2 comments about Mammals: An Artistic Approach.

1. this book is very informative and no doubt desiree is an outstanding artist.if your purchasing this book for reference pictures, forget it! every photo is black and white and very, very dark. if the pictures were color she could get double the money for this book, i was very disappointed and curious if her other books are printed the same way.



2. This book was well worth the money because it is so thorough. Desiree Hajny takes you all the way from rom transferring your pattern to the final painting . She has an unusual way of finishing her animals with power tooks and a woodburner to make hair look very realistic. She must use a really hot setting with her woodburner because the photos show her animals getting dark in a hurry! But I've seen the finished product of other carvers who follow her instruction and they look just great!
   The patterns in this book show front, both sides, top and back views, which is an immense help to the carver.

1 comments about Whitefella Dreaming: The authorised biography of William Ricketts.

1. Loved the book - wonderful rendition of Ricketts' life, with outstanding photos.

5 comments about African Animals in Origami.

1. This is one of my favorite books by John and I would highly recommend it to any intermediate to advanced folder. Like most of his books, it gives you some fairly simple models to start out on (grass, tree) and then move to some more intermediate ones (various African birds, snake, crocodile, etc.) Getting into the more difficult animals you have things like a hippo, gorilla, chimp, aardvark, etc. Next you will tackle models like the elephant, rhino, gazelle, plain giraffe and lion. Finally when you are ready to tackle the hardest models, you have his "multi-colored" animals which make full use of both side of traditional origami paper, the striped zebra and the spotted giraffe. You can see John's developing skill as one of the premier origami authors in this book. The diagrams are all wonderfully done and easy to follow for any experienced folder, and the models themselves are all quite detailed, even some of the easier ones are beautifully representative of the real animal. John clearly puts effort into making a number of these models capable of standing up and often having 3 dimensional aspects such as the lion and hippo in this book which have large bulky heads similar to the live counterpart. If you love animals and love origami, this is definitely not a book to miss!



2. For all you John Montroll fans out there, buy this book. For everyone else, buy this book also! It is one of the best books for animals, with a wide variety of difficulty levels. From simple 'grass' to complex striped zebras, this book has it all. I enjoyed making some of the more unique models, like the bee-eater and rhinoceros. Another nice thing about this book in particular is that the models are much different than what are in many other books. Because the theme is Africa, a lot of the animals in this book I have never seen made in another book. (Some however, have been made elsewhere, and quite honestly, better, such as the elephant and gorilla).
   The Bottom Line:
   If you like Montroll, animals, or semi-complex models, buy this book. If you are a beginner, there may be better choices, likewise, if you are an expert, there isn't a lot to whet your appetite. For everyone else, a great book for your collection.



3. This is a great book for experienced folders. This one along with North American Animals makes a great pair. One thing I find missing in most reviews is the contents is so here it is. There are 24 models in African Animals in Origami and they are Grass, Tree, Sacred Ibis, Crowned Crane, Flamingo, Crocodile, Hippopotamus, Snake, Chameleon, Bee-Eater, Hoopoe, Hornbill, Gorilla, Chimpanzee, African Elephant, Ostrich, Vulture, Aardvark, Rhinoceros, Gazelle, Lion, Zebra, Giraffe, and Spotted Giraffe. Happy Folding.



4. This is my most favoured book in Origami. I have done all the models from the zebra, giraffe, elephant. All models are par excelance. Montroll is my best folder. I think folders who like folding animals should try Racoon from Inside our Origami book by Montroll.



5. This was my first "intermediate" origami book. I really enjoyed the fact that the models are spread out over several different levels of difficulty. You can start out with the simpler animals and gradually advance to the more complex, ending with the hardest model in the book, a striped Zebra. It took me 4-5 hours to complete the zebra, but I am so proud of it! For anyone who has experience folding, this is a great book!

1 comments about Bernd Munsteiner: Reflexionen in Stein / Reflections in Stone.

1. This is a book for all those who facet stones and love gemstones in jewellery. This man Bernd is the personification of excellence....the Michaelangelo of the gem crystal.He took what other stone faceters call inclusions and turned them from a negative feature that detracts from the stones value to a positive feature that enhances and gives personality, value and historical context to the gemstone. In the age of synthetic gemstones Bernd Munsteiner has made inclusions the gem buyers friend and moved gems from jewellery to art gallery. A fantastic book for gemmologists, jewellers, faceters and all rock and crystal hounds. The book is well written with amazingly clear and accurate photos and good history of both Bernd and his talented artistic family.Buy this book.

3 comments about Making Decoys: The Century-Old Way.

1. Written by expert decoy caver Grayson C. Chesser and wildlife art expert Curtis J. Badger, "Making Decoys The Century Old Way" is a step-by-step guide to carving, painting, weighing and rigging, and using lifelike waterfowl decoys. Black-and-white and color photographs illustrate each phase of traditional decoy crafting, including basic carving patterns, and the easy-to-follow text walks woodworkers of all skill and experience levels through the process. This new and expanded edition of "Making Decoys The Century Old Way" is enthusiastically recommended for anyone with an interest in true do-it-yourself waterfowling and decoy woodworking.



2. This is a great book for someone just getting started in the art of carving decoys, from either cork or wood. This is the book I bought for my father to help get him started. With it's many photo's and step by step instructions, you'll be creating your own masterpiece in no time. Aside from being a great how-to book there is also wonderful information on: the history of decoys, how to use them effectively, and the love and enjoyment of spending a day on the marsh hunting over your own decoys. No contemporary carver can rely on one source of instruction or reference material, but this book ought to be in your arsenal if you are serious about carving hunting decoys. This book does lack somewhat, in full color reference material. There are other books with this information available. All in all a great book, especially for the beginner.



3. The book contains detailed, step-by-step instructions for making working duck decoys from wood or cork, with numerous photographs and illustrations. A number of scaled down decoy patterns are included, as are lists of tools and materials, special painting techniques, and other areas of interest. My only quibble with the book is that I found some of the "recipes" for mixing paint to produce certain colors to be somewhat baffling. Aside from this minor point, this is an outstanding book - great for beginning decoy carvers.

No comments about Origami: Easy-to-make paper creations.

1 comments about Think By Hand: Hundred of Ideas on Art (Discover Houston series).

1. I have been searching for information to help my adult and children's pottery classes. This is a compact book full of ideas, there are a few good wise suggestions for beginners and plenty of ideas for those more advanced. Each teacher and student will find inspiration in this book. Great book.

No comments about Carousels: The Myth, the Magic, and the Memories.

1 comments about A Treasury of American Scrimshaw: A Collection of the Useful and Decorative.

1. This book takes a close-up look at the useful and decorative objects created by sailors during the age of whaling. While McManus touches on the most familiar creations of the era, decorative whale's teeth, his focus is the too-often overlooked subject of utilitarian and purely decorative scrimshaw. Chapters include a wonderful look at the background of scrimshaw, objects made for use both on board ship and at home, creations made to be seen and enjoyed for their beauty, examples of beautiful ornamentation, the makers of scrimshaw, both known and supposed, and fascinating objects which are not always what they appear to be. A wonderful addition to any scrimshaw library!

No comments about Collectors' Compendium of Roseville Pottery.