Book Description

Reviews (2)

spots and stripes are to big
The paper is good but the spots and the stripes are to big and don't look like the real thing when folded in to an animal.

Save some money. Go buy their 40 pages of the other paper.
Look, you could just buy the 8.5x 8.5 origami paper and put your own, realistic, markings on it. It comes in solid colors and one gold paper, [...]. You get 40 sheets that way. Kids love to decorate their own paper. And it is bigger than this stuff. Who ever saw an animal that was yellow and green? I guess a grasshopper or something, but you could make your own, and it would be cheaper and more fun. ... Read more

Book Description

Select your paint with confidence and protect your valuable work. This book is about artist's paints, a guide to the selection of a suitable palette in watercolors, oil paints, acrylics, gouache or alkyds. It will enable you to identify the good, the indifferent and the bad. It also outlines the characteristics and temperaments of each color and lists the suitable as well as the unsuitable pigments that you will come across. Vital Information for the concerned artist. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Excellent and Vital Reference Book
Important information for choosing the best colors in your palette. I now am confident in the archival integrity of the palette I use and I arrange the colors according to those that form the purest color mixtures. An earlier review speaks of typos -1. Apparently this person is ignorant of the Queen's English (Michael Wilcox is British) -2. Who cares to throw out the baby with the bath water anyway? This is the clearest reference I have found on pigments.

not trustworthy
From another website (by an artist who is NOT trying to sell a line of paints as Wilcox is) I found out that Wilcox did not actually test all of these paints himself, and does not disclose his relationship with one brand of paints he recommends.

His "Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green" IS however a book every painter should have as it is the best on color bias and mixing and has helped me a great deal.

An Excellent Resource
This is an essential book for any serious artist concerned about the integrity of their art. Who cares if there are typos? (I noticed none, myself -refer to a previous review). If you are knocking a book like this for whatever spelling/grammatical errors the subject matter is over your head. The author thoroughly explains everything to look for when selecting the best color pallet. Watch out for misleading labels, redundant and unnecessary products, fugitive colors and hidden ingredients that threaten the longevity of your work.

The Artist's Guide to Selecting Colors by Michael Wilcox
I purchased the 2001-2002 version of this book and quickly regretted it. Although he preaches quality for what he buys, his own material was so full of typos and errors that I can't trust the more technical data. Upon contacting the publisher I was told to send them a list of errors I found and don't return their poor quality book. Unfortunately, I am unable to proof read their book at my own expense and can only hope that they will someday practice what they preach. Buy only with extreme caution.

A worthwhile reference book
This is the latest in a fine series of reference books on color and paint selection written by Mr. Wilcox. This book delivers lots of useful information in clear language. I would particularly recommend it to students who are new to the sometimes bewildering world of color media. Readers who have the author's other books on color may not need this one, as there is a lot of overlap. ... Read more

Book Description

This book, the last to be completed by the author, is a study of a recurring phenomenon in the history of changing taste in the visual arts, namely the feeling that older and less sophisticated (i.e. 'primitive') works are somehow morally and aesthetically superior to later works that have become soft and decadent. In his first narrative work for over twenty years, Gombrich traces this idea back to classical antiquity and links it both with Cicero's observation that over-indulgence of the senses leads to a feeling of disgust, and with the profoundly influential metaphor comparing the development of art to that of a living organism. Like an organism, art grows to maturity, then decays and dies, and successive generations of artists and critics have preferred the strength, nobility and sincerity of earlier styles to the more refined later styles with their corrupting and meretricious appeal to the senses.

Summing up more than forty years of study and reflection on this theme, the book presents a closely argued narrative supported by extensive quotations that document with precision the role of authors, critics and artists in shaping and changing opinion. After reviewing the classical authors whose writings largely set the terms of the debate, Gombrich then charts its progress from its revival in the eighteenth century, documenting the often subtle shifts of taste and judgement that frequently focus on the pivotal role of Raphael in the history of taste. In the final chapters he turns to the truly revolutionary primitivism of the twentieth century, analysing the momentous shifts of taste of which he was himself an eyewitness.

Important both as a personal testament and as a documentary anthology, this long-awaited book fittingly provides a deep and revealing insight into the history and psychology of taste. ... Read more

Book Description

A successful international artist offers a no-holds-barred approach to making it in the arts and selling your work.

"This profound, funny book, full of hard truths and smart advice, is must reading for artists. Read it and you just might transform your life and jolt your art career awake! Are you ready for some high voltage inspiration? Then come listen to the master's voice."

—Eric Maisel, A Life in the Arts

"The best bunch of advice I've ever seen for someone who is serious about this crazy addiction called art."

—Barnaby Conrad, artist and best-selling author. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

For the serious artist
That want to be able to sell their work. Innis lays down a lot of information, and he has some strong opinions. While you might not agree with all he has to say, he offers straight forward advice and no holds barred points of fact.

Besides all that, it is just an interesting book to read and fun too. He offers some tips on how not to be a "pigeon" (fat lazy birds that beg and simply follow the crowd) that are just good advice and can be applied to endeavors other than painting. His writing is humorous and often blasts certain types of thinking and institutions.

He gives advice on what kind of materials he feels are best, plus tips on how to arrange certain things in you life to be able to paint.
His plan on how to launch your career is straight forward, simple to understand and seems very realistic. The hard part is the work. This is no "pie in the sky" method, Innis insists that a painter have 2 or 3 hundred paintings under their belt before presenting work to the buying public. He wants the artist to be a good draftsman before trying to paint. He wants the artist to use a professional writer and a professional photographer to create a catalog of work. He doesn't offer any "secret" tricks here, just a solid method to becoming a professional well paid artist.

The one area of disagreement I have is that he is a little to emphatic when it comes to certain materials. He advocates using acrylics on inexpensive canvas with large brushes. While that is fine for many types of work, it simply doesn't cut it with others such as the seascapes I tend to paint. I use fine linen (yes it is 200 bucks a roll but it feels so nice) and I use expensive oil paints (the colors and the strengths of pigments make it worth it). I also use many small brushes for detail work. But these differences don't really effect the reading of the book, he just gives his reasons why he uses and prefers the types of materials he uses. He does make a really good point about staying away from watercolor and I have to agree 100 per cent on this.

All in all, for any one that is seriously considering trying to launch a career in painting, a career --not a weekend at the park selling 25 dollar paintings-- then this book is a must read and I highly recommend it.

Crusty but tasty
One of those gotta-have books for the artist. I laughed my way silly as I read through this book and pestered my friends with quotes from it for months! Unless you're married to an abstract expressionist who makes their living with grant money, you'll think it's funny and right-on too. He's sarcastic, biting and not a little cranky when it comes to Academic, Museum and Gallery commentaries. But hey - my experience as an artist has been pretty much the same, so I can't fault him for tellin' it like it is. And he does it with buckets of humor.

I guess you would call Joe a modern impressionist painter - if you want a classification for him. So he comes from a realist point of view rather than an abstract one. However, Joe is certainly not anti-abstract, he's just anti-pretensiousness (I made that word up I think?). Joe's been there and done that. He spills his guts and lets us know what works and what doesn't on the way to becoming a well-known and successful artist. I have no doubt, if you have talent and the guts to follow his program you can make a very nice living as an artist.

Highly recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Creepy propaganda from a long time ago.
Goya aparently did this book to show how silly the superstitions of the common people were, and still are. ... Read more

Book Description

Three million creative people in this country need adequate studio space. Almost all of them have limited funds.

Eric Rudd has written the first practical book to help creative people find, secure, fix up and finance great studio space. No one graduating from art, design, music or theater school should go out into the real world without absorbing the information in The Art Studio/Loft Manual. Seasoned artists and creators will welcome the ideas revealed in this manual.

oHow to find great studios; gold mines and pitfalls.
oHow to turn them into living/work combos.
oMoney matters: how to do it cheaply or let others pay.
oReal estate and legal issues; zoning, negotiation,purchase/lease.
oConstruction: how to fix them up and save money.
oDesign and modify large spaces and make them functional for your work and needs.
oCost cutting measures, tricks, ideas, and hard practical advice.
oThink Big! 2,000 SF or 10,000 SF or more!
oHow to make great studio space happen for you.

Stop renting. Get out of the spare bedroom or garage: if you need and dream of large studio-lofts, you will need to read this book. Just one idea can save you hundreds of dollars and hours of your time! Just one idea may find you the studio of your dreams.

The Art Studio/Loft Manual: For Ambitious Artists and Creators will become the main reference bible for all artists and creators.

246 pages with a color cover and 40 photographs and illustrations ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Empowering
Mr. Rudd...

Thank you for writing such helpful books for artists. It is a great thing you've done to improve the conditions for so many who need space to create and live with fewer restrictions.

Cheers.

Very good advice
This has been a great source of inspiration and solid, practical advice for me. I'm opening my own studio/gallery soon and found Rudd's book to be a constant source of ideas on how to renovate the cheap, but run-down space we found. Although we weren't able to purchase the space as he recommended (I wish we could) it has been a very helpful book.
It's not just the practical advice, but the encouragement to take your own work more seriously that really made this book valuable to me. When he described how more work could be done in a good studio, I knew then that I had to get my work out of the garage and into a better space. Now, after a lot of elbow grease and plenty of cheap white [local store] paint (as Rudd recommended), I'll have a space much more suited to the work I want to do, plus a gallery to show it.

A manual for serious artists
Multi-media artist Eric Rudd has written two books for
artists who feel compelled to produce not just good art, but great art that has potential for recognition on a grand scale in museums and perhaps a legacy in art history. Rudd pulls no punches in his entertaining account of his successes and failures both as an artist and developer of loft art studios from Washington, D.C. to North Adams, Massachussetts. His ideas aren't for the faint-hearted or the Sunday painter but rather for the artist with a strong belief in the greatness of the work and a willingness to take risks to create a space where this can happen. "The Art Studio/Loft Manual for Ambitious Artists and Creators" provides the practical information needed to make it happen, from how to acquire the real estate to how to renovate the space. The accounts of Rudd's achievements, particularly in his present location in North Adams, are inspiring. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the most creative and accessible periods of art the world has ever known, the Golden Age is brought to life in an unprecedented series of biographies of the artists active in the Netherlands during the 17th-century. Painters in the Dutch Republic specialized in portraits, domestic genre scenes, still-lives, and landscapes--metaphors of the tiny new country's immense pride and wealth.This book features biographies on all the great masters from Frans Hals to Vermeer to Rembrandt. There are entries on more that 220 artists.

This unprecedented book draws together biographies of artists who worked in one of the most exciting and dramatic political eras in France, when Paris became the artistic capital of Europe. It features in-depth studies of such well-known Neo-classical artists as Jacques-Louis David, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, the artist most revered by his fellow countrymen. Also included are artists of the Romantic Movement, like Delacroix and Gericault, as well as the painters of the Barbizon School, whose plein-air landscapes anticipated those of the Impressionists. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Hi!
This is a great book! Buy it NOW! ... Read more

Book Description

A valuable addition to any artist's library, this rich resource offers a practical, comprehensive, and historically and visually inclusive introduction to drawing dimensions. It provides an extensive background of ideas, materials, exercises, exemplars and questions, and includes many innovative and provocative ways of looking at the subject to stimulate individual progress. Containing a virtual treasury of illustrations, it presents a global selection of varied conceptual and perceptional works in many materials and styles - from familiar masterworks to current exemplars, and from student works, featuring those of Josef Albers in the '50's to contemporary students at Cooper Union. Formats material into eight sections composed of discrete "restructurable" units which may be combined (or omitted) to suit individual needs. Presents examples from many historical periods, and contains drawings that emphasize a diverse population of both Eastern and Western artists. Its extensive illustration program features Renaissance, Impressionist, Post Impressionist, Cubists, Pop, Optical and other artists, plus a wealth of striking drawings of lesser known and contemporary artists. Breaks new ground with its focus on perceptual basics, and offers a detailed summary of anatomy, with a full 3-unit treatment of skeletal and muscular structure. Also includes a complete overview of traditional tools and materials, as well as suggestions for innovative techniques and alternative mark-making equipment. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A very inspiring book
I have many books on drawing, including Betty Edwards and Nicolaides, which are excellent books. But Drawing Dimensions is the one that has helped me most. The different aspects of drawing (line, tone, etc) are shown in such a way that you are led to explore new roads and can not help but be creative. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty is the poster child forthe antiformalist Earth Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s. A coil ofearth, salt, and stone that Smithson built into Great Salt Lake, Utah,the piece is a tribute to the movement's scale and engineering as wellas to its visionary union of art and nature. Smithson's questioning ofthe conventional attitudes of art and culture did not stop with thecreation of objects and images; he was committed to exploring ofattitudes and ideas as a critical component of his work. A revised andexpanded version of The Writings of Robert Smithson, this bookis a charged combination of articles and images in which the authordemystifies the distinction between theory and practice. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

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The interviews are what stand out more than anything. The conversation between Smithson and Kaprow is really worth checking out. Anyone who will be having a show of their own should at the very least flip through this book. Also sheds some light into Smithson's early work (some text based things and a few paintings and so forth). Who would have thought that it would be a fun read too?
This is the kind of collection you can return to again and again.

His writings printed on archival paper!
Bought this book for research, a lot to read, all photos are black and white. ... Read more

Book Description

Create and Be Recognized is the first survey of a compelling, always surprising art form -- outsider photography. Presented here is the work of seventeen largely self-taught artists who have used photography or photographic elements in their creations, including such luminaries as Adolf Wolfli, Howard Finster, and Henry Darger, as well as discoveries from little known, equally dramatic artists. As with most outsider art, the work here is fuelled by singular passions, marginalized mindsets, and extreme circumstances, falling outside mainstream picture-making. Employing collage (affixing photos or reproductions to a background), photocollage (photographs cut and pasted together to form a new whole), and tableaux (works based on manipulation and staging), the artists here present work that is, by turns, lyrical and frightening, and always fascinating. Published to coincide with a major touring exhibition of the same name originating at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Create and Be Recognized documents an emerging and important facet of contemporary photography. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Simply incredible
Patination is a way of coloring metal, using the chemistry of the metal itself to create colored oxides, chlorides, etc. It's a controlled form of corrosion, usually for decorative effect, but sometimes to put a protective layer on the metal. Outdoor copper and bronze show some of the greens and browns that are possible. This book puts that chemistry, and a much larger palette of colors, into the crafter's hands.

This book is encyclopedic. Three factors affect each patination: the alloy or element being treated, the chemistry of the solutions applied to the metal, and the way the treatment is applied (time, temperature, and so on). Hughes systematically explores all three dimensions. The discussion includes reproducibility of each patina, since some have squirrely chemistry that gives variable results. It also describes the mechanical and chemical durability of each patina, factors that define the kinds of applications where it may be used.

This book is not for the home hobbyist, though. It uses very harsh chemicals in most treatments. Many are highly toxic, and many present special hazards in handling and storage.

The only weakness I found in this book is the range of alloys covered. A number of interesting copper/gold combinations are traditional in Japanese metalwork, valued for the unusual colors of their natural oxides. These were severely under-represented. No book can cover everything, though.

Just thumbing through this book is wonderful, seeing the range of colors and textures that can be coaxed from the metal's surface. It's also helpful to anyone who loves metal artwork, as explanation of effects that you mught see displayed.

A remarkably useful book
Hundreds of formulae and practical advice on how to use them, and reasonably accurate descriptions of outcomes. Problems with techniques are openly discussed, not glossed over. The color photographs of patinated samples are very helpful. I wish the authors had organized the formulae for use on each type of metal by their content rather than randomly. But that is carping. This book is the most helpful one available and I have it in my shop now, experimenting with many of its recipes and techniques. An absolute "must" if you want to patinate metal.

Too nice for the studio, too usefull for the library.
Beautifull book, irreplaceable info. I saw this years ago at a price of over $100 and balked, but I should have bought it then. If you are a commited bronze artist/ craftsperson and you want to get good patinas you will eventually buy this book, as it is the only one in print that is top notch in sophistication and comprehensiveness. Some might think this book with it's great technique descriptions, over 250 high quality patina chip photos, over 1000 distinct patina formulas and an incredible bibliography as esoteric and overly demanding in terms of chemistry and technique, but the rest will consider it priceless. Best patination book in print, possibly the best ever.

Only for certain metals
I bought this book and found it to be very thorough with recipes and pictures for hundreds of types of finishes. However, I did find the title misleading. The recipes are only for copper, brass, bronze, and silver.

The metalwork I do is with steel and I bought the book to color steel. This huge medium is never dealt with in the book.

A valuable reference
A useful reference for the serious metalworker, with color plates of most of the patinas, and a helpful discussion of techniques. One deficiency is the lack of any information on the relative durability of the patinas under the effect of handling or weathering. ... Read more

Book Description

Bold, distinctive patterns; brilliant colors; affordability-these are some of the characteristics that explain the overwhelming popularity of the exquisite, flatwoven textiles from the Near and Far East known as kilims. The most comprehensive and beautifully illustrated survey to date, Kilim contains hundreds of color photographs accompanied by an authoritative text examining the origins, history, and weaving techniques of these unique cloths. A directory to international kilim auction houses; a source listing of dealers and services; and a reference guide to the collecting, care, and further study of kilims conclude this definitive work on a widely appealing subject. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Everything I Wanted to Know About Kilims
This book is very informative. I wanted to become knowledgable about Kilims and this book has really helped me to become so. The photographes are very beautiful. I hope to become an advid collector and with the information from this book I am a confident buyer.

A magnificent kilim picture book for the tribal rug fanatic.
Gorgeous rugs. Gorgeous photographs. Lots of them. For people who love oriental rugs, especially funky tribal rugs, and for people who are demanding about the pleasure they expect from rug books--this book is a great find.

This is my favorite book on Flatweaves.
This is my favorite book on Flatweaves. It covers more than just kilims and is very comprehensive. If you are interested in any Flatweaves you should have this book. I use this book when I am trying to identify flatweaves and I find it a simple, user friendly, but comprehensive resource. ... Read more

Book Description

This Handbook provides a practical, straightforward guide to the theory and practice of discipline-based art education. This comprehensive approach to art education has transformed the way students create and understand art; it also offers opportunities for relating art to other subjects as well as to the personal interests and abilities of young learners. This completely revised edition explains how DBAE draws content from the disciplines of art-making, art criticism, art history and aesthetics, and shows how the practice of DBAE in schools over the past several years has influenced how art is taught today. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent resource for any teacher
Focuses on the layers of art education, from the actual art activity to the aesthetic qualities. Full of excellent examples that solidify concepts, making the transition to the classroom seamless. ... Read more

Book Description

A monumental reference work designed to eliminate many of the problems encountered in the search for a reproduction of a particular painting. ... Read more

Book Description

Since its first publication in 1986, this comprehensive guide has established itself as the essential reference book for print and book collectors, dealers in prints and illustrated books, art librarians, art professors and students, and everyone interested in graphic art.

Is a particular print a woodcut, an etching, or a lithograph? Is it an original stipple engraving or a photogravure reproduction? Is the color printed or added by hand? Arranged in self-contained sections that can be consulted individually or as part of a larger research operation, this book helps identify accurately any printed image. Included are all the manual methods and also the mechanical processes that constitute the vast majority of printed images around us. In all, some ninety different techniques are described, both monochrome and color.

Essential aspects of printing history and the printmaking craft receive full coverage, and examples are given of the features that reveal the type of print, such as varieties of line and tone. Of particular interest are the many illustrations of enlarged details showing the different appearance of various techniques under strong magnification.

The one great change during the past twenty years has been the high-quality inkjet and laser prints that are now part of everyday life. How can one tell whether an attractive image is valuable in its own right or merely an appealing reproduction? As cheap printing becomes more sophisticated, it inevitably becomes harder to identify correctly an image of this kind. Bamber Gascoigne's new observations in this area, added for this revised edition, will prove invaluable. 275 illustrations, 40 in color. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A lasting, classic work essential to any art library
Back in print and updated in a new paperback edition is Bambar Gascoigne's classic How To Identify Prints, first published in 1986 and enjoying ongoing acclaim as an essential resource for any involved in identifying prints, whether they be woodcuts, lithos, or etchings. Some ninety techniques - manual and mechanical alike - are described to round out an accompanying history of prints. A lasting, classic work essential to any art library and many a general library reference collection.

A "must-read" for anyone collecting authentic prints
Now in an updated and expanded second edition, How To Identify Prints: A Complete Guide To Manual And Mechanical Processes From Woodcut To Inkjet is a superb reference and self-teaching tool for discerning between manual prints, process prints, and screenprints/non-prints, whether the print in question is monochrome or color, and whether it is relief, intaglio, or planographic. 272 illustrations, 40 of which are in color, highlight the meticulous attention to detail in this excellent manual, which also covers essential aspects of printing history and the craft of printmaking. This new addition is revised with insights concerning how increasingly sophisticated yet inexpensive cheap printing processes such as quality inkjet and laser prints affect the process of identifying and evaluating printed images. A "must-read" for anyone collecting authentic prints or pursuing a career involving the identification of prints. ... Read more

Book Description

One of our most frequent fan-requests, the Mary Engelbreit Poster Book is back. Inside this edition you'll find 12 education-themed prints perfect for the classroom, student bedroom, or any room.This new edition, the Classroom Collection, focuses on reading, writing and learning.Measuring 11" x 14", these 12 posters are sized to fit perfectly in a standard-sized frame, so dressing up the classroom with lively and inspiring art will be easier than ever.As with the original edition, an inscription on the back of each poster offers a personal insight from Mary explaining her inspiration for the drawing.This is a perfect purchase for teachers or any Mary Engelbreit fan. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Oil Painter" Poct Palette
I do not own the book as yet but My Instructor at the College I attend loaned it to me as I was having a difficult time trying to mix the right colors of sand for my seascape painting. I was very pleased to experiment with the colors used in the book and was able to get the final results I was looking for.

May save me a lot of paint
I like the book. One (typical) page of this book shows color swatches of raw sienna mixed with 12 other colors. Each color mixture is tinted and tinted more. One would think that a skilled artist should have mastery of his/her colors --so that this book really isn't needed. Maybe so. On the other hand, it might be nice to buy two copies and mount the pages for easier reference. ... Read more