1 comments about Print Work: An Exploration of Printing Techniques.

1. i pre-ordered this book in hopes that this book would live up to the other books by victionary and it definitely has. from the design of the covers to the collection of packaging, type, collateral, etc designs is carefully chosen and uniquely displayed on each page/spread. and having the piece info along the bottom (ie. specs, clients, year, type of paper and printing, etc) is really useful and interesting. i have absolutely no regrets and can see myself reading/looking through this book many, many times. you definitely want this book for your collection if you're a graphic designer. great book for inspiration.

5 comments about Drawing for Dummies.

1. Drawing for Dummies is a great drawing guide. I am somewhere between beginner and intermediate but no where near advanced in my drawing skills. I found this book to be of great help in learning new things and sharpening skills that I already have.
   It offers many exercises to improve and enhance your drawing style.
   It is a simple read; the author doesn't make it all technical and boring.
   I think this is a book that every aspiring artist should have on their shelves.



2. Drawing for Dummies was a gift for my nephew, who likes to draw comic chacters.As you might expect, they are all out of proportion and child-like.He is a teenager now and is looking for some guidance to improve his drawing. When I first received this book, I thumbed through it and read the chapter headings. I'm sure he will profit from this book. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
   A.R.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



3. Well, I really wanted to learn how to draw well, so I picked this up. The first few chapters really help, but then it became was to hard for a beginning artist. Some of the stuff she wants you to draw is insane, and I just gave up on this book. If you want a good drawing book for beginners, don't look at this one.



4. I like this book on some levels. On other levels...erm...there are problems. I agree that there are a lot of cartoony drawings, as well as some more realistic ones where she seemed to go through a looong period of giving people strange looking round clown type noses. The effect is off putting...not charming as I think was hoped.
   She also uses what I think is a lot of inappropriate hatching..making her subjects sometimes seem kind of...hairy looking.
   But these are all style issues...I really can't find fault with her technical ability. In fact, many drawings are beautiful.
   As for blending, she feels it is more difficult to do well , and that's why she doesn't really approach it here. On her website she states more or less that to blend or not should be up to the individual artist and gives a reasonable tutorial on blending correctly.
   Her examples are often not illustrated enough...and written instructions seem hurried, without details on how to do what she is talking about.
   Also the pics in the examples are far too small...
   But this is a good book as far as being approachable goes.
   It gives good solid info, and does cover many subjects.
   One book is rarely definitive in any endeavor one tries to learn...and often you can't cover everything in one book.
   Publishers sometimes have to think about the larger market and what it will pay for.As far as we know she may have a limit on how many words and images she can use!
   These books are designed to be inexpensive and general.
   Given that fact, I think this particular "Dummie" book, does pretty well.



5. This is a nice basic drawing book. This book teaches you how to do tonal drawings by crosshatching. She doesn't smudge her drawings to save time and you can tell by the finished piece. This would be good practice for someone interested in printmaking.

5 comments about The Designers Complete Index (Boxed Set).

1. the designers complete index is a must have for all designers out there in the field.
   it includes an idea based book to get you started, a layout based book for format and a color based book, all to make the designing process seamless.
   kudos to jim krause!



2. This set is well worth it. If you are into graphic design this belongs in your book case just buy it you wont regret it. Very helpful and inspiration set.



3. Great, easy to use and comes in a cute clear plastic carrying case. Although these are meant for graphic design, I use them for ideas for my oil paintings. My boyfriend uses it for graphic design and he has said it has spurred on several ideas.
   
   I also bought the design essentials index. It comes in a tall slim yellow box and two different books included and and updated book on color.



4. I am a design student and use these books on an almost daily basis. While some aspects of them are some what simple as long as you are not going to be using these books to get ideas but rather improve upon an existing idea that you already have then these books are great. Overall there are definitely other books out there that will do the same thing but they wont be able to do it as quickly or as easily.



5. Just received this boxed set today. I expected much more. The type and examples are very, very small, with many "thumbnails" less than one inch square. The designs in the Layout Index are poor quality, in my opinion. The Idea Index contains 400 pages of lightbulb graphics and over-use of metallic ink (and I'm normally a big fan of metallic ink.) PMS colors are not mentioned anywhere. Anyone can buy a computer and call him/herself a designer, and these books prove that point well. I'm certainly glad I only paid the discounted price, because these books are certainly not worth $60.

5 comments about Comics and Sequential Art (Will Eisner Instructional Books).

1. My guess is that a hundred people have heard of this work for every one who has actually read it. At the time the book was developed, you could only find this information by taking Will Eisner's class at the New York School of Visual Art.
   
   Unless you haven't been paying attention to comics, you will probably find that you already understand most of the key messages: words and illustrations combine to form imagery; time elapses between panels and the pacing of the time involved affects how you react to the story; the frames around the panels and pages as a mechanism for tying the story together; using anatomy and expression to extract emotion from readers; how to combine words and illustrations for best effect; the potential to use sequential art in more than comic strips and books; and new technologies for making comics and sequential art.
   
   As for me, the only section that I found rewarding was the extensive middle section on panels. Maybe I'm obtuse (I probably am), but I've often found it difficult to follow and understand the choice of panel structure on pages in Golden age comics. Mr. Eisner thoughtfully provides extended sections from The Spirit to demonstrate why he made the choices he did and what he hoped to accomplish. It was like a Rosetta Stone for translating what some of those odd pages are supposed to do. For that section, it was worth reading the book. The other sections I could have skipped and not missed anything.
   
   I also recommend you read Scott McCloud book's about comics and sequential art: They are more rewarding in terms of setting out the issues and opportunities.



2. I just received this book yesterday, and I've been devouring it ever since! Mr. Eisner is a master storyteller, and he does a wonderful job of explaining the how's and why's of it in this book. The book is loaded with examples as well, mostly from his "Spirit" series. Trust me, you are going to be blown away by these things that were created a good 50 years ago! If you want to improve your comic book storytelling ability, this is an excellent place to start!



3. After reading the reviews of this book here on Amazon, and running across mentions of this book in lots of other places that talk about comics & graphic novels, I was really looking forward to reading it. But on the whole, I've been very disappointed. Although the book covers a lot of relevant topics, it does so in a way that seems sloppy and self-congratulatory. The book could do with a thorough proofreading to catch the numerous typos and other errors, and the author seems more concerned with impressing the reader than in making the topics easy to grasp and apply. I'm really surprised to find that this isn't a better introduction to the art & craft of visual storytelling.



4. Hey, why not take the analogy further? Scott McCloud's 'Understanding Comics' is the Sequential Artist's New Testament... and Fredric Wertham's 'Seduction of the Innocent' is the Sequential Artist's 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion'.
   
   'Understanding Comics' didn't exactly make 'Comics & Sequential Art' obsolete - in many ways they compliment each other, and they take somewhat different approaches to explaining this wonderful and fascinating art, although of course there are many similarities (McCloud clearly states that Eisner's work was his biggest influence, and it shows in the text). McCloud's book is more entertaining and reader friendly, that's for sure, and in many ways covers more ground and goes deeper - but it's important to remember that McCloud had the benefit of an extra decade in which the medium developed more rapidly than ever before, as well as that of Eisner's work as a reference. Eisner's work is the first true academic examination of sequential art and its potential as a medium, and was written at a time when the big revolution in comics - which he himself helped agitate more than fifteen years before - was just reaching its crucial stages.
   
   Aside from giving solid ground to several definitions - sequential art, graphic novel, the Gutter - which would become basics of the medium - Eisner's work took deeper consideration than anyone before him of the enormous potential the form has, and was an integral part of the artistic revolution is so-called comics. By many it was considered definitive; such a thing, of course, does not exist. 'Understanding Comics' builds on Eisner's work and in many ways is more complete, just as another, more complete work, may appear ten or twenty years from now. McCloud, of course, had the benefit not only of Eisner's work but also of artists like Dave McKean, who stretched the very same ideas that Eisner talked about to new extents. My main complaint about Eisner's book, in fact, is that he uses only his own work to illustrate his points, rather than draw some examples from great contemporaries like Robert Crumb or Art Spiegelman.
   
   While 'Understanding Comics' is friendlier and better suited for beginners and casual readers, 'Comics & Sequential Art' is more complex and more academic, and directed at those with an artistic background - after all, the material was taken from a series of lectures Eisner gave in the School of Visual Arts in New York. If you're new to the business, 'Understanding Comics' is a better pick, but if you have professional interest in comics, then both these works are essential reading, and 'Comics & Sequential Art' is remarkably important and inspiring.



5. I have no doubt Will Eisner's intentions were noble in writing this book. I'm also not here to disparage a widely acknowledged great in the comics industry. And yet...
   It comes as no surprise that this emanates from a series of academic lectures as it smacks of a non-academic striving desperately both to sound learned and informed and to give serious academic weight to a subject generally percieved as throwaway entertainment.
   Will Eisner was a great, but a great of a very different era and as such he has very little relevance visually to the world of comics today. That's not to say he's inferior to a lot of the hacks passing themselves off as 'cartoonists' these days, but if you want to work in that industry as an artist (thus producing sequential ART) then this book is a fraction of the use of the superior (that's right SUPERIOR) Scott McCloud book "Understanding Comics".
   So do yourself a favour and buy that instead.
   Oh, and using lots of big (and inappropriate to the medium) words doesn't make you sound smart, either.
   Sorry.

5 comments about Keys to Drawing with Imagination: Strategies and Exercises for Gaining Confidence and Enhancing Your Creativity.

1. If you want to improve technique or just learn how to draw get this book.



2. I have tons of drawing books, but I love this one! It has tons of great "mini-project" ideas that encourage creativity and originality!



3. While I am not a beginner, I thought this book might offer creative drawing exercises and ideas, something to feed my imagination. I was right. The chapters are brief and to the point with exercises that stretch beyond the usual. The illustrations of finished work as well as those of the actual exercise steps are excellent. A worthwhile book, not just a showcase of an artist's work... but not one for a beginner. Some of the chapters show nearly finished drawings as illustrations of the concept presented; there's no useful step-by-step instruction. But overall, most of the chapters are very good. Not a must-have, but still worth the money.



4. This is a great how-to-draw book, because it has a very smart strategy: finesse the negative self-criticism that keeps most of us from even beginning to do anything smacking of `art.'
   
   When a six year old once asked her father, a college art instructor, what he did for a living, he said, "I teach people how to draw." Incredulous, she replied: "You mean they forget!?"
   
   We all know why that is-- a censorious voice inside our heads keeps up a murderous barrage of intimidation: "You suck! You can't draw!" And we knuckle under.
   
   Most books on how to draw just reinforce this anxiety. They aim to teach you how to draw realistically, which for most of us means there is just one way to get it right, and a thousand to screw it up. How to solve this problem? Cookie-cutter schematic diagrams are given for drawing everything from portraits to horses, but every time you draw one of those almond shapes for a head, then put in a cross on which to put facial features, you've become a robot and art, an assembly-line production. That's a far cry from the utter fearlessness we all had when armed only with crayons.
   
   This book blows by all this tomfoolery because it cares little for cheap realism but much for real creativity. By not focusing on the "what" but the "how" this book lets you not only think like an artist, but become one. In its pages learning is doing as rules are jettisoned in favor of principles, suggestions and exercises that gently immerse you in the experience of drawing, so that before you know it, you're scribbling away as intently as any six-year old... or Van Gogh. Getting the terminally self-conscious to believe in themselves as artists is no mean achievement--it's damn hard to do as a matter of fact--but Bert Dodson does this beautifully. (Even more experienced artists will learn much from perusing this wise and thoughtful book.)
   
   But don't misunderstand one thing. Dodson's emphasis on creativity isn't an injunction to just "do what you feel." Drawing books like that leave you hanging in the air with no chance for traction and forward-momentum. This book is not one of those. The format in Keys to Drawing with Imagination not only generates much artistic material to work with, but will channel your growing understanding, concentrating it, so that a genuine mastery emerges, confident enough to undertake its own experimentation and exploration. This book is designed to be like the Buddha's raft--once it carries you over the river, you leave it behind to go on your way. For, ultimately, making art is about being free.
   
   I have only one small cavil to make about this superb drawing book. The title bites. With a subject as exciting as creative drawing, this title is like giving Marilyn Monroe a name like Norma Jean. It obviously hopes to cash in on the success of Mr. Dodson's earlier book, Keys to Drawing; I sense the money-grubbing hands of the publisher's bean-counters. My condolences to the author, a most witty and engaging man, who must be suffering grievously.



5. Thank you, Bert Dodson, for Drawing With Imagination. It is a much needed elixir for both my creative and professional life. I've been an Art teacher for thirty years and I know from experience that you can teach almost anyone how to draw and paint well. Learning to use the tools is the easy part. What's hard is stimulating the imagination and the confidence to be creative.
   Dodson's new book is a brimming reservoir of inspirational projects and ideas for the artist or teacher. Some of these exercises are so freeing, blocks to creativity seem to melt away leaving a fresh landscape of fertile ground. Using Bert's book as a basis for lessons my high school beginning students are stumbling onto originality and my advanced "Portfolio" students are discovering new directions for their work.
   Every teacher and artist needs a copy of this book at their fingertips if only for an infusion of energy for your classroom and studio. I didn't realize till I got my copy, I've been waiting for this book for a long time.

5 comments about Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right.

1. The discussion of specific problems such as lack of depth,misplaced shadows, etc. and the illustrations are extremly helpful. The author illustrates what many teachers say. A great book!oil po



2. For the beginner and intermediate artist, "Problem solving for oil painters" is a must have on the bookshelf. The more experienced artist isn't going to learn anything new from this book, however it is a good book to keep for practical reference and inspiration. Beautifully illustrated with very many photographs of breath taking oil paintings. That alone is a reason to get this book.



3. This book has really great ideas and illustrations to go with everything, which really assisted me in seeing the value of what he talked about. If you are an oil painter, probably more especially beginning painters, or any kind of painter or color artist of any kind, this book has great insight, beautiful examples, and a lot of practicality. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the only pictures in the book are pictures that the author painted. This of makes the review of the pictures a bit biased. This is, however, something that can be overcome by by reading a section and going to a museum or looking up art online to see how the specific principle in discussion applies. I am a beginning painter and I find the book very useful.



4. This book suits more for the serious beginners or intermediate painters 'cause you have to be familiar with the basic concepts. It offers a way to verify the quality of your paintings point by point.
   My point of view is that you have to read it entirely before you can point on the problem. The topics are easy to reach after you know what you're searching for.
   Sometimes I would like to have more examples or explanations on some points.
   Simple but effective if you're not a complete beginner...



5. An excellent clearly written informative book. Will be much referred to and treasured for many years. Thankyou Mr. Kreutz

3 comments about The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook (Graphic Design).

1. Das Buch enthält viele brauchbare, alltagstaugliche Verpackungen, die leicht auf eigene Bedürfnisse angepasst werden können.



2. This book is a must have for any graphic artist. It's beautifully executed with tons of examples to garner inspiration from. Worth every penny.



3. I love this book. The templates are amazing, but easy enough to alter into your own design. Sometimes as a student you need a starting point. My last project turned out amazing and I believe I'll use this book as a reference for along time. I am even interested in other books by this author and Rotovision Publishing. The pictures are great and the design on the packaging a lone is worth it. This book is one of my best if not the best design books I have and more affordable. I honestly would have paid more for this book. My classmates are also looking into buying this book after they viewed my copy. I believe this is a must in a design students library. It gives you inspiration and shows you what good package design is, believe me there are some terrible books out there.

5 comments about Alternative Kilns & Firing Techniques: Raku * Saggar * Pit * Barrel (A Lark Ceramics Book).

1. I am so glad I bought this book! It has so many illustrations and gives clear and easy to understand directions on how to build different types of kilns. I hope we will build our own raku kiln! The other techniques in the book were so interesting, I can't wait to try them!



2. I was very glad to get this book for several reasons. Jan Lee had some illustrations, and directions included and I am a big fan of her work. Also, I plan to do some of the Pit firing this summer in the mountains and the directions were clear and exciting.



3. I really like this book. The directions are clear and easy to understand. The pictures are great! I borrowed this book from a friend and immediately ordered it for myself.



4. As I perused this book, I got excited to build my own kiln, to use unique kinds of firing techniques and experiment. It will be like Christmas with each try. I love the ideas and encouragement.



5. This is a great book on raku. it gives different views from different artists. The photography is good and shows many alternative ways to finish one's pottery other then the traditional glazing and firing. This book is a must for a potters reference bookcase.

5 comments about 1,000 Graphic Elements: Details for Distinctive Designs.

1. As a graphic designer, I did not find this book very useful in generating ideas. There is very minimal info about the pieces featured and some photos are unnecessarily close-up and you cannot get a sense for the project.



2. A comprehensive display for the experienced and novice alike.
   Open up your world by seeing the splendid designs of others.
   A broad picture to the world of design from logos to brands.
   Yes, this is well worth the price.



3. 1,000 Graphic Elements: Details for Distinctive Designs
   In my mind's eye I see this series being originated by a marketing expert that decided to focus and feature their own industry. These books offer frequency in category, classic designs, and creativity that lends to brand building. This series is a collection promotion experts should have as part of their consistently used library. Enjoy...



4. the title and description are misleading. This book should be called "1000 examples of ultra-high budget junk"
   
   These aren't graphic elements, they are complete projects. furthermore, the "elements" themselves are over-dependent on materials, embossing, die-cuts, metalic inks and other expensive processes that it is of little value to real-world designers. It gave me no fresh ideas or inspiration whatsoever, and is going in the recycle bin 15 minutes after arrival.
   
   I've seen better looking and more compelling work with rubber stamps. Buy this book if you want to see how over-priced production is used by spoiled designers and clients with money they have no problem wasting.
   
   The book tries to divide itself into sections such as binding, graphic devices, and typology, but there is no consistency applied, and each example could qualify for another category, because of the abundance of junk incorporated.
   
   If you want to create pieces that cost a ton of money, hurt the eye and poorly communicate, this is the book for you. I've seen more compelling graphic work from an 8-year old with glue and glitter.



5. It is a great book to reference and I look forward to purchasing the rest of the series.

5 comments about Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series).

1. I am taking Web design and Animation. My professor suggested that i review this book. She is right the animation is wonderful and i would recommend it to anyone that is inspired by animation and perhaps want to make it a career.



2. This book is a must for all would be animators. I have dabbled with cartoons for years but this book helped me bring them to life, I used the walk sequences as templates and dressed them with my own characters, thus enabling me to focus on the character and not worry about the position of the legs.
   There is plenty of help and advice on character building, movement, mouth shaping for speech, hands, expressions, I could go on but I won't.
   If there is nothing in this book to help you.........then you should be working for DISNEY.



3. hmm i think its the best book for learning to draw and animate cartoon characters
   , complete with guided and many2 example and illustration.



4. It was like reading a comic book, only I was learning a lot reading this one. An artist cant help but appreciate the art work by Mr Blair present in the book. I went through the alligator and hippo sequences like a million times. Masterpieces !
   Just by examining the brush strokes and stuff you get to know so much, the discussions on character building etc are a bonus. I wont be able to agree with anyone saying there are hard and fast rules for character building but yes what I read in the book WORKS, like a character with no chin does look like a screwball.
   Later the discussions on sequencing became a little monotonous and its then that I realized I wasn't reading a comic book but they really were redundant at two three places. Animation techniques discussions are simply great. So are drawing and scene building ones. All in all I learnt a LOT ! Could be because I didn't know a lot but I'm really happy that I bought this book, I couldn't afford to not have this masterpiece.



5. I bought this book several years ago, around 1999, and for its price (or whatever) it's the best book an animator can begin with. Along with The Illusion of Life, it is a must have book for all animators. It taught me the differences between the "cute" types and the "screwball" types, showed how the stopwatch and metronome are used, and even a few things about clean-up. If you love cartoons, by all means GET THIS BOOK!