5 comments about How to Draw and Paint Fairies: From Finding Inspiration to Capturing Diaphanous Detail, a Step-by-Step Guide to Fairy Art.

1. I was looking for a drawing guide for my daughter's 11th birthday and was hoping this book would be the key. We flipped through it at the craft store and it looked like a great instructional guide. The only hesitation I have and reason I did not purchase the book is the last few pages. There are some ill-clad fairies exposing more than I want my daughter to be drawing or her younger brothers to be seeing. I know it is common to have fairies naked even, so I was grateful there was only a few pages of what I would consider suggestive fairies. But, I wanted to share this review for other "carefully modest" parents who would rather not expose their children.



2. The best How to draw Fairies book for beginners available.
   Filled with valuable drawing and paint tips, along with beautiful fairy prints for inspiration.



3. This book was not only wonderful to look at, it was very instructive also. A fantastic way to spend a rainy day!



4. this is a nice little book. but i don't think the fairy faces are very pretty. it gives you good ideas for the poses. but you'll have to have some knowledge of how you like pretty fairy faces to look cause the artists depictions are not that pretty.
   you could draw inspiration in some of the scenes and poses though. also when you do the -search inside this books pages option- the pics they show are the best pictures in the book. theres probably a more visually stimulating fairy book out there but this book does give some good instruction and i do not regret purchasing it as a gift for my niece.



5. I saw this book at my local craft store at full price, but waited till I got home to order it, since I had to place a order though Amazon - and with the reduced price and the free shipping is was a great deal. I only had a moment to look the book over in the store, so I was pleasantly surprised when I got my copy, as to how well made the book was. It's a glue/sewn binding - very sturdy. The paper is also of good weight - and the illustrations are high quality and breathtaking.
   
   Unlike the one negative review here, I was pleased to see the the first chapter contained basic information on supplies and color theory. I am no stranger to drawing and painting - but I am self taught so it was very informative to read a up-to-date book, (as most of my books are of the hand me down variety, and are at least two times older than I am!)
   
   The in between chapters cover everything from drawing to painting techniques that I have puzzled over in my favorite fairy art. It was wonderful to see everything laid out step by step. The final chapter contains a collection of fairy art of different styles and talent levels, and just like the rest of the book I was inspired by looking over the different pieces.
   
   My only minor complaint about the book is on page 21 which covers paper stretching. I believe they make a mistake and list the steps out of order. I had to go online and look it up to figure it out. First gather your supplies, paper, gummed tape, board, water and wet the paper, THEN wet the tape and tape the paper to the board. Also the online instructions said to leave the paper on the board WHILE you do the art - which makes perfect sense to me now that I think of it. But the book said nothing either way, and I thought that I had to remove the paper after it was dry. Although the illustrations do show the tape removed from the paper after the paper was dry.
   
   Overall I am thrilled to own this book!

5 comments about Massive Change.

1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0714844012/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title
   A simple question: "what for?" should be ask for designers. What exactly a process of design means and how it works or could work in contemporary global civilisation? It help get a consciousness of designers role in modern world.



2. Excellent vision and unhappy scenarios are show us. How could we do this? It's time to change!
   
   Robson Quinello



3. An excellent look at the challenges and possible solutions facing the human race. My only complaint is that the book is a bit dated, but its perspective is future proof. The concept of the Institute without Boundaries is especially interesting.



4. Bruce Mau is more than a designer. He is a futurist who has swapped fatalism for idealism. His vision of the future is based on facts, but you feel his undertone of optimisim. Massive Change is an utterly interesting read from cover to cover. The structure of the book and the writing style makes it a great resource of information. Massive Change is a necessity for the bookshelf of every intellect and every dreamer.



5. Bruce Mau's previous book - "Life Style" - was a pivotal publication that had something very fundamental to say about the practice of design. The argument woven into this survey of Bruce Mau Design's portfolio derived its edginess from an underlying, existential dilemma. On the one hand, Mau wanted to do justice to design's capacity to give "style" to sprawling, viral "life" (originally a very Nietzschean concept, later taken up and politicised by Foucault and Deleuze). On the other hand, there was the fear for the domestication of his practice to the status of banal, lifeless purveyor of images and artefacts - global capitalism's lingua franca. This tension between subversion and acquiescence turned "Life Style" into a poignant testimony.
   
   Massive Change is, I am sorry to say, a much less compelling read. It takes its cue from Life Style's key idea - design is able to reformat the very principle of life - but dispels the darker, problematic side of the equation. Indeed, although Mau would like us to believe otherwise, the book's perspective is squarely utopian. In adopting as its motto theme "Now that we can do anything, what will we do?", it echoes the pragmatist voluntarism of the peer-to-peer movement. But the dissonances - P2P's paradoxical (symbiotic/parasitic) relationship with capitalism - have been filtered from the echo. What remains is the suave message that technological progress - shaped and harnessed by design - will be able to solve all our problems if we only want it to.
   
   So, although Massive Change promises to bring us a "wildly unexpected view of the future", it really doesn't reach beyond the intellectual horizon of, say, a special issue of Scientific American on "Key Technologies for the 21st Century". The material is conventionally organised in sections that review the state of the art in urban planning, transportation, energy, information, material sciences, military technologies, biotech etc. Only two chapters discuss governance issues ("market economies" and "wealth and politics"). The relatively meager substance comes from short interviews with a series of "experts" in the disciplines surveyed. The selection is very US-centric and contains quite a few usual suspects (Dean Kamen, Stewart Brand, Lawrence Lessig, Jaime Lerner, Hazel Henderson etc).
   
   By now we are also well acquainted with Mau's cinematic and fractured style in book design. "Massive Change" doesn't break any new ground compared to previous volumes (not only Life Style but also S,M,L,XL (with Rem Koolhaas) and the Zone series of books). What was once truly refreshing is becoming stale. By the way, the short interviews are printed on glaringly yellow pages, which I find positively ugly.
   
   All of this is disappointing. I can think of two explanations for the intellectual and stylistic flaccidity exhibited in this volume. First, we are missing the incisiveness and depth that Mau's sparring partner Sanford Kwinter brought to "Life Style" (In my opinion, Kwinter's three-page lead essay was worth the price of that book). I am not sure what happened between Mau and Kwinter, but the latter is almost completely absent from this volume.
   
   Then, although this is not be obvious at first sight, "Massive Change" is not really a Mau book. In fact, it has been largely put together by Jennifer Leonard, one of the students from the inaugural year of the Institute without Boundaries (a newly established postgraduate education programme whereby students spend a full year in the Mau studio). So, although Mau's name figures prominently on the cover, inside we learn that the Institute led the research, development, design and production of Massive Change.
   
   I can't recommend this volume. "Massive Change" is a missed opportunity.

5 comments about The Skillful Huntsman: Visual Development of a Grimm Tale at Art Center College of Design.

1. Ever wondered what students work at art center looks like? look no further, both the skillful huntsmen and into the future are absolutely stunning books for the students at art center. For anyone who has ever dreamed of pursuing concept art as a career, these two books are amazing!



2. Very informative book. its good being able to get a glimpse of the creative design process.
   
   i thought it was kind of intersting (a little unexpected) that the 3 artists being featured are asian, even though i myself am asian as well.
   
   i wonder if other nationality of artists have different styles and processes? That would be interesting to see
   
   also, having the teacher's critique right under the student's explanation was a good idea! a compare and contrast to new and seasoned talents!



3. Here's an overview of Art Center's Entertainment Design teaching process, as told by several of its most gifted students. Shows Entertainment Design work at a high level, though it doesn't reach the level of the best graphic novels. (should one expect such maturity from student work?) This book illustrates the didactic process of nurturing the next generation of visual storytellers.



4. I have been looking for good concept art books and have yet to find one I like as much as this one. If you are like me you have looked through tons of book store for good art books, but only manage to find lame kiddie stuff. I was so tired of "how too" books on comic heros and magna, that were drawn at a 4th grade level. If you are looking for quality art, this is some of the best freehand skething I have seen.
   This book really is not an instruction book or anything of that nature, but if you need good drawing refrences or inspiration for new and creative comic like ideas this is the book for you.



5. Amazing work for such young artists. It was interesting to see how Scott Robertson (the teacher) coached the students and explained some of the different methods they used for exploring ideas. I would also liked to have seen the instructions and techniques that Scott used to explain some of the ideation concepts to the students also. This is an amazing book - the drawings are so loose and beautiful - they inspire and astound.

5 comments about 1,000 Bags, Tags, & Labels: Distinctive Designs for Every Industry (1000 Series).

1. An exceptional representation of a large category.
   I recommend this to all in design and marketing.
   Limitless idea starters that will keep your designs fresh.



2. I am a designer for tags and labels. I find this book to be a great source of inspiration.



3. exact product at an affordable price w a smooth transaction



4. I would totally agree with the above review, Eldridge picks many of the same brands to showcase and perhaps my aesthetic tastes are very specific or my standards are high, but not all of them deserve to be in a book that is supposedly showcasing "good" design. Maybe it's supposed to be displaying a wide range of design taste, but I expected some sort of standard to be selected - for example, there was a plain Ann Taylor carrier bag that they stuck in there (the plain off-white ones - not even the pretty grey ones with the satin handles and pink interiors!), which reinforced my opinions that the book contains more filler and fluff than clever design worthy to be praised.
   
   If you're considering buying this, I suggest you first go to a bookstore and flip through it for yourself.



5. I am in love with these rockport books! The 1000 series is an awesome source for inspiration. You can randomly flip through them and something will catch your eye and it starts your creative juices flowing. I would definitely say that these books should be in any design student's library. The 1000 Graphic Elements is the other one that I could not live without!

5 comments about Game Development Essentials: An Introduction.

1. Ordered this book for my husband's class. Not only did Amazon have it in stock, it was $20 cheaper than Barnes & Noble (with member discount) and that's even after upgrading the shipping. Was a little worried at first that the book wouldn't come quickly cause the tracking was awful, but it arrived fast.
   A note worth mentioning: this book comes with a CD as well even though it does not say so.
   
   My husband has not used this book much for his class yet, so as for the material I am not sure. But we are very pleased with the product & Amazon (as usual) so far.



2. I picked up this book as a possible replacement for the book that is currently used in my 'Game Design' course. This book is very attractive and professionally put together. It covers the material that would be essential (hence the title) when discussing the elements of game design:
   1. The history of the medium
   I found some annoying factual errors in this part of the book. Which initially turned me off but I continued to read since errors seemed to be in the sidebars which may not get the same editorial review.
   2. Who plays and why?
   This contained very interesting material for students to discuss with respect to player motivation, personality and gender. The eye-opening part for me was the view of game playing from the perspective of generations. Baby boomers, Generation X and the Millennial Generation look for different things from the games they play. (This part made me examine my own choices for games and the characters I am most attracted to in them!)
   3. The elements in a game - genres, platforms, player mode
   
   Part II is where the real gems are for people who really want to design games:
   4. The elements of storytelling
   5. Creating the characters/roles
   6. Creating the game experience, e.g. challenges
   7. Creating the World and Atmosphere (anyone else listen to the audio CD to remember the delight in playing the game?)
   
   The last part covers:
   8. The key roles/titles in the game development process
   9. The process of producing games
   10. The future of gaming
   
   The book ends with the following bonuses:
   11. A list of resources for those who are serious about actually getting into the game business
   12. List of books to read and learn more
   13. A CD with tools
   
   The key thing I value when spending time on a book is one - am I learning something new? This book offers many ideas central to designing video games. It is an excellent book for a course on the topic or for any budding game designer to pick up start the journey.



3. It's an excellent book. The fact that she included my incredibly detailed game design document in no way influenced my rating.



4. Just wanted to let people know there is a later version if you missed it, and you should check with instructors before buying this book and be sure it is the dated version needed!



5. I find this book to be well rounded in the history and in the aspect to the gaming and simulation world. It was not what I originally expected to read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and now can look at the gaming world a lot differently with more respect.
   
   I purchased this book because it was required for the class I am taking at DeVry University Online, but now that I have read it, I am interested in purchasing a few of the other books in this series by Jeannie Novak.

No comments about An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration From The Private Sketchbooks Of Artists, Illustrators And Designers.

5 comments about Paper Engineering for Pop-Up Books and Cards.

1. I needed something to help me put a pop-up book together, fast! It was a project assigned to me in one of my college courses, and I had no idea where to start. I put a lot of research into what books were available, and learned that this book in particular is generally revered above all others and considered the Bible of pop-up image technology. I learned why once it arrived at my house! The mechanisms are extremely easy-to-follow and produced excellent results. I got an A!



2. Recently I have become extremely interested in Pop-Ups, but being engineering challenged I have had to do a deal of research. I have obtained several books and found them mildly useful, but my best learning has been from studying actual pop-up books themselves. That is until this amazing book came along! It is without doubt the very best book for klutzes like me. It is clear and straightforward. Each technique is explained in a section and then the last page of the section can be cut out and you are able to construct the technique that has been explicated. You then glue the construction you have made into the book for future reference. I cannot recommend this well-designed book too highly.



3. Great book! I bought this for my 12 year old granddaughter for Christmas. She called me that night and told me it was awesome and that she had already made one of the pop ups. She is very creative and said that she couldn't wait to make more things like pop up cards.
   
   Connie, Michigan



4. Every popup technique is actually demonstrated with a small example! This book has saved me so much time and frustration - excellent reference for anyone who creates popup books!



5. This book is really a well thought out workbook. The pages are designed so you cut out and assemble the pop-ups, then paste them into the book as a resource. You might want to get two, or to copy the flat page before you cut it out to have a reference for what you started with. All this said, this is an excellent, well thought out learning tool, and because YOU do the assembly, you learn more and pay less. I might have wished for line drawings with more examples of how the pop-ups could be used, but that is a very small quibble, about an outstanding book.

5 comments about Newspaper Designer's Handbook with CD-ROM.

1. Tim Harrower provides a very practical guide to newspaper design. The art of newspaper design tends to be very subjective, so this book lays down some facts and guidelines to put to rest some of the indecisive elements of design.
   
   For a beginner, this is a book that will give you the confidence and understanding to conquer page layout.
   
   The CD gives the novice an even more practical guide than the book can deliver.
   
   One criticism is that the book is printed on light gloss stock and is spiral bound. I am not sure how it was survive rough treatment.
   
   Brian Hurst



2. When I accepted my first "real" job in journalism as a page designer for a local weekly I was struck by a horrifying thought, I really knew nothing about newspaper design. I had done it before for my college paper, sure, but this was the big time. I needed a refresher course and I needed it fast... Tim Harrower and this spiral-bound book came to my rescue.
   
   Although it was first published in 1989, this book will be relevant as long as newspapers exist, even in this age of computer design. Harrower explains and shows why certain designs are good and bad and he approaches it in a situational, problem-solving format. For example, he explains what should be done when you have to design a page with no art, when you have butting headlines, or two horizontal photos etc. Harrower says that most page designers stumble into the job and from this point of view he explains what exactly, a good design is. This book will always be on my desk.
   
   (I wish my publications professor used this instead of the worthless $105 monstrosity he made us buy (and that we never used by the way).)
   
   So, after some mild freaking out followed by a lot of reading, I can start my new job with confidence thanks to this book.



3. I am an editor these days.
   I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
   Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
   In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
   This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
   If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.



4. This textbook is awesome. I've never seen a better textbook. It lays everything out, and makes it simple to understand. It tells you what to do and what not to do in simple language and clear pictures. It's one of few textbooks worth keeping for future use in your career (provided you're going into the newspaper industry)!



5. I ordered the hardbound and got the spiral bound, a product worth $12 less. It was then that I discovered there is no way to express a complaint to Amazon: no phone number, no email address, no human help. All that is available is a maze of pre-written web help, none of which includes "credit my account $12, since I don't want to go through the hassle of sending this book back." What's up, Amazon? Don't you want satisfied customers? I spend literally hundreds here each year. This egregious deficit needs to be fixed immediately. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Mexicolor: The Spirit of Mexican Design.

1. A really beautiful book. One of the best I have seen. I live in Mexico and will be using many ideas.



2. While I was in the process of planning and building my next casa in Baja, this book provided mucho inspiration. The Spanish Colonial, and Hacienda designs, the avalanche of colors and gardens provided me the basis of making mi casa as Mexico as I could.
   Yes, the binding is weak, but the book remains as an Essential. I now have 2 copies, one very worn out copy.



3. If you love the bold, life-affirming colors of Mexican houses and interiors but not necessarily the traditional architecture and furnishings of the mexican tradition, this is the book for you! I ordered several books on Mexican interiors and details and this was the best. It gave me great ideas for using bold, bright color in my house without turning it into a hacienda. The book is beautifully designed and the color just blows off the pages. It has in it everything I love about Mexico that is bright, lively, joyous, and enlivening and nothing that is stodgy. As An artist, I found the book irresistable.



4. i've been to colonial mexico, and i've seen more exciting stuff than what's on this book. also, the pages come appart easily



5. I have always loved everything about Mexico, especially their use of color. When I bought my new house I wanted to bring that freedom and joy into my home.
   
   This book was a wonderful guide. Almost every page reminded me to let go and celebrate. There are so many visual feasts and ideas. If you are timid about colors this book will definitely give you a new lease on life.

4 comments about Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion.

1. The book itself is gorgeous and looks great in any library. As far as content, I was expecting more information on the featured stylists as well as more stylists in general. There are so many more that are more facinating and creative. It just seems as though the other featured her posse and that was it.



2. I Bought this book in January... (with another 2 books)
   
   AND SINCE THIS DAY AMAZON SAY TO ME THAT HAD SENT MY PACK 5 TIMES,
   
   BUT NEVER ARRIVED...
   
   So, a book, and a website NEVER stressed me so MUCH....



3. As a fashion journalist, I served as a reference as a creative director very much.
   Expect next edition.



4. The book is good. It have very good pictures. But I expected that it have more text and explain you more about the stylist career.