Amazon.com

"A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears. C is for Clara who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh..." The rhyming couplets of this grim abecedarian are familiar, of course, to devotees of macabre humor, but the darkly crosshatched drawings are (as Poe put it) "the soul of the plot." Several years went by during which The Gashlycrumb Tinies: Or, After the Outing was not available in a small hardcover edition like this one, which is the true format for Edward Gorey's specialty, the adult picture book. (For those who wish to share the gloom there's a 10-copy assortment with The Curious Sofa.) ... Read more

Reviews (66)

"N is for Neville who died of ennui"
But you will not die of ennui if you open this book. It illustrates the misfortunes of 26 children with names A-Z to a ghoulishly humorous rhyme. The cover image of the umbrella wielding symbol of death and his doomed "tinies" is one of the most famous artwork out there; especially in the gothic world. Inside are drawings of the children before or after their sudden deaths. My favorite is "H is for Hector done in by a thug" with a drawing of an innocent schoolboy and two arms holding a long piece of cloth in the background. No doubt this scene was inspired by the barbaric cult that practiced ritual strangulation known as the "Thuggies." The most gruesome drawing is "K is for Kate who was struck with an axe" the rest are more witty than grisly. Like the title, this book is tiny in size as well but big on macabre humor!

DARK FUN
Edward Gorey's illustrations, those spindly, dark and often macabre etchings of pen and ink, are instantly evocative - they place you in a dark, vampire-ish Victorian-era place, where behind every curtain lurks another pair of hands with a scarf, ready to choke you. This truly inspired, and hilarious, collection of drawings and their accompanying poem, detail the ghastly deaths of 26 children, one by one, through the alphabet. Whether you are a fan of Gorey's large paperback compilations, or of his spectacular set designs (Dracula), or not, this book is strictly for those with a twisted sense of humor. And if yours is, you will love it. Since I first read this 20 years ago, friends still quote it - "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs...."

Drop-Dead Humor from A to Z
Edward Gorey's dark subversion of children's alphabet books is a tiny book guaranteed to bring a sinister smile to the face of every one with a twisted sense of humor. Opening with "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs" and running all the way to "Z is for Zilla who drank too much gin," the simple but inspired rhymes combine with Gorey's pseudo-Victorian Gothic crosshatch illustrations to wickedly funny effect.

Although his disaster-specific illustrations (such as "R is Rhoda consumed by a fire") are macabrely witty, Gorey is really at his best when he leaves the most to your imagination. Consequently, it is really his illustrations of impending doom ("P is for Prue trampled flat in a brawl") or the shocking aftermath of an unknown circumstance ("K is for Kate who was struck with an ax") that are most likely to inspire a mischievous grin.

Although you might not want to give this to your anxiety-prone niece or your traumatized stepson as a Christmas stocking stuffer unless you wish to make them worry about your intent, older children will likely find it every bit as comical as adults--but adults are the real audience here, much more likely to catch the drop-dead humor involved. Wickedly amusing and sinisterly charming in every way.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Cute and Creepy
This is for anyone with that sense of humor that most people just don't seem to get. A genuis dark twist on teaching the ABC's... very delightful.
~CS112_tih2

A cool little book
I'm so surprised to find this book here! I actually have this one! My cousin bought it for me, knowing my morbid sense of humor. It's pretty funny if you have my kind of humor. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Perfect for Beginners
This is an awesome book, especially for those just learning to draw with ink. It has hand control exercises and shows all the basic strokes. A great feature of the book is the progessive projects. And the tips about using your fine technical pen are very helpful. Claudia Nice's work is beautiful. This book makes it simple and rewarding to pick up a pen.

Drawing in Pen & Ink (First Step Series)
I borrowed this book from the library and used it so extensively for three weeks that I decided to buy my own copy. The book contains information on tools and techniques with instructions and lessons for both beginners and more accomplished artists. I feel it is a good reference that I will go back to again and again.

An excellent guide for a newbie
Having picked up a drawing pen after many long years (actually my last drawing instrument was a made by Crayola!) I found this book to be very helpful in learning the basics, fiding materials, and simply getting started. I have found it worth every cent I paid for it. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (13)

American strangeness
I used to pick up my dad's Edward Gorey books when I was a wee boy, read them in half an hour and put them back on the shelves, quivering with fear. Admittedly I was also scared of Doctor Who, old people and "Strawberry Fields Forever". But Gorey has definitely tapped into a seam of subterranean panic; his hollow-eyed pseudo-Edwardian families have a look about them as though some sort of hideously deformed ancestor has been chained up in the attic for centuries. The Doubtful Guest is ostensibly for kids, telling the story of a strange, aardvarkesque creature in tennis shoes (typical Gorey touch, the tennis shoes) that comes to stay one "wild winter night", but maybe you have to be an adult to find it truly unnerving. The creature slopes about the house, eating plates, lying in doorways and hiding towels, and the hapless family can't bring itself to dispose of the thing. At the end of the book it's been there for seventeen years and is sitting in the drawing room with the same look of wide-eyed expectancy, while the enervated family stands about aimlessly with as little of a clue as ever.

This isn't quite my favourite Gorey. Other contenders would be the almost absurdly depressing The Hapless Child (small girl is born, parents die, is sent to workhouse, winds up perishing in the street, is found by its actually-not-dead-but-until-recently-in-Africa father who, typically, fails to recognise his daughter) and the surreal The Object Lesson (classic Gorey opening line: "It was already Thursday, but his Lordship's artificial limb could not be found..."). Or else there's the sexy but menacing The Curious Sofa...

He's still a master and a true original. Check out the way that the house in The Doubtful Guest seems to have been invaded by a black fog; Henry James took over a hundred pages to write The Turn of the Screw, but Gorey can squeeze comparably effects into 26 pages. Not many "children's" books of 43 years ago still have this power to charm and alarm.

Delightfully creepy.
This is the second book of Gorey's that I've gotten, the first was The Gashlycrumb Tinies. I think I like Doubtful Guest even better than that volume. The wonderful illustrations of the prim and proper residents of the house, as they put up with the antics of the Doubtful Guest tickle me to no end. The rhyming verse that Gorey uses to tell this tale is whimsical and bizarre. It brings a smile to my face every time I think of this book, if you like Gorey, you've got to have this one.

My only gripe is that the book is a little short. I can easily tolerate it, however, as it's just so much macabre fun...

Grab your galoshes
You will not be doubting this book as a guest on your shelf. The Doubtful Guest is a Gorey masterpiece in all its pawky nature. If you find that you are fond of it, you might drop it in the pond, as the doubtful guest does to things it's fond of: "It would carry off objects of which it grew fond, And protect them by dropping them into the pond." You'll surely be all wet if you do, because you'll want to fetch it out for a read quite often.

amusing, in a strangely British manner.
"It would carry off objects of which it grew fond, And protect them by dropping them into the pond." This quote sounds like British humour to me --- however these are the words of the American author Edward Gorey. This entertaining tale of a creature that arrives at a family's home one day is very amusing because of its strangeness. Each little episode is a description of a strange little event precipitated by the "Doubtful Guest" done in rhyme. It begs comparisons with Dr. Seuss, but it is a more sophisticated, darker humour, that is more suitable for adults. Accompanied by Gorey's own ink drawings, this book is a classic. Although it will only take a few minutes to read it, you will enjoy re-reading it many times.

One of my favorite Gorey tales....
A delightful classic with quirkiness that warms my heart. ... Read more

Book Description

Comprehensive, easy-to-master lessons on composition and techniques using pencil and pen and ink for beginning and amateur artists.

Reviews (6)

It is a disappointment...
I ordered "The Drawing Handbook" by Frank J. Lohan from Amazon because I was impressed by the "content" page inclusion of The Golden Section. I thought that any book with that subject would have to be a good book; but the book is a disappointment. There is some good material in the latter chapters, especially regarding Architecture & Landscape drawing, and these are well illustrated. However, though the author suggests we should study the "geometry" of shapes, there are no illustrations of geometric shapes in the human figure drawing chapter, and it is poorly illustrated and poorly covered. For the price, it might be worthwhile as a general reference, as it covers drawing materials adequately enough. The placement of the chapter on Composition as Chapter #1 (the first 19 pages) was a turn off also. This presupposes that the beginner will begin by "composing" a final work, which simply is not true. We begin by learning to draw, and after some ability is obtained, we want to display our best drawing, and that is when we will "compose". I cannot imagine anyone "composing" a final work, prior to actually learning to master at least, elemental drawing/sketching.

The craft of drawing?
If you want to learn a very basic "method" for creating a likeness (say for the purposes of primary school teachers), this may be the book for you. If you have artistic aspirations, however, I cannot recommend it. Much better are Herold Speed's "The practice and science of drawing" and Anthony Ryder's "The complete guide to figure drawing". You can't go wrong with either (or both) of these.

Great Beginner to Intermediate How-To Book
When I think of a beginner to intermediate "traditional" how-to-draw book this is exactly the kind of book I think of. It is not a "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" type of book. So if you are someone who hasn't picked up a pencil to sketch seriously since you were 12 I recommend getting Betty Edward's Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain book *AND* Mona Brooke's EXCELLENT (5 stars IMHO) "Drawing for Older Children and Teens:A Creative Method for Adult Beginners, Too". I recommend those two books even to advanced artists - especially the Mona Brookes book which I think is rather under-appreciated and unknown compared to the Betty Edwards book.

When you have finished the two books I listed above get this book . It will help you on toward the next stage of your drawing and sketching. It's divided into two main sections with several chapters in each. The first section has chapters covering composition, drawing materials, perspective and shadows, the geometry of things and drawing techniques for pen and pencil. I really liked the chapters on composition and perspective and shadows as they seemed to go into a bit more detail than most "beginning" traditional drawing books give. The composition chapter explains the golden section, triangle-based composition, s-curves, balance and eye movement. The perspective chapter explains 1 and 2 point perspective and drawing circles in perspective. There is a section that tells how to use a grid to enlarge a small photo or sketch to a much larger one and how to make the calculations so your final drawing will account for matting and framing dimensions. There's even a neat section showing how to create and fold your own gift notecards.

The second Part gets into actual drawing exercises involving landscapes, architecture, birds and other animals, flowers, faces and clothing. In fact, it's packed with these demonstrations/assignments. For the novice the author provides a gridded outline pattern of the finished art. This is to be used as a guide for enlarging or reducing the subject onto your own paper. With each project the author gives step-by-step instructions of each technique used, what, when and where. You may choose drawing and shading techniques that look exactly like the finished project the author shows. Or, an option which I think is just as fun and valuable, you may choose other techniques he's demonstrated to draw that project and create a different result from the finished picture in the book. In fact, you could draw the exact same project over several times using the gridded outline he provides and re-do it in each one of the techniques he's shown.

I also noticed the author lists on his Suggested Reading page John Rushkin's Elements of Drawing (and Elements of Perspective) and Henry Rankin Poore's Composition in Art. I happen to own both and highly recommend them (both 5 stars in my opinion).

For me, it's the second half of the book that really makes it a gem among traditional how-to-draw books. Some of the artwork shown is more "sketchy" and some more finished. But the author has provided plenty of advice and helpful aids for novice to intermediate artists to create successful drawings and have fun while creating them. And that's the best reason of all to draw. Because it's just plain fun!

One of the best books for learning to draw
This book explains how to draw. After you read "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and understand that anyone who can sign their name can learn to draw, this book will help you learn. After good instruction, you are given practical exercises.
Only critcism: figure drawing is mentioned in the beginning but there are no such exercises in the second half of the book.

Excellent
This is an excellent starter book for learning how to draw in pen. This is the first drawing book that I have read that starts exercises using a large grid pattern which aides in maintaining the proper perspective of the sketch as you draw it. The author shows the final rendered drawing and then two sample drawings for each exercise - how to do basic outline and then individual sections of the sketch on where to put markings, shade, etc as you build up on your outline. The book covers landscape, animals, people, flowers, & buildings. Good book to have in your library. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Brilliant book for any illustrator!
This book, published in 1930, was once out of print for a span, but has become a mainstay of illustration books since reprinted in the 1970's. While the average modern illustrator/comic artist would pick it up and think, 'Ew. Old Stuff', it provides all the necessities on how to arrange, light, crop, render and delineate objects.

When I picked it up in art school I used it a bit, read it a bit and then forgot it because I went into an art form that didn't use illustrative technique as specifically shown in this book. Now, getting back into ink drawing, I have rediscovered this book and realize it is probably the best illustration book on the market. Purely brilliant in an age where most books on art are very sloppy, watered dowqn or mis-informed.

No other book is necessary
If you have a desire to learn to draw with pen and ink this is the first book you should buy. It is thorough and informative. It goes into great detail about different techniques used to obtain certain effects (or textures). I refer to this book time and time again, and although my main media is not pen and ink, I cannot help but to be inspired by his lessons.

This is a fun medium and an inexpensive one. If you are truly interested in learning the ins and outs of pen and ink drawing and can only afford one book, this is the book.

Required Reading
This book is required reading for all pen and ink artists and wannabees. This book led me on the path to making a successful go at drawing house portraits. Pretty good money also. Buy it today along with plenty of ink.

C.

Your 'Bible' for Pen & Ink!
This book is: 1) To the point and clear to understand. 2) Detailed with explainations for all techniques. 3) Filled with illustrations and examples cover-to-cover. I consider this to be my 'bible' for Pen & Ink. I was able to learn so much in such a short amount of time. It made my experience, excelling in this media, fun and enjoyable to go through! This is a MUST to have in your collection!

The best book on ink drawing EVER
A masterpiece. The best thing I can say about this book, is that it is always beside my drawing table. Every ink artist or would-be ink artist will treasure it. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (9)

Gorey and ghastly
The much-lamented Edward Gorey specialized in intricate, ominous pen-and-ink drawings. Doomed Victorian opera singers, alligators, time-bending bicycles, and plenty of creatures strange and grotesque fill "Amphigorey Also," a collection of Gorey's quirky work.

Included is the cute "Utter Zoo" ("The Ippagoggy has a taste/for every kind of glue and paste"), the tragic "Blue Aspic" (a crazed, impoverished man stalks an opera diva), the amusing "Sopping Thursday" (Bruno the dog looks for his master's umbrella), and the delicious revenge fairy tale "The Tuning Fork." The highlight is the "Awdrey Gore Legacy," a deliciously warped murder mystery.

Some of the offerings are kind of befuddling, like the disjointed conversation between a mustachioed man and a woman with a geisha hairdo, or the "Eclectic Abcedarium" with its too tiny pictures. But most of them, like "Les Passementeries Horribles" (in which embroidery and tassels act ominous) or "The Prune People" (which is pictures of people with prunes for heads) are amusing even if they make no sense.

Edward Gorey's delicate pen-and-ink illustrations would be fun even if he didn't possess the morbid whimsy that fills almost every story. Okay, if you are easily offended, then the "Loathsome Couple" will offend you with a pair of crazy killers lure, photograph and murder small children ("They spent the better part of the night murdering the child in various ways"). But he did so in the best of bad taste.

His slightly warped sensibilities were also shown in the chilly skies and barren-looking outdoors, cute children and haughty adults in Victorian attire. There are occasional splashes of color (like the blue backdrops of "L'heure Bleue"), but even then it tends to be a bit eerie and faded like old photographs.

The eerie whimsy of Edward Gorey's work is alive and well in "Amphigorey Also." A few of the works are duds, but overall it's a strange and wonderful ride.

Got to love it
Gorey captured and sustained a unique mood: somewhat baffled, somewhat paranoid, seldom decisively either. His characters all seem to stare blankly into the distance. Maybe they're trying to remember somthing that seemed terribly important at the time, maybe they caught glimpses of something ominous out of the corners of their eyes. Maybe they just realized that something is horribly wrong, but no one knows what. I'm never sure whether to laugh out loud at his images or to start looking back over my own shoulder.

His penwork is as familiar to PBS "Mystery!" fans as to the Gorey hard-core. He uses color, occasionally, but only to set off the black and white drawings. His little stories approach, but never quite reach either disjointedness or the truly macabre. I'm not quite sure where to file this one, but it seems comfortable half-way between the comics and the fine art.

If you are determined to know what's going on, Gorey's work may not be for you - possibly, because Gorey never quite knew either.

In Gorey Heaven!
What a wonderful compilation of the works of this unusual and extremely gifted artist! While Charles Addams is a household name, that of Edward Gorey still brings looks of puzzlement whenever it comes up in conversation. I personally feel he has never received the acclaim justly due him, but then again, his works certainly will not be to everyone's taste. At times his stories are beyond comprehension, but perhaps that was his intention--to leave us guessing or use our own imagination to fill in the gaps. Be that as it may, the illustrations are worth the price of the book alone. If you love Edward Gorey and would rather have some of his works together in one volume, do yourself a favor and purchase this book. But be prepared to enter his personal weird and at times incomprehensible world.

GLORIOUS FUN
The third Edward Gorey collection- Dedicated to: The dog at Gay Head :-)

Features 17 stories

THE UTTER ZOO: An alphabet featuring creatures whose names begin with each of the 26 letters, from: "The Ampoo is intensely neat; it's head is small, likewise it's feet" to "About the Zote what can be said? There was just one, and now it's dead"

THE BLUE ASPIC: A classic, about Jasper Ankle a VERY obsessed fan of a opera singer named Ortenzia Caviglia who puts the audience in raptures with her arias like: "Gli Occhielli & Lizzia Bordena" (Lizzie Borden!) :-)

THE EPIPLECTIC BICYCLE: "It was the day after Tuesday and the day before Wednesday..Embley and Yewbert were hitting one another with croquet mallets"..suddenly they discover a bicycle, and go on an adventure!

THE SOPPING THURSDAY: It's raining and Bruno the dog's master cannot find his umbrella! Bruno (a very noble beast) goes off to search for his masters umbrella, passing by many people who are also trying to cope with the weather.

THE GRAND PASSION (A novel): A very short novel! About the odd conversation between a woman with a geisha hairdo and a gentleman in a top hat. :-P

LES PASSEMENTERIES HORRIBLES: A passementerie is: A dress trimming, as of braid or silk embroidery (The Winston Dictionary College Edition) This story features some very ominous passementeries looming over people and animals, peeking through windows at people. :-P Acting very suspicious!

THE ECLECTIC ABECEDARIUM: Another alphabet: "Betray no qualms, when asking for ALMS" "A hidden BIRD is often heard" together with cute little pictures.

L'HEURE BLEUE: The title translates to: "The Blue Hour" the sky in the background is colored a beautiful twilight blue. The story features two creautures who resemble dogs, who both have the letter "T" embroidered on their sweaters. The plot follows their many interesting observations, during this "blue hour" :-)...VERY CUTE!

THE BROKEN SPOKE: Featuring a variety of "cycling cards" with pictures of a bunch of people (from all walks of life!) on bicycles!

THE AWDREY GORE LEGACY: A murder mystery! Who did it?! "One moment she was sitting there. The next, she had vanished into air"! It shows you a selection of weapons which may have been used, an assortment of suspicious characters, and some spots the body may be located. And Englands most sought after detective, a half Irish, half Japanese gentleman: named "Waredo Dyrge" and his inseparable canine companion "Deary"

THE GLORIOUS NOSEBLEEED: Yet another alphabet, with charming illustrations..."She wandered among the trees AIMLESSLY" "The creature regarded them BALEFULLY"...."He exposed himself LEWDLY" ;-)

THE LOATHSOME COUPLE: May be shocking to SOME, but not me. About the terrible coupling of two loathsome (pathetic and pitiful!) individuals "Harold Snedleigh" & "Mona Gritch" who plan and carry out the murder of children together( those Gorey children are so hapless!). A long story, a Gorey classic and one of my favorites. The plot may make some frown and seem distastful, but strangley....it isn't.

THE GREEN BEADS: About little Tancred, whose mother sends him to buy three pennies worth of tapioca. Suddenly he meets a very odd old mentally disturbed person (whose sex is unclear) Who reveals SHE is Tancred's grandmother 'Baroness von Rettig" who Tancred's mother had thought was lost long ago. But what ever became of the Baroness's emerald necklace?

LES URNES UTILES: The title translates to: "The Useful Urns" and here they are huge, bigger than people. They stand in the most awkward of places, and bear odd inscriptions.

THE STUPID JOKE: All about Friederich and his idea for a stupid joke, instead of getting out of bead he'll just lie there, while his family come in trying various ways to make him get up!

THE PRUNE PEOPLE: Is all about..well, prune people! People who have prunes for heads!

THE TUNING FORK: About poor homely Theod whose presence drove her family wild! Bent on suicide she rushed to the ocean, flinging herself in. But instead she meets a fanstatic sea creature who sympatizes with poor Theoda and her cruel past.

Here Edward Gorey is as great as usual! The Loathsome Couple may shock and offend some people, but it really is done in the most tasteful way as possible, for the subject matter.

Still delightfully entertaining!
This is the third of the Amphigorey series. Like those before it, this book is witty, charming, horrifying, and a delight to read. Filled with gothic illustrations, these short stories will sometimes chill you, sometimes confuse you, yet always entertain you. ... Read more

Book Description

Using inks and liquid watercolor paints specially made for pens,Claudia Nice shows artists of all skill levels how to achieve the warm moods, roughtextures and mellow hues of aging barns, farmhouses, mansions and more.Featuringdozens of step-by-step demonstrations along with her written instruction, Nice revealssimple methods for rendering a range of charming subjects.

Claudia is a multi-media artist, but prefers pen, ink and watercolor when working in thefield.She has been an art consultant and instructor, has authored 15 art instruction booksand travels across North America conducting workshops, seminars and demonstrations atschools, clubs, shops and trade shows.She has recently opened her own teaching studionear Mt. Hook, Oregon. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Absolutely great !!!!
I'm always impressed by Claudia Nice's books and this one it is a confirm that she an absolutely brilliant artist and moreover a great writer. Suggestions and tips are rich and clear. Pictures are very nice. A great book to buy.

The answer to my prayers!!
As an artist who paints buildings and landmarks, this book has been the answer to my prayers. In the past, it has been a trial and error effort to create realistic looking bricks, stones and other building parts without any real quide to teach me. This book included solutions for every texture I've tried to create and saved me valuble time with step by step instructions and examples. I recommend this as a guide for every artist whether beginning or advanced that wants to paint buildings. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Lord Wherewithal is dead at Backwater Hall, Horace Gollop cavorts with Victoria Scone, and (perhaps most unsettling of all!) someone has offended decorum by disemboweling a stuffed thisby belonging to the Earl of Thump in The Other Statue, Edward Gorey's latest feat of macabre artistry and elliptical mystery. Come join the party! --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Beautiful book, Brilliant Author
pick this up, it's spectacular art, envokes quite a positive response from kids.

Stumped
There is somthing about this book. It is so intrigueing I keep reading it over and over. For such a short story I have definately gotten my kicks out of it. Well worth a read again..and again...My favorite Gorey book.

Gorey Haunts Us Again
Gorey fans will enjoy this dark vintage offering, which was first printed in 1968 and has been out of print until this year. Gathered for the annual charity fete at Backwater Hall in Mortshire, the assembled guests are suddenly disrupted by the mysterious death of their host, Lord Wherewithal and the theft of the family's heirloom, the Lisping Elbow. The Other Statue is a gothic mystery filled with exquisite details and haunting images (both in the illustrations and the words.) It leaves its readers pondering and wondering what happened to the sequel, "The Night Bandage", promised "to follow" on the back cover.

Typical Gorey, who was a genius
I don't know where this late sixties Gorey work has been hiding, but it's good to see it in print now. Apparently this is part one of a mystery, and I look forward to part 2. Fans of Gorey's unique world, with its obscure humor and painstakingly rendered artwork, will enjoy this offering as yet another fine example of the master's hand. It tells the story (more or less) of an Edwardian garden party at which somebody dies, whereupon the characters dither about in various suspicious and barely coherent ways, and nothing is yet resolved. Fans may find this one reminiscent of "The Willowdale Handcar." Those unfamiliar with Gorey's work should first investigate his fine "Amphigorey" collection to get a sense of the utterly unique niche Mr. Gorey occupies, a mix of fine art, cartooning, illustration, highly subtle literate wit, and a morbid turn. ... Read more

Book Description

Using picture after picture (and handwritten instructions, for a more intimate feel), Claudia Nice teaches artists how to use dots, fine lines, brush strokes, black & white and color-a mixture of mediums and techniques to create the gleaming transparency of glass, rolling surf and ocean waves, the warmth of brick and adobe, rainbows that glimmer, sunrises and sunsets that glow, dramatic wood grain, smoothed driftwood, foliage of distant trees, intricate leaf textures, the woven texture of basketry, lifelike animal hair and dozens of other textures!

Artists will learn how to use such diverse materials as technical pens, paint brushes, colored inks and liquid acrylics, along with ways to alter and combine ink and watercolor for exciting texturing effects. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Nice, but material is duplicated in another of her books...
This is an excellent book... IF you don't already own "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink" by Claudia Nice. The material in this book is entirely duplicated in the "Painting with..." except for the last chaper called "Fur and Feathers".Please do not buy this book if you already own a copy of "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink". I did and was disappointed that there was only one chapter of new material in this book.

Now, if you own the other book "Painting Nature in Pen & Ink with Watercolor" then I highly recommend this book as it has subject matter that was not covered in the "Painting Nature..." book.

If you don't own any of her books, then buy the "Painting with Watercolor Pen and Ink" ISBN 158180265X because it completely combines the material in both "Creating Textures..." and "Painting Nature..." books.

New title for this excellent book.
I recently checked this book out from the library and found it to be an excellent resource for me, a student new to these media. I enjoyed the book and decided to purchase it. Amazon lists the book as out of print. Indeed this title is out of print. However, don't despair. This book has been re-released under the new title "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink."

Not what I expected or wanted
A better title would have been, "Creating Textures in Pen & Ink, Enhanced with Watercolor."75% of each texture comes down to "make a detailed ink drawing".The other 25% is enhancing that ink drawing with watercolor.The pen & ink predominates everywhere.If this is the style of drawing you desire (e.g., detailed drawings where pen&ink predominates), then you will probably give this book 4 to 5 stars.I was looking for watercolor texture techniques and was disapointed.

With that said, the drawings are very well executed and the instruction quality moderate.The author relies too heavily on step-by-step examples as a teaching tool.The addition of color greatly enhances the pen & ink drawings, with spectacular results.

Texture for illustration
The style of this book is of ink illustrations colored with watercolor.Very good resources to use as examples.I would call it more illustration than watercolor painting.If you like the style, it is a great resource.I keep it my library and pull it when I need it.Good for the well-seasoned beginner.

I love this book.
As a new botanical illustrator working in mostly in watercolor I have often found rendering realistic fine detail and texture a difficult and frustrating task. This marvelous book introduces the artist to a new approach that produces detail and textural effects that are both effective and fairly easy to achive.

The illustations are beautiful and the explanatory text is clear, to the point, and easy to follow. The book is well organized; starting with the various pen and ink methods and how they can be combined with watercolor techniques. This is followed by the demonstration of how these techniques can be applied to achive realistic rendering of multitudes of surface textures from apples to zebras and almost everything in between.. ... Read more

Book Description

This guide explores styles and subjects of drawing and the range of effects possible with the materials available today. Experiment with the new pens and markers, and decide which media are your favorites. Chapters include drawing sunlight and shadow; composition and layout; perspective; getting life and character into a drawing; line and mixed media; and sketchbook studies. Complete with 120 illustrations.
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent drawings for copying as beginning artist
This is an excellent book with very well written text and many many drawings for the reader to review. I found it wonderful to use as ideas to copy as a beginning artist. I love the English countryside pictures and the boat pictures. I feel there is wonderful guidance presented for the beginning artist. I would recommend this book to anyone that is drawing, as stated it gave me a lot of subject matter when I could not be outside gathering my own. Excellent book for the price.

Great book for both beginner and intermediate ink sketchers
This is a great addition to any artist's library. Caldwell's own delightful drawings serve as samples to the student, and he covers everything from materials to composition to perspective. In just a couple of sessions, I could see improvement in my own drawings. This, along with Guptill's "Rendering in Pen and Ink" is almost library enough for most ink artists ... Read more

Reviews (7)

highly recommend
Very helpful. When I bought this book I hadn't used a technical pen in over 12 years (since high school art class). So, I needed some thorough instruction on techniques and materials. I am glad that this is the book that I got. It covers a wide variety of different strokes and includes many examples of how they can be used. The color stuff is pretty cool too.
I looked at many other books on the technical pen. This is the best one that I found which is devoted to tech pen work. (Other books had chapters devoted to using ink with brushes and metal nibs - which is also cool if your interested). If you are looking for a book full of info on just the tech pen though, then I would highly recommend this one.
It was written in the early 90's, so the one thing I found is that there are some inks available at my local art store that probably didn't exist back in 1990. Therefore, the book doesn't have any information on them.
The author seems to have a preference for the Kohinoor Rapidograph brand pens, which are still widely available today and work great. The early portion of the book has very detailed information on filling, cleaning , and maintaining the pens. It is very helpful and much more detailed then the instructions that the Kohinoor pens come with.
Great choice!

A Must Have!
If you love the subject of pen & ink, you'll no doubt love this book. It contains one of the most thorough collection of basic pen strokes, and an impressive variety of styles: from simple portraits to highly elaborate fantasy art. One of my favorite parts is showing how a drawing shall look incorporating a variety of different pen strokes with each of 24 renderings. This chapter concludes with a reproducable sketch that can be used by the student to explore the exercises. A book replete with examples and exercises. Highly recommended!

Good Introduction to Technical Pen techniques
This is one of the first books I picked up on the topic of Technical Pen illustration. The author (who is apparently known for his work with equine illustrations in pen and ink) is quite accomplished and provides a great introduction to the technical pen and its many uses in art. Decidedly missing much on the lines of brushwork in ink (not watercolor, of course) and it's possibilities, but, then, this is a book on the technical pen (not the brush). I rate this 4 stars because not enough time is spent identifying many of the basic styles and the author tends to stray from style to style in his illustrations. This makes for confusing stylization (ie: shifting from parallel line to scross-hatch to stipple) for the beginning technical pen artist.

Must Have for any Pen and Ink Enthusiast/Artist!!
This book is simply amazing! Author Gary Simmons has delivered a perfectly organized and extremely informative book on the techniques of the technical pen. Simmons starts with the basics of the technical pen and walks the reader through the various techniques and even concludes with a chapter on the use of color. I couldn't recommend this book more...if you don't have it already, GET IT NOW!

Best Technical Pen Book on the Market
This book is hands down the BEST technical pen book on the market today. The only other books I've seen come close to it in quality are from Claudia Nice but she uses many different types of pens. This book focuses strictly on the technical pen only. The beautiful artwork in this book alone is worth the price.

The artwork demonstrated is definitely pro quality and it could potentially be daunting to the absolute beginner. However, I believe if a beginner is willing to sit down with this book and carefully read and implement the exercises and suggestions the author gives they will quickly find themselves executing drawings of a caliber they would never have dreamed possible except by the most experienced pro.

The first few chapters deal with care and maintenance of the pens plus the many inks available. There are chapters on various textures & strokes you can create, chapters on creating a loose, breezy style or alternately a very highly detailed drawing. There are discussions of using a pattern motif as a texture fill and chapters on dynamic use of dark shapes for contrast and composition.

One chapter shows the exact same drawing of a Monk portrait redone in no less than 24 completely unique styles. 24! And the final page in that chapter is that exact same portrait as an outline you can photocopy to let you practice any of those techniques yourself. Some techniques demonstrated include tonal patterns, regular/irregular weaves, basket weaves, scales, bubbles, wood patterns, feathering, merging/radiating lines, hatching/crosshatching, waves, zig-zags, loops, dots, engraving effects and random scribbling...Whew... there are too many to list but hopefully it gives an idea of the diversity this book demonstrates.

There is a chapter on various loose pen-stroke techiques and exercises. Exercises such as how to handle an outline (some ex: tight & thin, thick to thin, missing edges). The next chapter is on tight pen techniques & exercises.

My favorite chapter is titled Color and the Technical Pen. It shows page after page of color technical pen work. The first color piece shown is of a beautiful dragon with a Celtic style border and it was all done with technical pens filled with colored inks! Other demonstrations and examples shown have the technical drawing done first and then painted later with acrylics or watercolor or ink dyes.

Overall this is a stunning book. It is crammed full of artwork from pen & ink artists, how-to exercises and tidbits. Anyone wanting to become more proficient with pen & ink NEEDS this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Best-selling author Claudia Nice provides all the information artists need to create gorgeous country garden art. She reviews basic watercolor techniques, including glazing and texturing, along with basic pen and ink techniques for producing a variety of line textures.

Readers will find valuable step-by-step demonstrations utilizing a variety of media. They'll begin by drawing in pencil, then add watercolor and/or pen and ink. In addition to flowers, Claudia shows how to illustrate a variety of leaves, vines, moss, ferns and other country scene details, including rabbits, dogs, statues, birdbaths, wagon wheels, weathered wood arbors, fences and more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The most recent in my collection!
I admit it: I am hooked on books by Claudia Nice. Pen & ink can be quite an intense media. Claudia Nice simplifies the techniques and conveys the instruction as only as master can, and does it in her trademark informal, friendly manner. Another aspect I love is her use of watercolor to bring her works to life. The reader gets the treat of two complimentary media in one book: pen & ink and watercolor.
For the beginner, I might recommend starting with her other books before attempting the more advanced exercises and techniques in Painting Country Gardens. The perfect introduction is Sketching Your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink, followed by Painting with Watercolor, Pen & Ink, and then perhaps Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor.
There are more technical books on pen & ink technique for advanced students, some intimidatingly so; but for the beginning to intermediate artist, no series of books is as valuable for developing sound technique. And certainly no other books are as intimate, casual, and just plain fun as those by Claudia Nice. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (5)

Goreyrific!
Sometimes I'll stop and look at an Edward Gorey construction (like "The Iron Tonic") and wonder to myself, "How exactly was this book received in 1969"? Gorey spent years and years perfecting his craft to the best of his abilities. In "The Iron Tonic", hard core Gorey fans will not be disappointed. Those unfamiliar with Mr. Gorey's books may find this one a poor first showing. Advertised on its cover as a, "Bracingly Bleak Tale", it is nonetheless amusing in its dourness. Using his old reliable pen-and-ink, Gorey follows the trials of those attendees at a gothic grey hotel in the middle of an icy wilderness. In the backgrounds of many pictures, the observant reader will notice numerous tiny figures dashing around in the background. Objects fall from the sky regularly, and it is not particularly alarming (or unnatural) to find the occasional dead orphan at the side of the road. I can't say for certain that this book wouldn't be appreciated by some children. Undoubtedly there are those out there eager to scarf up anything this well illustrated. But the large majority of kids will find "The Iron Tonic", unsatisfying, and that is as it should be. If the large population of kiddie-dom was made up of Goreyphiles we'd be living in an eerie wonderful world. That day may be coming, but it is not here yet.

Bracingly bleak!
In typical Gorey fashion, this book makes no sense. Unlike some of his works, which have plots that go nowhere, The Iron Tonic makes no pretense at story. It's simply a collection of couplets, with Gorey's usual detailed and quirky illustrations, in a bleak and wintry setting. And there is no iron tonic in the book whatsoever, which Gorey fans had doubtless already guessed.

It's an excellent example of Gorey's work, as long as one goes in knowing what to expect from this author.

lame...
i love dark humor. i am a big fan of angus oblong and joyce carol oates, but i have to say that i hated this book. there was nothing special about it at all. it was not funny, it was not thought-provoking, it was not even the least bit creepy. if i could have i would have given this book a zero rating. this goes for the many other books i have read by edward gorey.

The Iron Tonic
Folks, it doesn't get any better than this--Edward Gorey's masterpiece known as The Iron Tonic, or, A Winter Afternoon in Lonely Valley. Originally published in 1969 by the Albondocani Press in a limited edition of 226 copies, this otherwise elusive title is a welcome reprint. With disturbing lines like, "The infant dead beside the path/ Escaped the orphanage's wrath," this is among Gorey's darker works. As an added bonus, the illustrations are wonderfully detailed; it is certainly one of his best (and there are so many from which to choose!).

Those of you who like this should also look for such gems as The Willowdale Handcar, The Loathesome Couple, The Hapless Child, The Blue Aspic, and The Stupid Joke.

Mr. Gorey's passing earlier this year (2000) was almost symbolic--as the 20th Century ended, so did one of its greatest artists; yet his Edwardian/early 20th Century characters will carry on. He will be missed.

Thank You Sir, may I have another...
Delightfully odd. Deliciously dire. Beautifully Dismal. Gorey is as Gorey was as Gorey will always be: one of a kind, a secret, obscure treasure found in a musty attic, underneath your great grandmother's tattered, incomprehensible old board games. He made scads of these odd confections (many reprinted in the Amphigorey collections), and one can only hope that the publishers put out more than one or two a year. Huzzah! Hooray! Try just one today... ... Read more

Book Description

Anyone willing to learn can celebrate the wonder of nature with Claudia Nice's techniques for combining pen and ink with watercolor. Offering clear, step-by-step instruction for painting a range of subjects, she focuses on the little details first, from soil and leaves to wildflowers and birds. As artists are guided piece-by-piece through the wonders of different panoramic settings, they will learn to combine these elements into full-scale projects--quiet forest scenes, coral reefs teeming with color, prairies, deserts, ponds and mountains--all alive with the beauty and joy of nature. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Nice, but material is duplicated in another of her books
This is an excellent book... IF you don't already own "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink" by Claudia Nice. The material in this book is entirely duplicated in the "Painting with...". Please do not buy this book if you already own a copy of "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink". I did and was thoroughly disappointed that there was no new material in the "Painting Nature in Pen & Ink with Watercolor".

Now, if you own the other book "Creating Textures with Watercolor, Pen and Ink" then I highly recommend this book as it has subject matter that was not covered in the "Creating Textures..." book.

If you don't own any of her books, then buy the "Painting with Watercolor Pen and Ink" ISBN 158180265X because it completely combines the material in both "Creating Textures..." and "Painting Nature..." books.

Another Excellent Book by Ms. Nice
I bought this book based on the strength of Ms. Nice's previous book Creating Textures in Pen & Ink with Watercolor. I was equally pleased and delighted with this one as much as with her previous work.

It first starts out with some very basic pen & ink strokes and techniques along with some watercolor texturing techniques (such as using crumpled plastic wrap which gives a surprisingly snow crystal-like texture).

The next chapters move quickly on to using these techniques as applied to creating wildlife paintings and/or scenic landscapes. For example, in one chapter she starts out showing step by step details of a bird wildlife painting. One of the interesting things is that the bird pen & ink was done in sepia ink rather than the more typical black. The next page showed a step by step of the ferns in the painting along with moss and wood. The last page in the chapter showed all of these things pulled together into the final painting. Each painting gets the same "how-to" treatment. The result is that someone could easily duplicate each of the paintings in the book.

There are also a wealth of mini-demonstrations such as leaves, frogs, birds, seashells, fish, starfish, flowers, grass, trees, etc. All of them most likely pulled from actual full paintings she has done but probably not included due to space and page-length considerations. Each one of the mini-pictures provides another step by step build-up so you can practice first without neccessarily committing to a big project. In short, it just looks like fun.

One interesting side note: comic book artists have long used this technique of watercolor with pen & ink. I am a big fan of comics - DC's Vertigo line and some Image comics in particular feature breathtaking illustrations with pen & ink and watercolor. Any fine artist should do him/herself a favor and see how beautiful and "grown-up" some of these comics have really become. They routinely feature beautiful art for its own sake and the stories are geared toward an adult market.

What is really refreshing is that Ms. Nice finally shows how beautiful these techniques are when applied to the realm of nature art. I don't really see how anyone could be disappointed with this book. You're bound to learn something new to try with your own paintings. I certainly did. :) ... Read more

Book Description

The materials, tools, and techniques used by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, Michelangelo, Holbein, Delacroix

Back in print by popular demand, The Craft of Old-Master Drawings is both a useful manual for contemporary artists and a historical work covering the period from the late Middle Ages to the mid-twentieth century. It presents the old masters’ techniques and provides specific directions for making inks, styluses, reed and quill pens, and fabricated chalks, as well as instructions for preparing grounds for metalpoint drawings. It comprises a body of knowledge that is essential to artists, students of art history, curators, and collectors.

James Watrous (1908–1999) was the Oskar Hagen Professor of Art History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. As an artist he was known especially for his murals and mosaics, and he was the driving force in founding the Elvehjem Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is the author of A Century of American Printmaking, 1880–1980, also published by the University of Wisconsin Press. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very nice
This book was a very useful and resourceful book for me. Any body interested in the historical perspective of materials will want this book in there library. The Author provides valuable information about caulks, pastels, crayons, inks, pens, quills, metal points, and intaglio. The most interesting information the book provided me was recipes for each tool and medium. The author quoted many recipes from old text and sources and then presented more general recipes. One can expect to find the time and region in which these materials and recipes would have been most frequently used.

The information is of great value for a historic perspective on materials and reproducing them. The book is well worth its price. My only complaint is that the book "The craft of old master drawings" doesn't detail information about supports and papers. Despite finding this an intriguing yet disappointing exclusion in a discussion about traditional drawing materials I still give the book five stars for every thing else. ... Read more

Book Description

Gary Martin’s The Art of Comic-Book Inking has become an industry-standard how-to guide for ink artists, but Gary hasn’t been resting on his laurels. Since AoCBI’s release, Gary has discussed his book with hundreds of inkers, aspiring and professional, and now he’s produced an accompanying volume to fulfill inkers’ most common requests. The Art of Comic-Book Inking II includes new sections regarding the inking of animation-styled pencils and how to problem solve a myriad of common inking headaches, plus a handycompendium of textures and effects to give any inking assignment variety and verve. And in this volume, another small army of top professional black-fingered maestros — Martin, Karl Kesel, Alex Garner, Al Gordon, Rachel Dodson, Steve Leialoha, Randy Emberlin, Michael Bair, and Mike Royer — tackle the pencil art of four artists — Terry Dodson, Brent Anderson, Adam Warren, and Randy Green — each with vastly different styles that create diverse embellishing challenges. And each of these penciled pages is included, reproduced in non-photo blue on full-size, high-quality art board so that every aspiring inker can try their own approach and have potential professional samples ready for action! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Fully Realized How to Book
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Martin focuses on his genre (superhero) and the inking techniques he describes are best suited for that. However, he is really talking about classical, traditional inking styles and in that sense, he is talking about comic book art as a whole. There are beautiful examples of different techniques. Plus, Martin is funny and fun to read. He also gives glimpses into the industry and talks about the role of a professional inker. There's even some theory in there -- really cool. Perfect how to and reference book for a beginning or medium experience inker.

A must have for aspiring comic book artists!
This is easily the best book about drawing for comic books that I have ever read. Not only are the inking tips and examples outstanding, but I think this book is necessary for aspiring pencillers as well. You learn not only how to ink pencilled lines, but how to create ink-ready drawings. Beautiful artwork throughout the book. Seeing how various inkers handle the same pencils is really helpful. Thanks, Gary Martin, for putting this book together.

A Little Disappointing
First of all I want everyone to notice that this is only VOLUME 2. Volume one is no longer available anywhere. Thus, making this book fairly useless. The only thing that it's really good at it showing different stiles between professional comic book inkers. It nice to page through and I don't regret buyin it but it is not necessary for an artist's library.

Vol. 2 - Only Half the Story
This item shown at Amazon is Volume 2 of Gary Martin's instructional. I'm not sure why they don't sell volume one, but it can still be found at a good comic book store. This truly is only half the story, with many important basic details found in Volume 1. As a professional artist, I can't give this volume more than an adequate rating. It falls short as a stand alone instructional. For a more fully detailed instructional - in a single volume - I recommend DC's Guide to Inking (Though it really is a style guide to inking DC comics, with notes important for that publisher. Other comic publishers thrive on breaking many of the rules that the DC artist lays down.)

Martin's guide is okay, though probably best for inspiration and a cursory view into a pro's skills. If you're a beginner and you can afford both volumes (if you can find vol.1) you'll get more out of them.

Great book on learning to ink.
This is a great book if you're interested in making your drawings look better with inking and if you're interested in getting in the comic industry. This book is good in that they talked about the different media used for inking and what the professional use. They also talked about lots of techniques to make the artwork look a whole lot better. I highly recommend for those who are interested in the art of inking their drawings. ... Read more

Book Description

Sumi-e (Japanese for “ink picture”) captures the spirit of the rock, flower, bird or landscape in bold strokes. Beginners can start mastering this ancient art with an inspiring guide that introduces the essential materials, techniques and brushwork, and a range of projects.Recreate the Orchid, Bamboo, Plum Blossom, and Chrysanthemum—sumi-e’s four foundations.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Japanese Ink Painting
I have done ink brush painting for over 20 years in Japan, China and now in Alabama. Japanese Ink Painting is a clear, beautifully illustrated approach for all experienced or new to the art. It is a valuable resource to everyne who desires to utilize a brush with ink, watercolor, or any medium and be sucessful with it. ... Read more