4 comments about Gardner's Guide to Feature Animation Writing: The Writer's Road Map (Gardner's Guide series).

1. How many books can she write that are the same information, only with a genre-specific twist? First she writes a general TV book and then she writes a book on sitcom writing - BOTH using this utterly stupid "roadmap" model. I've even been dumb enough to plunk money down on her live seminar in which she essentially reads from her own book. She latched on to this "roadmap" notion like a pitbull a LONG time ago and she STILL can't let go.
   
   THEN she has the utter gall to write yet another book, this time applying the same hackneyed techniques to the field of animation writing.
   
   When I was in college, using the same paper for three different classes would have been considered plagarizing oneself. It's amazing that her publisher hasn't caught on...
   
   Save your money. Or buy Jefferey Scott's book.



2. While there was some good information to be gleaned from this book, I found the methods presented rather formulaic... but given the current crop of formulaic, predictable and commercially tied-in animated movies in the past few years, I guess it's appropriate. I also found the driver/city block metaphor rather irritating after a while. But still, some useful ideas in here, hopefully one can learn "The Rules" to be able to break them and try to go outside the status quo and create something that isn't geared towards selling more toys to kids. Not surprising that the entire genre of adult animation was ignored (i.e., Anime, Bakshi, "Heavy Metal") since it's not commercially viable.



3. Because animation writing is so closely tied to the creation of animation itself, Gardner's Guide To Feature Animation Writing: The Writer's Road Map is reviewed here rather than in our art resource section. Chapters cover the basics of how to link animation to story lines, discussing differences between different animation genres and how scripting differs between animation and live action scenes. Especially invaluable are the tips on honing a uniform technique and presentation to appeal to buyers and enhance sales of animation scripts.



4. this book is really helpful for those who want to write animation movies. it helps you create a marketable script with a good story, fascinating characters, etc. it even tells you how to use humour in your script, and that is really useful! i recommand this book to anybody that has a great idea for a full-length animation feature and wants to write a great script for it. this book contains valuable information as well as exercices and a lot of examples. FIVE STARS!!!

3 comments about Swedish Sweaters: New Designs from Historical Examples (An International Craft Classic).

1. This book is divided into two section, a historical sweater section that consist of 27 historical items with charts for the colourwork and a somewhat dated section of modern designs. This is definitely a beautiful resource to have in your library to keep coming back and forth to for inspirations.



2. ...unlike most of the knitting books I own, this one I pick up when I want to be thrilled with the workmanship of our ancestors. The old swedish sweaters might be moth-eaten but the handiwork is shown in some detail.I haven't tried any of the sweaters -- the instructions seem on the difficult side.A shame that this is out of print, as would make a nice gift.



3. This book is a combination of two parts -- historical sweaters and contemporary designs. Part One consists of 27 historical Swedish sweaters, most knitted in the mid 19th century. The color photographs are beautiful and in most cases charts of the design elements are included. An experienced knitter would be able to construct a pattern for most of these sweaters using the charts given. Part Two contains 14 patterns for contemprary designs, based on the historical sweaters. The designs are very nice and most are knitted with sportweight or finer yarn.

3 comments about Letterhead & Logo Design 6.

1. The ideas in this book will get your own creative juices flowing. Innovation meets modern design.



2. "Letterhead and Logo Design 6" is a great addition to the library of any graphic artist. Although I marginally preferred volume four in the series, this edition contains many examples of brilliant logo and letterhead design. I gave the book four stars rather than five because the conceptual explanations from the designers seen in earlier volumes are largely gone from this edition. That in no way takes away from the brilliance of most of the designs exhibited in this book, however.
   
   I was drawn especially to some of the more stark, monochrome designs, especially those with a single element of color strategically positioned: classic examples are the effort from Christian Nielinger on page 23, and the material for Process Solutions on page 63 from Howard Levy. Some other designers elected to use color as a main element of the design with stunning effects: I was particularly pleased with the use of elemental orange in the design for Clark Printing (page 53) skillfully executed by designers Perry Chua and Nancy Yeasting of Big Eye Creative.
   
   Tonality, shading, and shadow really come into their own as integral design elements in this volume with a brilliant design (page 42) from Emanuel Barbosa for Vector XXI, and the sublime design from Hellen Rayner of Blue i Design on page 93, which is perhaps my favorite of all showcased designs in the book.
   
   While not every design in the book is great, all are very original, and are certainly worth evaluating, whether you are a designer or a corporate representative looking for a new corporate image. For those who do see something they like, there is a helpful directory of participants in the back of the book.
   
   For anyone with an interest in logo and letterhead design, whether casual or professional, this is a very good book and I recommend it without reservation.



3. for anyone interested in having a good source of inspiration when it comes to well though letterhead and logo designs this might be the book for you. however, if you were expecting a 'how to book' or a recipe on designing logos, you are better of looking elsewhere.

   it covers ideas from a large range of industries with a nice arrangement of logos, by themselves, on business cards, and as on letterheads. it is extremely applicable to most industries and even web design for the 2000s.

   great book over all for your graphic design literature collection.

5 comments about Maxfield Parrish: The Masterworks.

1. The illustrators of this era are true artists. It was nice to find this book, which I find impossible to locate in retail stores.



2. A good quality book with extensive text, excellent illustrations and a description of Parrish's technique in his own words. The number of color illustrations is satisfactory and should not disappoint at the current asking price of $53.55. Parrish's later landscape paintings are reasonably well represented in full page, full color illustrations, and although I would have liked more of them, it is not a significant failing of the book.



3. I bought this book and I never regret of getting another Parrish art book again. This artbook is excellent with deep details of Parrish's way of study through his paintings. Theories based on his view of perspective and composition, it is something great to read about! However, one little thing I personally find missing is the "Dream Days" series, that is missing from this artbook and should have been included. Otherwise, get the book and you'll fall in love with Parrish blue all over again.



4. This book is excellent! It has one of the best Maxfield Parrish selected works. A lot of prints and images for you to be inspired all over again. It also contains pages of great readings, such as a section about Parrish's perspective theory and theory. It also show close-ups of Parrish's studies. It is a great read! However, the only thing disappoints me is the absence of the "Dream Days" series. Other than that, get it and you won't regret it!



5. Fabulous retrospective of Maxfield Parrish's finest work. The illustrations are superb. This book is expensive, but worth the money. If you're looking for a price guide, I suggest Erwin Flack's book. -- James Halperin, sf novelist and Parrish fanatic.

3 comments about The Early Bird: The Art and Design of Morning Breath.

1. These guys from Morning Breath have some cool artwork. Definitely an inspirational book of images. Be sure to check their website. They have a ton of work that any graphic designer or fine artist would love.



2. If you like their work, then you will love this book. Simple as that. No boring copy or nonsense, just page after page of simple, playful design - not a lot of conceptual solutions tho - mostly just visual candy.



3. Morning Breath is one talented design studio. This book is jam packed with their non-commercial work, which is dope. Has fresh illustrations and awesome typographic layouts. This book is essential for any designer's or creative-type's inspiration library. Highly recommended!

No comments about The Graphic Art of Armin C. Hansen: A Catalogue Raisonne (American Prints and Printmakers, No 1).

5 comments about Design Synectics: Stimulating Creativity in Design.

1. This is a must have for any middle school, high school or college art educator! Great creative ideas for lessons, sketchbook assignments or model ideas for large projects. I have used this book many times and the projects are always a huge it, highly successful, challenging and instill creative thinking.



2. There are enough ideas in here to keep anyone busy creating for a long time. I believe that is can be used in just about any form of art one may pursue.



3. This excellent book illustrates beautifully the analogy building aspect of the powerful Synectic problem solving process, from the standpoint of design. It is also a great companion to Art Synectics by the same author. Both of them never cease to amaze me, as I often turn to their many pages for creative inspiration. Both of them are also packed with easy to follow and fun exercises.
   
   They are among my first few books on understanding the Synectic process. Synectics was created by William J J Gordon & George Prince in the 50's or 60's. The process can be applied in both the educational as well as business settings. In fact, Gordon had created many exercise books for use in the schools. Unfortunately many of his good stuff in this respect are now out of print and hard to get.



4. As an art educator, this is the book I turn to when my ideas have run out. It has some great starting points for stimulating thought--both in yourself and your students. It offers terrific visuals which suggest all sorts of ideas for starting interesting projects. Read the text and you realise it is even better than it looks--this book is all about how to think in new and creative ways. Any way you'd like to use it, this book is refreshing.



5. Design Synectics is a stand out browse and reference text for Art educators. I would also highly recommend this book to any creative person. It is like a service manual for the artist/ divergent thinker. Presenting individual visual and cognitive concepts in a schematic that is easy to read and fun to practice. While some of the action items in this book may seem a little too structured, individual educators will have little trouble in customizing the approaches to fit with their style. While many books written for Art teachers only give outdated product based ideas, Design Synectics gives insight into the thinking associated with visual literacy. This book is a true Art educator staple.

No comments about African Design (Dover Pictura).

2 comments about Celtic Design: The Tree of Life.

1. this book delivers.not only from a technical viewpoint,but historically and culturally as well.as a result of reading this book i have gone on to the rest of the series and broadened my knowledge of the celts in general.



2. Unless, you are already familiar with celtic artwork, really familiar, I definitely would not recommend this book. This is definitely not for beginners. Directions are not very detailed. If you can figure out how to do the examples, though, it creates some very beautiful designs.

1 comments about General Knowledge.

1. This collection of writings by Stephen Bayley is a witty, courageous, and sometimes merciless commentary on style and culture in our post-war society. His interests are broad, covering the gamut from design (cars. coke bottles) to British post-war cooking to sex. And much more. He is a master of the written word, extremely quotable. Bayley's insights cut to the heart of the issue all the while using humor to make the blow more gentle. In fact he even pokes fun at himself from time to time.

   The combination of scholarly research, astute observation and dark humor make this book a "must read" for the serious scholar of design. The rest of us will enjoy it and come away more informed about the consumer society in which we live.