5 comments about Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume II (Gardner's Art Through the Ages: Volume 2).

1. Received this product quickly and in excellent condition. Very reasonalby priced. Will definitely use them again!



2. the book was exactly as it was described. shipping was descent. I'm pleased with my purchase!



3. This is an expensive book, but it explains once you open it. It's an Art History book and the sectioning of time periods is on par. The pages are nice and glossy and colors vibrant!



4. The text is well-written, holding the reader's attention--assuming that s/he is interested in learning about the history of art!
   The artworks chosen for reproduction with the text are plentiful, sharp, and are all in color.
   The only drawback in my particular copy is that due to a production error at the printers, a few pages were bound waaay out of sequence!



5. I received the book within days and have been using it for my art course.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5 comments about Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay: Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic Figures.

1. this is an excellent book giving detailed illustrations of how to create perfect figures in Polymer clay. it is amazing to see how layering up the clay can give the illusion of muscles, to make the figure look real. the guidelines included help to fully understand how the clay works, and how to work with it. i learn something new every time i read it !



2. this book really gave me the guidelines how to create perfect human like bodies for dolls, how to make the details, which tools to use... I thought I knew a lot but learned quite a few new things!



3. My wife is a budding artist. She does great portraits and she wanted to get serious about the new medium--clay-- that she discovered a year back. This book provided all the necessary instructions for making professional clay people. A great purchase. Not 'the' reference book, but an essential if you are getting serious about clay.
   
   Cons: Some of the critical instructions, like on the size measurements, is extremely unclear no matter how hard you try to decipher it. My wife created her own measurements, just took some time and trials. Also some instructions, like on half-baking things before finishing them, is mentioned somewhere else, as if in passing. Maybe it is a common practice for professionals but it is critical for new artists. Also they should show better pictures for tools like needle-heads. It makes it easier to search for alternatives.



4. This book is a great place to start sculpting humanoids. I would partner this book with the other once just like it on animals, as it's much easier to be objective about critters than about sculpting a human. The author's approach is great, she encourages you to customize your own tool set and has great gesture and line. Plenty of photos and samples and enough step by step to get the point across while still keeping you focused on the clay, not reading a technical manual.



5. This is an amazing book. Katherine Dewey did a great job writing an all-inclusive, clear, detailed, informative book about sculpting polymer clay - which is very difficult to do. She goes to great lengths to demonstrate the necessary tools - and more than that, she shows (in detail) how to make those tools. What a reference book!
   
   The only thing that disappoints me about this book? By reading it, I will not be as talented as Katherine is. I've clayed for years - and I cannot create anything remotely as fantastic as this author does. She makes it look so easy - but don't be fooled. Katherine Dewey is clearly an exceptionally talented clay artist. Although she does her best to share her techniques and tools with the audience, simply buying this book will not make you better with clay. Sorry. I was somewhat deluded by that, I think. I purchased this book thinking I could some how absorb some of the talent and raw skill of Ms Dewey - don't make that mistake. There are definitely many things to learn in this book - and they are laid out in a patient, concise method. However, if you have no skill or talent to begin with, buying this book isn't going to help you. I have practiced several of the techniques laid out in the book - and I'm still just as crummy at clay as I was before. This is not the author's fault - but it's daunting.
   
   As far as claying books go, this is one of the best I have. It covers a vast amount of knowledge and contains technique explanations like crazy. I suppose what keeps me from giving this book "5 stars" is my own disillusionment. Katherine Dewey's skill is a little intimidating - and it is frustrating to follow her direction and not have your piece resemble her final product. If buying a wonderful book like this doesn't help, I should probably give up on clay...but I can't. I love it too much.
   
   Bottom line: you will learn many techniques in this book, from the necessary tools (and how to construct them) to sculpting methods, to finishing to how different brands of clay behave. Reviewer Katherine Canuel made a great point - the amount of information contained in this book is similar to what you would find in a college textbook - it's that good. If you don't have clay talent and natural skill before buying this book, you won't magically gain those qualities. You will get ideas and instruction on how to improve - but then it's up to you to practice, practice, practice. I would say this is book is for intermediate clayers and above - beginners will be frustrated, but advanced clayers will most likely learn a great deal. I would buy this for a friend interested in claying - although the book centers around creating lifelike creations, there are solid lessons to be learned no matter what sort of creations you are interested in making.

5 comments about Cool Cars and Trucks.

1. We purchased three "Cool cars and trucks" books as a gift to our neighbor's kids. They loved it so much! It is a wonderful gift for children.



2. My son love this books. And I love it too because it teach the kid to build from already existing pieces, don't have to buy more :}
   
   Wish there is a book that teach the kids to build houses, apartments, etc, that is similar to this



3. My Child loved the book, hasn't built anything yet but has spent a lot of time browsing the pages and loves what he has seen.



4. Lego is a classic building toy, now known around the world. This book showcases some of the incredible vehicles that can be built using Lego bricks and provides some minimal instructional tips for building certain types of vehicles: an SUV and wide load vehicles. He provides his web site ([...]) that promotes his book, a source for purchase of special Lego bricks, and a gallery of some of the unusual artwork he has created using Lego. This picture book certainly whets the appetite.



5. I bought this book so I could build new Lego creations for my 4 year old Son who is OBSESSED with Legos. We have at least 30 different sets (most of which are torn apart now). I read the reviews and thought okay, we should have plenty of pieces to build "cool cars and trucks"...well we did NOT. I'm also disappointed because most of this book is just pictures of cars that the author created. I NEED instructions. I CANNOT look at a picture and build something. If you can then you will probably like this book okay. There are some instructions but they are NOT as good as the ones you get with Lego toys (there are angles you cannot see). It would be good if the author told you up front which parts you would need BEFORE you start building or at least as you go like most of the Lego instructions do. To me this was a waste of money.

4 comments about Art of Colonial Latin America A&I (Art and Ideas).

1. Great book for a really broad overview of Latin American art. Gives a brief introduction to Pre-Colonial Latin American art as well.



2. I've always really enjoyed Colonial Latin American Art. Recent years have brought some excellent shows: the great survey at the Philadelphia Museum made one realize that though none of this art may be great, it's mostly so charming. We recently stayed at the Casa Colonial Hotel in Cuernavaca which is filled with colonial art and it made it one of the most enjoyable travel stays we've ever had. Even the bloody Cristos which are perhaps the least inviting part of the art have a more contemporary echo in Cuban artist Carlos Alfonso's work. At any rate I've read many books on Spanish Colonial Art and Gauvin Bailey's at least a number of new insights and interesting facts, though behind it seems the idea that the common person was-- mirabile dictu-- a happy artistic participant in the whole colonial period. One greets that with a certain skepticism if one has read a lot of history of the period. Also, curiously, the term Churrigueresque seems to have been replaced by the equally tonguetwisterish estipite-baroque. I expect there is some social justice reason for this, as Churrigueresque may have offended somebody for unknown reasons, but it seems that fancy word has
   gone the way of all flesh.



3. The book Art in Colonial Latin America cover dates ranging form 1492 all the way to 1820. This book is perfect for those who are interested Latin American art in South America as well as the southwest United States. Bailey has a way of capturing the reader right from the beginning. His book starts with the first encounters and then takes you through how both the native people and the Spanish respond to the mix of cultures, he does an amazing job at telling both sides of the story. The reader really gets a true sense of the difficulties the natives faced with their new encounters. Bailey does a tremendous job on making the indigenous people the foreground of this new change. In chapter two his introductory statement shows just that "Until quite recently, historians of the conquest of the Americans focused almost entirely on the actions of the European conquerors and settlers. They treated the indigenous people as a silent backdrop to their Spanish and Portuguese protagonists, and paid scant attention to their cultures after the fall of the great pre-Hispanic civilizations." Bailey's book not only has very valuable history but along with it he has some wonderful images that are able to express exactly what points Bailey is trying to get across. For example when Bailey is discussing a type of life style such as colonial mansions he pairs the text with a beautiful full page image (page 324-325) so the viewer/reader can really connect with what aspects Bailey is discussing.
   Bailey's book is very well done with the information and the images; however the one weakness that I find is in the layout of the book. When I first picked this book up I found the front cover to not only be boring but very uninviting to read. The title was very small, isn't centered on the cover, and to me the image was to small in comparison to the size of the book, it has a very unfinished look. When I opened the book I was again disappointed with the layout, I thought the text was to small and the large margins on the sides and small margins on the top and bottom of the pages where very distracting to me. The other thing that didn't seem quite right was the placement of the page numbers on the side of the left side of the page, also very small, and the pages with only images didn't have number either.
   This books information is very well organized, Bailey starts with the pre-Hispanic world and then goes through to the Spaniards coming to the new world and then how the two cultures star to become one. Bailey gives you a brief table of contents so you can see what each chapter is about. In the back of the book there is a glossary which defines and explains words, events and artist. This glossary is very helpful especially with a culture that isn't as well understood. After the glossary Bailey provides us with a list of key dates and a map, which is very easy to refer to. Bailey has an index which also makes finding works of art very easy. Every one should read this book, they can gain so much knowledge from Bailey's insight. However I think that the language and contents of this book would be very appropriate for high school age kids and older.
   Before reading this book I didn't know nearly as much about the indigenous people and how they were affected by the Spanish coming to the new world. In my studies I always focused on the Spanish and their reaction on coming to the new world. My eyes were really opened to the fact that they indigenous people not only had to change their way of life, but had such a great impact on the religious icons found in the Saints honored by the Spanish. This is a really good book easy to read and very interesting, bailey has a way of capturing his audience and really showing them both side of the story.



4. I wasnt sure what to think about ordering a "used" book, however, this book was in mint condition and i was plesantly suprised! Thanks for the great product and awesome prices

2 comments about Roman Sculpture (Yale Publications in the History of Art).

1. THis book is part of what I have to read in my introduction course in greek/roman art. In this respect it is maby not optimal, the autor focuses too much on works of art that no longer excicsts, and works that aren't that well known. I wish she would focus more on the really famous pieces. What is realle good is that it follows the Emperors cronologically, and that makes it easier too understand the connecton between art and society. For people with special interests in the field, it is probably wonderfull, but with 460 pages it is long and a bit too much information for a new student.



2. Ms. Kleiner does indeed show how eclectic Roman sculpture is/was. But she also shows and explains how artists wrought texture out of stone, their flare for facial features, the thoughtful tilt of the head or the significance of a raised eyebrow. There is more to Romans than conquest. This book makes that clear. This book also does an excellent job of relating historical events to tastes in sculpture.

5 comments about Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure.

1. This is the top rated book according to our instructor. It is the most thorough book of its kind since sculpting has become a sort of
   lost art. Our instructor is a professional sculptor and his work is in museums around the country and has sculpted for Hollywood films.
   I find the book very interesting and helpful. It is a bit old for today but it is an excellent guide for the beginner as well as the professional.



2. This book is the basics for sculpting. Every sculpting student or professional MUST read this book. The author is a true artist and is shown in this book, like being in an arts class.



3. this is truly one of those books that should not be judge by its cover, it is a bible of guidance for anyone truly interested in sculpture ,this among my books is one of my favorites, and belive me I own a few...you can't go wrong with this one



4. A little hard to read because of the time it was written, to small of lettering,for a old man like me,but man. This is, in itself, a work of art. Filled with ton,s of information,not only on the physical part of sculpture but the emotional inner feeling of being an artist.



5. It is impossible to read this book and not benefit. The instructions are clear and concise, the photos are very helpful, and the wisdom of the author is unsurpassed. I don't think we will ever have a better book on sculpture technique.

5 comments about The Figure in Clay: Contemporary Sculpting Techniques by Master Artists (A Lark Ceramics Book).

1. This book is very unusual in its detailed how-it's-done photos and explanations. It is extremely helpful to the student ceramist.I will refer to this book again and again.



2. This book follows several artists and shows with good photos step by step through the process of making their style of figures. Of course they make it look easy and the level of skill required to make something similar is high but it does give you a good insight into the processes. Also shows photos of other artists works for inspiration.



3. This book was on my wish list and it was selected by my brother and his wife for a birthday gift. When I looked through the great illustrations, I was so very pleased with the detail and content of the techniques that were covered. I am a potter who is going more toward sculpture every day, and I know this book is going to be one of my favorite resources.



4. As a newcomer to clay sculpture, I found the nine projects used to demonstrate technique well beyond my ambitions. The simple step by step dscriptions and generally excellent illustrations however, were highly informative and relevant to anyone interested in this field. Each sculptor is introduced by their own account of their approach to their work. I found this only marginally useful although it will interest some.



5. So many sculpture books show you only the final results. At best, you read the author or sculptor waxing poetic about the process, but this book shows step by step how large complicated pieces are produced. Is there an armature in there? Is it slab-built or solid and hollowed-out? Is that paint or glaze? This book tells you all that stuff. My only complaint is that it could be a little better organized. The editor also seemed really drawn to extremely dark artists, but it's not terribly distracting. Overall, beautiful book with a wealth of information.

No comments about The Original Copy: Photography of Sculpture, 1839 to Today.

5 comments about Chihuly: 365 Days.

1. The book was fabulous...wonderful rich color photos, short fragments about Chihuly and his work(s)...HOWEVER, the shipping was terrible. It was a wonder the book wasn't damaged, as the box--IF you call it a box--was torn and damaged so much so, that the book--packaged unprotected--was exposed and could have easily been taken or damaged by the elements in a mail box.



2. I bought this for my aunt as a gift for doing all of the alterations on my wedding dress. I had never heard of chihuly until she mentioned it was something she loves. This book has beautiful pictures and is a great addition for anyone that loves chihuly, but can't afford the pieces! Great book, very beautiful chihuly.



3. My daughter is an apprentice glass blower at a studio in NY so I bought this book for her collection. She had mentioned Dale Chihulys name as probably the most iconic glass blower to date, and after reading this book, I understand why. The pictures were exquisite, and the possibilities of what one you could do with glass, as an art form, were unthinkable to me. Seeing is believing and this book makes you a believer. Being of an artistic nature myself, I was in awe of the beauty that unfolded every time I turned the page. I insisted that "I loved that idea and color scheme best!" but then...there was another and another more breathtaking vision. I was sorry when it ended. I am quitting my day job and becoming a glass blower!



4. A stunning picture book by Chihuly. Not large at 6.5"x 9.5" but is 2" thick with photos of his art on at least every other page.



5. For those who wish to know the thinking of how an artist thinks and works, then this novel book will reveal serveral hints. The book is nicely illustrated with his current work and thinking. Colleagues from the field also contribute to their knowledge of Chihuly as an artist and glass blower. Although his accident, resulting in the loss of an eye,impacted his ability to personally blow glass, he has replaced it with his "Team Glass Blowing" from his European contacts. Along with his two dimensional investigative drawing/painting, it has allowed him to take the art of glass to the new heights.The book layout, with comments on the opposite page of the glass illustration keeps the information immediate to the images. The illustrations are rich and the color accurate. Excuse the pun, but the book will "blow you away"!

3 comments about The Mourners: Tomb Sculpture from the Court of Burgundy.

1. This is a beautifully produced book on a fascinating group of sculptures. The text is informative but the highlight are the detailed views of each individual figure in a grouping of very beautiful and mysterious small figurative sculptures that are usually less visible on site.



2. Just had the chance to visit the MET M of Art yesterday (May 12th) with a few good friends, and happily, took it. On our way to view the BELLES HEURES OF JEAN, DUKE OF BERRY, we entered the newly reworked Mediaeval Wing to see the The Mourners: Tomb Sculpture from the Court of Burgundy. Only a few have ever seen these sculptures from every angle, and standing only 3 feet from the plinth upon which they stood, was an experience even at the Met.. Words fail. The exhibit was simple one, but effectively placed the figures in such a way that we could easily see the the grain and colors of the alabaster, the sculptor's tool marks, the skillfully carved pages of a book, & could almost smell the tallow of candles long since expired. I can't afford to buy even half the catalogues of the exhibits I get the chance to see, but I bought this one.
   
   No regrets the day after. The photography is ghostly, the printing & binding, excellent. Now I can stand still and study each figure. During our mid-week visit, the Museum was packed. We had to move with the crowd 'round & 'round the plinth hearing "no pictures please, no pictures." The pics in the catalog are much better than anything I could have taken, so again, no regrets.



3. If you like museums and love Medieval sculpture, yes!
   
   I got lucky, with one free afternoon during a pressured business trip: a spring day in Central Park, with dogwood, cherry, magnolia, and other flowering trees whose 'names' I don't know all blooming. But I spotted a poster for this temporary exhibit of Burgundian sculpture in alabaster, at the Met. The tomb of John the Fearless and Margaret of Austria is under restoration and the "Mourners", figures that are usually difficult to view in their elaborate architectural setting, are on display in the center of the Met's Medieval sculpture gallery. I don't think they'll be exhibited anywhere else, so this is, as the museum-keepers declare, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study them. If you live near New York (lucky you) and are planning a visit to the Bitten Apple soon, do not miss this show!
   
   But if you can't get there, you'll find this book very interesting anyway. The photos are excellent and the text is intelligent.