4 comments about Color Mixing Recipes for Portraits: More than 500 Color Combinations for skin, eyes, lips & hair (Color Mixing Recipes).

1. I love this book. It has become my figure painting bible. It gives you the recipes (like a cook book) of the proper amounts of each color to achieve all different skin tones and hair! It's great!



2. This is great value for a novice that needs help to mix skin colours. The text is kept to a minimum and the charts clear to understand.



3. This book is cool. Flip the hard pages (wipeable), and you have all ethnic colors at your fingertips. Of course you will need to adjust, but it is full of basic eye, nose, lips etc. colors and carts. Im glad I bought it.



4. If you are looking for a technical guide on how to mix skin colours for all the different races of people (well most anyway) then this is the book for you. It gives you all the information you need (which paint and how much)to mix just about every shade of flesh, covering both cool and warm versions, it covers the full tonal range for each mix and shadow effects. In summery it is the most comprehensive flesh colour mixing book I have come across yet and I have got most of the more popular books on this subject. At this price it is a bargin
   

5 comments about How to Draw Animals.

1. This is one of the, if not THE most solid animal book there is. Packed with drawings (as all of Jack Hamm's books are)...very clear. It's the book I'd recommend first for someone who wants to learn to draw animals. I'm a professional working in animation and this is a book that all of my coworkers own.



2. While Jack Hamm is quite well-respected, I have to recommend The Art of Animal Drawing: Construction, Action Analysis, Caricature (Dover Books on Art Instruction, Anatomy) for anyone considering this book. While this book does have a lot of useful information (like demonstrating the position of the ankle in different animals), some of Hamm's drawings are lifeless, stiff, and sometimes downright awkward-looking. This is most likely due to the use of taxidermy models (in some cases photos of taxidermy models) as the base for his drawings. This is most evident in some of his more exotic animals where the faces look malformed.
   
   Even by looking at the images provided here, there is a bit of a difference in the feel his sketch images when compared to his finished ones. This is more pronounced in the book itself when you see the book in its entirety. The poses for the finished animals are routinely a little bit unnatural looking, just like how the lion on the front is, if you look at him long enough.
   
   Hamm's instruction itself is valuable, but the images he presents with them are not always the best. I have personally found copying the images in a drawing book to be a good study to understand an animal and get an idea of what it is and how it moves, and that is where this book falls short. Basically you end up copying a copy.
   
   I would not hesitate to recommend this to someone looking for a couple of animal drawing books, but if you're only going to buy one, Hultgren is the way to go. I speak as someone who owns both. This book has some useful information in it, but Hultgren is the one I carry around with me. In conclusion, it's a good book, but not the best.



3. The book was in fair shape. A little disappointed because it was less than advertised condition. But not enough to make an issue of it. It was OK.



4. Helpful when you must insert animals into a painting or drawing; well put together and a good variety of animals.



5. Every artist should own this book, it has great instructions, and illustrations, of animal structure, shapes and design

1 comments about Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration.

1. The illustrations are reproduced beautifully. The biographies are well written and give you a sense of the personalities of the illustrators, as well as some useful information on technique. Loved it.

5 comments about Pencil Drawing Techniques.

1. The book have techniques that I already knew but can be helpful if you are trying to learn



2. the book was in good condition when it arrived. And it helped me a lot



3. This is an excellent resource for beginning pencil drawers. I refer to it consistently and I highly recommend it. Definitely worth the money.



4. This was a gift for a person who had just started pencil drawing as a hobby. He declared it an excellent book with many good pointers.



5. i am a beginner in pencil drawing, and as a beginner i say this book is just awsome! it takes u from the basics till u reach the developed level... but yet this book already assumes that u already know a bit of drawing..meaning: u have the skills but u need to learn how to apply them on ur work to get the best results... more or less u'll benefit from this book...it's just great!

5 comments about The Japanese Tattoo.

1. Nice artwork. Large pictures, basically information of the tattoo designs, and their meanings. If your interested in Japanese artwork you will like this..



2. Although the pictures are old, the tattoo-work is still astonishing. A great book for inspiration if you're like me, planning to tattoo a japanase motiv.



3. On the good side, Amazon service was just as great as ever in delivering this book.
   
   On the bad side (and there are several) this book had a cheap feel about it just from opening the packaging. Reading the preface / introduction I was stunned by the insulting gibberish by D.M. Thomas as to the Japanese tattoo culture. Looking at the back cover of the book you also see the photographer holding the heads of her subjects which also feels demeaning to the Japanese men portrayed in the picture: Japanese are not very touchy and touching ones head is generally not a good thing in most Asian cultures: the impression is of a woman and her two dogs. Not nice.
   
   Later in the book you find the photographs blurry and the picture text very poor: you could have filled these huge pages with a lot of informative and captivating text about Japanese tattoo and culture. Instead you get to read what is pretty much: "this man has a fish tattoo".



4. The book is nice but some of the photos are not that great in quality. Has some nice designs, but I have to say I expected a little more of this book. Would probably buy again though.



5. This book is worth the price for the pictures alone. Which is good because the writing is extremely sub par, with misinformation and just wrong information. The art is wonderful but the writing is so bad that you are probably better of not even reading it.

3 comments about Reality Through the Arts (6th Edition).

1. The seller was excellent with communicating with me. Not only did he send the product the same evening - I ordered after 3p, he gave me helpful hints and immediate communication via email. The book was in very good condition and arrived in a timely manner, although next time I'd order 2-day since it was sent from the East Coast.



2. I used this for a fine arts class. It is a very nice book and has lot's of pictures too look at while the prof drones on and on.



3. book was needed for friend's class at college.
   she is quite pleased with it.

5 comments about Surgical Speed Shooting: How To Achieve High-Speed Marksmanship In A Gunfight.

1. This book tries to cover most aspects of defensive or tactical shooting. It is NOT about surgical accuracy. In fact, I have not found any book that is about achieving accurate shooting technique, besides the US Army Pistol Marksmanship Training Guide which you can find for free online, and which is better than this book. On the topic of defensive shooting etc, Gabe Suarez's books are probably the best bet for you.
   
   Pros:
   - well illustrated
   - concise and to the point
   - latest techniques and most current thinking explained; up-to-date
   
   Cons:
   - chapter on trigger control is shortest in the book, even though author says this is the biggest accuracy problem for most shooters
   - too much space (more than for grip and trigger control) devoted to basics like loading, reloading, malfunctions, drawing, holstering, etc issues unrelated to accuracy in shooting
   
   Overall, not a bad book, but I feel Gabe Suarez and Massad Ayoob are better authors on this topic.



2. A little dissappointed that this book lacked examples of good practice drills. Would be a fine book for someone new to defensive handgunning.



3. A well thought out and written book, with plenty of illustrations to allow the reader to visulize what the author is talking about.The system presented is realistic as to what to expect in true self defense use of the handgun. If you are going to carry with a CCW permit or keep a handgun in the home for protection, the information in this book is essential.



4. I cruised through this book when I was already a decent shooter. There wasn't much there for me that I didn't already know. It's informative for a novice or marksman level shooter. If you want a book about the principles and mechanics as well as the mental aspect I would suggest Brian Enos' Practical Shooting. I got more from that book than any other. Even better yet. Find a shooting instructor such as Stanford to learn by doing. Enos will raise your game by getting you to better interpret what you are "seeing" that you may not be conscious of.



5. I have been on a kick for the last several months. I read books about guns, about ammo, and mostly, about tactics. Reading all of Massad Ayoob's books was a great experience and I wish he had more. Eventually, I had to explore other authors. This is when I found Andy Stanford. His style is great. No bull; to the point writing makes this subject very enjoyable and easy to read. He takes you through the basics, but also explores more in depth tactical information. This is a must-read for anyone who is integrating into their life self protection for their family.

5 comments about The Figure in Clay: Contemporary Sculpting Techniques by Master Artists (A Lark Ceramics Book).

1. Fantastic book! What a joy! I agree with some of the other reviews that this is perhaps, not a book for novice sculptors. However, if you are working in clay; already been creating sculptures; and are looking for a way to increase the size of your work, this is the book for you. It will be a timeless treasure for me. Just seeing how other sculptors are currently working gets my juices flowing.
   
   Pay particular attention to the "gallery" at the end of each section. After being blown away by the featured artists work, you get into their heads a little more by seeing examples they have chosen of other sculptors work. Good stuff!
   
   If you are a beginner, don't be put off by the lack of basic information. Go take a class in clay--whether it's on the wheel or hand-building--get inspired and keep this book to remind you of what could be in your future.



2. Better than expected. Some novel and interesting techniques as well as anatomical knowledge put to use in unique visions makes for a very useful book for beginner and advanced sculptors. There is just enough personal and aesthetic information to make me want more. And, the focus on individual artists who then select other admired artists offers a sense of network and insight.



3. I am fairly new to building in clay, and I found this book a treasure trove of ideas and techniques by masters of the art. The book is beautifully illustrated, and each of the artists describes their personal vision with regards to their work and then gives a detailed description of the process and techniques used in creating a piece along with formulas for their clay bodies, glazes and firing techniques. I found this book very helpful and inspiring.



4. I've been wanting to get into ceramics for a while and this book was just the thing to get my creative juices flowing. It has many (500 actually) beautiful pieces to admire, with such a wide selection of styles. I love that it has a both beautiful and grotesque figures revealing so many artistic view points. It's definitely not a "how to" book, with just enough info to get a basic idea of how each piece was created but the beautiful photographs and wide variety of sculptures makes it well worth purchasing.



5. A rich and exciting collection of wonderful artists and a never ending wealth of inspiration. My favorite book of contemporary ceramic art

5 comments about Artistic Anatomy (Practical Art Books).

1. Way more technical than the anatomy I took for nursing. I can't think of why I would need to know the Greek and Latin names for bones and muscles to paint or draw them. I felt like I needed a terminology class to read the book. I was disappointed. Due to the name I thought it would be a lot more visual, very dry and laborious to read. I felt like the author(s) were flaunting their knowledge of the subject more than trying to teach artists the relevance of anatomy. I like Gray's anatomy much better



2. Any artist working in illustration and any art library or general-interest holding strong in art instruction must have ARTISTIC ANATOMY on hand: it appears here in a new 35th Anniversary Edition, translated by Robert Beverly Hale, and is still considered one of the finest works on anatomy for artists since the Renaissance. Its original edition first appeared in 1889: the new English edition brings together the 19th century teacher Dr. Paul Richter and today's anatomy teacher Robert Beverly Hale. An outstanding pairing perfect for contemporary artists.



3. This is a classic anatomical text. The drawings in this book are scientifically accurate and elegantly interpreted. As opposed to Peck's Atlas of anatomy where the plates are quite clunky.
   The only qualm I have with this book is the fact that the text portion is difficult to use in conjunction with the illustrations. One needs to constantly flip back and forth from the plates to the text. One way to get around this is to photo copy the text portion and have it as a seperate pamphlet to refer to. One thing the Peck book has that would have been useful in this would have been a table of muscle origin and insertion points but since Dr.Richer is long since passed on I dont think that will happen.
   For the serious student of Anatomy this is required reading...and dont forget to draw all of the plates either.



4. I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE, AS WELL AS WE ALL DO WHO DRAW, THAT THERE'S NO ONE STOP SHOP BOOK FOR ANYTHING REALLY. BUT IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ANATOMY; I MEAN REALLY LEARN (NOT JUST SOME SHORTCUTS AND TIPS), THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOUR. CAUTION, STUDY IS REQUIRED...SERIOUS ARTISTS ONLY.



5. Artistic Anatomy published by Watson-Guptill is a new-millennium Renaissance book. It is a combination art and reference book. It will certainly be useful for artists but might also be useful for a writer looking for the precise term for the part of the ear that looks like a shell--which, it turns out, is called the "concha." Even a romance writer might learn something from an illustration on page 101. "He moistened his finger and traced the demicircular line where, he knew, his child might one day grow." Sorry, I couldn't resist. But it illustrates how a book like this might also inspire more than the visual artist.
   
   Artistic Anatomy, might also be a teaching tool for a parent intense about showing her child the beauty of the body, how it relates to art, or the scientific-minded parent eager to have her child exposed to the science of anatomy in a softer way that most biology texts approach the subject.
   
   The credentials that went into the making of this 35th anniversary volume are impressive. The French author, Dr. Paul Richer (1849-1933), was Professor of Creative Anatomy at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The book is translated and edited by Robert Beverly Hale, also deceased. He was Curator Emeritus of the American Painting and Sculpture Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was also Adjunct Professor of Drawing at Columbia University, and this is but a brief list of their credentials.
   
   Writers, educators and others will recognize the sheer volume of careful research that went into this book by the contents pages. It is as extensive as some indexes. The index is comprehensive enough to serve the needs of anyone researching anatomy including morphology, myology, oseology and arthrology but a writer can easily find a page with the intricate parts of the torso pointed to and labeled.
   
   Only an exquisite hardcover with Leonardo and Michelangelo flyleaf designs could have made this book better. And then only for the collector. This huge paperback--256 nine by twelve pages and 150 drawings -- is perfect just as it is for practical use.
   -----
   Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the award-winning author of This Is the Place, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered and books of poetry including Tracings and Cherished Pulse. Her poems and short stories appear frequently in literary journals and anthologies. More on her award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't and her soon-to-be-released The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success may be found on Amazon.

5 comments about Pictorial Composition (Composition in Art).

1. Excellent book on various composition arrangements. This book is for the beginner as well as professional.



2. This is a nice book for artist's. Even though most pages are in black and white, it is usefull and has a lot of info for readers. Im happy with it.



3. There is a lot of really great information in here, especially for someone who has not had much education regarding composition; but it reads like an archaic, academic classic from a bygone era - when education was more of a sink-or-swim, weed'em-out affair than the more approachable style of current times. My copy shows copyright 1967 (not 1976 as Amazon reports), and the writing style is rather difficult. The author sometimes uses key terms (e.g., "axial plane") for several pages before doing us the favor of explaining just what that term means. Other passages were written so formally and distantly, I had to read them several times over and struggle with them before I had the "aha!" moments. The concepts then felt really valuable, almost like a secret code I had just broken. I just don't think it has to be that challenging. As I said though, there is a lot of good information in here,and I am excited about how this information will improve my painting and give me more confidence, as well as the ability to speak about compositional concepts with some expertise.



4. This book is a good option to learn principles of art.I passed my Introduction to Art cass with an "A",in Barry University.That means for me that this book could be a support for any art class. I strong recommend this book.
   Jesus Martinez



5. This is the best book I've read so far on composition. Poore doesn't deliver anything that you wouldn't find in any book on painting, but to have it all in one book is superb. Most "how to...." books on painting provide a chapter on the subject, typically a brief introduction. In the 95 pages Poore is able to delve much further covering virtually every aspect of what makes a painting look good. Topics include:
   a) The importance of balance and the various things that can affect it.
   b) Entrance & Exit - getting in to and out of a picture
   c) Circular observation and composition
   d) Angular composition
   e) composition with one or more units
   f) how to use light and shade to balance the painting
   The examples are well chosen, although there were one or two that, to me, didn't get a particular concept across. The writing style is a bit dry but certainly rewards perseverence. I've given it 4 stars in the hope that the bible of composition is out there somewhere. Well worth the money and if nothing else it provides an excellent checklist for you to follow in your art.