5 comments about Wide Open: Inspiration & Techniques for Art Journaling on the Edge (Book & Card Kit).

1. As a mixed media artist, I was curious as to what else could possibly be written or shown about journaling that hasn't already been published. I found the box on the shelf of a Half Price store so I bought it at the bargain price. If anything, I thought the packaging was well designed and I could alter the box myself and use it for my own deck. The enclosed journal is a handy compact booklet that can be used to hold notes and ideas as well. As far as the cards, themselves, some ideas are better than others depending on where you are starting from and if you want to be "edgy". I'm open to all kind of things but I'm not into using my body as a journaling tool ~ something about wrapping yourself in plastic wrap and packing tape. She mentions that journaling is best done in a book instead of loose pages and yet all the cards are reprints of her journal pages and they come as "loose pages". Her words exactly: "Loose pages can be shuffled, tossed, crumbled...it's hard for them to represent some thing substantial." Most of this stuff could have been written about and shared if the artist chose to blog about it but then again there's no profit to be made from that. I don't want to sound totally negative because I am totally in favor of self expression and journaling. So if it gets people to start something and move on with it, fine. Me, I've been journaling all along and nothing in this book will change what I already do. The best book anyone one of us can find about Art Journaling is the one we create ourselves.



2. I bought this on a recommendation and have used the cards to inspire my entire family to be more artistic. We have used some of the suggestions - such as the saran wrap models - and done them as family projects. It has really been a great experience for the kids and I. Highly recommend this product.



3. If what you want is a guide to walk you, step-by-step, through the process of creating an art journal, something which will provide you with in-depth instruction on specific media techniques, this is not going to be your best choice...but if what you're after is something to kick-start you creatively, you may find "Wide Open" exactly wht you've been looking for.



4. I bought this book about six months ago and I still find myself going back to it for inspiration. It is not a step by step "how to" book for people who want to walk away with a specific finished product...It is meant to give the reader a starting place, a catalyst for your own creative process. I am not sure what the previous reviewer was expecting from this book...it was obviously not her style, but this book is never "whiny" or "sappy" and what constitutes a great artist is obviously subjective...As artists and human beings, I think we are all "teetering on an edge" from time to time,and that is why I have an art journal. It is a safe place to explore things that are going on in my life. I am a huge fan of Randi's work and her style is very honest and raw. As an avid art journaler and a collector of many mixed media art books, this is one that has me going back to it again and again. That is the sign of a great book.



5. This is a great set of inspirational items. I love the stories that come on the cards and the journal is beautiful and inspirational too. Many fun and interesting ideas that I can't wait to try. This set was purchased for our 11-year-old son to use for art projects with homeschooling. I think the cards and journal will provide great starting points for him to do projects with.
   
   Thanks, Randi!!

5 comments about The Kiln Book: Materials, Specifications & Construction (Kiln Book).

1. I had a problem building my gas kiln. I didnt understand how it works. This book helped me understand the mechanisms of it. Excelent purchase!



2. I love this book! It makes you think about how to make a kiln that is just right for you and your tastes. I can't wait to start building my kiln.



3. I doubt there is a better resource for learning about kilns, aside from buiding one yourself. The book is very comprhensive and leaves nothing out. If you want to know everything about the construction of kilns, this book is a must read. Fredrick Olsen is one guy who knows what he is talking about.



4. Between this book and Kiln Construction by Joe Finch you can build a very succesful pottery kiln. The information within is nothing less than outstanding in understanding the various kiln options being used around the world. This is a must have book for those with an interest in kilns or in building their own pottery kiln.



5. This book was recomended by a college instructor who worked directly with author. I highly recomend this book if you want to build your own kiln.

5 comments about Collage Lost And Found: Creating Unique Projects With Vintage Ephemera.

1. I would give 10 stars if I could! I have enjoyed this book more than I ever thought I would. I made the beeswax collage for my first project and was thrilled with the results. This book has wonderful pictures for inspiration and very clear instructions for an experienced artist or a beginner. I am hooked!



2. Usually I buy these types of books and page through them - loving the pictures, but never thinking it is something I could actually do. With this book I immediately went and purchased some materials and sat down and tried some of the simpler ideas. I love how the author took the time to make clear step-by-step instructions and included a LOT of pictures for the steps. There are projects that are very simple (magnets) to things much more complicated. I think there's something for everyone.



3. I had high hopes for learning more about collaging with ephemera, but this is not the book. I'm still looking for one better than Claudine Hellmuth's Collage Discovery Workshop: Make Your Own Collage Creations Using Vintage Photos, Found Objects and Ephemera -- the first edition is my altered arts bible.



4. I bought this book because I am interested in collage. My interest lies mostly in ATCs (artist trading cards), and I was hoping to find some techniques here that I could scale down and use.
   
   There are lots of nice examples and instructions, but I found myself getting overwhelmed in some sections. Plus, I would probably have to buy a lot of supplies for some of the projects (especially the ones that involve soldering). I've read through much of the book, and I'm trying to remember what I liked and didn't like about it. What I've realized is that the projects must not be all that memorable (at least not to me) because few examples come to mind!
   
   I suppose, for inspiration, it's an okay book to have. And if you're looking at doing three-dimensional collages or other altered artwork, it's just fine. It just wasn't quite what I was looking for.



5. This is a very informative book dealing with making different projects out of found items. The book gives great direction and lists supplies and tools that will be needed.
   
   I received it within a week of ordering it.

5 comments about SuicideGirls.

1. This book is a collection of unique and beautifully shot photographs. It will make a good addition to any Suicide Girls' collection.



2. I first got this book because I wanted to perfect my artist skill on drawing the human form, aside from wanting to look at hot naked women. After I first gazed at the pages, I realized that it is more of an artsy-pin up book than a collection of nude photgraphs like the cover leads you to believe.
   I was instantly hooked and wanted to become one simply becuase of the fact that I have so much in common with girls such as Fractal, Mary, Snow, Regan, Tegan, Sicily, Voltaire, Stormy and Shera as well as countless others. Also the fact that it has a section in the back that allows you to get to know the girls is a definate bonus.
   Yet since the date of the books first publication most of the girls have left. (I.E. Tegan, Sicily, Apnea, Katie, Voltaire, Stormy and Shera ect) A 2005 article suggests that several of these models had filed claimes of breach of contract and exploitation.
   Such claimes gave way to an unsuccesful law suit which ended in favor of the owners of Suicide Girls rather than the ex-models. Yet you can still see some if not all at other alternative porn websites such as Godsgirls,Deviant Nation and Apneatic. However this does not make me love Suicide Girls any less and I still catch myself glancing at the book and drawing them, not to mention visiting the website and fantasizing of becoming a model...Well maybe if I lose at least the 20lbs that I have been needing to get off!



3. So. I've never wanted to pay for membership on the SG site, but I've always had an attraction and fascination with the whole punk/goth/indie/alternative type of look. So when this book was released, I jumped on it.
   
   - The photos aren't very artistic. They're simple and straightforward, shot with a standard digital camera.
   - It's arranged rather simply, with little or no thought to the placement of the images. (Usually two images side by side per page)
   - True, you can probably find a lot of similar images on the internet.
   - Some of the girls are absolutely beautiful, but I find some rather unattractive.
   - The quality of the pictures is rather poor, since the original intent of SG was purely online. So the change from pixels to print never translates well.
   - There's very little about the girls themselves... just short, self-written bio's on some of the girls in the back.
   - Let's be honest... you're just buying this for the boobies of cute indie chicks... and that's okay.
   
   After a couple viewings, it doesn't have a lasting effect that the likes of Tony Ward or maybe Richard Kern's work might have. Less art and more taboo. It's an inexpensive book, so if you're into the whole naked chicks with tattoos and piercing, I'd say go for it.



4. The was fine...and thats all....sorry to say
   I have been a Suicide Girls fan from the moment i stumbled across their site.
   I expected the book to make me go WOW, most of the picvtures were known to me. some were quite ordinary
   even for me....a die hard fan it was hrd to find the WOW Factor.



5. To each their own,"beauty in the eye of the beholder", & all that.I find this a bit of a yawn - funny how all this leather/tats/piercings/etc seems to symbolize having a "free mind" nowadays.You see this all the time now,these daring "non-conformists" conforming to the hipster wannabe Ideal.Seems so uninspired and well,boring.Again,to each their own.....

5 comments about The Mosaic Idea Book.

1. The content fits the title, "an idea book" but, be careful that this is what you want or need.
   
   This book is heavy on line drawing templates that you can use. I was looking for something that focused on technique. I prefer not to rob someone else's design.



2. I found this book to be good, but I was disappointed with the "Patterns" which consisted of little tiny depictions of the shape of the project. I bought the book specifically to get patterns and, while the book is very good, I was disappointed that the patterns we basically useless for someone new to mosaics.



3. After a few pages of "How To" basics, the remaining pages are mostly filled with small isolated images documented in clever "artsy" dialect. From the title: "Ideas," I expected to see large completed conceptions where I could examine the total effect of a whole composition, especially how the color, shape and size of the border influenced the overall result of an end product.



4. As a self-taught mosaicist, I own 25 mosaic books, including this one, and I can honestly say that the Mosaic Idea Book is one of the best of the bunch. Instructions are clearly presented and accompanied by a generous assortment of photos. As in any good how-to book, the author explains the basic materials, tools, and techniques used in mosaic work, but she does so in a way that really holds the reader's interest. One of the book's best features is that it contains plenty of patterns -- a tremendously valuable resource for both beginners and advanced mosaicists. The patterns are especially helpful, however, for the novice mosaicist who is still learning how to plan and lay out a design. Friends and I have used a few of the patterns in the book -- we enlarged/reduced them on a copy machine, to fit our specific projects. I used the chameleon pattern and created a mosaic that everyone describes as "spectacular." This book gives readers a lot of "bang for their buck." If you can buy only one mosaic book, I highly recommend this one.



5. I bought the book as a beginner looking for the basics of how to get started. While the book has that info, its emphasis is on specific animal and plant design, borders, symbols, etc. Heavy on the animals.

   While this isn't the main book I consult in mosaic-making (I like Leslie Dierk's book), I will definitely keep this as a reference.

5 comments about 500 Bowls: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design.

1. Beautifully presented, with 500 timeless ideas and references. If you are a potter and looking for inspiration - this book is a gold mine.



2. I'm a clay artist who does hand building...My teacher brought in this book to share with our
   pottery class. I and the rest of the class were simply blown away by the originality and brilliance of these clay artists. We spent half the class passing the book around and saying to one anothr "how about THIS one?"
   None of us wanted to put the book down and get back to working on our own pieces.
   
   The book is quite reasonable in price and I was so captivated by these beautiful photographs that I went ahead and bought the the other two books in the series which are specific to animals and teapots...The photographs on each page are simply spectacular...memorable....something I wouldn't directly copy in my own work, but much of it is just insipirational...and informative. Description of how the piece was fired...the method for it's execution (whether hand or wheel built). These books are a collection of the most original works I've ever seen. Although I don't build animals of out clay, I'm as thrilled to own each book from this series as I am
   "500 Bowls".



3. This book is beautifully photgraphed, like all the 500 series books, and weather you put it on your coffee table or in your studio, it lights up the imagination and inspires the artist.



4. It is the simplicity of the bowl on the cover that draw us in, though it is difficult, as there is no cover credit in the edition I own, to find who that artist is. Deep inside we find that bowl and another by potter/artist Judy Motzkin. Patient searching pays off. This elegant little book, with this elegant saggar fired bowl on the cover is a treasure.



5. I am astonished that anyone could find this book a dissapointment! Only, not,when I read the reveiws that were not too great were written by people who wanted a more functional or traditional result,perhaps...
   I like it.Once again,this book opened up an area in my own artistic approach-to "think outside the Bowl"! If you are an artist,or sculptor that has been at it a good 10 or 15 years,as I am,and you need a new vien to tap,this is a great book to get.Mostly,I found it treated the surfaces,interior or exterior,like a canvas.not a vessel to be filled with cereal or mashed potatoes,but as an object,to be viewed,and give the onlooker an "eyeful" It's again,one of the best in the lark 500 books.

5 comments about Japanese Prints (Taschen 25th Anniversary).

1. I don't really know anything about Japanese artwork or famous artists-I bought this book a couple years ago for the pictures of the Samurai. Because of this, all I can really say is that it is a well laid-out and attractive book full of beautiful Japanese art depicting all kinds of scenes and subjects. It makes a great coffee-table book.



2. Don't get me wrong, the book is well produced, with a lovely dust jacket, and it's inexpensive. However, if you're looking for Hiroshige and Hokusai and the kind of pictures that I in my ignorance associate with that school of art--landscapes, cityscapes and depictions of the natural world--you will be as disappointed as I was.
   
   There are roughly 160 pages of color plates. Great! Except that about 25 of those pages are devoted to the kind of pictures I mention above. The other 150 pagesor so are devoted to depictions of human figures, mainly women as they get dressed and apply makeup. This is an important element of Japanese art, I suppose, but it is one that does not interest me. The cover of the book, which depicts Hokusai's famous tsunami wave in front of Mt Fiji, is misleading in the extreme. Yes that picture is in the book, but as I say, for every such picture there are literally five or six pictures of geisha women combing their hair. Yawn.
   
   I'm no expert in Japanese art; I just happened to see a small exhibit in a local museum, thought it was great, and ordered this book because I wanted to see more. I'm not interested in human figures. If you are, go for it, it's a great book. But if you're hoping for landscapes, koi fish, snowy mountainsides, views of Edo, etc, avoid this book. Or you can look for a copy at the local used bookstore, which is where I'm taking mine this afternoon.



3. This is a really good book on the ukiyo-e art of Japan. The more celebrated of artists are represented, including Hiroshige and his views of Edo (Tokyo), Hokusai's Mt. Fuji work, and Utamaro's geishas. Taschen is always good with its reproductions and the art looks great on the page. There are good essays on the origins and history of the style, along with a glossary to help with unfamiliar terms. This is a very beautiful art form that is represented well in this collection of works.



4. Beautiful reproductions and informative text.
   
   For ten bucks!
   
   A great introduction to the floating world.



5. Taschen's products have always impressed me. The high quality of these art books seems incongruous with their low prices, and most of them are expertly arranged and written. But this overview of the Ukiyo-e phenomenon is especially notable: every one of the exceptional print reproductions featured in this volume is accompanied by an excellent summary of the print's characteristics, as well as the technical, cultural and commercial circumstances in which it was created. This permits the reader to not only marvel at the exquisite, lively beauty of these prints, but to also learn more about the Edo-period culture in which they were first produced and appreciated.
   
   An extensive glossary of technical terms and biographies of every artist whose works are featured here are included; in a pinch, these serve as excellent reference resources. Fahr-Becker's familiarity with Ukiyo-e is exhaustively thorough, almost intimate. If you only have enough space and money to purchase one book concerning the visual arts of the Tokugawa era, this is the one to buy.

3 comments about The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook.

1. This book contains spectacular photography through-out: both photos that highlight the artistry of finished works and the close-up, clear, work-in-progress photos that highlight techniques for successful projects. Accompanying text is very readable, and contains a wealth of information about pebble mosaics. I bought the book for the photographs, but was also fascinated by the information about the people and communities that came together to create stunning mosaics to enhance public spaces in their towns.



2. Good overview of pebble mosaics with very helpful information on materials and techniques. The book also has good examples of works by professional mosaicists in the field of pebblework.



3. Maggy Howarth's COMPLETE PEBBLE MOSAIC HANDBOOK provides a review of pebble mosaics which can be used in gardens, patios and public places. Artists, landscapers, and any with a special interest in the design qualities of these mosaics will find this a beautiful collection which not only provides step-by-step insights, but includes a survey of traditional works by contemporary pebble mosaic artists.

5 comments about The Art of Personal Imagery: Expressing Your Life Through Collage.

1. Maybe I'm just not into this type of art enough. I prefer simpler stuff, probably a poor choice on my part.



2. I ADORE this book. It is SOOOOOO great. A good mix of eye candy, instruction & narrative. Great help with integrating the personal into art. One of the best art books I have ever bought



3. This book is beautifully done, so easy to follow, and so great for anyone from a begginer to a master. Full of wonderfull tutorials, and artwork! I highly recommend getting this book!



4. In a sea of project based, how-to art books, Corey's book stands out among the crowd. It's full of her lovely artwork, which has an old world, vintage feel with muted colors, as well as descriptions of the tools and techniques she frequently uses. Yet, it doesn't read as a dry how-to book. The book is very conversational and personal. Corey encourages her readers to use their own imagery and symbolism to make their art, journaling, and scrapbooking their own. Although she is an accomplished painter, I love how she uses and alters everyday scrapbook papers and embellishments in her journal pages. This book is a visual treat. Overall, highly inspiring and highly recommended.



5. I looked forward to seeing this book, but when I did, I wished that I had saved my money. No new ideas, and what is there is way way too personal to publish in a book for the public.

5 comments about Creative Collage Techniques.

1. I'm speaking as someone who knows zilch about collage -- or close enough to zilch that it doesn't matter. Which means I'm extremely impressed by the way the authors clearly explained techniques and concepts in a manner that didn't confuse the ignorant (me) while informing both beginners and experts. I'm guessing they DO inform experts just because of the wide range of information. The result is that I feel I really begin to understand the basic concepts without being overwhelmed. My only problem is to choose which fun methods to try first. There is certainly an exhaustive array of options. I can't speak for more experienced people but, for beginners, I can't imagine a book being more helpful than this one.



2. I have dabbled with collage and assemblage and want to do more. What I mainly want is info on supplies and technique, rather than an overview of what other artists are doing in the field, or a history of the art, or coaching to overcome fear of doing art. I took six collage and altered book books out of the library. This one worked best for me. The information about what supplies, adhesives, and papers/boards to use was well organized, clear and simple. Each technique was presented in a straightforward, step by step way accompanied by examples. This book had more techniques in it that seemed like ones I would want to work with than some of the other books - I'm not at a stage where I want to build a complicated studio setup or use photocopiers and photography a whole lot in my artwork, but I appreciate knowing about techniques that are a little more advanced than gluing paper down.



3. This book was actually a text book for a college class. As a not very artistic person, I found some of the projects to be a bit intimidating. However, the explanations were very helpful. The pictures are beautiful. I found the descriptions of the elements of design very helpful.



4. *****
   I have been reading collage books in order to get ready for a collage class I'm taking next month; while all the ones I've read have their strong points, this book is truly the "Bible" of collage---it contains the widest and most in-depth information of all of the books I've read. It covers so many topics, and for a beginner, enables me to see just what can be done with collage. As I become more experienced, though, I am certain that I will refer to it again and again.
   
   Ever type of collage conceivable to me is covered here, with step by step instruction. It is written in an instructional (as opposed to entertaining) style, and is definitely a reference book, but one that I think every collage artist should have.
   
   If you are wanting to learn more about collage and can only afford one book, this one is it. It covers many different styles, so unlike other books, if your style is not the same as the author's, you might be left out---no chance of that with this book.
   
   Highly recommended.
   *****



5. This book does offer specific projects and yet leaves an open-ended aspect for artist innovation and personal touch. There are a lot of methods explored and so this text is a great one in addition to the works of others in this genre. The greatest part about this book is that contemporary collage artists are featured and this gives the reader a connection with his/her peers. There is no "art history" and "these are the famous collage artists" feel to this book: it is 100% TODAY people who are creating collage art. This aspect makes the world of collage feel approachable and in the here and now.