5 comments about Art Forms in Nature: The Prints of Ernst Haeckel (Monographs).

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3G0SX0PAICYS7 Video shows the size of the book, flipping through a lot of the plates and rambling.



2. a brilliant draftsman and scientist, heackel shows us that the natural world is not only incredibly beautiful, but weirder than anything you can invent.
   there are larger and more expensive editions of this book to be had, as well as smaller and digital versions. the 12" x 9" dover edition folio is a nice reference size, well printed, colorful, and a great price.



3. The following is Amazon's description of this book:
   Paperback: 139 pages
   Publisher: Prestel Publishing (August 1998)
   Language: English
   ISBN-10: 3791319906
   ISBN-13: 978-3791319902
   Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches
   Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
   
   More than one customer review states that they received a book that is only 3 inches wide. I hesitate to buy this book since the info posted may be misleading.



4. This book is full of illustration of organisms you can find on nature.I repeat, it is not fantasy, these beautiful illustration are drawings of things that are right there, sometimes too small to see with the naked eye, in nature, and one can only awe at such beauty and design skills. Haeckel did a great job combining biology with art, and it shows on this book.
   
   A note of advise: these edition has color, the other one is black&white.



5. Amazing images of pollen spores, bats' faces, moths, diatoms, and more - drawn by the master. Ernst Haeckel's prints were a huge influence in the Art Nouveau movement, and the introduction to the book discusses that. Just absolutely brilliant - a surreal and gorgeous look at nature at every scale.

5 comments about Letterhead and Logo Design 9.

1. I bought this book for the letterhead samples as I recently purchases Tres Logos but after reviewing this book, I like the format examples and that they gave the name of the company and of the designers. This book definitely gave me inspiration, it is well organized and shows a wide variety. Only down fall for me was when they showed business cards they didn't always show the front and back. Usually just one side. I would recommend this book to anyone.



2. There is no doubt this book contains some beautiful and smart logos. I just wish more information would have been given about the clients. In fact, some of the best logos in the book are in the introduction, designed by the author, and here a very brief desciption of the client is given (such as "Logo to identify certified vegan foods"). But this stops once the heart of the book begins. To be fully appreciated, a logo needs to have context, and none is given in this book except for the client's name (such as "VIP Industries" - who?).
   Nevertheless, definitely worth buying.



3. I was hasty about getting this book vs. some of the newer logo books out there. I read all of these reviews and everyone keeps saying how it will stir up inspiration. I have to agree. I bought this in hopes that it would help inspire me for a logo project I was working on. Sure enough, it did. Regardless of being a little bit dated, it has a lot really interesting ideas.



4. I thumbed through and read this book in about an hour last night, and saw some annoying typos, so it seems the proofing stage might have been skipped... but regardless, I was inspired by what I saw in there, for sure, and can only hope and pray that I'm good enough to be in that book someday. (And by the way, if I ever get in, you are FREE to spell my name however you please.) ;) I'd recommend this book.



5. Great inspirational book. So many wonderful design that got me dizzy with a bit of envy. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Designing Design.

1. This title is exactly what you expect from the cover, it is absolutely amazing inside. Clean, conceptual work that ranges from product design to printing techniques. Its very Japanese aesthetics, the interiors are well designed and beautiful. This is a book that will inspire even the quiet.



2. Not only a beautiful book but also a great collection of images and essays, a strong contribution to the field of design literature.



3. The Book has a different approach when it comes to design, and its not the mere use of the banal connotation that design has become, but the art of designing and undertaking projects with special sensibility which is explained in its pages. The author shows through different examples of his work, when designing how he engage his projects in a more significant way. Simplicity and common sense.
   The eastern perspective and its way of life is strongly reflected in a very palpable philosophy which is the guideline throughout the book. Truly special lecture.



4. DESIGNING DESIGN is quite possibly the most beautiful book on design ever published. Not only is the content illuminating and intelligent, allowing the world to gain an appreciation for one of the truly unique voices in the design field - that voice being the Japanese master Kenya Hara - but also in keeping with the subject, the book itself is a paramount of elegance, simplicity and superb creative force. This is a white book, a volume of information and illustration that embraces the purity of white as the matrix upon which everything blossoms and emerges.
   
   In an introductory essay by John Maeda the author states `Kenya Hara is a complex man. He views the world through his many lenses of seeing, tasting, smelling, erasing, evaporating, and all the forms of construction and deconstruction.' And after those appropriate words this pristine book opens into the genius that is Kenya Hara. `Verbalizing design is another act of design....To understand something is not to be able to define it or describe it. Instead, taking something that we think we already know and making it unknown thrills us afresh with its reality and deepens our understanding of it.' What follows on the pages are images of page design, paper, bowls of white cabbage leaves, signs, images of Swatch watches that come down through projected air onto any surface presented, unique signage for public spaces, soft ice cream shapes, furniture, spaces, lamps, posters - any object that requires rendering is treated and discussed in concept and philosophy by a man of great wisdom as well as endless creativity. The illustrations accompanying the text are clean and as well placed on the page as any creation by Hara. This is a seemingly endless array of fascinating subjects.
   
   For the non-designer reader, the reader fortunate enough to open this book without the prejudice of traditional design information, this text contains powerful philosophical concepts. `The human brain likes anything that entails a great deal of information. Its extensive capacity waits eagerly to perceive the world by completely exhausting its great receptive powers. That potential power, though, remains today in a state of extreme constriction and is a source of the information stress we're all under.' Hara approaches this conundrum by dividing his book into sections that approach answers to these problems: RE-DESIGN, HAPTIC (Awakening the Senses), SENSEWARE, WHITE, MUJI (Nothing, yet Everything), VIEWING THE WORLD FROM THE TIP OF ASIA, EXFORMATION (Rivers, Resorts), and finally WHAT IS DESIGN? This book is meant to be absorbed slowly, portion by portion, and then to be read again once the reader understands Hara's contributions - quiet yet majestic though they be. The text reads very well (thanks to the superb translation efforts by Maggie Kinser Hohle and Yukiko Naito) and while the information is complex, the writing style is comfortably conversational.
   
   This is an important book on many levels and should be required reading for all students of design, practitioners of design, and for everyone whose eyes are influenced by astute observation. Brilliant! Grady Harp, December 07



5. A plain white cover with some black text in Helvetica. That's the dust jacket cover of a design book? If I'd judged the book solely by the cover I would have missed what is actually a quite unique and wonderful book about design.
   
   The cloth-bound cover itself is also all type, but now white type embossed into a white cover--not the most readable (though you can read it) but in a way the essence of this book--minimal, elegant, playful, clever and thought-provoking.
   
   This understated and often witty approach is a refreshing antidote to the frantic overkill that constitutes much of the commercial design we're bombarded hundreds of times a day.
   
   Like the cover, the text can be mysterious. When I first read the preface I balked. But I was intrigued and read it again and this time, it was surprising and beautiful.
   
   "To understand something is not to be able to define it or describe it. Instead, taking something that we think we know already and making it unknown thrills us afresh with its reality and deepens our understanding." It's almost as if he's talking about a Claes Oldenburg sculpture which takes a common object and shows it to us in a gigantic size that makes us see it in a new light--yet the designs and ideas featured in the book give us this new perspective right on a printed page.
   
   You're not going to see innovative typography in this book (though the book itself is beautifully designed, typeset and produced). But you are going to see stunningly understated photography and a Japanese approach to design that can be an inspiration everywhere in the world.

2 comments about Structura: The Art of Sparth.

1. I've been a huge fan of Sparth's work for years and have awaited the arrival of this book for almost as long. Sparth's work is warm and highly creative and his influence over a generation of digital fantasy artists is only beginning to be seen as his style is frequently imitated. It's certainly a great book and a must-own, especially for a concept art book at this price.
   
   My only disappointment is is the format size (which is why I still give this 5 stars, as I don't think this is the fault of the artist). These works deserve a much larger format than the medium/smallish 9 x 9 inches. Also, and this probably has more to do with who owns the image licenses than anything, there is a bit of "sameness", a slight lack of variety, about some of the work that's not apparent when viewing his website.
   
   Still, a great book by any standard and an essential addition to any fantasy/sci-fi/art lover's book collection.



2. Sparth brings a humanity to concept art and design. At this price, everyone interested in Movie and Games production should have this densely creative book in their library. The french designers are poignantly different from american designers, a gap which I appreciate and honor.
   
   The work shown in this volume is mostly painted environments and vehicles. A couple pages of charcoal sketches and some plein-air digital work. It also has a good amount of robots and characters.

5 comments about Drawing and Designing with Confidence: A Step-by-Step Guide.

1. this book has nothing to show for designing principles at all it mostly or complety center itself with the graphical presentation of a theme, more usefull for a first year architectural student that hasnt yet started in the graphical expression portion of his academic pensum but for someone with more than a year of study has little or nothing to contribute.



2. Mike Lin is considered the master by many on this topic. I refer back to his work many times. I would consider purchasing a supplementary "how-to" book (e.g. Grant Reid's Landscape Graphics) which describes process in a little more detail.
   
   Enjoy.



3. If you are buying this book because it is required text for his talk, do yourself a BIG service and get your refund, immediately. He promises to deliver how to teach you graphics in 7 or 12 days, depending on location, and he WILL NOT deliver! He takes your money, teaches, perhaps, what equates to two days of real teaching and continously tells you how privileged you are to learn these things from him. The remaining time is spent on his non-stop blathering about non-related ideas like his philosophy, websites (like myspace,etc), his house, etc., etc. I never knew any one person could talk SO much about nothing. He opens with 3 hours of lecture about not complaining about anything (by that I can only assume he has had many unhappy people in his past workshops). If you complain about his content, he threatens not to teach you anything. He calls that being a negative person. He wastes your valuable time and your hard earned money. BE FOREWARNED!



4. You have to put in some time but this book gives you all the tools you need to draw well. I can already see my progress after a few hours. Highly recommend this book.



5. The book has alot of great art work and teaches some inetersting points but unless you already an acomplished artist, this book will bore you,over whlem you, and mabe even discourage you.
   
   I didn't feel the confidence the books title said it would give. Mabe I will reread it when I have the confidence in my art work to understand what the book is talking about.
   
   Its not that its a bad book, its just filled with alot of bla bla bla and not enough instruction-

5 comments about Hawthorne on Painting.

1. Hawthorne on Painting was the most recommended book by master artist and teacher Sergei Bongart and, like most of his other students, I make it required reading for artists studying with me. The essential truths within are clear, even without pictures, and you'll find yourself reading and re-reading the rich, pithy text. A plein air painter cannot do without its information and inspiration!
   
   Also of interest to artists...
   Sergei Bongart
   Sergei Bongart - Profiles in American Art ** RARE SIGNED LIMITED EDITION **
   Eight Russian-American Artists [Exhibition, Newman & Saunders Galleries, Sept. 17 - Oct. 15, 1983]
   Wm. F. Reese



2. How good could be an advice or critic if you dont see the pictures that goes
   along with it. I did appreciate the reading of this book, but I'd say half of
   it is wasted due to the fact that there is no artwork to base judgement for
   yourself and understand the views of Mr. Hawthorne.



3. The material covered is good, but I liked the book Henche on Painting better. No color images.



4. It's a good to hear the comments from this wonderful artist expressing what makes an artist. The books modest cost is worth it, just to feel how he processes the visual world. His constructive reviews of students is enlightening. What I really missed was pictures of the works he is reviewing. The book is devoid of any pictures. You have to visualize what he is talking about. I really wanted to "see" what he was seeing.



5. This is one of the classics on painting. Every artist should add this to thier libary. It is a small book full of treasured insights for painting.
   
   Hawthorne's book is one I turn to when I am stuck in a painting. I read through the information that is given and see which one applies to my work. It is often just what I need to have a fresh eye. This is a great book for the novice or professional.

5 comments about The New Acrylics: Complete Guide to the New Generation of Acrylic Paints.

1. This book is a top-pro product. Its pictures inside are well enough to be a piece of art. Very useful, helpful, and instructive.



2. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I've already used many of the new techniques and loved the results. Some of the products needed for the techniques in this book can be hard to come by in stores, so I'm having to order online. It is a very new approach to acrylics that open up a new world! I think this is a must have. It also teaches you things about new products that are really great that I cant wait to use. It is worth every penny. And the book isn't one of those art books that is dry and or thinks you are stupid. It covers what you need to know quickly and with interesting information. It has many many many pictures. Covers techniques, new materials, and much more. again get this book!



3. This is an easy to follow guide to acrylic paints, mediums and techniques. It cleared up so much confusion I had about mediums, gels, pastes, glazes and finishes. And it's beautifully illustrated with great color photos that I found to be extremely inspirational. I can't wait to get started practicing some of these techniques in my paintings and mixed media pieces.



4. This is comprehensive - and beautiful to look at. The best acrylics book I have found. I also have "Acrylic Revolution", (also fabulous). But this book has the edge in as much as it is not focused on a particular brand of acrylics. That said I would recommend owning both!



5. I borrowed this book at library thinking it would tell me how to mix my acrylic colors, how to do underpainting, etc. However it is totally a technical book on how acrylic paints are made and such, not useful to a person wanting to just learn to paint pictures! I also tried the book "Acrylic Revolution" which was interesting if I wanted dozens of different ways to use acrylics other than painting a picture--returned that book. Still looking, am open to suggestions.

5 comments about Kaleidoscope: Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity.

1. With a variety of contributors, this creativity book is exciting and interesting, and it's lots of fun to read. Reading this is a great way to prompt yourself into your own creative world. There are a plethora of great ideas, advice and projects that will get your mind stirring.
   
   I bought this because I wanted to learn more about collage/mixed media type art. This is a perfect resource for that(collage/mixed media art), or any type of art your interested in because it covers a broad range of subjects to stimulate and inspire your creativity.
   
   I loved the article on Frida Kahlo, whom I hadn't heard of before, and am now reading one of the best biographies I've ever come across -thanks to this book.
   
   I SO highly recommend this book!



2. I know it sounds odd,but I guess that pretty much sums up this book. With it's extremely eye-catching cover and pages,it is inspiring in it's own "Thinking Outside The Box" way.Also,the articles by various artists are as interesting and,at times,as off-beat as the book itself. If you are looking for a Collage/Assemblage book that has a more straight-forward approach to work in this medium,I wouldn't suggest this book. However, if you own or have read ones about this subject and want something different,then give this one a look..



3. I wanted to buy this book for a while, and finally I was able to as part of my research for a writing class I was taking this summer. Don't wait for an excuse to buy it like I did. If you are thinking about purchasing this book just do it. It is beautiful and loaded with wonderful ideas and inspirations. Whether you are an artist or just a wanna be, you will find something in it that inspires you. I am sure it will serve me well for years to come. I can't wait to find time to use it now.



4. Yes the book is very visual and nice to look at. That's why it gets two stars. Took me about 5 minutes to leaf through as I'm not interested in personal stories, just interesting techniques, which I didn't find. North Light books seems to produce a lot of these, as I "read" another one that was the same situation (5 minute flip-through).
   
   If you want to read someone else's personal journal about their art, while they showcase their art and journaling, intermingled with maybe 10 pages of actual how-to, then this is your book. If you are serious about learning mixed-media collage, try The Crafter's Complete Guide to Collage by Amanda Pearce. I just finished that one and it's discusses everything from supports to materials in a well-presented manner.



5. I absolutely love this book! While a lot of books just tell you steps (which isn't bad), this one really sparks the imagination. It is my go-to book when I am looking for something to inspire me. Suzanne's writing flows easily, and each vignette gives you an idea of something new to inspire or try.
   From the beautiful art work that permeates the pages, to the ideas to experiment with that will enhance or expand your creative juices, this book overflows with luscious things. It's like your battery has gotten jump-started! Whether you have wanted to try calligraphy/lettering, journaling, mail art, or something else, there is something here to tickle your fancy.

2 comments about New on the Job: A School Library Media Specialists's Guide to Success.

1. I actually refer all new media specialists to this book. It is easy to read and you will catch yourself agreeing with much of what the author has to say. I found it very helpful during my first year as a media specialist and recommend it to everyone I know!



2. Library media consultants Ruth Toor and Hilda K. Weisburg present New on the Job: A School Library Media Specialist's Guide to Success, a compendium of tips, tricks, and techniques drawn from experience, gathered and presented for school librarians in general and school library media specialists in particular. Chapters cover how to secure a job, connecting with students and teachers, dealing with advances in technology, career ethics and standards, and much more. Written in plain terms, with numerous "write your answer in the blank" questions for personal insight (such as, "What is the procedure for opening blocked websites? Who has the authority to do so?" with a blank underneath so one can learn the answer and write it down for quick reference later). A "Key Ideas" summary reinforces the lessons of each chapter, in this enthusiastically recommended supplementary resource for library media specialists, sure to prove useful to veterans in addition to its target audience of career beginners.

5 comments about Drawing From Life: The Journal as Art.

1. I love this book, and it repeatedly finds its way into my bag to be taken out and thumbed through on the bus, on vacation, at work during breaks or while I am on the couch during those rare few minutes of "me-time". It takes the idea of "journal" and makes it multi-faceted. You see the artistic side of journaling of course, but the author proposes the idea that a scientific journal or furniture designer sketchbook is just as artistic as the watercolor journal. It really takes away the fear that just because you can't draw or have no idea how to collage you can't create a meaningful journal.
   This isn't a "how-to", it's a "just-is". If you are looking for a book to teach you visual journaling techniques, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you like to see how others journal in a way that fits their lives, you will enjoy this book.



2. I really like this book and it is one of my favorites, one I will return to again and again when I need a little creativity kick start.
   As a mixed media artist who writes/draws in a journal daily, I really enjoy getting a peek at what other people are doing in their journals and how they work things out on paper,what inspires them or drives them as the case may be.
   If you are looking for a "how to" book then this is not the book for you, there are plenty of fine books in that specific area of interest.
   I like it because it is unique and real,not trendy or cute, or edgy, it's just a wonderful compilation of other people's journal pages.



3. "The impulse to record our daily lives on paper is nothing if not universal." This quote is on the back cover of Drawing from Life. We aren't told who said it but the idea doesn't suffer for the lack. Teacher/author Jennifer New has compiled an exceedingly rich volume of journal pages and managed to include something that will appeal to everyone.
   
   My particular favorite piece of Drawing from Life is the fourth chapter -"Creation." Architect Steven Holl refers to the sketches and paintings that litter his twenty years of journaling as "seed-germs" Filmmaker Mike Figgis says of his diary, "It's the only truly frank conversation I can ever have." The most relevant message for me, however, originated in a lecture by poststructuralist John Dewey who argued that, "the value of art is not as a relic, a museum piece to be admired from afar, but as an aesthetic experience."(152). I emphasize this quote because it seems the most powerful part of the idea. Art should have a "verb" identity. Rather than embodying the passivity of a noun, art demands action. There isn't a way to avoid interaction with it - no matter your like or dislike of the piece you are observing. That this observation changes the observer is a critical point and can be pushed farther, as social psychologists have done, by insisting that observation changes the observed as well. The significance and meaning of a piece is transformed by every person who sees it; it's voice is strengthened, weakened, done away with, glorified, altered irreparably in a kind of mobius strip of creation. All these changes create changes in a timeless loop of inquiry and understanding and thereby creating past, present and future lives for the artwork. Figgis and Holl's comments on journaling reveal the kinesiological mechanisms of art - the creative movement of body, mind and spirit from which it springs.
   
   I don't know if there is an innate compulsion to record our lives. I don't think its outside the realm of possibility but I have to wonder whether it's the journal or the subsequent creation of witnesses to our lives that matters most to us. I don't think everyone chooses words as a tool for documenting their existence and I don't believe that everyone who wants to do so leaves behind a material representation of their lives. Those who do, however, probably find that having a witness to their lives provides a more tangible rest at the end of things. Jennifer New has produced a book filled with pages of beauty and experience and we, as readers and artists, are allowed to witness art as verb through different eyes.



4. I saw this book in a local bookstore and knew I had to have it- I found it here on Amazon for much cheaper. I love the illustrations and variety of styles represented. As a high school art teacher, I occasionally use this book to help students spark ideas for their personal art journals. Great book for anyone seeking visual inspiration.



5. I am a visual artist and have always been fascinated with the concept of journaling. This book helped me understand that there's no wrong way to keep a journal (for those of you who tend to think your journal isn't as interesting as other peoples, or that you're "not doing it right", this book is a confidence booster). Journaling is often personal and it's easy to feel self conscious of ones journal while in a vacuum; going through this book and seeing the stories and examples of total strangers helped me not be so critical of myself. I very much enjoyed the examples of each persons journal, especially the handwritten ones; the image quality was so good you could read the entries clearly. It's fun looking through other peoples journals, but confusing if you don't have the person there to explain things...this book includes how the journal writer works, why they do it, and how it has benefited other aspects of their career and/or life.
   
   I was impressed that the majority of the people featured in the book weren't career artists; some were naturalists, psychiatrists, mothers, and college students (to name a few). I liked that there was a wide spectrum of individuals featured in the book.
   
   It also shows that there are a variety of ways to keep a journal and that it doesn't always have to be a "Dear Diary" kind of scenario. It was also interesting to see what people used for journals and how they incorporated other media such as collage, digital photography, etc. or how journaling led to other forms of creation.
   
   As other reviewers have mentioned this is not a book of journaling techniques. However, I found it inspiring to see the different kinds of journals people keep and it's given me ideas of my own to run with.