5 comments about The Art of Looking Sideways.

1. An amazing effort creating an amazing result.
   One of the most remarkable collection of concepts, ideas and observations.
   
   Never fails to nudge the creative mind our of a slump.



2. The product was shipped the next day and got to me quickly. The book is awesome and was in perfect condition when I got it. Thanks!



3. the book is big, heavy and has a confusing layout(page numbers refer to spreads, not individual pages) Some pages are printed with black type on darkblue or gray making them almost unreadable (including the index which also has numbers smaller than most eye charts.) There is no index and little way to get back to something you found before without post-its. Yet for all its drawbacks, it's a fascinating compendium of design ideas - ideas in general. Great price for this much imagery. And if one has even a bit of leisure to peruse books for what just might pop out, this would be a good one to have.



4. This book is a tour de force of creativity and it is suitable for everyone, not just graphic designers. Each page is so thick and rich that you shouldn't browse through it. I highly recommend you limit yourself to 1 page a day so you can absorb and digest what it contains. It is a stunning whack of creativity that you need to take slowly. Over time this book will help you to see and to think in different ways and with significantly more "creativity".
   
   If you consider yourself to be a creative person you absolutely, positively, have to get this book. It will change you.



5. All the scraps of thoughts, quotes, illustrations, art, and scientific insights all blend into a very nice amalgam of a book. I didn't read it from cover to cover, but rather opened up somewhere random and read different pieces. The randomness of all the inspirational thoughts allows for this type of reading - I think it actually makes the book even better. It almost works as the mind itself: getting bits and pieces of information to juggle with really gets your creative juices flowing.
   A must have, and must-random-read, for everyone in the creative industries and arts sector. Not sure about what other people should do with it.

5 comments about Bold Visions: A Digital Painting Bible.

1. "Bold Visions" shows some intermediate to more advanced methods on how to create eye-catching works of concept art. If you are pretty familiar with the workings of Photoshop, there may be very little here you may not know. But still the book does offer some insights and ideas. I wish there were more fleshed out step-by-step demonstrations instead of just highlights, even an accompanying CD would be great.



2. im just gettin started into the concept art kind of stuff... i love all the imagery here and the helpful hints and tips for getting from rough sketch through to finished concept.
   
   great book!



3. This book is so beautiful that I chastised myself for getting finger prints on the pages, which I'm afraid is hard not to do. The images in this book alone are worth the price, but the author's walk through of each painting makes it priceless.
   
   A quick note, this book isn't for beginners (not that it claims to be). It goes over some basics of how to paint in Photoshop. Unfortunately, there's an artistic jump from the basics that are covered, to the paintings that are presented later in the book.
   
   Again, the book doesn't claim to be for beginners, but as a beginner myself, I appreciate the topics covered and, once I advance enough to be able to draw from my imagination, as opposed to only what I can see, I will refer to this book often. Until then, the images within will serve as great inspiration and a benchmark to aim for.



4. This book not only showcases beautiful and inspiring works of art, it provides advice and guidelines for artists hoping to develop their talents further. Be aware that the book does NOT provide step-by-step instructions, lists of tools, etc. on how each piece is done; that's to its credit. Rarely do artists do things in the exact same way. Gary Tonge simply presents his work and explains the concepts and processes that went into it. There are some examples of composition provided, although not with concrete rules, and an explanation of how light diffuses in some of his pieces, as well as sections on the importance of color, scale, perspective, and texures. This is not a rulebook or a stiff outline of steps. This is a guidebook. It offers suggestions and leaves the interpretation up to the reader. If you want a step-by-step tutorial, this is not for you. If you want inspiration and an understanding of what makes Tonge's art so dynamic, it's an invaluable text regardless of your choice of medium.



5. The author speaks in GENERAL TERMS when explaining his process for the 'start to finish' of particular projects. It is NOT a step by step guide if that's what you are looking for. You can still pick up some interesting ideas for starting a project of your own.

5 comments about Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things.

1. I really like this topic, but i found the book a little hard to read because some parts can be boring.
   
   It's a good book



2. I really enjoyed the first part of the book. It is a good read as the Design of everyday things was (which is a must), with great examples and stories.
   
   The concepts in this book are quite simple and the book becomes a bit repetitive after a while. Having said that, I would recommend the book if you are a designer or if you closely work with designers.
   
   (The last quarter of the book is about emotional machines and robots and less about design. These I simply skipped.)



3. What can I say... It's a superbly written book. Complete. I couldnt stop reading it once I began. Helped me out a lot in my work. (interaction design)



4. In "Emotional Design" cognitive psychologist Donald Norman provides an answer to his earlier 1980s book "The Design of Everyday Things," in which he focused exclusively on the primacy of functionalism and usability in product design. Here Norman updates his argument, addressing emotion as an equally important quality of meaningful and effective design. In fact, Norman now argues that the emotional side of design may be more critical to a product's success than its practical (or cognitive) elements. He outlines three different elements that come to play in all design (with emotion and cognition interacting at each level): visceral (an immediate reaction based on appearance), behavioral (a relationship based on pleasure/effectiveness with repeated interaction), and reflective (the contemplative side based on interpretation/intellectualization). By analyzing such topics as souvenir significance, emotional branding, iterative product testing, customer service, anthropomorphism, and even robot ethics, Norman establishes that fun, seduction, and fulfillment should be seriously considered in user-oriented design to produce objects that are more than just possessions. The book is extremely accessible and would be useful to anyone interested in human-object interaction, design thinking, product marketing, and even design ethics.



5. Don Norman with this books exposes a review based on how products can make us feel better, and how they can influence our daily life in different contexts of use. If you're lookin' for a tutorial about "how make an emotional product", this is not the choice. Nevertheless, you'll never find it eather. Norman only puts a name to a phenomenon that already exists, but in a entertaining way that offer to the reader a new form to understand the design of products. It is worth it to read this, absolutely recommended.

5 comments about 100 Years of Fashion Illustration.

1. It needed more coverage on Italian Moda.
   But the whole expose is great.
   I would recommend it.
   Great approach to the new and the classic.



2. As a lover of fashion illustration, with book shelves and file drawers filled to capacity, I highly recommend this book. I like the small size and the fact that it includes examples from all eras. My only complaint, and this may be a personal preference, is that there was not one example of the work of George Stavrinos, a masterful draftsman who did work for Bergdorf Goodman, The NY Times, Barney's and The NYC Opera in the 1980's. He died too young, but really deserves a book of his own.



3. Excellent visual paranoma of fashion with panache. Should please everybody. There is a nice touch of elegance to it and chich flaire. Nice to have it on the shelves or on your cafe table.



4. This book is an absolute dream come true for me. It has inspired me not only costume wise, but also decorating my new apartment. You just never know where inspiration can come from. I would not hesitate for one second to recommend this book. It's really beautifully done.



5. This is a great book for any illustrator to have, loaded thick with full color images. The illustrations are done in a wide variety of different styles, hours could be spent considering some of the images. If your interested in drawing people this is a good book to have on your shelf.

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!

5 comments about Mastering Composition: Techniques and Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Painting (Mastering (North Light Books)).

1. Artist and author Ian Roberts has given us a gem of a book with his recently published "Mastering Composition." This book is an outgrowth of two events in Roberts life. As a child, Canadian Roberts joined his dad and his dad's artist friends on an annual plein aire painting trip to the United States. At the end of each day, the painters discussed and criticized one another's work. Much of the discussion centered on composition - "foregrounds were too cluttered," what works for the eye in the painting, and what does not.
   
   Then, later, as a professional artist and teacher, he noticed that most of his students created paintings that were superficial and "looked like postcards." He decided to focus on getting his students to use their creative core and think "behind" the subject matter: "think first about shapes, their arrangement in the picture plane; and the visual flow being created in the painting."
   
   "Mastering Composition," according to Roberts, could have just as easily been titled, "Shapes, Shapes, and Shapes" with the subtitle, "Their arrangement, interaction, and flow on the picture plane."
   
   The book begins with an excellent discourse on what composition is and how one can use the book to grow as an artist. He is insistent on self-directed study which includes doing one composition (sketch) per day for one year. The book is very well written, includes practical rules to follow, and is illustrated with plenty of before and after demonstrations, as well as examples from Masters of the 19th and 20th Century.
   
   "Mastering Composition" is organized around six subjects: Armatures - how to arrange shapes and how to create coherent flow; Abstract Masses - how to think in value masses not in subjects; Color Shapes - how these are all that we really have to create meaning, how to understand them and use them effectively to express our creative core; Guiding the eye through a picture plane; Gallery of the Greats - 19th and 20th Century Masters; and, Your Artistic Voice.
   
   Ian Roberts is a great teacher and a great communicator of concepts. This book will provide valuable insights into the painting process and the creation of meaning from one's creative core. "Mastering Composition" is a must-have book for all painters.



2. Like many art books of this kind, the title overstates the content. The content is mostly a rehash of many other books on this topic, many of which I already own. Not a bad primer, and worth reading if you haven't already studied the basics of composition.



3. This is one of the stronger books on teaching the role of structure in images and building structure into one's painting. Anyone who introduces image structure by way of Charles Bouleau has a leg up in my estimation. Among painting instruction books that deal with composition, this is one definitely to add to one's reference shelf. And then borrow or ante up for Bouleau's book to see to what this author is referring.
   
   This book is strongest at showing that decisions about structure need to be taken early in the painting process and, subsequently, how the painter can manipulate contrast to support the structure. Photographers can learn a significant amount from this book, especially in the post-processing phases.
   
   The DVD is cleverly done and nicely imparts one lesson, that even slight changes in color anywhere in the image alter the contrasts in the image and either support or interfere with the artist's intentions.
   
   This book is not a comprehensive look at structure in images from a theoretical standpoint. The author often does not specify what type of contrast he is pointing out in an image. But what he does cover he does very well.
   
   This would be a good textbook with one of the few DVDs that actually does its job well. Many photographers would do well to own this book. Congratulations.



4. Mastering Composition: Techniques and Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Painting (Mastering (North Light Books))Originally recommended by an instructor, found the book an excellent research and teaching tool, especially for those who have difficulty with composition



5. This author/painter makes essential points for understanding painting composition, one of the budding artist's most allusive challenges.
   But what sets this book apart is its brilliant teaching methods. As an example, among several possible, is the DVD that accompanies the book, in which the author gives the reader a tour of paintings, showing in each what happens when he changes something. Thus the reader gets to see the effects of the changes, experiencing them in a hard-hitting way.
   If you're struggling with composition, this is a good book for you. If you know composition, it is still an excellent review.

5 comments about The New Creative Artist.

1. This book was recommended reading while I was on amazon buying another book.
   I would highly recommend it. I could not put it down till I have overviewed it all. Now back to chapter one and still on chapter one. It is full of good hints. Not only are there hints on how to unleach your inner artist but also basic psychology and philosophy read many times before ... and now hitting home. Jackie



2. If you want more creative starter ideas then you can handle this is the book for you. You won't need another idea book for sometime it is packed with ideas.



3. The New Creative Artist: A Guide To Developing Your Creative Spirit
   
   Here is another WOW spiral-bound book!!! It is full of COLOR,a lifetime of ideas, activities, and opportunities to s-t-r-e-t-c-h. The coverage of the Design Element is full: Line, Shape, Value, Color, Size, Pattern, Movement, Harmony, Contrast, Rhythm, Repetition, Gradation, Balance, Dominance, Format Options, Compositional Choices, Design Strategies, and touches on when to give the rules a rest. If that isn't enough, there's lots more! I especially look forward to working through the section: The Realism-Abstraction Connection during my next artistic transition. A beautiful book!
   
   Patricia Eastman



4. This book wasn't as good as "celebrating your creative self."
   
   It was a little wordy with inspirational messages. Not as much about technique and new ideas as I was hoping.



5. This book will get any creative body with a block back into their creative hobby. She gives so many great ideas, like that you should write down all the great creative ideas you think of and put them in to a jar. That way, whenever you can't think of something to get your creative juices flowing, just grab your jar and do whatever the piece of paper says!
   
   On a sidenote: I also love that the binding is ring - so that you can fold the book flat and not worry about pages closing on you when you are trying out something new - but that it is also protected by a larger cover so the ring binder doesn't fall apart like they usually do - THANK YOU PUBLISHER!
   
   Anyhow, great buy for any artist or artists' library - a book I will forever reference...I only wish that Leland explained more of the techniques behind rare art forms (but that would add a whole other book!).

5 comments about How to Write a Book Proposal.

1. Michael Larsen delivers a well thought out approach that is acutely adept in describing and understanding the new writers perspective and guides them safely into the labyrinth of working with publishers, agents and their requirements. He introduces the inductee to how the agent or publisher thinks since they are the ones that have to read and make decisions for hundreds of publications weekly. He educates the reader in writing a book proposal of the anticipated content so as to whoo the editor into seeing the meaning and readability of the new authors desire in a crisp clear written form. An excellent purchase for the serious writer who has a solid intention to get something published.



2. How to Write a Book Proposal is not all bad--I highlighted many sentences, and I did pick up some good tips. However, I felt like I was touring the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose--that 160-room mansion comprised of endless additions and oddities because the heiress compulsively felt that she had to keep the construction continuing. The book is in fact the 3rd edition, but some extra editing would have helped rather than just multiplying pet entries.
   
   Larsen might be able to write an irresistible proposal for himself, but he hasn't written an irresistible book. I wearied in reading countless times that I would have to have a marketing plan that would sweep the publisher off his or her feet, that I would have to obtain quotes and recommendations from famous people, and that I would have to promote endlessly on tours across the nation. Perhaps these are essential to getting published, but then I am left scratching my head in wonder as I look at all the mediocre material on the booksellers' shelves. Lots of people seem to have slipped through. And when I read his sample gems, I quickly grew bored.
   
   The main problem that I had with the book was that it felt like a hodgepodge of ideas that kept overlapping each other. I am a person who appreciates good organization and order. This book left me feeling that I would have to edit it first to then be able to use it.
   
   If you are a new (promising) writer prone to discouragement, I would not read this book. However, if you think writing would be a neat whim and easy, then you should read this book. You will throw up your hands in despair and save yourself and the publisher who might have to look at your material a lot of wasted effort.



3. This book is an excellent template on writing an effective book proposal. The book proposal is a vital component to getting published, and Larsen takes you step-by-step through the process, with great examples. And while I've written 7 nonfiction books with a successful track record, my publishers still require a proposal. This is a must-have resource for anyone serious about getting a book published.



4. This book provides a successful model of what literary agents and publishers are looking for in a book proposal. Although it is written for non-fiction, fiction authors will benefit tremendously from reading it. (Especially now, fiction has to have an engaging slam-dunk pitch.)
   
   I recommend all the writers I mentor to read this book!



5. This book is the best guide to writing a book proposal on the market. It has been updated since the first edition, and contains all the information a writer needs to write a marketable book proposal. I edit books for a living, and have recommended this book to prospective authors for years.

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.