Reviews (6)

A pretty good book, not necessarily a "stand- alone" text
Based upon Freudian-Shrimp's careful and exacting review of the scope and purposes of this book, I bought it. I am satisfied. It is a good book to have, though I feel that it must be supplemented by other portrait books, and essentially I reaffirm Freudian-Shrimp's review.

Practical instruction on drawing faces from photographs
This book is based upon Ms. Parks' one week, 40 hour, course teaching composite sketching to law enforcement officers, a skill which they then use to identify suspects. This course entailed much material and as she writes in her book, "I had to figure out how to teach people to draw well in an extremely short time." She later broadened her teaching to civilians and children. I must admit that she has done an admirable job of condensing and presenting this method in ten short chapters. Chapter one lists the materials needed, chapter two defines the problem of teaching yourself how to draw what you see by overcoming the mind's preconceived preceptions about drawing faces, chapters three through five present a cornucopia of methods and techniques on how to see and draw accurately, and chapters six through ten address drawing the individual features of the face. Ms. Parks' writing style is conversational, easy to follow and often funny. She's managed to not only assemble and condense this vast material but to make it accessible, clear and complete. Ms. Parks clearly knows her material and has a knack for teaching. SECRECTS TO DRAWING REALISTIC FACES is a near perfect primer on drawing faces from photographs, especially useful to young persons and drawing hobbyists. Her book does deliver on its promise, up to a point. But taking these techniques past the photographs to drawing a living, breathing three dimensional person will prove difficult and this transition receives a cursory mention in the book. Also, the drawing style presented here is lacking. All the illustrations LOOK like composite drawings or mug shots-very dry and mechanical. In that sense, they're very limited and have none of the subtler technique and skill of fine art work, neither are the finer points of drawing mentioned. There are no beautiful works of art or visual poetry here, but that's not the author's intent, alas. Ms. Parks has succeeded in her mission with her book. Anyone who studies this book will be able to copy faces from photographs and this isn't a bad FIRST step to learning to draw well.

Change Over Night
I have to admit, I was highly skeptical when the author says she can teach people to draw (and some of the student drawings are amazing) in 3 classes of instruction. However, since my interests were cartooning and simple sketching (both of which demonstrated I had no talent whatsoever), I thought it might be fun to see what she was saying. I had already gotten bored with Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain -- it was too long, it had so many excercises, it should couldn't hold my attention span. I wanted a quick fix solution.

And this book gave it. The author says she's not an artist, but a police sketch artist who basically winged it coming in and took a class or two. She had the opportunity to see lots of faces and measure them. And she breaks down the mental block of why you can draw somethings and not others. Finally, you learn all the tricks to make soft portrait-like pictures that lift off the page.

About 3 hours of entertaining reading and I was able to produce very realistic faces that I'm proud to show off. I *highly* endorse this book. Now that I have some fundamentals, I feel like I can go back to the dry reads since I know what to look for.

Best Instruction for Drawing Realistic Faces
Carrie Stuart Park's 'Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces' is the best book on drawing realistic faces I've ever found. I'm an artist who's been searching for the perfect book and this is the closest. This book is easy if you're a beginner, you can start rendering amazingly real faces and self-portraits. The author has proven techniques and tools and hands-on exercises to help you be a well-trained artist without taking a class. The examples in the book are before and after works that will help the artist achieve success in no time. There's lots of illustrations for practice. Forget about what you maybe learn the old way of drawing a certain geometric form. Throw that out! This book help you to draw what you actually see. The techniques will help you draw in a short amount of time. You'll surprise yourself how you can produce a fantastically real portrait. And, the price is just right, too!

I hope you enjoy this book-author's comments
This book is the end result of years of training police officers to draw correct composite faces. I had been using other drawing books and found there were errors in the materials--incorrect proportions of the nose, pupil not centered in the iris, too large an iris and so forth. I also needed a way to teach the face in an extremely short amount of time. Dr. Betty Edwards introduced seven drawing tools to help you see and draw better. I uncovered about 27 tools to help you as an artist. I hope you enjoy and learn from its pages and it will help you grow as an artist. ... Read more

Book Description

This new text for Art Fundamentals courses introduces students to the elements of design in a unique and contemporary context. Launching the Imagination is the only text that explains the practical substance of 2-, 3-, and 4D (or time-based) design. Add to this ground-breaking coverage a detailed discussion of the creative process and you have the first fundamentals text completely written and developed for the 21st century.

Reviews (1)

Style and substance, at last
This encyclopedic book provides an excellent overview of basic design for artists, graphic designers, illustrators, etc.
It covers all of the bases and has great pictures, with works by contemporary artists as well as masters such as Picasso, Caravaggio etc. Also includes a dozen interviews with contemporary artists, who discuss their artwork and talk about their careers. A great introduction and considering the number of color pictures, a very reasonable price. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Don't be put off by the illustration style.
I've been really struggling with learning to draw hands. The best help so far was Bridgeman's, but I was having serious problems nonetheless. However, this book by Hogarth kept coming up whenever I looked at reviews and recommendations.

I'd been avoiding the book -- I love Hogarth's illustration style, but I wondered whether it would be a serious art instruction book. Feeling a little bit guilty, I decided to look at it at a local bookstore before buying it at Amazon. I spent about five minutes reviewing some of the key concepts.

Bottom line: I made more progress on drawing hands in that one evening than I had in the previous week. I ordered the book that night. In order to qualify for super-saver shipping, I also ordered "Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery" also by Hogarth, and it was an excellent purchase as well!

Excellent reference
This is a wonderful reference, like all his drawing books, for copying and observing the different positions of the hand. With over 300 outstanding drawings he demonstrates all manner of positions and expressions, while incorporating important insights about anatomy and structure. Important for drawing students on any level. Get all his books if you are interested in figure drawing.

Beyond words...
This book, like any instruction manual by Burne Hogarth, is beyond compare. He provides excellent instructions on technique and application. The samples are superb, and they offer outstanding reference for a multitude of illustrations. Two thumbs up!

Knowledge and emotion on the fingertips of every page.
I bought the book in order to gain a better insight on the movement of the hand. It was not untill I opened the pages that I found an entire world of intrege and emotion. I was lost in the form and I admired the shere power that lay within.

A good book for aspiring comic artists.

As the father of the Tarzan character and art, and the co-founder of the School of Visual Arts with silas rhodes, Burne Hogarth is far qualified to teach the fundamentals of great figure drawing. His Drawing Series of Books should be on the shelves of any aspiring comic artist.

For more information on his books and a short collected listing of other useful books for aspiring comic artists and illustrators available in Amazon.com, visit der Mudgecko's Reading List for Comic Artists at: ... Read more

Book Description

For more than seven years, Rockport’s annual Logo and Letterhead Design series has been a trusted resource for designers around the world. The eighth edition of this best-selling volume brings logo and letterhead design to the next level of innovation, creativity, and bold sophistication.

Featuring more than 200 stunning logo and letterhead designs—selected from more than 1,500 entries from top domestic and international firms—this handsome volume collects the best-of-the-best work in this challenging arena. From complete identity systems (logos, letterhead, envelopes, business cards, and more) to individual pieces, each work is beautifully photographed and accompanied by information on the designer, client, and tools used in the design process.

Brimming with inspiration, this volume brilliantly illustrates how great design can convey a message clearly, powerfully, and unforgettably. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

1000 Chairs
It is a great coffee table book that covers almost 200 years of chair design. As with many other books in the Taschen series, it is written in English, German, and French on each page. The book begins with an introduction about the form and function that must be included in chair design. After this, there is a picture of the chair, a description, the designer's name, the year, and some other miscellaneous information. Many of the designers are architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Antonio Gaudi i Cornet. It is very inspirational to interior and industrial designers and architects. This is a great book just to skim through.

Needs to include more Dunbar and Edward Wormley
Very good overview.. wish they would have spent more time on mid-century modern leaders like Edward Wormley of Dunbar fame.

Those in the know -- seek out Wormley for a clear viewpoint on the essence of modern design.

Turn up the stereo and pass me a martini...

Great Book
This book has pictures of 1000 different kinds of chairs and is a great resource. It has adequate information about Eames chairs which have become known worldwide. It has many other kinds of chairs including some very exotic chairs.

1000 chairs
Read through this book, let me know how great is the designer is. In fact, i'm not so familar to the chair. i started to learn how to appreciate those design.

a small book with big content
This is a very informative reference book on chairs. The introduction summarises succinctly the significance of chairs in our day to day life. It's not only something that we could sit on. The book is conveyed in 3 different languages, illustrated with mixtures of colour & B&W pictures. Biographies of the designers & manufacturers' information come in rather handy indeed. Brief descriptions of chairs are useful at times but then again, I'm finding the descriptions too brief for my full understanding. If the book is too technical, this would turn off general public who merely want to have a general overview on designer or lifestyle chairs. The book was published in 1997 & needless to say, more new chairs would have come out by now. Then again, I'm not complaining considering that almost all modern classics chairs are included. I think it's quite risky to try to squeeze too much information into one book. Having said that, this book deserves a spot on my coffee-table for being a well presented book (as we expect of Taschen) & as a good talking point. ... Read more

Book Description

Just as film, art, music and literature have the power to move people, Stefan Sagmeister's innovative work shows that graphic design, too, can cut to the emotional core. His desire is to transform stale thinking--Sagmeister Made You Look will do just that. Fully illustrated, with a red PVC slipcase, this monograph covers twenty years of his graphic design and features images from the studio archive as well as specific influences and reference points for his projects and ideas. Stefan Sagmeister, born in Austria, received his MFA in graphic design from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and, as a Fulbright scholar, a master's degree from the Pratt Institute in New York. Following stints at M&Co. in New York with Tibor Kalman and as creative director at the Hong Kong office of the advertising agency Leo Burnett, Sagmeister formed the New York-based Sagmeister Inc. in 1993. Text by Peter Hall. Designed by Sagmeister Inc., New York. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

so enjoyable!
with honesty, wit and personal style... this book inspires you through his passion and dedication towards design. Of the unfinished business on his "Things to do before I die" list, one is to "touch someone's heart with graphic design"- I think he can cross it off now.

Overhyped designer? Maybe not enough.
This book is from an era of modern-expensive-top-of-designer-coffe-table-books and from way overhyped art directors as Bruce Mau, David Carson and others. But Stagmeister in another story. Witty, smart, so intelligent and original that I think he really deserves all these 5 stars. Even closed the book has design, good humour and idea. In overhyped designers age, this is the one who deserves it.

Thanks, Stephan!
This book was such a relief for my eyes when they're all been fed up with fancy, trendy , modernistic, digital-based design books (or whatever they call themselves).
I realized that I could think and do more than "well-produced mediocrity", thanks to you, Stephan (Hope I'll be in your class one day. I just drew a picture of myself sitting at the table under the slogan fart=style in your office. I know that's where I'll be sitting at 3 years from now)
Best of the Best Books of the Year!

The favorite in my graphic design book library
Stefan Sagmeister pushes the edges way beyond recognition. He ventures places I would (or could) never dare, but this work inspires me to be a little more daring, a little edgier, to design a bit more controversially to get attention and evoke reaction. He has incredible vision and imagination, and is bold enough to carry off some very challenging and creative pieces. The line between graphic design and true art is blurred - wait, absent - in much of his work. I've read the book cover to cover a couple of times, but it's always a pleasure just to leaf through and discover something new and delightful. This is the one book I would not want to do without, if only because he inspires me to try more, do more.

what a wonderful man
this is a great book...smart and informative and funny. it's so very understandable why sagmeister is such a successful designer: he seems to be able to humor himself with his existence (humility!), he is talented and quite aware of what is trite and has been done to the point where there's just this mass wall of imagery, oh bad imagery, that all looks the same.
this book is, naturally, very well designed. and it travels throughout Mr. Sagmeister's career from his days as a young fellow in Austria to where he is currently. and it is well written, the accompanying text. kind of like if sagmeister's visuals could become text...the body of the book and the images together. a very good marriage.
this book makes me laugh and think. how rare is that? not that i laugh and think but that a book on some designer is able to do that? this is not dry and dusty, but a good read with necessary... images. whoo hoo! buy it now. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Star Wars owes a lot to its details. George Lucas made his world so believable and compelling by getting all the little things right, whether it was a chip in Vader's helmet or the sand on a Stormtrooper's boots. Of course, this feat was no accident--extensive conceptual planning and design went into all the Star Wars movies, perhaps most so for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. This excellent "insider story" art book by Phantom Menace researcher Jonathan Bresman pulls together a wealth of these preliminary paintings, sketches, and computer animatics. Starting in early 1995, the Episode I art team sweated out nearly four years in a renovated attic at Skywalker Ranch, and Bresman's book gives an eye-popping account of their efforts, a sweeping survey of the movie's "evolutionary record," what Bresman calls "the unseen art that serves as the foundation for the film."

Divided into sections covering each of the movie's major locales (e.g., Theed, Coruscant, Otoh Gunga), The Art of Phantom Menace gives detailed illustrations of many of the creatures, structures, and vessels that made the final cut to film. But even more interesting are those that never left the sketchbook or hard drive--what fan wouldn't want to see a bulky, bipedal droideka or Padmé's horned, reptilian "swamp horse"? Call-outs alongside the art reveal the untold story behind many characters, like how Jedi Council member Yaddle really did begin as a sketch of a young Yoda, and how Jar Jar at one point had a wacky "dog" sidekick named Blarf. (Lucas and crew thankfully dodged that bullet.) --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Shows the creative process of character & set design
This book is great in showing the character and set design development for Star Wars Episode 1: the Phantom Menace. The book provides minimum descriptions of each of the drawings and you get a feel for how the creative process worked on Episode 1. All of the concepptual scetches for Episode 1 vehicles and characters are shown. The book showcases some great conceptual designs by Doug Chaing (the main art director for episode 1) among others. The artwork itself is great and the quick explanations serve to focus the readers attention the art.

the only thing I wish they had more of in this book was some of the production models, props and clay maquettes. The first series of books had these props and I really enjoyed seeing the 3-D models.

However, the book is a really good guide to the development of the starwars universe and the art that's behind star wars. If you like this book I'd suggest picking up the following title: "Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace artwork by Doug Chaing" This title is actually a series of 20 lithographs of paintings for the phantom menace. Some of these paintings are shown in "The Art of Episode 1", but a good many are new and they are a great complement to the Art of Episode 1 book.

Close to a Must Have
The book is fabulous for anyone who likes to see the way ideas come together in the pre-production process of a movie or who adores the Star Wars Saga. Fabulous drawings and paintings bring The Phantom Menace to life in this book.

However, saying that, there is one qualm I have about this book. That is the very little amount of background descriptions regarding the images; though that now seems to be because of their relationship to Episode II. Apparently, George Lucas has gone back to some of the discarded designs of The Phantom Menace and reused them in Episode II. Most notable are the "Solar Ship" which has become Count Dooku's Interstellar Sail Ship, the original concept art for the Neimoidians which have now become the Battle Droid creators known as the Geonesians, and some of the Queen's Starship which have become the Senatorial Starship.

I highly recommend this book, even with the lack of descriptions.

A veritable art-gallery by master conceptual artists
I would never have thought that I would stoop so low in nerd-dom and buy a book like this, but there is more to being a nerd than simply obsessing over your favorite fantasies.

I love Star Wars, hate the Phantom Menace. And yet way back when the VHS release was going on, I too crowded into a Media Play at 12 in the morning with my buddy and his wife to get my advanced Widescreen Collector's copy. DVD has since come and taken away any significance to that item, but what did come along with it was a little booklet featuring excerpts from "The Art of Star Wars; Episode I." For a long time this little booklet and I rarely parted, and I thought I was so priviledged to have this particular booklet and that it would one day be a rarity.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered THIS book, the actual Art of Star Wars. Not only does it have everything in my booklet, but it presents conceptual art from all corners of the movie. There's so much to look at, and so much that is fascinating to look at, you can't help spend hours just looking.

The book is hard-bound, with pages made from such high-quality paper, it will make you turn them with tweezers, they feel so expensive. The art is presented in chronological order with the film, so that reading it cover-to-cover is almost like watching the film. For most of the artwork, a little background information is provided in the corner next to a numerical key denoting which works belong to which artists.

As for the quality of reproduction; I am rarely satisfied when something I've drawn is scanned onto a color-copier, which often is the best option for reproducing them. I still lose something in the translation from pad to paper, a little bit of hue here, some shading here, depth of line there. However, in this book there is nothing lost. (Nothing is lost, or the originals must be stunning to look at!) The artwork shows you just why the movie relies so much on visuals (and not on strength of character or plot). Artists Doug Chiang, Ian McCaig, and Terry Whitlatch to name a few, are so skilled at vividness, their works immediately juice your imagination into action. Looking at concepts for space-ships, you can almost hear them fly.

The emphasis is on Doug Chiang and Ian McCaig, one a brilliant architectural and mechanical artist, the other a genius at characters and costumes. Whitlatch seems to handle most of the aliens, while gorgeous matte-paintings by Doug Chiang depict, in color, some of the more finalised concepts.

If you are a fan of Star Wars, this book is a must for any in-depth knowledge of how things developed behing the scenes. For film scholars, I would also recommend this book, for the glimpse it provides into the realm of pre-production, especially for you film scholars who have never set foot onto a film studio, or a design office.

For fellow artists, I can only say that these works inspire to improve my technique and work even harder at my art. It's always the test of an artist when he runs into someone who is superior; does the work make you want to quit art, or make you want to improve? This stuff will make you choose the latter.

No McQuarrie, and yet an awesome art of Star Wars Book
I loved the art Ralph McQuarrie did for the first three Star Wars movies, and in the Art of Episode I, Doug Chiang takes the torch and does an awesome job. His grand scale works are so appealing and detailed, I loved it.

The character concept work in intriguing, there is a lot of evolutionary type paintings which I like a lot. The Sith work is fascinating.

The one draw back to the book was the lack of explaination each work had. I would have liked more insight as to what the artist was thinking, what Lucas liked and what he disliked. That wasn't in this version as much as I would have liked. But overall, one to own.

katcat loves the art of episode 1!
This book is simply wonderful for Star Wars fans and artist alike. Just try it-you`ll love it! Who could ask for more-colorful, wonderful Star Wars creatures and livly artwork!Eureka Springs Ar ... Read more

Book Description

Designing Disney sets into history and puts into context the extraordinary contributions of John Hench, who, at the age of 94, still comes into his office at Imagineering each day.His principles of theme park design, character design, and use of color have made him a legendary figure, not only for Disney fans but also for students and aficionados of architecture, engineering, and design.Designing Disney reveals the magic behind John's great discoveries and documents his groundbreaking work in several key areas, including the values, attitudes, aesthetics, and logic that went into the original design concepts for Disney theme parks.Hench details the essence and various meanings of colors and how they work in the parks, and lets the reader in on how and why of the Disney character's inherent popularity-their timeless human traits, archetypal shapes and gestures that suggest their qualities graphically, and their emotional resonance in our lives. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Getting in side Walt's head
This book is the Disney version of being John Malkavich. More than ANY living person, John Hench, knows Walt's history, philosophy and design theories. In fact, John Hench IS the artist behind much of the how and why of designing Disney theme parks from Disneyland (1955) to Disney's California Adventure (2002). More than just a book of inside trivia on why and how certain attractions look and work this is the observations of human behavior and understanding of all of us that Walt (and Hench) had, and used, to create these magically places we all love. As an Disney Imagineer I was fortunate to have known and worked with John Hench and co-author, Peggy Van Pelt. Herein they tell the real story behind how Disney's magic comes into being. As great as their words, John and Peggy have included lots and lots of John's stunning artwork--much of it never before published or show outside the Disney archives. Walt (and John Hench's) philosophy in this compact and rich book is applicable across the corporate spectrum. This book should set side-by-side with the larger (though less revealing) "Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look..." John Hench once told me, "I make all decisions with my heart." This book is for the heart and your head (left and right hemispheres) will enjoy it as well.

The Art of the Show
At first glance I was thinking: A biography? Great photos? A retrospective? But my take is that the book is a sensitive professional retrospective that is highly visual with warm feelings shared by a wise master. John Hench was the person who had the talent and artistic vocabulary to fully articulate the design ideas from Walt Disney's creative explosions, much like Roy Disney had the financial genius to complete his brother's business dealings.

The linear progression of the book is interesting--starting with a general "ballpark", if you will, of show then moving into the mechanics of storytelling, then the individual pieces (character), and color (tone, detail, expression), and then leaving the reason for doing it all, Mickey, as an afterword. A nice, gentle touch and progression, that explains the insanely detailed and labor-intensive process of design that is digestible and awe inspiring at the same time. A great accomplishment by the authors. The visual format of the book is fantastic because it reflects the subtle nuances and character of the author without spelling everything out for the reader.

It should be noted that 90% of the book's illustrations were perspectives, not section or plan views. Perspective gives the feel of the place--plan and section just tell someone how to build an object. Again, another subtle and powerful detail built into the book that speaks volumes about how John Hench helped create the special feelings in his designs that make Disney work well.

In conclusion, a phenomenal read. A must-have for designers and artists as well as Disney enthusiasts. John's influence on modern design is pretty deep, and the book is an excellent reference for anyone involved in a creative venture to study the wonderful marriage of artistic excellence and public enjoyment.

A nice addition (edition?) for the Disney fanatic
This is a pleasant little book authored by one of the original Imagineers, John Hench. We are treated to an inside look at the designing of the Disney parks, with an emphasis on the original Disneyland, although pretty much every park, including Animal Kingdom and DCA, gets some mention. There are plenty of color illustrations, mostly concept paintings and sketches, many of which I hadn't seen before.

This is not a book for the casual Disney fan, but if your interest in Disneyland borders on the obsessive, there are lots of nifty facts and anecdotes to be found here.

For example, when Space Mountain was being built, the author insisted the enormous steel T-beams be mounted backwards, to provide a smooth surface to project show effects; the Snow White wishing well was built next to Sleeping Beauty's Castle solely for the purpose of keeping guests from tossing coins in the nearby lake and waterfall; and a pond was built next to the long gone House of the Future to serve as a water supply for the attractions cooling system.

If minutiae like that is your bag, this is the book for you. It makes a nice companion peice to the book "Walt Disney's Imagineering." ... Read more

Book Description

Desktop computer artists will find a wealth of information in this heavily illustrated book. It instructs in the principles, practice, and techniques of successful animation. The author covers all forms of animation, starting with the basics of making sketches in flip books, and concluding with the latest developments in computer-generated imagery. He demonstrates with practical examples that utilize key areas of modern animation—cell art, stop-action with clay or plastic models, and 3D computer-generated and web-based animations. This volume’s six chapters cover the following topics: The art of story telling and storyboarding . . . How to create stop-action animation . . . Simple cell animation, the technique for simple movie cartoon sequences . . . Full cell animation, as used by Disney, Warner Brothers, and similar studios . . . Web animation for showcasing your skill over the Internet . . . and Computer modeling and animation, including 3D modeling. The book’s concluding sections discuss modern hardware and software, with emphasis on affordable beginners’ equipment. Also provided is an overview of the animation industry and its applications to movies, TV, and computer games. More than 250 instructive illustrations enhance this fascinating how-to volume. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

If You Are New to Animation, Get This Book!
Chris has created an invaluable resource for anyone interested in creating animation. I have recently created 2 animated shorts and am well into my third. My first effort was created using Toon Boom Studio's 2D software and for the second, I used Macromedia Flash. I then embarked upon an old-fashioned hand drawn animation with plans to scan the art, assemble it and then edit it. How to do it? My How to Draw animation books barely touched upon the tools needed and none of them covered modern technology, especially the all important modern tool, the computer.

Lady Luck was smiling the day I discovered Chris Patmore's "The Complete Animation Course". The book is NOT a how to draw animated figures kind of book. However, it is a valuable resource filled with ways to produce an animation. The book is handsomely designed and easy to navigate. If you want to know how to find software to create "Pencil Tests" of your drawings to see how you animated action is unfolding, Chris lists several inexpensive programs (and some very expensive ones, too!) and tells the reader which ones are for Macintosh and which ones are for PC. You want to know about setting up a Rostrum Camera? It's in there. How about simple cutout animation or stop-motion animation (also know as claymation and stop-action)--it's also covered. Chris offers many options for the fledgling animator to choose from.

He gives inside animator tips on equipment and procedures. I found myself regularly referring to his book as I moved through the various stages of drawing, shooting pencil tests and scanning the final art.

I'm a long time illustrator but I'm new to animation. The Complete Animation Course has helped me immensely.

5 Stars & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Perfect Introduction to the Craft
I don't think one can review this book as anything less than a 5 out of 5. It's very well thought out, beautifully illustrated and I only wish it were available earlier when I still taught introductory college level animation. This will not teach you 'how' to animate -- to learn to animate you have to simply start doing it -- but it will give you a very good idea of what animation is about. If you're looking for a 'how-to' book, Richard Williams' Animator's Survival Kit and Disney's Illusion of Life are the standards.

Great High Level Fly By
The title of this book is some what misleading as to its scope. It looks like a Preston Blair or Richard Williams calibre teaching book based on the title. It presents itself as a "complete" course on animation technique. It isn't. This is a very good "high level" fly by. It is a survey of some of everything in current animation from classical to computer. A lot of breath and very little depth. It's Intro to Modern Animation 101. If you are just starting out and you want to get a useful 20,000 feet off of the ground introduction to what's available out there then this is a great overview book. Easy on the eyes and easy to read. But, if you are trying to actually become a successful animator and you want specific technical instruction this is not that kind of book. If you are a complete novice and have little or no idea about modern animation and don't know where to begin, then I recommend this book as a great starting reference. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

I never saw another butterfly
I was recently in the play I never saw another butterfly. I played one of the children durning the holocaust. In the play I read a poem that was in the book I never saw another butterfly, and the poem brought me to tears. When our director brought in the actual book, and I read all of the other poems and saw all of the other drawings i was overwhelmed by the pain and struggle that was portrayed in the book. I hope that others are as lucky to read this book as i was.

Beautiful Memories
...I never saw another butterfly... is a book which holds a collection of children's drawings and poems that were created at the Terezin concentration camp from 1942-1944. In this moving book several children's works are displayed, taken from a much larger collection. The book begins by telling the background of the Terezin concentration camp and then it lays out numerous beautiful pictures along with many moving poems. At the end of the book a short summary is given in the epilogue and afterword about the works of the children. Also included in the book is a catalog of the poems and drawings, naming the authors if known, their dates of birth, and their dates of death.
...I never saw another butterfly... is a moving illustration of what it was like for a child to live in a concentration camp during WWII. The drawings often depict a life full of beauty and it seemed amazing to me that the children were able to, at this time, see all the beautiful things around them even though they were in the midst of death. The poems on the other hand often portray the longing of wanting to be in a safe place elsewhere, and they also relate more of the harsh reality of what was really going on at the concentration camps. The book is tied together through the contrast of the brightly colored paintings with the dim spirit of the poems. The reader will instantly be amazed at the talents of these young children, most under the age of 14, and at the same time feel a horrible sense of pity for these children, whom most perished in Auschwitz. The book is a wonderful and diverse collection of works, although there could have been a more diverse collection of authors included, instead of multiple works by the same author.
It is amazing to notice that some of the children who drew some of the pictures survived the war and even some have gone on to be artists today. This mere fact leaves the reader with a little bit of hope that the unforgettable memories of these children will forever be painted into the public, so that everyone can remember them in honor.

Tales from the children who didn't come back.
Terezin Concentration Camp held, between 1942 and 1944, fifteen thousand children under the age of fifteen years old, for various lengths of time, before the children were carted out to other camps to die. A few teachers came in with sparse quantities of art supplies, and they used art "lessons" as a way of offering art therapy. "I Never Saw Another Butterfly" is a representation of those surviving pictures, which are now housed at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC, USA. Illustrating the pictures, as it were, are collections of poetry and prose, and excerpts from a few journals.

I wish I spoke Dutch (?) so that I could read contributor Helga Weissova's "Das Kunstlerische Schaffen" -- I'd like to see what else she has to say. I wish that Soña Spitzovã, who drew my favorite of the drawings ("Starlight In A Dark Room," page 53) hadn't died in Auschwitz before she was even fifteen years old.

The things these children saw! They noticed the trains, the transports. Helga Weissova did a painting of a woman, JUDE star on her clothing, whose hair was searched for lice. They also saw flowers in jelly jars on tables. They remembered their own beds.

I think that art exists, in part, to speak when we are no longer able to.

This book was purchased from my amazon.com wishlist. I think I'll be getting a copy for a friend who's in school to be an art therapist; I think she'll get a lot out of it.

The Children in the Camps
Although many people know that the children suffered just as much in the ghettos as the adults did, I think it is often overlooked. The adults in the ghettos are often focused on because they are the ones who had to make the decisions and deal with the day-to-day life. But, the children suffered too. They were aware of some of the problems around them and were aware of the differences in their lifestyles. They were aware that they had been stripped away from all they had ever known.

In the book "...I never saw another butterfly..." a vision of what the children saw and endured before many of them were killed is portrayed. The drawings show the children were partially aware of the terrible things going on and of their desire to once again be in a happier place. There are pictures of what they see around them at the time and pictures of the homes and families they remember from before they were put in the ghettos.

As for the poems and diary entries, they too showed how the children neglected to see how they were being oppressed. Some showed a strong sense of heritage, such as I am a Jew (57). The lines "I am a Jew and will be a Jew forever. Even if I should die from hunger." show how the children knew it was bad that they were hungry, but still had faith in their religion. The poem A Letter to Daddy (36) shows a child who wants to return to the life he once found to be normal. "You promised to bring me books because, truly, I have nothing to read [...] I will surely be grateful for this." This line shows the naivety of the child, who did not understand why he had no books to read. All of the poems and diary entries in the book show the sadness in the children and the pain they each endured by having all they had known taken away.

Looking for Butterflies
Volavkova edits a wonderful compilation of children's art, poetry, and prose in "I never saw another butterfly." The most remarkable fact about this book is that the material was composed by children held in the Terezin concentration camp during World War II. The book presents the children's artistic talents that were fostered in the concentration camp especially by one woman, Freidl Dicker-Brandeis. Only two suitcases of material survived the war.

This book provides a unique glimpse into the lives of Jewish children during World War II. The pictures drawn and the words written by the children speak for themselves in this book. The pictures, poetry, and prose contrast wonderfully among one another. The editor does a good job in the placement of each specific work of art, joining words with pictures. The catalogs near the back of the book are helpful because they provide information about the works of art and the artists. This information would have been nice to have had while reading or examining each work.

The extras added into the book are quite appropriate. The foreword by Chaim Potok gives a superior background on the town of Terezin. In addition, it provides insight into the idea of Terezin being a form of propaganda that the Nazis employed to deceive relief workers. Both the epilogue by Jiri Weil and the afterword by Vaclav Havel are poignant reminders of the horrors these children faced.

This book entertained as much as it educated. It continues to serve as a reminder of consequences due to Nazi actions during World War II, especially on the lives of Jewish children. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Why didn't I find this book sooner?
All of my adult life I've struggled with perspective drawing and I was determined to find a better way to teach my architecture students a method that didn't get hung up on technicalities. Using the exercises and examples provided in this book, my students' drawings skills have improved dramatically in one term. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has always wanted to learn the "mysteries" of perspective sketching.

Presented pain free
Drawing is the basis of making good art and perspective is the basis of good drawing. Phil Metzger presents the means for making perspectively correct drawings. Yes, it's without "pain" because the mathematics of perspective is not presented; but, to get it right the "pain" is in the practice. Where it should be.

The easiest way to learn perspective
This book is excellent for students or beginners who want to learn perspective. It is illustrated and it has different samples to follow. If you are looking for a more complicated architectural perspective this is not the book. If you want to do cartooning or comic book perspective, this is the right book.

The BEST text on perspective for the beginner ... period.
I'm trying to return to drawing and (eventually) painting after not so much as picking up a pencil in 12 or 13 years. When I started, I read every review of every book I could find on the different subjects (basic 'seeing', basic drawing, landscapes, figure drawing, portraits, and perspective) and browsed libraries in five different counties here in NC. The list I came up with for basic texts in each subject area included 'Perspective Without Pain' and I have not been disappointed. For a relative beginner, this book is the most user-friendly manual out there in which all aspects of classic perspective is covered. What makes it especially awesome is actual user exercises to reinforce what you read. I absolutely HAVE TO HAVE exercises along with text (I'm not the brightest light in the hallway) and this book includes excellent reinforcing material. If you can find this in a library, take a quick look before you buy. For us beginners it is, in my humble opinion, perfect.

Perspective book written predominantly for artists...
This book was written with the express purpose of instructing the artist about the concepts of perspective. I've yet to encounter any object (apart from some lines for illustrative purposes, such as those leading into the vanishing points) that wasn't drawn in freehand. It seems that eyeballing (ie. approximating and estimating) the perspective applications, are the order of the day.

Like its namesake, it lives up to it by taking the reader step-by-step into the fundamental and intermediate aspects of perspecting drawing in regards to landscape and interior drawings (although this would, of course, apply to other perspective related instances). As such, it is one of my favourite books on the subject matter.

Highly recommended for artists, although engineers and architects might look elsewhere for more precise methods than those employed in the book. ... Read more

Book Description

The buzz created by the hardcover of this "engaging, tart, saucy, and very frank memoir" (Liz Smith) ran from a first serial in W to an "Absolut Doonan" ad to Hollywood film rights. For twenty years Simon Doonan, the creator of the hottest window displays in the world at Barney's New York, has collaborated with the biggest names in fashion and the most notorious names in art. Whether he's making fun of blondes, sending up Sigmund Freud, or creating caricatures of celebrities, his work has been fearless and entertaining kitsch. Confessions of a Window Dresser illustrates his work in glorious full-color photographs and wickedly witty commentary on the trends and people of the fashion and entertainment world. Here's a dazzling gift of glamour, laughter, and fashion history. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A great fun, fluffy and interesting book
This is an easy fun read, the photos are wonderful and Simon Doonan has such a great sense of humor.This is a one of a kind book which is interesting and comical to anyone, you do not have to be involved in the fashion or design industry to enjoy this.

Wise advices by Doonan himself...
Fashion Marketing is everywhere, especially in Fashion Windows where's the retailer's most economical form of advertising; bring glamour, fun, theatre and art to the streets, while visibly expressing the store's image. Of his approach to visual merchandising, Simon Doonan brings a wealth of personal experince and insight to these window displays. The ones who are interested in Fashion Windows, Fashion Marketing and Fashion Advertising, must have this book. (P.S. I bought this book from Amazon and received it at the right time and with no harm. Thanks Amazon.com )

A Fascinating & Colorful Memoir
I bought this book for a gift, but was so intrigued by Doonan's windows I had to read it myself. From the minimal and sometimes upsetting displays of his early years to the more recent, gaudy and pop-influenced windows of Barneys, Doonan's book shows and tells the craft, work, and often times controversy that went into his displays. An incredible glimpse of one man's work, and the importance of a store display to grab and interact with the customer. Never bores, never falters.

"The Lucky Leprechaun"
Simon Doonan gives us a gift in this delectable bon-bon of a book! The self-professed "Lucky Leprechaun", Doonan proves it does indeed take more than luck-it takes talent, drive, and vision to become a success. Dispelling the myth that all "window dressers" are poisonous, bitter, queens, this insanely funny, engaging, and gorgeously illustrated biography is the perfect late summer book. A must read!

fashion secrets revealed...very funny, too.
Mr. Doonan's personal od(d)yssey begins in dreary Reading, England turns violently into the ultra-chic dept. store of Maxfield's on the Sunset Strip, then veers off into the never-never land of Barney's. This is a visually stunning book, a great achievement in art direction, despite Doonan's persistent refusal to hold the management of Barney accountable for its heady fashion forward taj mahal nineties excesses. Nevertheless, Doonan understands his subjects (fashion and display) and imparts great wisdom for those who covet it. The appendix of useful words in the back is really great. I plan to pepper my conversations with such useful vocab as "big girl blouse" and "trag." (abbrev. form of tragic) Interestingly, Doonan never really comments (or dishes)on the deseigners themselves, but judging from the # of photos, he appears to have a soft spot for Azzedine Alaia (who doesn't?). I've also chanced upon his rather trenchant commentary... I appreciate the distinction he makes between fashion in terms of clothing and fashion in the abstract sense. ... Read more

Book Description

What makes an advertisement memorable? Creative Advertising unravels the creative process behind some of the most original and effective campaigns of recent years. Mario Pricken showcases over two hundred examples of international advertising from a wide range of media including magazines, billboards, television, movies, and the Internet.

Each chapter highlights different practical methods for creating innovative and unforgettable advertisements, from finding the elusive "big idea" to reworking classic techniques. The selection covers award-winning work from some of the biggest and most influential names in the industry, such as J. Walter Thompson and Saatchi and Saatchi, along with exciting young agencies such as London-based Mother Ltd. All demonstrate a fascinating range of approaches, including ways of visualizing concepts, the art of illusion and paradox, using metaphor and analogy, and deploying shock tactics and humor. Interviews with international luminaries of the advertising world provide invaluable insights into the working practices of top agencies.

Entertaining and inspirational, Creative Advertising is an indispensable book for designers, art directors, copywriters, and students of advertising. Over 450 illustrations, 380 in color. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

cant believe this book is for $27.17
is the publisher of this book into social service?
what a class apart!!! w h a t a c l a s s a p a r t ! ! !

For the first time I smoked less while reading a book.

Thanks Mario and team for reducing my smoking

Glamourous to Look at --- A Pleasure to Read
This is a handsome book and one you'll want to display for visitors and others you want to impress. Oh, come on. You do want to impress people don't you?

But more importantly, this will be a book that you will refer to often when you need a concept, an idea.

If you are in advertising as a copywriter or artist or in most any capacity, this book will benefit you greatly. Oh you can read it in one or two days. But you will need it handy often. If you are like me, each new project brings a blank slate which must be filled. If you are lucky, you have gobs of ideas. But if you're like most of us, you'll draw a blank. This book will help when faced with that awful blank.

If you are in advertising and depend on your ideas or the ideas of a team, buy this book. You won't be sorry.

Susanna K. Hutcheson
Creative Director
Powerwriting.com LLC

The Un-Textbook for Aspiring Creatives
For any of you preparing for careers as art directors or copywriters, this is a great resource. It's about application. It's about showcasing great work AND revealing the thinking strategies behind it. Kudos to Pricken for going this extra mile and helping to demystify the process. I plan to require the new paperback edition in the portfolio classes I teach.

Save your job
You need to come up with a killer concept tommorow. Or you might loose your job. And become an advertising outcast. You'll forever be known as the guy with stale ad ideas. You can never set foot in a decent agency again. OMG! Then someone told you about this book. You read it. You save your job.

This book asks all the right questions
When I hit a mental road block I pull out this book. It is the best advertising book that has a focus on CONCEPT! It asks questions of you or your assinment and how to approach it in the most effective manor. It even shows you examples. Now I dont use this book to do my job but it sure has help me produce more conceptual and effective print & tv. If you don't own this book your a fool. Whats the worst that can happen? ... Read more

Book Description

Exceptionally authoritative and applied, this handbook/tutorial/workbook provides a firm foundation in the basics of color harmony and usage and explores the vast and often hidden ways in which color affects our everyday lives—culturally, psychologically, and physiologically. Based on well-controlled, scientific studies, it separates color myth from color fact, and shows readers how color affects, for example, our health, spending habits, perceived image, communication, weight, sex lives, and consumer brand preferences. Self-contained segments on different aspects of color or specific application areas provide convenient handbook use. Detailed experiential exercises cross over into many fields—e.g., interiors, fashion, graphics, healthcare, architecture, environment and landscape, hospitality, etc.The Color Connection. Color: Pigment and Light. Color Myths and Biases. Color and Health. Color and Psychology. Color in Interiors. Color in Architecture and Landscape Design. Color in Advertising and Marketing. Color in Fashion and Textile Design. Color in Culture and Society. Color Order Systems. Color: Pushing the Envelope.For Interior Designers, Interior Decorators, Product Designers, Graphic Designers, Architects, Product Designers, Fashion Designers, Healthcare workers (specifically Physical Therapists, Chiropractors and alternative medicine practitioners such as Aromatherapists, Color Therapists, and Holistic Medicine Practitioners and well as holistic Veterinarians), and Education Administrators. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Fabulous Book!
This is the best book on color I've ever found. It gives a really comprehensive overview of how color affects your entire life. If you want to redecorate your home, or influence people by how you dress, or learn how to use color to make your life healthier you absolutely must read this book. Color: The Secret Influence really goes way beyond anything I've ever read about color before in showing how it totally affects our lives. It clearly states that the serious study of color is in its beginning stages but it also gives an amazing amount of information that anyone can use today, right now to make their lives better. You've gotta read this book!

Disappointed
This book is like Reader's Digest. It trys to cover too much subject matter and winds up turning into a survey. It says a little about a lot. I returned it.

Tickled pink:)
Color affects everything, "Color The Secret Influence" examines the science, psychology, and history of color. The information and studies discussed within touch on many facets of everyday life. The book begins by defining color, and discusses it in the context of it's affects on health, psychology, architecture, landscape design, sales, marketing, packaging, fashion, and culture in general.

If you have the slightest interest in learning about color for commercial purposes, designing and decorating your home, improving or understanding your color preferences, or how your everyday color choices and preferences affect you, buy this book!. It's is phenomenal, absolutely the best all encompassing book on color I've ever come across. While the information contained within, can be applied to web and graphic design, the depth of this book goes FAR beyond anything else I have read! It covers MUCH more than just creating attractive color combinations.

Color: The Secret Influence
I think this book will really help me in my work. I have a floorcovering business and I have read a lot of books on color trying to learn things that I can use in my business. This is the first book that has given me really solid information. I now understand color for the first time. I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how to use color as a way to make their lives better.

Great Job!
This book has lots of info and is put together really well. It's amazing to learn how much color affects your life and to realize that you can make your life so much better by knowing how to use it. This is a great book. ... Read more

Book Description

Covering five major areas of domestic design, International Design Yearbook 16 devotes separate chapters to furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles, and products created over the past 18 months by both well-known designers and new names from around the world. This year's selection has been made by internationally acclaimed architect and lighting designer Michele De Lucchi.

As fresh as the millennium itself, the annual presents futuristic technological ideas, such as Ron Arad's computer-animated vases, as well as reinventions of time-honored objects, like Sir Norman Foster's light design for Artemide. This who's who of domestic design includes the vibrant, modern talent of Emmanuel Babled, Jonathan Ives, and Ettore Sottsass, and design teams from Philips, Sharp, and Siemens. The objects are lavishly illustrated, and full technical data is given for each. A comprehensive reference section provides biographies of the designers, a list of suppliers and their addresses, and an updated list of design acquisitions at major international museums. ... Read more

Book Description

"I understand the design, but I can't figure out the actually how to portray my character in the costume." Many have likely experienced this dilemma when trying to develop a character's costume and reached for a book on fashion as a reference. In this volume, manga characters appear as models, and the book illustrates aspects that serve as fashion points showing the characters in various poses and angles. This volume boasts more than 4,000 images. With this as reference, the reader should be able to design an original costume with ease by combining the collars, sleeves, cuffs, and other dress details provided. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good stuff
I thought this book was very helpful even though most of the clothes were for women. This is a must have if you are interested in drawing anime and manga!

Good for girls cloths
This book is good, the only thing missing is the male fashons. All of the cloths are women's, even though some could be altered to be men's cloths. There is a small section about drawing men in women's cloths, but that's it.

If You're Serious About Drawing Manga, Get This Already!
Just about every "how-to" book on drawing manga (and also "mainstream" comics) advises aspiring artists to gather reference material from "real-life" in order to draw realistic buildings, animals, trees, and so on. But when it comes to researching costumes and fashions for designing characters, the artists is confronted not only with the potentially confusing details of a particular item of clothing, but also the countless changes in fashion that have developed over history. And just how do you correctly draw that leg-of-mutton sleeve for your heroine's wedding dress?

I can't recommend this first volume of the "Costume Encylopedia" (Everyday Clothing) highly enough. There are more than a dozen different styles each of sleeves, skirts, coats, footwear, and other items of clothing, that are catalogued, diagrammed, and described for easy reference.

Don't know the difference between a tiered skirt and a sarong (you can raise your hand if you don't)? They're both in the book. The book is prefaced with several drawings of costumes created from the various styles featured in the encyclopedia. And for those of you interested in how clothes are constructed, the back of the book explains how basic articles of clothing are pattered and assembled.

This is not only perfect for creating costumes for your manga characters, but also for interpreting outfits featured in fashion magazines, history books, and on film and TV (be sure to observe what folks are wearing on the street,too). Students in fashion design courses also use guides similar to this one, but those texts are easily 2 to 3 times more expensive than the Encyclopedia (If you can afford it, I highly recommend "Fashion Sketchbook" by Bina Abling).

I would've liked to have seen more instruction on how to properly draw the clothing items upon a human figure, but much of this information can be obtained from other art instruction books, including other volumes in the "How to..." series.

I recommend this book for everyone, including non-manga comic artists, and I look forward to the two upcoming volumes (Yes!) in the Costume Encyclopedia.

This is a great book -- the pages are packed.
I hoped to see a good number of illustrations and styles, but I am actually overwhelmed by the sheer number of variations and illustrations in this book. This is a fantastic resource. I definitely recommend it. The only drawback is that the illustrations are generally done in the over-simplified style of this series, but what the illustrations lack in tones and shading is more than compensated for by volume and diversity.

There's still no substitute for a good from-life reference, but this book makes it easy to pull from a whole universe of styles. Great stuff. ... Read more

Book Description

Picturing Texts redefines writing to include conscious attention to images and design. With more than 40 readings and 200 images, it shows writers how to choose fonts, compose photos and other visuals, work with color, and more. Now that most writing is done on computers, all writers can add visuals to their texts, and design what they write. Picturing Texts teaches us how. ... Read more