5 comments about Drawing with Children.

1. Hi, when I went through this book I was excited with it. It really teaches theory and gives great lessons to develop your skills. If I was using it to teach my own children or just one or two kids at a time I think it would be great. But it seems to need a lot of one on one time with the child, or at least several more sessions than I had available for my class.
   Be aware that this book requires a lot of preparation (in my opinion)to be able to sit down and teach a child even if you only have one or two children. This is a great book if you have the time to first teach yourself, then you will be prepared to teach children.



2. I am a new Porcelain painter and wanted to develop the skill of drawing my own subjects instead of tracing them on my china.
   I have enjoyed learning the history of this program, the drawing tips and lessons.
   The book is well written and easy to understand and is just as helpful for an adult as a child.
   
   I am looking forward to purchasing the next book,"Drawing With Teenagers."
   
   Kelda



3. This book captures wonderfully the spirit of art instruction: a simple method + supportive non-judgmental attitude + respect and encouragement of individual creative expression.
   
   I must note that this is a guide for self-exploration, learning and growth rather than a step-by-step instruction manual for mastering a skill. If you are interested in the latter, you should rather get the "Draw Write Now" or related books.



4. My stepmother taught me to draw with this book when I was 7 and now I'm using it with my homeschooling cirriculum for my kids. It's a terrific tool to de-mystify the artistic process and help find your own artistic voice. As an adult, I found the refresher course extremely useful. My 9 year old son, who is notoriously technical-minded, immediately understood the five families of shape and started breaking down the objects he saw into manageable mediums to put onto paper. He had been frustrated with his drawing until I found the copy I had used as a child and began using it in our curriculum.
   
   The best thing about the book is that it teaches you to accept your creative voice. Children's pictures are often primitive and they get frustrated that it isn't an exact copy, but (as the book states) if they really want it that perfect they could just take a picture. Their creative voice is what makes a drawing special, after all.
   
   I would definitely recommend this product and the use of resources like the addendum lesson plans here: http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/dwclp.htm



5. This book was very informative and useful in teaching a basic drawing class. I really liked the layout of the book, it was pretty cohesive.

5 comments about Wall and Piece.

1. there isn't much to read. the art speaks for itself.
   6 sections to this book:
   monkeys, cops, rats, cows, art, and street furniture.
   there are a few pages that contain several paragraphs of writing. banksy provides captions for maybe.. approximately half or less than half of his art. towards the back there's one page with "advice on painting with stencils". if you were looking for graffiti instruction, look elsewhere... unless you really want to look at that one page haha. some of his famous quotes are in there.
   what a funny guy. funny book. it was worth the money :)



2. Couldn't put it down. Images are mezmerizing. Everyone I show it to wants to buy it to. No profanity or sexually oriented photos make it a hip gift choice for young people.



3. Banksy is a great artist. This book is 240 pages of both his graffiti and his "gallery" or more "Piece" art. I think he is an innovator and inspiration to all artists. We could all learn something from Banksy. If you like this book you might also like some Shepard Fairey work. Also check out Banksy's website at http://www.Banksy.co.uk its really great.



4. If you haven't read or seen much from BANKSY - trust me, just buy the sweet book. Otherwise... make a quick stop at your favorite video search engine, type BANKSY and watch a documentary about the man...
   
   This is one of my favorite art books. Without a doubt.



5. This book is great. Page after page after page of stencils and stories. There are so many things to look at, it's well-organized, and includes a little something to read on almost every page. Some of the things in this book made me laugh, and other pages really made me think about the world I live in. I guess that's the point.
   
   If you want to get into stencil painting, this book will open your eyes and give you lots to think about.

5 comments about Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium.

1. I'm a student and need specific, detailed instruction on acrylic painting techniques, and this book provides them. A friend -- an established artist -- recommended this book to me, and she wasn't wrong.



2. I bought this book thinking, "Yeah, right, like I need to see another tips book that tells me not to eat paint." In other words I didn't think there would be one page worth reading. But I tell the world right now there is enough in this book to keep me busy exploring and experimenting for a year or more!
   Also, I want to praise who ever made the decision about the binding on this book! This book lays open flat in the studio -- no more struggle! I think all art books of this type should be bound in a similar fashion!
   
   If I am ever locked in my studio -- "by accident" -- I will be busy and content even if my jailers forget to slide food in under the door! Great book! A feast!



3. What a wonderful book. So many new ways to use acrylic paints with easy to follow step by step instructions for the new and accomplished artist. Not just a book about painting but about clever and often surprising things to do with acrylic paints. You will never be bored!!



4. Great! Was a gift for my Father who just took up painting at the age of 74. He loves it!



5. I bought it last week and it can totally be called a reference for you to deal with mixed-media acrylic painting techniques. The only lack of it is that the author does not deal with paintings made by more than one specific technique.
   By the way, is it a necessity? :))

5 comments about How to Draw What You See (Practical Art Books).

1. This book was purchased for an out of state school. It was delivered but I have no idea how good it is.



2. This is another excellet guide that I added to my reference bookshelf when taking up drawing at a late age. It is good to read through once, then return to review specific chapters when you are working on projects. At least, this is the way I use it. I would rather not follow an approach step-by-step .. but rather get a good notion on how to get started and go from there.
   
   But, this book helps and supports this approach greatly.
   
   Leon



3. I have owned this book for 10 years. My children and I all learned the basics of drawing from this book. I was so excited when I followed the steps and was able to draw a realistic face! I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn drawing.
   Cyndi Martinez



4. I am an artist and I also teach drawing. I find this book very informative. I teach the basics in pencil drawing and this book shows wonderful demonestrations. Since the authur was an art teacher it's written for class room or individual use. The book's first printing was 1970 and is still well used from what I've read. I highly recommend this book for all art students. My students enjoy what I bring to the classroom from this book.



5. This book is not for novice artists. I'm a Middle School art teacher and was looking for some new ways to TEACH drawing. I have "Drawing on the right side of the brain" and use many of the exercises in it with my students. This book doesn't even come close in my opinion. I didn't take anything from it that I could remotely use in the classroom. Reminded me of my college level drawing classes with professors that just threw a bunch of concepts out without *teaching* how to actually DO.

5 comments about Fingerprint: The Art of Using Hand-Made Elements in Graphic Design.

1. I bought this book as a gift for someone else, but after seeing it in person I'm thinking of buying it for myself! It is a beautiful book!



2. When relying on a computer all day, this book lets you return to how it all began. Get creative! Draw, doodle, color, cut, create and interpret this into your latest computer-aided design.



3. This is a fantastic resource filled with great examples of handmade design masterpieces. There are a few sections of illustrations that are already starting to look very dated, but a lot of the featured designs are timeless in their inginuity and beauty.
   
   Whether you are already using hand-made techniques in your work, or you are searching for some inspiration on how you can get a more hands-on tactile feel with your designs in this age of InDesign, Photoshop and stock graphics, this book is great.



4. If you love handmade and mixed media this book is for you. It is an inspirational collection of graphic design with a handmade look, very creative.



5. This is such a lovely book! Nice layout, easy to follow. Full of fantastic examples.

5 comments about Keys to Drawing.

1. Over the last six month I have been buying a number of instructional book on drawing/sketching for reference. I have found this one to be one that I continue to go back to to review approaches to getting started. I would recommend it as a good guide for a beginner -- either to drawing or to starting with charcoal and graphite.
   
   Leon



2. i like the philosophy of this book..not only concentrating on technical details, which is boring for someone like me who only takes drawing as a hobby. also, this book is not too general. there is some essential points stated in each chapter, with fun 'project' accompanied, to provide concrete example and opportunity to practice. quite good!



3. Although the artwork in the book varies in beauty, the teaching is superb. And that, after all, is the most important thing. I've been drawing for nearly half a century, but these keys have pushed my drawing to an entirely new level. How these little secrets evaded me for so long is mysterious! Pity I didn't have this book when I was a kid. My life might have been very different.



4. I am an artist who allowed herself to put the responsibilities of life before her passion. I have been trying to rekindle my passion for drawing and painting after twenty years of " I'll make time tomorrow" excuses. I originally began drawing as a small child and fine tuned my skills in school with an instructor who used the Betty Edwards approach, so i tried using her books to "get back into art". Well, i love her approach, but the scientific instruction of how and why to draw are interesting, but reading about all that takes time away from what makes great art- simply just doing it. Keys to drawing was exactly the kick in the pants I needed to stop reading about art and start creating again. This book gets you drawing right away and gives you so many exercises and so much encouragement to just draw. I love the illustrations in the book because they are not perfect, they are real and show you the process of creating a drawing instead of making you feel intimidated by professionally drawn finished products, although there are a few of those. The author gives you permission to make mistakes, actually encouraging you to do so in order to find your own style and get over yourself and just have fun.I highly recommend this book to All age groups and level of artist.



5. This is a freeform drawing book that teaches draw what you see and not what you know, using the language of lines and shapes and not the language of things (very much like Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain).
   
   Chapter 1 covers the drawing process and reviews the main points in a bulleted list at the end. Chapter 2 discusses the "handwriting" of famous artists - most interesting and enlightening. Chapter 3 covers how to draw figures and faces - here it does teach about foreshortening, finding midpoints, and taking measurements. Chapter 4 covers how to use light and shadow to model shapes. Chapter 5 covers precision drawing principles: how to create depth, eye level and vanishing points (one and two point perspective), unusual perspectives, ellipses. However, it's more of an overview rather than a "how to." Don't rely on this to learn precision drawing. Chapter 6 covers textures. Chapter 7 discusses composition (pattern and design). Chapter 8 covers imaginative drawing.
   
   This is an excellent book to learn freeform drawing - I'm not sure what's better, this book or the "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain", but I think I would still like to have this in my art book library.

5 comments about Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist (Galaxy Books).

1. As a teenager, I bought this book to help me draw people better. Learning body and head proportions is key to drawing more realistic-looking people, and this book can help you along. Peck's illustrations show you different ways to look at the human body, sometimes using blocks, spheres, and other objects to represent how a certain muscle group works or looks to help you better understand how it should be drawn. He covers everything from musculoskeletal structure to facial expressions, emotions, and photos of faces from around the world. And for those who like to warm up their skills by sketching people but have no model to use, there are several human model pictures towards the back of the book to help you out. Before I took college courses and had real models to work with, I used these photos to do my many quick pencil or charcoal sketches as a warm-up for drawing. Having this book before those courses definitely helped me draw better and faster than some of the others who were learning to draw people for the first time. I have referenced it several times since then when drawing or painting people to make sure I'm getting the right idea of the muscle structure. I have used other books for learning to draw people that was more step-by-step, but this book has a lot of different detail other books don't have.
   And I was surprised to find out it was from the 50's when I looked it up here on Amazon, since it doesn't really appear that way at all.



2. I am an art student who wanted a guide to the human body. I could not be happier with "Atlas of Human Anatomy" because of the detailed illustrations combined with easy to grasp sketches. The written sections are not extremely long, and while they do delve into technical language that can be difficult, it is overall all well balanced with the illustrated elements. I find both sides important, and as a comprehensive resource on the human body for the artist, I highly recommend "Atlas of Human Anatomy for the Artist".
   I can only say that it has helped me tremendously.



3. My professor/adviser of art advised me to get this.
   
   It was great advice :D



4. This book surprised me. I already have several dozen books on art anatomy, but Peck's book has more. He goes into expressions, cultural and age distinctions, and locomotion. Is this the only book you'll need in studying anatomy, probably not. But each book you get on the subject, and study (NOT JUST COLLECT) will hone your visual memory until drawing the figure becomes second nature. Note: Study means putting time and effort on that drawing pad!!! Also, nothing beats drawing from life or imagination! These books are to supplement these areas.



5. This book is a cheap and good reference for beginning figure drawers. The diagrams are fairly clear but some of the hand-drawn references get confusing.

5 comments about Classical Painting Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice.

1. The two things I got the most from the book were compositional theories, theories I didn't know existed but have proven to be very helpful, and direction for practice and study. With the exception of graphics training and a couple workshops, I'm self taught. Though I have had much success in both ability and sales I have always wondered what the old masters did to learn their craft and I think this book has shown me. As this book implies it is very sad that thousands of years of accumulated artistic knowledge and beauty was completely tossed out the window a hundred years ago in the name of so called liberation. I feel artists and our culture in general have been greatly deprived as a result. This book will hopefully help resurrect what we have lost and what was stolen from us.
   
   In my opinion I still think the best book on the concepts of painting is Alla Prima by Richard Schmid, however Alla Prima does not have much focus on composition; this book does. Alla Prima focuses more on direct painting where this book teaches more of the steps on slowly developing the skills to become a great artist. I don't think it gives as many of the straight forward artistic concepts as Alla Prima does but unlike Alla Prima it gives great exercises to work on. Like anything else I think the person who purchases this book has to put these exercises to creative practice and hard work. You cannot become a better artist just by reading it; you have to set up your own atelier program and get to work on it. Though a lot of the book is about art philosophy and history but I think if a person seriously puts the ideas and exercises into practice it will be of great help in growing as an artist.



2. This book is an essential addition to the bookshelf of any serious representational painter or student.



3. The book is nicely designed and some of the drawings are well duplicated. I expected the book to have more practical information about drawing in the atelier. However, the instructions were very general, fit only for a top professional artist who only needs some refreshing of techniques. There are exercises but the explanations are too sketchy and general. In one of the exercises there were photos of the various drawing stages. But each photo is of a different drawing! It's difficult to follow the drawing process this way. The book is good only as a general guide to get an idea of the atelier method, but you won't get much practical information from it. All in all it's disappointing because I was expecting practical information. Good drawings to copy I can find over the Internet.



4. How the heck were great painters of old trained anyway? They were apprenticed in Ateliers. Reading this book is like trying to sip water from the fire hydrant of knowledge. Now I understand why they painted from plaster casts: if you can't paint in black and white from a white object holding still, how can you possibly hope to succeed with a live, flesh colored figure?
   
   This book explains a lot, and then has exercises. The first exercise is to Di Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine", in black and white. Then you move up to doing studies in only warm and cool values. Why bother to apply color when the values aren't doing their job?
   
   There are many gorgeous pictures, both of famous master paintings so you can examine their techniques, and student works, which are just as well done. If you want to paint realistically, get this book.



5. The Atelier method of art education is to take a master artist and have them instruct a student artist - the method has produced some of the greatest artists the world has ever seen and as such, some of the greatest works of art as well. "Classical Painting Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice" is an attempt to emulate this artistic practice in book from as author and artist Juliette Aristides seeks to pass on her skill and wisdom to her readers by going over distinct techniques and practices lesson by lesson. A book of essential advice for any painter, "Classical Painting Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice" is highly recommended to community library collections catering to art.

5 comments about Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge.

1. this book is amazing it has alot of great techniques explained in a very simple way its easy to follow since it has pictures for every step and i mean every single one! great buy!



2. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of mixed martial arts. Its easy to understand and the most complete of its kind out there. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning this sport.



3. This book is a great book for anyone interested in MMA. It shows detailed pictures and everything is explained very well. I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone from beginners to experts to learn everything from basic to advanced moves.



4. When I recently read Victory Belt's publication 'Mastering the Rubber Guard' with Eddie Bravo, I was impressed. It made considerable strides in improving over his last book 'Jiu-Jitsu Unleashed' and gave a detailed insight into one of the most misunderstood positions in today's Jiu-Jitsu world. Well, as far as I'm concerned, Victory Belt has done it again with BJ Penn's 'Mixed Martial Arts - The Book of Knowledge'.
   
   Giving a book a title like that one is a fairly bold move. Those words suggest that this is more a tome - or even "bible" - than a book. And at first glance, it looks like it might be the goods. The black and grey reminded me of later editions of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding' - a book with a similarly anticipative title. At 308 pages, it also fits the bill size-wise, as well.
   
   Opening up at the contents pages, you'll soon see that the book is very comprehensive. After the introduction, you see that the book is divided into two parts - 'The Standing Game' and 'The Ground Game'. Each of these parts is then subdivided into positions and then further into techniques. One of the things I most enjoyed about the book is the introduction. Most newer martial art books open with a discussion from the authors, but Victory Belt's introductions seem to speak to me a little more.
   
   In this case, the introduction gives you about ten pages of BJ's philosophy and how he arrived where he is. From his early days boxing with "old, ratty gloves" through his eventful MMA career, he gives a little insight into his life. He talks about the sport and how he trains for it. He discusses his philosophy for both technical and physical training and gives some broad ideas the reader can take on board.
   
   I won't get into too much detail about what you'll find in the two fighting parts of the book. I will say this, though. While it looks like a "technique catalogue", it's not really. The book shows BJ working many techniques and combinations against opponent's from his gym. However, each technique fits into his particular fighting structure. What you see here is a collection of the techniques BJ Penn actually uses in a fight and how he strings them together.
   
   If you want to see what BJ would do if he finds himself on his back against a skilled ground 'n' pound guy, the answer's here. So is how to use your striking to set up a takedown (a subject not discussed often enough) and vice versa. Another thing I like is that we see what BJ does from a defensive perspective. We see a lot of defensive postures and escapes, which suits me fine as I'm often the one getting hit. Too often, books like this ignore that part of the strategy and just assume your awesome technique will win out.
   
   As I'm not much of a standup fighter, nowadays, I can especially see myself making use of the simple strategies in the section 'Striking for the Takedown'. That is pretty much my weak point. Honestly, though, there's something here for everyone. You'll see how the various open guard positions play out in MMA. You'll see how to minimise your exposure if you're weak in one area with the more defensive oriented techniques. You'll also learn how Penn counters some very common and tough positions.
   
   From a quality perspective, I didn't notice any grievous spelling or grammatical errors (a small problem I had with 'Mastering the Rubber Guard'). All pictures are colour and are clear and easy to interpret. The descriptions are also quite clear to me, another bugbear I've often had. Although the entire field is getting a lot better in that area.
   
   All up, I really like this book. From this point on, I consider this essential reading for anyone considering a foray into Mixed Martial Arts. However, it's probably more important for coaches and athletes who need to move their game to a multi-dimensional approach. That's something Penn himself has done and done well. I think this makes my "Best of the Best" category.



5. I watch a mma event on dvd everyday and let me tell you; this book covers pretty much all you need to know to compete.Don't get me wrong,there is always more to learn; but this book covers all the basics at the least for sure! Like I said about Randy Couture' book; these guys are the best mma fighters in the world,charge hundreds of dollars an hour and this book in particular gives you about four months of training for only $35.00 dollars!

5 comments about Interaction of Color: Revised and Expanded Edition.

1. This is an incredible resource for people really serious about learning the dynamics of color. You will get the most out of it by actually doing the exercises - it won't help nearly as much if you just read it and look at the examples. I highly recommend it!



2. Key book (with color-aid colored papers) for learning the nuances of color for the artist.



3. This book came in perfect condition and without delay. Thanks for the great service.



4. A chance to read and learn about the early theories in Modern Art. An
   insight into Op art and Albers theories



5. A must have for the serious colorist by one of the great masters of abstraction.