have wished. For fashion retrospective books such as this, I want hundreds of clear color photos of garments! I am not as interested in reading about fashion as I am in looking at it. At the risk of sounding like a kid who can't read, this book has too much text and not enough pictures.



4. This gigantic book by Pamela Golbin (author of the excellent overview "Fashion Designers") really tells the story of two houses of Balenciaga - the original, helmed by the great Cristobal Balenciaga, and the modern-day couturier. I'm not a huge fan of the 2000's Balenciaga lines, so I won't say much about them here - though, in all truth, this book does cover modern-day Balenciaga quite thoroughly for anyone who's interested.
   
   The real heart of the book for vintage-fashion mavens, however, is the first half of the book, detailing the work of the illustrious Senor Balenciaga. The gentleman was probably the finest designer of the "New Look" era after M. Dior himself, and worked for much longer than Dior did. He excelled particularly, in my own opinion, at lush, silken, flowing gowns, which are copiously - and beautifully - detailed here. It's all here; biographical information, design sketches, behind-the-scenes photographs, catwalk shots. If you've been having trouble finding Marie-Andree Jouve's huge (and very expensive) Balenciaga retrospective, this is a perfect way to satisfy your desires!



5. A beautiful history of the great Balenciaga. His work was wonderful.
   
   A true artist and a fine gentlemen.

No comments about Complete Guide to Size Specification and Technical Design: Spiral.