Amazon.com

When the Hermitage in St. Petersburg celebrated the city's 300th anniversary in 2003, they assembled a selection of 50 years of Cy Twombly's works on paper, coinciding with the artist’s seventy-fifth birthday. At first look, even the most savvy and well-heeled art lover is apt to think "my kid could do that," and there is a (very surface) bit of truth to this. Twombly, an American who moved to Rome in the 1950s, was obviously influenced by Jean Dubuffet's idea of art brut, as well as the work of Paul Klee, and of children. But it doesn't take long to see Twombly's genius. He created something very new with the pure gestures of abstract expressionism, and in this survey it's a joy to see the ways his work constantly changed, from adopting some of the formal strictures of minimalism in the 1970s to embracing vivid colors in the 1980s. Like the graffiti scratches (ancient and modern) that are perhaps Twombly’s greatest influence, it's very playful, often rather dirty work. Unlike graffiti, it's exceptionally labored over. Once you can decipher his scratchy line, you notice that the subtle interplay of words and images is matched by very few others, though the work of Raymond Pettibon and Nancy Spero do spring to mind. Assembled for the St. Petersburg's show's arrival at the Whitney Museum in New York City, this book is a joy. Simon Schalma's essay is ribald, terse and excellent, while Roland Barthes’ writing is, unsurprisingly, worth the price of the book alone. In a review for the New York Times of the show at the Whitney that this book accompanies, Holland Coter wrote that Twombly's early highly referential works are "as if Western cultural history was unfolding on the walls of a toilet stall." It's hard to think of higher praise. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Book Description

This new detailed guide to learning the skills and techniques of drawing modern fashion and figure is also a rich reference source for a broad range of modern garments and accessories. Extensively illustrated, this introduction teaches by example, the power of drawing as a means of communication and expression and strives to show students how to perceive things in order to be able to draw them correctly. The first section is dedicated to drawing the human figure, while the second portion deals with how to draw a wide range of modern garments and accessories and the types of techniques used to render them convincingly and elegantly in different fabric designs and textures.This volume offers a complete presentation of proportions of the croquis, draping the figure, accessories, flats, and features an encyclopedia of details, how to draw textiles and real clothes, the art of illustration, and computers and fashion drawing.For designers, fashion professionals, teachers and students of fashion. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A must for aspiring Fashion Designers!!
I attend the Fashion Institute Of Design and Merchandising where "9 Heads" is used to teach the students how to illustrate fashion. My teacher was also the author of "9 Heads" and she is amazing. My fashion sketching has improves so much along with other students. This book is extremely helpful and very detailed. A must have for anyone who wants to learn how to Fashion Illustrate. :)

Great for drawing women...only women
This is ALMOST the Bible of Fashion Design, save for the fact that it does not show you how to draw men's, juniors, children's, or infant's clothing. This is a must have in anyone's collection, but upon having Ms. Riegleman as a teacher I must warn the reader not to adopt the style in the book as their own but to use the book as a means to develop their own personal style.

If this is the best book out there,
drawing skills must truly be at an all-time low. I bought this book because of Amazon's 5-star rating, but I found the drawing style distinctly unsophisticated and melodramatically adolescent. The figures look like comic book characters, and the flats look, at best, ready to photocopy. Do yourself a favor and attend proper figure drawing and anatomy classes for instruction in the human form, then learn to draw fabrics, draping, shoes, and buttons from old-fashioned, time-tested observation and practice, practice, practice.

Best Fashion Book I Own
I am a fashion student at Parsons, and this book is the exact equivilant of two years of training. My drawings improved beyond belief even after just a few days of studying this bible. The drawings are informative and have a style and flair that only the best illustrators posess. Impressive -- A must have for any fashion student!!

Best Fashion Designer Book
Mrs.Nancy Riegelman was my teacher at Fashion Institute(FIDM)of Los Angeles,she is the best teacher that I ever had and her book reflect her talent. Now I am teaching Fashion Illustration too and I use her book as a reference for my work.Buy this book and you won't be deceived, you will learn a lot and keep on getting better. ... Read more

Book Description

An effective combination of creative exercises, real-life examples, and simple illustrations are integrated in this how-to book,teaching readers to develop their storyboarding skills for a variety of media types, including film, television, animation, and interactive media.Each aspect of the storyboarding process is carefully examined including creating visually specific shot lists and overhead diagrams, and drawing simple sketches that express a clear understanding of staging, editing, and composition.Coverage is rounded out with a comprehensive overview of camera techniques that helps readers visualize a scene before the process of storyboarding begins. ... Read more

Book Description

Frank Frazetta's paintings and illustrations have set the standard for fantasy artists for the past 50 years. This collection focuses on his influence in a variety of media and genres and on his place in 20th century art history. Coedited by Hugo Award-winning editor Arnie Fenner, it includes many of Frazetta's most memorable paintings as well as revised and previously unpublished works. The art is accompanied by the artist's own observations and commentary by a number of his contemporaries. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A fine collection of fantastic images
"Legacy: Selected Drawings & Paintings by Frank Frazetta" brings together many examples from the career of this distinctive artist. The book has been edited by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner, and includes a foreword by Danton Burroughs.

"Legacy" gives examples of Frazetta's covers for books, magazines, and comic books, as well as movie posters and even comedy album covers. Many memorable characters from pop culture are depicted: King Kong, Dracula, Tarzan, etc. I especially liked the illustrations from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books, with their six-limbed Martian apes and tusked, green-skinned warriors.

Some of Frazetta's illustrations are haunting, even melancholy, and others are exciting and action-packed. A sorcerer summoning a demon, a scuba diver facing a sea monster, and of course, voluptuous maidens will be found in this book. In some cases, alternate versions of the same commission are given (making this book especially useful for art students and cultural historians). I recommend this book to those interested in the visual art of the sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure genres.

Comics emphasis, plus more famous paintings. Whoa!
This is book 2 of a trilogy. This one seems to have more emphasis on his comic book and comic strip work, than what appears in the other two books of the trilogy, "Icon" and "Testament." This one includes an 8-page romance comic book story by Frank, from 1952.

There are also plenty more Tarzan/Burroughs/John Carter of Mars works, and terrific paintings of Savage Pellucidar.

Frank's work for Warren magazines, like Eerie, Creepy, and Vampirella get shown and discussed in this book (and also in the other two books of this series).

All of the different eras and decades of Frank's life and career are discussed and shown, in all three books, but always with different paintings, drawings, personal photos, and different commentary by different friends and business associates.

I would recommend starting with "Icon" if you're new to Frazetta's work, but "Legacy" is a close second, containing the works that he is best known for. "Testament" has a focus on unpublished, never before seen work.

One thing that is surprising in all three of these books is seeing how Frazetta would often paint over his paintings, to improve them and change major elements, after they were originally published. So, many of his paintings look different than the way they were printed on paperback covers in the 1960's and '70's.

I am very pleased with all three of these books, but "Legacy" is my favorite of the three, if I really had to choose.

The end of an era
Frank Frazetta is a once in an era painter. He was as much an inspiration to my own large scale figure art as was Michaelangelo. This book is brimming with lush and lavish color reproductions. Frazetta, a true natural and the father of powerful and darkly and richly, colorful, anatomically creative, fantasy art. He has been imitated by dozenz, surpassed by none of them. One would have to go back to the Renaissance to find anyone more free, comfortable and creative in use of anatomy and composition. He would hold his own with the great painters of the past 700 years. This is a great book for artists and art lovers. I bought several for my grandchildren, it will be a valuable collectible in 5-10 years.

Frank Frazetta is leaving a Legacy
I bought the book ICON at the same time I bought this book. LEGACY has a slightly different tone than the ICON book. It is a wonderful tone and in complete harmony with the other book. It's kind of like two tubes on a wind chime. I use this analogy in hopes that more chimes, I mean books will come along to complete the symphony.

The ink sketches are great too. I'm partial to the full color oil paintings. What colors, what force, what passion jumps from the pages of this book. These Frazetta books are not only a legacy to the artist but to art in our culture. Imagine Frank painting in the same studio as say... N.C. Wyeth; or even Hal Foster of Prince Valiant fame. I wonder how each artist would influence the other. I bet Mr. Frazetta would set the tone.

Once again, you can't go wrong buying this book. To read more remarks about the Frazetta books, please see my review of the book ICON.

A thing of beauty...
I'm a Frazetta fan, and knew before hand that I would love this book. However, I was surprised and amused to discover so much about the artist's personality, how he describes his love & respect for women, etc...

There's also a great painting of his wife, without (obviously) any of the violence & eroticism that Frazetta is mostly known for. It's just a sweet, beautiful painting of a nice looking, every day person... Very interesting... ... Read more

Book Description

Millions of people have learned to draw using the methods of Dr. Betty Edwards. Now, in an essential companion to her bestselling classic, Edwards offers readers the key to mastering this art form: guided practice in their newfound creative abilities.

Here are forty new exercises that cover each of the five basic skills of drawing. Each practice session includes a brief explanation and instructional drawings, suggestions for materials, sample drawings, and blank pages for the reader's own drawings. Also provided in this spiral-bound workbook is a pullout viewfinder, a crucial tool for effective practice.While The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain focused primarily on portrait drawing with pencil, this workbook gives readers experience in various subject matter-still life, landscape, imaginative drawing-using alternative mediums such as pen and ink, charcoal, and cont&eacute crayon.

For all those who are taking a drawing class, who have already received instruction through a book or course, or who prefer to learn by doing, this volume of carefully structured "homework" offers the perfect opportunity to reinforce and improve their skills and expand their repertoire. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A Portable Classroom
I started out as an insecure, fumble-fingered incompetent -- couldn't even doodle. With the techniques Edwards puts forth, I've been able to learn a tremendous amount about drawing, and about looking at the world (a side-effect not to be understimated). This workbook provides a classroom experience for those who can't find or afford a classroom. For those of us with some experience, it's a great refresher course. I recommend it very highly. In fact, I'm ordering my second copy, for an insecure, fumble-fingered friend.

80% "wordy" text, but only 20% illustration
"DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN"?

Same author also wrote: "Drawing on the Artist Within".

In one instance, it is drawing on one side of the brain, and in the other, it's drawing on the "artist within". Next year, perhaps "drawing on" the cash in your wallet. Betty Edwards is an art fad theorist.

What EDWARDS actually offers is a psychological crutch, for all the drawing instruction is founded upon a singular theory. Art has never been founded upon a singular theory. Often as not, ART is the anti-thesis, the opposite, of all theorizing. EDWARDS makes the practice of ART a theory-dependent activity. I cannot recall it was ever considered beneficial that we all be bound by a confusing theory. It's a very undemocratic idea; but at the same time, credit Edwards with coy marketing.

What does one actually draw WITH? Is it one half of the human brain? ...OR... Is it the Heart? Because if it is the latter, EDWARDS' art theorizing collapses. To put this in simplest terms, I venture to state that strong artists draw from their HEART, and that is what makes Edwards' rambling intellectualizing so corny.

ART is the opposite of any such instruction that reduces itself to any kind of theoretical hand-holding. And for these reasons, EDWARDS books are a conflicting hodge-podge of New Age metaphysics, pseudo-scientific jargon, infectious ideas, the nature of which, great ART has been combating from time immemorial, for all such ideas place a crippling limitation upon free spirits. Art is about freedom, rather than the binding or crippling attachment to intellectualizations, human fear, doubt, insecurity or angst. If you are not burdened with such negativisms, there is no reason to buy Edwards' theory; no need to draw-on-the-cash-in-your-wallet.

Excellent tool for artists and non-artists
I have to disagree with the few negative reviews that have recently appeared for the Edwards workbook.

This is a fine gift for anyone interested in learning to draw. While it doesn't go into depth as "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" does, it does provide enough information to get started - the methods and approach of Dr. Edwards are groundbreaking and absolutely essential information if you want to use your WHOLE brain. (And yes, Nicolaides' book is important, too, but Edwards work is very complementary to it, and carries his work many steps further...)

A fine workbook - worth the price!
This isn't meant to replace Edwards' outstanding books, including the classic Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. But it is helpful with its exercises, drawing tool, and current research. Don't expect miracles, but do expect improvement in your drawing skills! ...

A great resource!
I have loved every book that Betty Edwards has published, and this workbook is an excellent "companion" to those. If you already know how to draw and want to brush up on your skills, this book has some excellent tools and tricks to support you. If you're just learning to draw, it is a supportive guide. Buy it along with THE NEW DRAWING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN, and they will change your life! ... Read more

Book Description

Acclaimed furniture designer George Nakashima (1905-1990) made boldly original pieces prized for their superb craftsmanship and their organic use of the natural lines and grain of wood. Today his beautiful creations are avidly sought by private collectors and are housed in museum collections all over the world. This survey of Nakashima's life and work-written by his daughter, the noted designer Mira Nakashima-is the most revealing look we have ever had at this woodworking genius and his profound influence on contemporary design. Mira Nakashima chronicles not only the furniture designs for which her father was best known, but also his equally fine work as an architect. Illustrated with a wealth of photographs never before published and containing much new information from the Nakashima studio archives, Nature, Form, and Spirit is timed to coincide with the release of a full-length documentary film on Nakashima and an exhibition at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego. In exploring his personal and philosophic journey, Mira Nakashima provides a remarkable look at the development of an artist whose reverence for nature was at the heart of his creative work. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Japanese National Treasure
I attended an auction a few weeks ago and a fabulous 16 foot long George Nakashima bench from the Dana house in Chilmark, MA sold for $20, 000. This peaceful item intrigued me and I wanted to learn more about this modern master. Just in time to quench my curiosity, Nature, Form, and Spirit: Abrams published The Legacy of George Nakashima. Lavishly illustrated with archival photos of the family home, vintage catalogs, working drawings, plus new photos of classic pieces this oversized hardcover is a great addition to your library.

Written by his daughter Mira, Nature, Form, and Spirit showcases Nakashima's sparse strong furniture as well as his architecture. Vital, collectable, and contemporary Nakashima's furniture is memorable for its simple designs hewn from monumental pieces of wood. Represented in museum collections around the world Nakashima was declared a national treasure by the Japanese Emperor in 1983.

Although he is deceased, the Nakashima legacy continues as Mira Nakashima continues to produce her father's bold and original designs. If they are within budget check out http://www.nakashimawoodworker.com. If you can't afford a piece of this masters furniture then the next best thing is owning this gorgeous book. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive guide to all your beading needs,modeled after the enormously popular Knitters Companion.It is filled with definitions,illustrations, tools and techniques. The book includes reference charts,sidebar tips and on and off loom weaving techniques, macramae, wirework and more.Small, sturdy and easy to use. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

basic guidebook for weaving and embroidery techniques
This book is so little and cute and darling, it will happily go with you wherever you go with your beading projects, tucked in a bag if you take your beads to the beach or the park for an afternoon picnic or if you're traveling and want to work on a project enroute or even if all you plan to do is sit on the couch and do beading while you watch TV. It is aimed at both novice and experienced beaders and, for the most part, includes precise, detailed instructions and clear drawings for easy stitches that new beaders will find easy to follow as well as complex weavings that will definitely challenge those with more experience.

The book begins with descriptions of the various kinds of beads, threads, cords, bead wax and needles that are currently available. Especially helpful are the sections on "Matching Thread to Bead," "Choosing the Right Needle" as well as the information on seed bead sizes and types. Two chapters on bead weaving come next -- the first covers off-loom beading and includes various peyote stiches (even and odd flat stitches, circular and tubular stitches and the Native American or "gourd" stitch); the square, ladder, brick and netting stitches; several variations on the right-angle weave stitch; the herringbone and the daisy chain. The next chapter covers loom beading with lessons on how to set up a loom (including instructions on how to make your own loom) and how to do basic weaving, adding weft thread, increasing and decreasing beads, etc.

The next section is called "Stringing Beads" and begins with a brief description of how to make a simple beaded necklace; the instructions that follow on how to make a knotted bead necklace (with knots between the beads like a pearl necklace) are much more thorough.

The next four chapters deal with embroidering, knitting, crocheting and doing macrame with beads. The embroidery section shows how to incorporate beads into basic crewel embroidery stitches (back, buttonhole, chain, feather and herringbone) followed with instructions for the tent stitch used in embroidery work on canvas (ie, needlepoint and cross-stitch). Also included are instructions on how to use a tambour (a hook similar to that used for crocheting that is used to pull chain stitches and beads through cloth). Next are sections on knitting with beads, crocheting with beads and using beads in macrame.

The next chapter is on findings (clasps, crimp beads, knot cups, connectors, earwires, jump and split rings, end cones and coils, pinbacks, head and eye pins), which, while thorough insofar that it covers most findings, does not have the same excellent, detailed instructions and drawings that characterize the rest of the book. Using head pins to make earrings or attaching a crimp bead might seem obvious but someone who has never done these things may need more than just a brief written description on how they are accomplished. This section would have been so much better had the authors provided clearer explanations as well as illustrations. Also helpful would have been instructions on how to make secure bead loops using head/eye pins.

This chapter is followed by a section on wirework that has information about types of wire as well as tools (pliers, jigs, mandrells, mallets, hammers, etc) and basic techniques for making coils, figure eights, spirals and loops. The final chapters deal with making simple beaded cords and ropes, how to add fringe (including adding Victorian chain edging) and making netted fringe.

One of the best things about this book are the instructions on what to do if you make mistakes. I also liked the various "hints" that are scattered through out it as well.

Should you buy it? Well, if what you are looking for is a book that will teach you how to do basic bead stringing for a necklace or a bracelet or if you need instructions on how to make earrings, then you would be better off skipping this and getting a book like "Exotic Beads" instead. But if you're looking for the basics in bead weaving, etc, then this is definitely a good sourcebook for you. Be warned, however, it does not contain patterns or instructions for projects.

Don't leave home without it!
The Beader's Companion is everything it's title suggests.

The Beader's Companion covers beading terminology, how-to bead, what materials are needed for beading. Clear concise directions are included for just about every method of beading, with each method listed on small, sturdy pages. Included with the directions are easy to understand diagrams. And for each method of beading covered, there is a blank beading pattern template.

Frankly, it doesn't get any better than this. Not only is this book a perfect gift for yourself and/or anyone with even the slightest interest in beading, it is also a great travel companion. I take the book with me whenever I know I will have time to bead, while on the road. It is the perfect size, construction, and help to finish any beading project I might be working on.

I recommend this book to anyone who beads, and anyone who would like to learn how to bead. This book is THE Beader's Companion.

lunartic.cindy@gte.net

This book is all you need to start beading.
This book is great for the beginner or advanced beader. The illustrations and instructions are easy to follow. Worth the price and more.

UPSIDEDOWN!
It is a very good feature to give us the opportunity to review a few pages at this website, BUT these samples would be MUCH easier to read if they were RIGHTSIDE UP.

Best for help with 'the projects in your head'...
... as the reviewer Caren said below. I LOVE the fact that this handy little guide wastes no space (and none of my time) with someone else's idea of pretty and-or useful projects. My sole interest is in embroidery with beads -- there are about 10 pp on that, with good stitch-and-bead drawings. You'll also find sections on beads in knitting, crocheting, macrame, stringing, and loom, and off-loom techniques; charts on bead sizes, thread sizes, and types of beading needles; and more. ... Read more

Book Description

Idea Index kick-started a revolution in graphic design books, unique in size, feel--and most important--wealth of ideas.Layout Index is the next step, a compendium of layout idea-generators that will help designers explore multiple possibilities for visual treatments each time they turn the page. The visual and textual suggestions are divided into eight major areas, including newsletters, flyers, posters, brochures, advertising, stationery, page layout, and Web pages.

Each of these examples are designed to inspire effective solutions in the viewer's mind, rather than simply give specific answers to design problems. The tone and temperament of the design problems, as well as their solutions, vary from traditional to cutting-edge, from corporate to crazy. Designers will learn to solve their design problems, produce fantastic work and become better, more creative thinkers.

* Both creativity books and layout books are extremely popular
* As proven by Idea Index, the format of this book is a proven winner with designers ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Amazing book
Like other reviewers of this book, I am a professional designer. This book is one of the most helpful tools I have ever found. With all due respect, I would like to emphatically disagree with the comments of some other reviewers--I beleive that it is very easy to misunderstand a book like this. The author mentions in the intro (I'm paraphrasing) that this is NOT a book a answers, it's a book of suggestions. A person might think that some of the layouts are unfinished, or plain (not always the case--some layouts are finished and beautiful); I think that this is because a significant effort has been made to avoid presenting layout ideas that leave no room to build. The essentials of good design are never dated. If you are able to look at this book as a treasure chest of ideas, rather than a showcase of someone else's finished work, you will find endless fuel for your own work. As for the size: i LOVE the small format and the plastic cover!! It sits unobrusively on my desk at all times--easy to grab at a moment's notice. This is an amazing book, not like any other in concept, content or form.

What a disappointment!
I love Idea Index. You can flip to any random page and get some creative solutions that hadn't occurred to you. Layout Index, however, is not nearly as useful, innovative or even interesting, unless vintage 1994 design is your idea of "cutting edge". I think the author had these ideas sitting in his desk drawer a little too long.

Unlike Idea Index, which is a hodgepodge of design ideas that are far from finished, Layout Index walks the reader through some solutions. Instead of ideas, you get second-rate finished pieces that won't spark your own ideas. The beauty of the nonlinear index is lost.

I guess this book might be useful for those who need help with their church newsletter or flyers for the kids' birthday party. Will professionals get any use out of this? Nope. I'll give it two stars just because it might come in handy for the soccer moms.

I hate to dog the book... his first one was so good, but I guess that's why this one is such a dud. My expectations were not met.

A simple, helpful guide
Design inspired by this little book leans towards clean & well ordered displays of information. This book provides basics of page building & information distribution.
Beginners will like this book, however, those looking for more complex layout ideas should either work on the existing ideas taking them to the next levels, or peruse other books.

Good Series, Weakest of the Set
This is part of a three book set, which is a great addition to any design library. Unfortunately, this is the weakest of the set - there are a few tidbits, but nothing much. If you buy the other two (Color Index & Idea Index) you will be set. This one I don't recommend to often.

Horrendous!
I have been slowly building my Design Library, and this book made me laugh right out loud! Just by looking at the sample page excerpts offered, one can tell that this book is a total waste of money to anyone with a fine arts-based design degree. But, if you do not have any idea about design, and enjoy cookie-cutter, bland, out-dated design, or if you don't need much to inspire you, then this book would probably be just fine for your library. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A comic book about comic books. McCloud, in an incredibly accessible style, explains the details of how comics work: how they're composed, read and understood. More than just a book about comics, this gets to the heart of how we deal with visual languages in general. "The potential of comics is limitless and exciting!" writes McCloud. This should be required reading for every school teacher. Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Spiegelman says, "The most intelligent comics I've seen in a long time." ... Read more

Reviews (68)

Perhaps ever so slightly overrated...
I appreciate the innovation of writing a book about comics in comic-book style. It's a clever, winning idea. Perhaps it would have worked a bit better if McCloud himself were a better draftsman, or if there had been more (and better-quality) reproductions of other artists' work.

The writing here is uneven. Some chapters, including "Blood in the gutter" and "Time Frames," are very effective and very specific, with strong insights into the nuts-and-bolts of comic techniques. Another chapter, "The Vocabulary of Comics" -- which uses a big triangle graph to encompass the whole of range of comics art -- is quite insightful but, at the same time, oversimplifies a bit, I fear. I'm not saying McCloud's assertions aren't necessarily true, but he might have put himself on surer ground with some of the language/symbol ideas by getting more heavily into semiotics theory, etc. And maybe here is where the light-hearted tone and comic-book style starts to undercut his intellectual accomplishment. I understand the book isn't meant to be a doctoral thesis, but still, it has high ambitions, and the structure of the book must be subordinated to the loftiness of its aspirations. Chapter 7, which attempts to relate all of artistic achievement into a unified whole, is one of the least satisfying, because it is frankly pretentious and rather gooey, non-specific, in its assertions.

Don't get me wrong. There is a lot of good insight in "Understanding Comics," and I wouldn't debate that it's an essential read for anyone interested in the topic. But it also feels like sort of a primer, a survey. Each one of the chapters could itself be the subject of a whole book. In other words, "Understanding Comics" has impressive breadth but not as much depth as one might want.

More people should read this!
Scott McCloud does a fantastic job explaining the history, potential, and inner workings of comics as a medium. I was especially impressed with his concise descriptions of visual theory and its particular applications to comics. Occasionally I felt that McCloud's treatment of a topic could have been more fleshed-out (the chapter on color, for example, or his concluding idea of comics as a particularly good form of communication) or that he made some unnecessary generalizations (his definition of art was a bit trite and even misleading). On the whole, though, McCloud's ideas are sophisticated and he is able to communicate them with surprising eloquence to both the art historian and the general public. In fact, though I am an art historian, I learned a good deal from this book.

McCloud's decision to use the comic format to present his ideas is ingenious, and I doubt that prose alone would have been able to deliver his messages with such clarity. The one drawback to the format is that I fear it will only appeal to those who already value comics, and that as a result those who most need to hear what McCloud has to say never will!

The Comic as both Art and Science
Disregard the Sanchez Review. If it is not fiction, Mr. Sanchez has no interest in it. This is a most interesting book that adds to the legitimacy of the comic book as literature and an art/science. A plus to collectors and readers.

The best text book on comics around.
This was required reading in the cartooning program at the School of Visual Arts and with good reason. Clear, informative and never dry, McCloud provides the best reference to understanding the principals of constructing comics without delving into drawing lessons, an area already sufficiently covered.

An Enlightening Read
Even as a lifelong reader of many types of comics (superheroes, Asterix, underground, manga, etc.) this book was a revelation. McCloud has a gife for explaining the why's and how's of sequential art in a way that kept my attention through the whole book. As a professional artist and multimedia developer, the concepts McCloud puts forth regarding human perception of two-dimensional sequential art have helped bring me to a new level and I have recommended this book to others in my field who have found it equally useful and fascinating.

And if any of you comic readers know people who mercilessly rag on you for being a geek, this book just might shut them up. ... Read more

Book Description

At last, a software book about design!Exploring Illustrator CS is the designers answer to the age-old question:Great tool, but how do I use it to create great design?Written by an experienced designer and workshop leader known for her user-friendly style, Exploring Illustrator CS teaches the must-have software skills and how to use those skills to create exceptional design.The book examines the tools and features of Adobe® Illustrators newest release and shows how to create vector graphics and drawings for both print and the Web.Extensive artwork is expertly woven throughout the information-packed format to drive home key design concepts and show the way to great digital illustration. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Exploring Illustrator CS
A review of Exploring Illustrator CS
Overall, I found this to be a very good exercise book for solving technical
problems on Illustrator CS. The step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to
follow. Also, the book is well organized and nicely illustrated. My only
nitpick, is that the book could used more color-illustrated pages to demonstrate
the color palette. I also found the companion CD to be very useful. On whole, I
highly recommend this book to any student who wants a good introduction for
learning Illustrator.

The best teaching tool for Illustrator CS
Annesa's book is a step-by-step book aimed at the Illustrator newbie that doesn't assume some esoteric knowledge of the product. For example, in another Illustrator book, it told me how to create a Template Layer but didn't bother explaining how to work with it. I was lost and a bit miffed! From the first chapter, of Annesa's book you get your feet wet and have a feeling of competency by the time you've finished. Unheard of in most training books. Great CD, too, with lessons and a CAD demo program.

Most specific and gets to the point, quickly!
Rather than elaborate on long drawn out details,"Exploring Illustrator" by Annesa Hartman immediately gets right to the point with specific "helpful" information. The book dosen't bore you with a lot of jargon before focusing on what you are really interested in learning.

just right
The contents of this book was perfectly organized and explained for my technical development needs. Although I have a good deal of experience in a professional capacity with developing digital materials, I do not consider myself as especially artistically inclined or technically intuitive. Without being condescending and without any unnecessary handholding, Hartman has set up an engaging process to become comfortable and skilled with Illustrator. It's conveniently developed for the reader to work sequencially at his or her own pace or move around based on personal background knowledge and interest. The "look" of the book is appealing, and I really appreciated the warm and personable writing tone used by the author. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Very detailed
I would have loved to had seen the pieces of the garment drawn in their pattern shapes, but otherwise an excellent book with much detail written about each garment. Only other problem was that sometimes the writer's handwriting about the details on the drawings were a bit hard to decifer.

The BEST
Until this book dissapeared from my local library I must have borrowed it for over half its shelf life there, in all of 15 years this book has been THE reference for me, no mean feat to hold my attention since I was 11.
I love it because of the minute detail of the fabric patterns which although hard to find today similar items can be found for those wanting to recreate the dresses.
The value for money is unreproachable, you just have to buy this book. Thank the publishers for reprinting in the U.S and here in U.K !

The best costume books I've ever read to date!
This book remains my favorite costume book, even 10 years after I first checked it out of the library. I find myself coming back to this book time after time, either to study a particular point of fashion or just to browse the fabulous drawings.

Nancy Bradfield has done a great service to all who enjoy studying vintage clothing and their construction. Each item includes 2 to 4 full-page, detailed drawings so the reader can see every detail of the original garment -- inside AND out. Many of them include measurements, so if you're a very talented seamstress/tailor, you can recreate the garments and scale them to fit a modern body.

Some books seem to just throw pictures or drawings together in no particular order, which makes it difficult to fully understand the fashion changes that took place. Nancy Bradfield has arranged the drawings in chronological order, which I find much easier to follow. She also has rather detailed comments along the bottom of each 2-page spread which explains particular details of the item or the fashion changes that were occuring at the time the dress was made. Those comments are in addition to the description found on the top left side of the left page, which is specific to the dress in question.

This is the Bible for any costumer or vintage clothing collector! The only thing that would be better is examining the clothes in person...And unlike seeing the clothes in person, you can keep going back to the drawings again and again.

a great book.
I had checked this book out of my high school library, er. . .almost 20 years ago (can it be)? It was one of those that I'd check out over and over again. Something reminded me of it the other day, and now I'm going to buy it, yeah!
The illustrations and descriptions are excellent.

Don't miss it!
This is the single most outstanding study of period construction detail out there. No one who loves clothes should be without this book. I highly recommend the first edition, which has a few color plates. ... Read more

Book Description

Although grid systems are the foundation for almost all typographic design, they are often associated with rigid, formulaic solutions. However, the belief that all great design is nonetheless based on grid systems (even if only subverted ones) suggests that few designers truly understand the complexities and potential riches of grid composition. In her best-selling Geometry of Design, Elam shows how proportion, symmetry, and other geometrical systems underlie many of the visual relationships that make for good design. Now, Elam brings the same keen eye and clear explanations to bear on the most prevalent, and maybe least understood, system of visual organization: the grid.Filled with extensive research and more than 100 informative examples from the Bauhaus to Nike ads, Grid Systems provides a rich, easy-to-understand overview and demonstrates a step-by-step approach to typographic composition. It suggests design strategies that transcend simple function and reductionist recipes to allow grids to become a means of truly dynamic communication. Any designer, educator, or student will benefit greatly from this elegant slim book, chock-a-block full of colorful examples, helpful vellum overlays, and Elam's insightful analysis. ... Read more

Book Description

An intimate photographic journey through Edward Gorey's home. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A specialty item for the true Gorey collector
Even dedicated fans of Edward Gorey will probably know very little about his personal life: he was an enigmatic recluse and few were permitted past his front door. Photographer Kevin McDermott's Elephant House will delight students of architecture and photography, providing rich duotone works of Gorey's intriguing home and its contents. A specialty item for the true Gorey collector, Elephant House is an impressive photographic showcase and a welcome addition to both architectural studies and photographic studies reference collections.

Fruitful Coursework
M. McDermott's luxuriant photos admirably capture the subversive hermeneutics of desire at work in every compartment of Edward Gorey's capacious mind. To judge from these photos, at home as much as in his work Gorey enacted a subaltern erotics of duplicity and dialectic: the precise, almost fussy, arrangements of salt shakers and stones, frog spectators and secret guests which echo the Edwardian-styled detail of his famous books and their ecstatic decodification of heterosexual longing into a polysemous weave of interleaved multitextuality illuminate a life's work spent dancing on a metacritical pin. Queer and gender theorists take note: Elephant House will reinvigorate your every critique -- about Edward Gorey and his work, and of course, the texts his prism redacts.

At Home With Edward Gorey
Kevin McDermott's Elephant House is an impressive new photography book. The photographs, taken only days after Edward Gorey's death, afford us an intimate portrait of the man as he lived. The book contains insightful photographs that capture the fine details of the way Edward lived and worked in his own space. Gorey clearly had a fascination with light and texture. He scattered a massive array of objects all about his home with a nearly curatorial eye. McDermott's well composed photos not only capture this aspect of Gorey but illustrate a common thread between these two artists: texture. One photograph depicts groups of small stones as they congregate idly on the rough wood of the porch. The cityscape of salt and pepper shakers and a plate of gourd-like, spherical shapes are beautiful studies in the texture and form of ordinary objects abstracted from their normal contexts, while many others are still lives made of the house's windows and the eclectically arranged objects in front of them. The blue bottles in a few images glow like stained glass as the washed-out light of a cloudy day streams in through them. What makes many of the color images so interesting is the spare, nearly monochromatic palette of colors in the rooms which are offset by only the blue luminosity of bottles or the green leaves of spring showing in the background. These are beautiful photographs independent of their connection to Edward Gorey, but serve also to enhance our understanding of him. The text is an entertaining and candid glimpse of Gorey as a friend knew him, and provides a nicely guided tour through each room. This book is handsomely crafted and thoughtfully designed, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in photography or Edward Gorey.

Elephant House or the home of Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey was a mysterious personage. His works often leave one thinking "what next?". Elephant House by Kevin McDermott helps relieve much of this worry. Mr. McDermott has captured through his photographs and text what it was like to spend time with the elusive Mr. Gorey. This is a personal and moving tribute to a friend that never feels intrusive, but rather illuminates Mr. Gorey and the daily world he invented and inhabited. For those of us who have made Mr. Gorey a part of our own daily lives, Elephant House lets us spend some quality time with the man through his surroundings. A gem and a gift.

Elephant House, Or the Home of Edward Gorey
This Fabulous book gives us a photographic incite into Edward Gorey, the man. It enlightens the reader with an increased knowledge of the sources of the characters and whimsy of the Groey books. The personal anecdotes of McDermott, made you wish you could have known the man in real life. Gorey would have been pleased with his friend's understanding of who he was. The photographers eye, saw the "art" of Gorey in his everyday surroundings. It was like walking in Gorey's shoes from room to room. A must have book for every Gorey fan. ... Read more

Book Description

The bag is one of the most universal and oldest objects invented by humankind. What began as a prosaic item for everyday use can now be a luxurious treasure that confers instant status. In this unique, lavishly illustrated volume, published to accompany the exhibition Le Cas du Sac, noted fashion historian Farid Chenoune and 24 experts present an unimaginable wealth of bags made for everyone from kings and celebrities to shamans and vagabonds.

This comprehensive book explores the bag as high-fashion totem; travelers' bags; bags for professionals; bags related to money and ceremony; and bags as talismans. The beautiful illustrations, including paintings, fashion photographs, and ethnographic and decorative objects, reveal the variety and importance of bags throughout time, from designer Philip Treacy's silk evening bag printed with Andy Warhol's signature Campbell Soup cans, to the pangu, the bags used by Bamum tribal kings of Western Africa for holding the sovereign's regalia. A co-publication with Hermès, the Parisian designer of luxurious bags and leather goods, Carried Away is sure to delight fashion enthusiasts and those interested in material culture from around the world. AUTHOR BIO: Farid Chenoune is a cultural and fashion historian. He teaches at the Institut Français de la mode and the Ecole national supérieure des arts décoratifs. He has written, among other works, A History of Men's Fashion; Beneath It All: A Century of French Lingerie, and a monograph on Jean-Paul Gaultier. He writes frequently for French Vogue. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Surpasses my expectations
There are reasons I like this book and reasons that I am disappointed.The reason that I am disappointed is that I thought that this book was going to have lots of pictures of purses from different eras.The reason I like this book is because it is more than just a book with pictures of purses. "Hmmmm..." you might be thinking."Whatever does she mean?"

I love looking at bags in fashion magazines.I thought this book was going to be like that...only longer.Instead, it contains the history of bags, the relationship between bags and culture, the psychological meaning of different bags, and dare I say it, the philosophical perspective of bags.Lest you think I am being sarcastic, I really think the author Chenoune does a good job covering these issues in a tongue in cheek manner."Carried Away" shows the bag as more than just a fashion trend.Although the book does show examples of the bag as woman's fashion accessory, such as the ubiquitous Hermes bag, the book is more of an art book.

"Carried Away" is divided into several sections. My favorite section is about purses in the movies.The author chose still pictures from certain movies.Then, Chenoune explains how the choice of the purse by the costume designer relates to the characters in the movie. Basically, what does the purse say about the psychology of the character and the mood in the scene?I also like the section that shows pictures of different bags and their uses in history, like the painter's bag.

I think for many people this is going to be a book that they pick up in the book store and browse, but not buy.However, I think that other people intested in the bag as an art form, a cultural indicator, or a historical benchmark will find this book interesting enough to read.Therefore, I would not recommend buying it sight unseen, but it is definitely worth a look. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Anatomy for the Artist is like having your own life-drawing studio in the privacy of your home. Carefully constructed photographs of the human form allow you to see the structure and function of the skeleton and main muscle groups. Six imaginative drawing lessons, each supported with photography, show how to portray the bones, head, rib cage, pelvis, hands, and feet in perspective, from different angles, both in still poses and in movement. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Simply fantastic!
I'm an art student taking a life drawing class, and I have looked at a number of books on anatomy and own several, most of which I find unequal to my needs. Some are geared to people in health-related fields, and some are geared to artists.

Of all the books I have seen on artistic anatomy, this is one of the absolute best. The translucent paper overlays of anatomical structures are very helpful to an artist trying to figure out how bones, muscles, and skin all fit together. Additionally, the photography is amazing, modern, and not at all cheesey. There are many different motion shots and poses depicted, and the drawing lessons and "master classes" are truly useful to any developing artist and should help people refine their skills and gain confidence in this difficult area of drawing. My only quibble: I could have done with fewer explicit shots of genitalia, but they were necessary to a book that covers its topic as completely as this one.

The bottom line is that this book is worth its weight in conté crayons.

A worthwhile anatomy book
This book doesn't try to contain all the knowledge there is related to anatomy and drawing the human figure. That would take several volumes or more. It just does a few important things well. I think the main strength of this book is that it gives you an intuitive feeling for the human body's structure. It does a lot more than just list parts. It tells you how the body works, how the parts work together, and the nature of those parts. She gives you more scientific and historical information than other books generally do. The second strength is the large number of well-lit photographs of fit, lean, muscular models in many informative, useful poses. The models are pretty good for seeing the contours of muscles, bones, and connective tissues. I think the inclusuion of a few body builders might've been good too. The latter chapters of the book deal with poses and the body in motion. They include many photographs of models. I appreciated this, and it's something not a lot of anatomy books have.
As for the overlays, I didn't think they were all that important. As for the drawings of the muscles and bones, they were useful and good, but they could've been better. I would've prefered some sort of smoothly shaded renderings instead of scratchy pen & ink drawings. It would also have been nice to have the muscles in different colors so they'd be easier to differentiate. Although vellum is nice, it tends to warp from humidity and it's not transparent enough. Therefore it would've been better to make the overlays out of plastic.
While this isn't the be-all, end-all of anatomy books, I think it is one of the better books to include in your anatomy library. I have several other great anatomy books besides this one.

Excellent photography. Average content.
This is an interesting book in that the photography is excellent. Do you like nude bodies that are in very good shape? This one has it in excess. As one who has studied artistic anatomy for over twenty years I own just about every book written on the subject. One of the things I appreciate are sources showing surface anatomy; with models that have muscle definition. The odd thing about this book is how much could have been done with it. There are about 7 or 8 transparencys that over lay the photos. All but one of these show the skeletal detail over a photo. When I am looking at the surface anatomy of a figure and trying to determine which muscles are which, I would rather have an overlay of the muscles than of the skeleton. This must have been the decision of an editor. The drawings depicting the muscles are good, no better than what has been done. Goldfinger's Human Anatomy for Artists or Richer's Artistic Anatomy are very hard to beat. The other odd note about this book is the bibliography. It's as though the items chosen were selected for their quirky nature and not their value as a source of information. Five stars for the photography, negative two stars for the anatomical content.

decent
decent book but could have had a heck of alot more poses. The book splits the body into categories which is helpfull but I would have also liked to see a whole section of various poses for study.

A must have for serious artist
This is the best reference guide for drawing people that I have found. The poses and lighting are excellent! Most artist references on the figure show the skeleton and muscles but this book uses semi-transparent overlays so an artist can see a photo of a person then, using the overlay, see how the skeleton or muscles shape the body. A must have for any serious artist. ... Read more

Book Description

illustrated with 12-page color photo insert and line art throughout

A revised and expanded edition of the classic drawing-instruction book that has sold more than 2,500,000 copies.

When Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was first published in 1979, it hit the New York Times bestseller list within two weeks and stayed there for more than a year. In 1989, when Dr. Betty Edwards revised the book, it went straight to the Times list again. Now Dr. Edwards celebrates the twentieth anniversary of her classic book with a second revised edition.

Over the last decade, Dr. Edwards has refined her material through teaching hundreds of workshops and seminars. Truly The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, this edition includes:

* the very latest developments in brain research;
* new material on using drawing techniques in the corporate world and in education;
* instruction on self-expression through drawing;
* an updated section on using color; and
* detailed information on using the five basic skills of drawing for problem solving.

Translated into thirteen languages, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is the world's most widely used drawing-instructionguide. People from just about every walk of life--artists, students, corporate executives, architects, real estate agents, designers, engineers--have applied its revolutionary approach to problem solving. The Los Angeles Times said it best: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is "not only a book about drawing, it is a book about living. This brilliant approach to the teaching of drawing . . . should not be dismissed as a mere text. It emancipates." ... Read more

Reviews (79)

Highly recommended! A great start for drawing newbies!
I have been drawing for a long time (since I was 4). Drawing is a major influence and passion in my life, so I always am looking for new art books, and new perspectives on drawing. I consider this book to be an excellent addition to any artist's (or aspiring artist's) library.

Also, I once attended a class taught by one of Betty Edwards' students. It was such a helpful and inspiring class, and everyone improved dramatically. It was a wonderful class.

Even though I am no longer a drawing "newbie", I found new insights and new ways to observe and see, thanks to this book. It truly can help new artists and "non" artists draw more accurately. It's amazing! Fabulous!

However, this book is not the ultimate book on drawing, and it should never be regarded as such. It cannot possibly answer every question, or provide every insight. It is only a first step. Drawing accurately is just one component to being an artist. (And I hasten to add, I'm REAL big on drawing accurately, I think it is important.) There is a lot of exploration and growth that each artist must undertake in order to fully develop. There will be further study of anatomy, color, line, etc. etc. This book does not pretend to teach everything, and no one should expect it to.

But, don't worry about that right away, if you are a "newbie". Get the book, enjoy it, learn from it, and then look into other books. This book will give you that needed "jump start" and will help you gain a great deal of confidence. You will be most pleased with the progress you will be able to make, thanks to this book.

Quite simply the best book on drawing what you see
Drawing is the basis of most art so this fundamental skill is taught first in most traditional settings. What this so often fails to do is teach the perceptual underpinnings of draughtsmanship, focussing instead on the academic, 19th century "école" practice (itself a product of the Renaissance studio system) of repetition, copying and study of master works which emphasise the mechanics of drawing. While valuable, for the vast majority of students this may only yield results after years of rigorous application and for some will never work.

Despite having taken the traditional art school route this book taught me that there was still much to learn about how to see. Perhaps more importantly it showed me how much misinformation I had been exposed to and had accepted blindly for many years, only to have my eyes opened (literally!) the first time I picked it up.

I haven't had the opportunity to check out this latest edition but if it is even better than the first then it will prove even more invaluable.

For beginners hoping to draw for the first time or more experienced artists who feel their drawing could take a step up, this cornerstone work will enable you to unlock your hidden potential allowing you to produce work that will surprise even you!

indescribable
Anyone who has anything bad to say about this book is
lost in space. There is no person on earth who cannot improve
after doing the projects in this book. Just one thing I would like to note: Try to take this class with a teacher so you don't give up in the middle. Once you get over the muscle pain in your right brain you'll thank yourself a million times over that you did it. You will see things you have never
noticed before and when you show people your drawings their jaws
will drop on the floor. One more thing: Never have a coffee (with caffeine) before doing the projects. You have to be very
calm and get into the drawing like a musician has to get into
the music.
I am thrilled that I am almost finished with the course, and
now I can draw almost ANY object I see.

[80% text / 20 % illustration ] & an historic falsehood
"The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards

The great falsehood here is that by using some drawings from the Rennaissance, Edwards would have the reader believe that "The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" is in the spirit of the "classical tradition"; but that is not so in the light of certain historical facts which even the most amateur of art historians can present.

FACT THE FIRST:

We must examine what is known of the classical tradition and Rennaissance Art and its view of drawing, and that means considering the historical view of Giorgio Vasari, himself a Rennaissance master, briefly apprenticed to Michaelangelo, and author of the 16th Century biography "The Lives of the Artists" our single most important source on the classical tradition.

As stated in the most recent translation of "The Lives of the Artists," by Julia and Peter Bondanella:

"Vasari's interpretation of his subject matter was documented and argued so persuasively that it has, in large measure, remained the dominant view of Italian Renaissance
art ever since".
-p. x, Introduction, "The Lives of the Artists" by Giorgio Vasari, translated by Julia and Peter Bondanella

FACT THE SECOND:

Having established Vasari as the genuine authority on the classical tradition of drawing, we must consider Vasari's viewpoint on the type of art theorizing which Betty Edwards uses.

"Vasari was opposed to any artistic style that exhibited pedantic book learning, academic exercise, or unusual, laborious effort." -p. xii, the Introduction, Vasari's "The Lives of the Artists" translated by Julia & Peter Bondanella

The same page cites another authority, Baldesar Castiglione, (1478 - 1529 ) author of "Book of the Courtier" which argued:

"True art, according to Castiglione, was art which did not reveal itself to be art and was produced efforlessly and without obvious signs of study and emphasis upon technique." -from p. xii, The Introduction, Bondanella translation, Vasari's "The Lives of the Artists".

In view of these two substantial facts, Edwards employs fuzzy New Age jargon to present a HOW-TO-DRAW book, heavy on fuzzy art theorizing, metaphysical rambling, and philosophical mythology. Ewards essentially has served up a FAST FOOD menu of New Age ramblings advertized as a classical feast. The combining of Asian religion with Western art is not timely at this juncture for it has already been achieved through 19th Century Impressionism, over a century and more in the past.

Funny how many people can't draw in art classes...
I started my art experience with this book, and to it I give much credit. For me, it was like a "light switch" had been turned on. One day I could not draw, the next day I could. I did take the lessons seriously, and completed the book. If you are new, this book delivers on it's promises. It doesn't matter if the right/left part is correct or not, the fact is - the methods work. There are many other things to master, but the ability to draw correctly is what separates real artists from the fake ones, of which there are many. Drawing is the foundation. If you want to learn how to draw, this book will take you where you want to go faster than any other. Later, when you are in that expensive oil painting class, and 11 out of the 15 students are stuck because they can't draw, you will be thankful that you started off with this book. You will be one of those who can at the very least render your subject correctly. ... Read more

Book Description

Colorful and cosmic, Peter Max's art has been an integral part of contemporary American culture for more than three decades. Beginning in the 1960s, when his bold, bright paintings embodied the spirit of the times, up to the present day, his prolific output has inspired people in every corner of the world. Premier art institutions regularly exhibit solo shows of his work, and his trademark posters have achieved international popularity. From being named Official Artist of the Grammy Awards for five successive years to painting a Conti