No comments about Ant Farm: Living Archive 7 (Living Archive).

4 comments about I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood.

1. Being a potter and a Beato fan, I truly enjoyed the time I spent with this autobiography. I was fascinated by how her life unfolded from her relationships with those in art to her own creation of art. How her world which was largely centered around the men she knew, changed as she found herself in clay.
   I loved how this story unfolded and I was sad when it ended.



2. I am going to be honest and say what this autobiography meant to me.... Starting with her early days as an artist to an actress breaking from her mother's shell. To her associations with Duchamp,Roche,Varese,Reginald Pole,Krishnumarti and other well-known men. And it tells of the struggles she went through in paying the price to learn of life and her amazing stories in India,France..etc; were very interesting to read. I enjoyed her stories with the beloved Arensbergs' for they were very important in her life. Before this book I didn't have knowledge of most of the artists in her life. She has opened new doors! I laughed hysterically at her descriptions of her years with Pole and Steve.She is a riot!

   An amazing woman really. This book will remain with me forever and I will read it again and again. For someone like myself can't beleve there is so much adventure in life. She died this spring at 105,in her heart 32. I would have loved to meet her.All I can do now is remember her and try to learn more about her life and art. I loved her and she is an inspiration to all humanity with her marvelious statements on the facts of life.Afterall,she lived 105 years and paid the price. A definate book to add to a collection for any Beato fan or curious book reader!




3. As a potter, I'd hoped to learn more about her art. However,there were some gems to be found in the text. I really enjoyed the stories about several other famous people in her life. She is brutally honest in her opinions and I like that. On the downside... it was a bit too "socially conscious" in places, for my own taste. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will read more by her. I wrote a personal letter to her, regarding her book and she answered me promptly... twice! Great lady! Wonderful clay-artist! :-) An interesting read, for sure.



4. Highly recommended, artist Beatrice Wood's autobiography, "I Shock Myself" gives the read a glimpse into her illustrious life and art. I could not put this book down

1 comments about Make It in Clay: A Beginner's Guide to Ceramics.

1. When your professor comes over the first day of class and leafs through your brand new book and says, "Where did you get this...it's a great introduction to this class!" then proceeds to tell you he knows some of the potters and works pictured...you know it's a GREAT book. From learning where clay comes from and the techniques from pinching and coiling to the wheel and sculpture, I found great tips and photos to help me along and inspire my "creations." Then came texturing, coloring and glazing and firing techniques. I've actually bought the book as a gift for Mr. Pace (from amazon.com, naturally) and his future students because I found it SO helpful.

5 comments about The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques.

1. First of all, this is not a "how-to" book. If you want a book on pottery making or throwing techniques, don't buy this book. However, if you want an exhaustive encyclopedia of ceramic information, you need this book. Want to know why your pottery cracked the way it did, this book will tell you why. Want to know why a glaze recipe differs from batch to batch, the info will be in this book. This is the book that never gets lent out yet always quoted. Irregardless of wording or cultural bias, if you plan on being a professional clay artist, this book is the definitive authority on ceramic science.



2. An excellent reference book for anyone interested in pottery or in the conservation/restoration of ceramics. Well written with a world of information. An expensive book but worth every penny!



3. This really is an indispensable book for anyone seriously interested in pottery as an art or profession. It contains lots of great information. It also contains some errors, most of which are little. Also, the rendition of the Chinese character for "raku" is ugly and missing a stroke. The title says this is a dictionary of materials and techniques - but it's more than that. It can serve as a jargon glossary, too. Also, some articles seem more concerned about meaning and interpretation and make practically no mention of materials or technique, and in the case of the "Teapots" entry, I thought it culturally-biased and incomplete. That said, get it anyway, this book is a must-have.



4. The Potter's Dictionary offers details and facts about everything ceramic. Clay and glaze materials are explained more in-depth in this book than any other I have read. Subjects are presented in a clear and concise manner and the alphabetical order makes things very easy to find. It's more like an encyclopedia than a dictionary. When needed, great graphics complement many of the articles. No wonder this book has been published since 1975, A+!!!



5. This book never arrived even though i paid Amazon / UPS for next day delivery. I ended up getting it from Barnes and Noble in San Diego

5 comments about The Illustrator's Bible: The Complete Sourcebook of Tips, Tricks and Time-Saving Techniques in Oil, Alkyd, Acrylic, Gouache, Casein, Watercolor, Dyes, ... Pastel, Colored Pencil and Mixed Media.

1. This book is a bit outdated now.
   The author of this book currently has a brand of his own paints and materials. He's so caught up on materials and your hands, that he doesnt teach to use your brain or eyes. He's one of those types that's obsessed with finding out the "secret" Maroger medium, the ratio of oil:pigment in old masters paintings, etc.
   I dont know how anyone can think that using Raphaels' paints will make you paint like Raphael. It's like putting on Jerome Bettis' football pads and thinking you'll weigh 265 and run faster than a cheetah. It's not going to happen.
   
   He's also big on slavishly copying photographs. I guess that's how a lot of illustrators think, though.
   
   Compare this to books by the golden age illustrators; like Loomis, Rockwell, Leyendecker. . . even guys like Hogarth. They focus little on materials and "techniques," and teach more about learning to think and see.
   
   
   In the end, you have to realize that Michelangelo could have painted the Sistine ceiling with a mop and a bucket of mud, and it would have been just as well done. Learn the basics of materials (which you can just find online), and find someone who will teach you to think.



2. I was primarly interested in the book for teaching students the finer points of using Gouache in Illustration. Although, there was nothing particularly new in the text about the material, it was all new to my students who found the material helpful.



3. This is a good book with a lot of tips , but I belive that works good for beginners. Essential for beginners! But for advanced ilustrators a good book to fix some tips.



4. the knowledge and in-depth shared in this book is excellent, helps you to go further in the techs, and with tips and trick for the materials and equipment.The only "but" that i find is that it's not a step by step teaching for beginners. Excellente book!!!



5. So many self education books for artists claim to be definitive, comprehensive, or the only book you'll ever need. I don't know if this is the only book you'll need, but it is a cheaper alternative to paying tuition at an art college. And, unlike many how-to books (and some art colleges), Rob Howard gives very specific and detailed instructions. He's light on the motivational inspiration and heavy on technique. Afterall, a working illustrator (the book's target) doesn't need to get in touch with the inner artist, but rather needs tools to get the inner art out onto the client's desk.

   Additionally, Rob Howard is quite talented. Often times people with Howard's gifts are so busy with paying customers that they don't have time to put together such a quality book. Every illustration is professional quality and an inspiration in itself!
   The book is packed with photos and illustrations. He lists by name and sometimes manufacturer exactly what materials you need. Covers topics from Prismacolor pencils on Denril to Friskets and masking to pastels, acrylics and airbrushing....etc.

   It's only weakness is that it's due for an update. First published in '92 before the internet explosion and before Adobe Photoshop and Synthetik Studio Artist became powerful enough computer based tools, this book focuses entirely on natural media. Just the same, an illustrator looking to set him or herself appart from the pack might want to set aside the software and use the proven techniques in this book!

2 comments about Gilded Vessel: The Lustrous Life and Art of Beatrice Wood.

1. I bought this for a very good friend of mine and she just loves the book. She met Beatrice once as both of us lived in Ojai, CA where Beatrice lived for many years. We have been to her house also. My friend just loved her and her particular style of art.
   
   Sincerely, Terry W. Chaffee



2. THE GILTED VESSEL is a beautiful book about an amazing woman and potter. Her life is more wonderful than any fiction and her pottery is exquisite. The only flaw is that it is too short; I want more.

3 comments about The Teapot Book.

1. Having only just received the teapot book and scanning it I definitely like what I see. It looks to me like there is some very nicely laid out step by step explanations for making different forms and great tips on putting the infamous teapot together. Cheers, Cheryl



2. I have been doing ceramics for five years, and specialize in teapots. This book has helped me immensely, including design and techniques. I highly recommend it.



3. As a potter who make lots of teapots, I bought The Teapot Book and read it with great interest. The tips, illustrations and photos are a great help to me in improving the skills needed to make teapots. This book should be an inspiration to any potter aspiring to make excellent teapots. It will also be of interest to all potters and collectors as well. The book has diagrams, and beautiful full color photos of a teapot being assembled. There are contributions of glazes and tips by various European and American potters. The photo gallery of teapots and short anecdotes about the teapot and potter exhibits a cross sections of many styles of teapots from handmade to thrown. A very well written book.

3 comments about Mucha Posters Postcards: 24 Ready-to-Mail Cards (Card Books).

1. I was thrilled with the quality of the reproductions! I am using them in a project and they look marvelous. I would recommend this collection highly. Amazon was the first place I'd ever seen this and I have been in many book/gift stores before. This collection had many images that I'd never seen reproduced. The colors are truly sumptuous and "true." The collection includes Luchon, Zodiac, Cycles Perfecta, Lance Parfum 'Roda, 'Bleu Deschamps, Fruit, Moravian Teachers' Choir, Friendship, Sarah Bernhardt/La Plume, a few gorgeous ones which don't have names--and even more! There is a collection of Mucha postcards that were MADE as postcards--they are pretty. But these images come from the best of Mucha's posters. I thought they were a bargain at this price!



2. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!! I am happy that I purchased this set of Mucha's postcards. It's a great piece for my collection of Art Nouveau. I don't even want to use them as postcards. I 'm gonna keep them for myself! The quality of paper is perfect - the finish is glossy, colors are vivid and deep. I just wish there were more pictures in the set. :)



3. These post cards are beautiful and the quality is great. I can't bring myself to tear them out of the book and actually mail them to anyone. I am going to have to order a second book so I can use them.

4 comments about Erotica 20th Century I (TASCHEN Icons Series).

1. The only thing I have to critisize on this specific volume is, that it overrepresents a couple of artists and leaves out so many. Other than that , looking at the "critics" here... I see all the blurb that always comes up when it comes to erotica - there is always a reason why this specific work is bad, why there are maybe some nebulous other ones that are not that bad(but probably will be shredded by a similar reviewer on their page...) People that classify Picasso as a disturbed scribbler, maybe just shouldn't write about art or keep it with Norman Rockwell.



2. Artork improves compared to the 17th-18th and 19th century collections, but it is still often ugly. The gems are few - but those are delicious. I went looking for some of the best artists to see if they had non-erotic works and can't find them. These few were able to sketch/paint people who looked real and maintain an artistic style. One man could run his work in any modern gentlemans magazine and people would wonder who this fabulous new sexy author was, he's that high quality.

   Mostly, though, these are repulsively ugly or amateurish works. Picasso's erotica is nothing but the doodles of a bored kid in math class who fills a page with scribblings about genitalia; if you are a Picasso fan, they are true to his norm - but people who judge by quality will laugh. Non-Picasso fans can only laugh at his disturbed works as silly.

   Either the editor chose the wrong artists, or maybe most of the people dealing in erotica have a sick viewpoint of sex. The one constant them that comes across is that these people think sex is ugly. (Only one or two refute the idea with pretty artwork.)

   Which is what a lot of these are; bad drawings by sick people or at least presenting sick ideas of sexuality.

   I've seen a lot of non-erotic nudes and I think overall the reason erotica does has had a bad name in many circles is that it is so poorly done as to give it an ugly reputation. Playboy and more hardcore sources overshadow the overall gloomy, ugly, often silly quality of these works. Indeed, Playboy is mostly respected for beautiful presentations of women; few people would respect the low quality of the grungy works shown here. Except art scholars who have a fad for the stuff.

   Mostly this is a collection of ugly pictures about sex.




3. This series is supposedly a study of erotica through the ages. It is nothing more than a compliation of dirty pictures. Save your money. If you want dirty pictures...there are better books. If you want something that seriously explores erotica over the past couple hundred years this is NOT the place to look. Boring.



4. This is a fabulous look at the erotic are in the early 20th century. The Quality of the book is astounding considering its low price. It is listed as a soft back, but the cover is thicker than most soft back books. The size is that of a trade size copy but the quality of the paper both inside and outside completely outstrips that of the average trade paperback. The colors are so bright and clear that I feel as if I'll get my fingers wet when I touch the pages.

   The prints of the erotic art itself, which range from black and white to color to line drawings, are incredible. The erotic content and the impact of the art itself range from the sublime, to the grotesque, to the simply beautiful.

   While I rarely buy any art books, they are too bulky for apartment living and expensive besides this series promises to lend itself to both the series and the not so series collector of books. This is a beautiful book.

5 comments about A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel, Fourth Edition.

1. I had been introduced to this book years ago by one of my peers. I had always remembered it, but never really had a need to buy it. I had decided this year to have my high school art students create altered books, and I knew it was time to get it so they had some visual references of how you can transform book pages. I am so glad I bought the book. You don't need to read it as a book, although you can. Every time I open it, I find a new treasure. It's just amazing what Phillips has created from an old book. It's an inspiration and a great piece of artwork.



2. Truly an elegant, messy piece of work.
   Tom Phillips' Humument is one of the most affecting marriages of image and text that I have viewed/read. Visaully, it is stunning, with its layers of subsumed text and inventive imagery. Moments of profundity bordering on Zen surface intermittently, whilst bawdy puns [...] up beside.
   If you're looking for sustained, easily interpreted narrative, then this book simply is not for you. If, on the other hand, you long for a story that is as much in your head/heart, as on the page, I can heartily recommend A Humument.



3. I own multiple copies and give them away to worthy friends. Visually, artistically, and intellectually stunning, this masterpiece is unique in the world of art/literature. The author/artist Tom Phillips began this work in the 1960s, and first published it in book form in the 1980s. He called the result of his decades of effort The Humument and it is a completely illustrated version of W. H. Mallock's 19th Century novel A Human Document. Each page is a well conceived and compelling work of art. On each page the author leaves only a few of the original words revealed. These surviving phrases tell, in prose and poetry, the pathetic love story of Bill Toge. Symbiotically linked to the art itself, the preserved text, and its tale of Toge, reveal a story Phillips found submerged within the original text, a story which Mallock neither wrote nor intended. Phillips calls his work `mining for meaning'. Everyone who has received this book from me has had great difficulty putting it down until they had read/absorbed/experienced/lived/studied it from cover to cover. If there is such a thing as a priceless book, The Humument would be a good candidate for the category.



4. I received this book as a gift about 10 years ago and have yet to tire of it. It is beautiful and funny, surreal, creepy and profound.



5. I love this book. I first learnt of Tom Phillips when he recently did the cover of an album by a band called Dark Star, and then was introduced to his work whilst on work experience last summer. I hunted down a copy of this book, and then devoured it completely. at times moving, at times funny, and all the time completely incredible to just look and marvel at. the art work is great. ingenuitive, original and inspired. this book seems to be getting harder and harder to find... buy one while you can.