5 comments about How to Draw the Human Figure: Famous Artists School, Step-by-Step Method (Famous Artists School : Step-By-Step Method).

1. This is a good book for those beginning figure drawing.I found it less complicated than others out there and the method is sound.There are photos you can draw from if you want to do that and the explanations are very clear.Keep it simple and have fun.



2. good price. a bit disappointed with the book itself. no reflection on the seller.



3. I found this book to give me all I was looking for, how to draw gesture drawing,anatomical proportions,figure, and it gives you practice pages to draw on and then comparison pages to go back to so you can see your errors and correct them. this is a self teaching book that works



4. THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK BUT NOT ONE FOR THE "AVERAGE" BASIC BEGINNER. WAS HOPING FOR A STEP BY STEP.



5. Lots of good excercises for those new to drawing the human figure.

5 comments about The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing.

1. I am an author and found this book to be somewhat useful. It is well written and gives you much to think about but would research others.



2. This I would have to say is the Greatest Book on Writing Fiction. This book is like the solid base you can establish. It goes through every point in writing a novel by all the professionals. This book, you'll simply learn a lot. I can't tell you how much I learned from it. And it's just so true.
   
   The first chapter is about plot. The writer defines plot as the complications go through in steps toward a resolution. He states that plot arises from the orchestration of the protagonist with the antagonist. The better orchestrated the characters, the better the plot will develop. Actually, it will be natural since the characters are so well-pitted against each other. The more different you make the characters from each other, the better plot will flow and develop. The reason why many plots fail is because the protagonist and antagonist are too close to each other.
   
   Other chapters are just as helpful. One writer talks about how he changed to do movies. Being that movies don't use exposition and thought, he could no longer rely on these methods. When he went back to fiction, he saw this creeping into his fiction as well. In the end, he stated how fictions, like movies, should go scene by scene, which would make it more exciting. Long exposition should be eliminated or severely limited. Also, the best devices to utilize in fiction are action, dialogue, and description, while limiting exposition and too much interior monlogue. This is sound advice.
   
   Another great chapter is emotion. The writer in this case tells how eerything through be shown through the emotional filter, meaning we must see how the character reacts to everything in the story. If not, if the character doesn't react, it's meaningless. It's like having a stimulus in your life that doesn't affect you, it's meaningless in that case. We must see how the character reacts for it to have significance. The author then gives us advice how to show this emotional filter such as using verbs to connote emotion. For example, 'he walked out' only shows movement. 'He stomped out' shows anger.
   
   That's about all for now. I'm tired. If you want to know more, read the book. I promise it is priceless.



3. You want to be a novelist, but are afraid of failure--right?! This is the book you want to read. It's chock full of endless interviews and information from the best in the business. You will recieve step by step instructions from only the top names in the novel writing industry. Don't be worried about genre. There all covered from fantacy, romance, science fiction, christian fiction, and all the rest. It's worth every penny.



4. I'm not sure where to start when describing this book. This book is awesome- I think that I'll be a Pulitzer prize winner before I know it. (A man can dream........) This book offers everything from the idea of writing to the publication of what you write. I'll have it faithfully beside me during every step of my writing process; all the way to that Pulitzer. Unbelievable buy-



5. I generally don't care for compilations, especially about the writing business. I was forced to read this one for a class I took and I found it to be surprisingly helpful in some ways. Don't expect all the answers here.

5 comments about How to Draw Cartoons for Comic Strips (Christopher Hart Titles).

1. Christopher Hart has truly done an excellent job with this book. Filled to the rim with illustrations, techniques, explanations and inside information, if you've ever wanted to learn about humorous illustration or cartooning, put this on your list. You'll be glad you did. :o)



2. Great book. He displays how to cartoon men, women, children, elderly and many types of animals. He does it in an extremely visual way that even a child could follow along. This book is packed with 95% illustrations and 5% text. To me, that's a winner. The 5% text that is in there is invaluable. The print is nice and large and easy to read. I am very happy I bought this book. It is a keeper.



3. From the beginning of this book to the end, it is filled with (finally) basic, step-by-step instructions on drawing cartoon people, body parts, the "action line", body language and style. And then it starts all over again with animals! Mostly dogs, cats, and different fowl, it also includes less common animals, like beaver, porcupine, raccoon and many sea animals. Can't forget the great alligators and dragon. Finally, the book spends time on placing the characters, reference lines and specialty shots and the all-important "balloon". Another great one by C. Hart. I think I own most of his books and they are all worth great merit, better than the other books I've seen out there by far.



4. A few years ago, on a whim, I decided to start drawing. I didn't know where to begin so I bought this book. I really believed I couldn't draw. The techniques in this book were so easy to learn that soon I went from drawing stick figures to expressive cartoon characters. My confidence went up and I took on more complicated projects. Now, I work part-time doing illustrations and it all started here!



5. This is an excellent book for any beginning artist or anyone else wanting to learn cartooning. Chris Hart publishes some of the best books on art that I've ever seen. This book gives good details on drawing that is easy to follow and understand. All in all, this is one book that should be in every artist's library.

3 comments about Pheromone: The Insect Artwork of Christopher Marley.

1. The most beautiful book I have ever seen. I enjoy turning a page and viewing that lovely sight through the day. The next day another page is consumed with delight. LOVE IT!



2. This book is above and beyond what I expected. I have admired Christopher's work at a local gallery for years and was excited when a book was published with his art.
   I find I come back to the book almost every day.
   The amazing quality pictures are engaging and colorful. The artist's dialog about both his history and the insects he uses is very informative about his art.
   Well worth the money. A must have for artist, fine art lovers, and insect enthusiasts.



3. Christopher Marley's very unique, and modern art is beautifully captured in this one of a kind book. The colorful images seem to leap from the page, leaving you awe-struck at every turn. Each and every picture is truly a feast for the eyes. Pure nature has never been captured in such a captivating and inspired way, clearly the eye of a true artist. The author's interesting biography is also recounted, revealing his incredible, albeit somewhat strange, transition from a phobic, to a lover of insects and their uncultivated and distinct beauty.
   Altogether "Pheromone" is a great read, a wonderful conversational peice for around the home, and just simply wonderful to look at.

5 comments about Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained.

1. I always used to think: "Why do other people stare at those paintings? Why is painting X considered more special than painting Y". This is the book which completely opened me up to paintings and gave me a solid footed approach towards looking at them. I now know what paintings were drawn in what generation, what the masters of those generation did and why those paintings are so great. The book dwells in the minutiae as well as the overall painting. I totally love this book. I study one painting a day - it makes my day!



2. This was a great book to just leave around the house, pick up whenever and learn a factoid or two about great works of art. The details given here are varied, from both historical and artistic perspectives. And the selection of art chosen was good as well.



3. This is an excellent book that can be used to teach art history, art appreciation or an introduction to art. The photos of the artwork are excellent and there are a vast array of subjects covered.



4. This is a fine book for the novice who wants a quick review of what the paintings are about, some of the symbols that the masters have suppied for the deeper meanings, and a little about the masters themselves.



5. This is a great book to use as a self-study course for art appreciation, to improve your knowledge of great artists or to study for a game show appearance. Each artist is represented by one painting which is then described (techniques, subject matter, history) in detail. For example you will learn all about Rembrant's Balshazzar's Feast. The story behind the painting, the meaning of "handwriting on the wall", the hebrew expression that is written, the people present in the painting (Rembrant's wife), you also get a short bit about each artist's life. I read the book cover to cover and learned so much. I have made it a goal to see as many of the painting as I can in each museum. Other members of my family have also enjoyed reading pages of the book. I first read this book as a library copy, but bought it to read, reread and share. I strongly recommend this as a book to someone who is into self improvement, or wants to learn about art for an appearance on Jeopardy!

5 comments about The Power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, Art, and Architecture (Shambhala Pocket Classics).

1. Bought 2, one to replace a book I had given away, and one to give as a gift. I like this book.



2. I love this book. I am a visual artist and this book is really helpful for developing the imagery that I like to use.



3. Looking for a comprehensive source to learn more about the Golden Rectangle, a friend loaned me a copy of this book. Of the sources that I examined, The Power of Limits offers the best treatment and explanations of the many examples of Phi in architecture over more than 5,000 years, the application of the proportions in virtually any construct, and the astonishing variety of occurrences in nature. I ordered my own copy. I highly recommend it to the serious researcher and to the casually curious alike.



4. This is a stunning book -- absolutely essential for artists who need to understand why proportion is so important.



5. This book is about recognizing very basic patterns in nature (anatomy of humans and animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.), universe,arts, crafts, architecture, music,writing, rhythm in poetry.Diverse cultures are covered.The preview of this book can give you quite a good idea how its looks like and how its logic is developed.This is not a book on composition, dealing with design principles teaching how to balance your composition using those principles, if you are in creative profession.
   
   This book is not dealing as much in depth with composition from the view point of art history, although touches it, but it takes a wider, more holistic approach.(You will not find for ex. the analisis how triangles and diagonal lines were applied in composition in order to create harmony in paintings).Historical references range from neolithic times, through antiquity, Renaissance.For ex. the author deals with such universal symbol as pentagram, but not as much from the view point of iconography: it is more about harmonics in a more Pythagorean way, and it is mentioned that this symbol is meanignfull still today , which allows the pentagram to be classified among Jungian archetypes. Or the author touches sightly on the view of unity and harmony laws among Maoris (mana and tapu), American Indians,Minoan art and architecture expressed in its spiral patterns (mother earth symbols, mother and child, symbols of re-emergence, labyrinth). You get the idea.
   
   I think this book can be of great interest to many people who are interested in patterns and proportions: mathematicians, specially if you are into fractal geometry, artists, art historians, architects, craft people, musicians, dancers, scientists, or if you have deeper interest in those areas.The book is loaded with illustrations, diagrams, and photos (black and white). I highly recommend this book. (Specially if you liked Goedel, Escher, Bach:an Eternal Golden Braid, and forgive me the alterantive spelling in Goedel's name, can't find umlaut on my keyboard).

1 comments about The Field of Cultural Production.

1. Bourdieu's analyses of class, taste and culture are seminal and serve as a framework for deeper examination of the embeddedness of class structure in the choices of individuals.

No comments about Dos Tarino: The Latest Art by Ashley Wood.

No comments about The Upset: Young Contemporary Art.

5 comments about Shoes: A Celebration of Pumps, Sandals, Slippers & More.

1. I bought this as a gift for someone else but had to wait and give it to her after I read it. I originally bought it as a gag gift because the recipient loves shoes, but the book is really very informative and has some great pictures. It was interesting to see what some women will endure in the name of fashion.



2. What a cute little book. I received it as a gift and it was full of informative details and beautiful photographs of shoes from the old to the new. I loved this book.



3. I bought the book for my mother-in-law, but as I flipped through it, I wished I had gotten a copy for myself. Now I'm actually looking forward to visiting my mother-in-law so I can flip through the book. (heh heh)



4. very fun gift for the shoe -lover. Some content, some varying photos that are fun to look at and browse through.



5. Got my shoe junkie wife a picture book fix. Saving me money? Not sure yet!
   
   The book seems nice though; take that with a grain of salt. This is a husband who owns 4 pairs of shoes.