5 comments about Launching the Imagination Comprehensive with Core Concepts CD-ROM v3.0.

1. I have recommended Launching the Imagination to all of my students. LTI points out the commonalities between disciplines in clear and concise language with a wide range of visuals. It truly is a comprehensive text with an eye toward the future of the creative process. Sections on critical thinking, time management and ways to "turn up the heat" on your projects are just a few of the unusual resources in LTI. If you are looking for assignment examples there is an instructor's manual that you can purchase with over 50 assignments from a number of faculty contributors from around the country. Be sure you get the latest version since it has a number of improvements over the previous editions.



2. This book is filled with good pictures and works of art. The text is a little bit dry. I did not particularly enjoy it, but it does convey many basic art principles especially in the area of sculpture. It is a good introductory book to art fundamentals.



3. I have been the Core Coordinator at a major public university for nearly 20 years. We have used many Foundation Art books over the years--books by David Lauer, Zelanski and Fisher, Ockvirk et al, Steven Bleicher, Betsy Keonig, and many others. The foundation books by each of these authors have much to recommend, but Mary Stewart's Launching the Imagination is by far the best comprehensive overview on the market. We use it for our classes in 2D, 3D, and 4D. While it would not be appropriate for a course focusing exclusively on Color Theory (for our Color course we currently use Betsy Koenig's "Color Workbook"), it is an excellent foundational reference for beginning art and design students. I am particularly impressed with the sections on 4D (time arts) and Critical Thinking. I have started recommending the section on 4D to upper division students in animation as it provides a broader understanding of time arts via film theory, narrative sequences of all kinds, and book arts. Along with the excellent CD designed by Bonnie Mitchell (a major force in her own right in contemporary computer graphics and animation and a professor at Bowling Green University), this is a great resource for students and faculty alike.



4. I refer my students to Launching The Imagination as the text I feel gives the broadest, most comprehensive and comprehensible descriptions and definitions of three- dimensional design. From composition to concepts, architecture, sculpture, and a variety of design applications, this text points out major differences and commonalities by means of example and explanations in common sense terms. I absolutely recommend it.



5. I don't assign a textbook in my Two-Dimensional Design class. Instead I have students compile their own reference guide or text in the form of a sketchbook over the course of the semster. That said, I do use Launching the Imagination as my primary supplemental text and draw many examples and definitions from it for the work we do in class. LTI has laid the foundation upon which many of my projects are structured. If students choose to purchase a book to compliment the course material we cover, I recommend LTI. It's an invaluable resource and I'm grateful for it.

2 comments about Juxtapoz Illustration (Juxtapoz) (Juxtapoz).

1. I am a big fan of the magazine and this book is just mind blowing, Page to page full of artworks and different artist, some featured in the magazine and some new comers never seen before. If you love juxtapoz get the book you wont be disapointed. The makers of Juxtapoz really have out done themself's this time. Even if you have never heard of the magazine or don't like the magazine you will love this book.



2. Even if you're not a subscriber to the legendary Juxtapoz magazine, this is a must-purchase for anyone even mildly interested in the modern 'pop surrealism' or 'low brow' art movements. Some of my very favorite artists appear in here.
   
   All in all, this is chock-full of absolutely stunning works of art. Buy it now if you have any unusual artistic aesthetic tastes whatsoever. This is dirt-cheap for a nicely hardbound book with great printing and sturdy paper.
   
   Disclaimer: One of my main goals is to have my work appear in the magazine or the Great 'FSM' willing, an esteemed publication such as this, so if I sound like a fan-boy, I must admit the shoe fits... ;)
   
   PS: I plan to pick up the other books in the series too, they have a tattoo one out now as well but others are on the way. Check 'em out.

5 comments about Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators, Second Edition.

1. MANY great reviews had me taking a chance and ordering this book. If you are at a beginner level with line drawing and the quality of line--then it is a good buy.Many teachers do not stress these force lines. I guess I was lucky as mine did (years ago in the 70's)In this book, he stresses force lines of figure drawing and the quality of the line (light touch, dark, heavy) as a way to show the force in a figure--therefore, adding a new dimension to your flat looking drawings IF you always use the same pressure on the pencil as your method. Or IF you draw tight and are afraid to loosen up and let the pencil flow on the paper along force lines until you have the figure. It really didn't help me at ALL, as I learned figure drawing this way. There are many of his and student drawings, and that's fine, but in all fairness and honesty--it didn't help me. I was disappointed in all the glowing reviews?!



2. Although I have not read through the whole book, it has some great info and has renewed my interest in drawing the human form.



3. I just finished reading this book the first time through, and it's great. All of the other reviews are spot on. It does help to have some knowledge of anatomy, but if you don't, you can still learn from this book, and it will make learning anatomy more fun. It has lots of great full page drawings too. I've noticed improvements in my skills, and look forward to going through it again in the future.



4. I've added this book to my required book list for Figure Drawing for Animation. Great book, and very helpful to my students. I see a marked improvement in ability within reading just the first chapter.



5. I bought this book for Xmas for my son's girlfriend. Both my son and his girlfriend are Animation students at San Jose State University. They have to draw constantly. I mean CONSTANTLY. She said that this is a terrific book. This is coming from an Animation student and you cannot get better feedback than that. Highly recommend this book.

No comments about The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts, Practices, and Information Sources Fourth Edition (Library and Information Science Text Series).

5 comments about Elements of Writing Fiction - Characters & Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing).

1. One of the best books on writing I've found so far. Detailed, clear, encouraging. Other reviewers complain that it is too "formula." It's not- it's usable. Big difference.
   
   I say that it take a certain kind of genius to breakdown intuitive concepts into usable parts. Character is intuitive, it's all about understanding human beings and there is nothing simple about that.
   
   Buy it. You'll be nodding you head the whole time in agreement. And you'll also be kicking yourself that you needed so much help with something so familiar to you- people. Worth every penny.



2. This is a well written book on how to write your characters. I found it really helpful when it comes to making my characters fuller.



3. This is one of the best books in the series of Elements of Fiction Writing. Besides all the good information it provides, it inspired me to write more than I have while reading other books. This is a good one.



4. A well written, easy to read tool. Wish I had the use of it years ago.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



5. Orson Scott Card is a master story teller, so it's great to learn from him. It's one of the basic books for learning how to construct your characters. You'll need others though, like The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines (Paperback)
   by Tami D. Cowden

5 comments about The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type.

1. I picked up this book from my local bookstore. From reading it, my assessment is that it's a somewhat mature look into the basics of graphic design. Alex draws upon several analogies, some of nature and people, and others of architecture, to explain broad aspects of design, particularly with respect to print media.
   
   The style of writing is occasionaly obtuse, but I think there are good intentions throughout, to concisely document some sound principles and good thought processes for graphic design.
   
   Alex details how design evolved from ancient times, giving us example design pieces, which have clear and descriptive captions, and are referred to from the main text, all of which are on the same page, so there's no page hunting to find which piece or picture relates to what information. Modern designs are critiqued with an interesting selection of pieces, and the basic framework for assessing design is also explored.
   Quotes from other designers are frequently used in the text, to good effect I think, as they relate to the concepts under discussion.
   
   My favourite chapters were the one on space and the last one on type. There were a few errors in the text, but mostly minor things.
   
   If you're looking for a technical book then this book probably won't be for you.
   
   I think this book would certainly appeal to designers who wish to acquire a broad insight into graphic design.



2. This book was the course material for a beginning graphic design class I took. It was very fitting for a beginning class. The book goes over where graphic design came from in history regarding movements and art. It also covered design principles.



3. I found this book very useful as both an introductory into the field of Graphic Design as well as a reference source for future projects. This book will remain in my permanent collection!



4. Great book for visual graphic design on how to get your message noticed, weather it's a business card, sales flier, or logo. Highly recomend it!



5. The cover page is very good at describing what the book is like. It is super-dense, with so much information and advice on each page that if you are looking for a light read, skip this one. At the same time, the cornucopia of information can become a little overwhelming. My suggestion is to read this book slowly and carefully, practicing the principles as you learn them.
   
   The book reads more like an organization of the author's learning and experiences over time and so can sometimes be a little less "objective" than one might wish for. However, the author makes clear up front that fashion is an inseparable part of design so that what "looks good" today may be passé or even "bad design" another day. The one consistent theme throughout these design books is this: if you want to be different, be bold, not a wuss. Breaking rules is good if you break them like you mean it!
   
   I have yet to encounter a more detailed treatment of white space and how it affects design but for the other topics you will need specialized books such as Lupton's "Thinking with Type" to get a deeper understanding.
   
   All in all, excellent value for money.

5 comments about Character Animation Crash Course!.

1. When I went to animation college 10 years ago, there were NO books to instruct you on actually HOW to practice weight balance, mass and volume in your character animation tests. Plenty of old books existed with great artwork, with the exception of Preston Blair's book Cartoon Animation (The Collector's Series) and later on (after I graduated) the great Richard William's book The Animator's Survival Kit. But there was nothing to actually show you step by step the principles of posing, timing and movement for hand-drawn animation, Richard's book had some nice technical stuff for walk cycles and timing, but Goldberg's book is a first for really outlining the basics efficiently.
   
   
   This book IS the first and best book to lay out the principles of character movement; antics, overshoots, settles, squash and stretch, break downs, in-betweeing, timing, spacing and all the other basics needed for any classical or CG animator.
   
   I highly recommend this book to all students, teachers and even veterans, because not only does it cover all the fundamentals but it goes beyond into more advanced concepts that ALL types of animators must know and practice, whether it be 3D, traditional paper, or stopmotion animation, this book is definitely worth it.



2. This book by esteemed Disney animator Eric Goldberg is a must-have in your animation library. There are a lot of books out there which are hundreds of pages long and seem to have a lot of information in them, but the actual meat of the lessons get lost in history lessons and fluff. Not in this book: lessons are simple, clear, concise, heavily illustated, and even animated by Eric on the included dvd! This is a godsend to animation students and teachers -- it's like having a pro animator at your side to give the lesson and then show it to you animated to confirm you are "getting it". I am an animation pro and have taught for years, and I think this is a great book for students (can't beat the price!) and also for pros who like to see an individual animator's way of working. This is pure "school of Eric Goldberg". Now you will know his secrets!



3. If your new to producing small animated films for lets say flash or
   gif animation this is the book for you but if you already
   have the skills or any other books on the subject you wont need this one.
   It's just more of the same.



4. Most of this book is very inspiring for an animator; so you should definitively buy it.
   
   But after looking at the cd that comes with the book, I'm a little disappointed.
   
   The cd contain some short fully animated movies, and most of it is really fun and interesting; but some of the stuff just don't work from an animation point of view.
   
   Main ex is his weight animation where there is a very simple fat character moving his belly up and down.
   
   The drawings are nice enough but there is no weight whatsoever. And this animation is supposed to demonstrate how to animate your characters with weight.
   
   Another ex is his animation of a character running full speed and hitting a door; then continue to run.
   It just doesn't work. It just look and feel wrong.
   Same thing for his animation of a guy punching; looks like a bad student animation.
   
   There is some great stuff in there; but i just find it weird to see that there is also some really bad stuff...
   
   Everybody talks of Eric Goldberg as a guru; but if he cannot get some really simple animations to work properly; I just don't know what to think of this...



5. This book is without a doubt one of the best how to animations books out there. Believe me there are many others but the fact that it was written and fully illustrated by master animator Erik Goldberg makes this an absolute must have. His drawings just pop off the page with life and it is very inspirational to look at. Goldberg takes a different approach to teaching animation because here he assumes you already know the basics and shows you how to make your animation come to life with style and fluidity. It's different from say the Richard Williams book The Animator's Survival Kit because in this book it covers things like walk cycles and what not but in a more technical way. Don't get me wrong that's a wonderful book as well, but Goldberg expands on what Williams did. An example would be Williams talks about mouth shapes but Goldberg shows how and when the shapes should be used effectively; such as hitting accents with a bigger shape and pose. This is not for someone who is just starting out but more for someone who knows a little already and wants to improve to the next level. I've been a professional animator for years and nothing has helped me more than this book. I would highly recommend this book to students of animation and working professionals. The golden age isn't dead yet!

5 comments about Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color.

1. Really terrific book! I highly recommend it for anyone beginning in oil paintings as well as seasoned painters. It is down to earth, great instruction and his paintings are beautiful! You can definitely see his growth in his painting in his second book - also terrific, however the second book - Painting Inside and Out - reads in places like an advertisement for a couple of companies and products - didn't appreciate that much, but otherwise - also a fantastic book - even for the photos alone -



2. I have been painting and studying art for many decades - this is a really great book! I keep re reading!



3. Great book, was told about this from an art instructor, saying this was one of the best you can buy and have in your library.



4. I purchased this book because of all the great reviews it received. I was not impressed. Everything was way too simplistic. If you're an intermediate or professional painter, you will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know.
   
   Also, where was the light and color? I must've missed those pages.



5. AWESOME book packed to the full with inspiring paintings & photos, really practical tips for the would be painter, and help over all those overwhelming and sometimes insurmountable difficulties confronting the aspirant oil painter. Replaces mystery with method. I'm really thrilled to have discovered Kevin Macpherson's approach to painting "plein air" and am already seeing the fruits of applying it.

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 The Elements of Color.

1. as Tellez noted previously, this isn't an easy read. fortunately, the reward is worth the effort. Itten does not dumb down his perspectives for the sake of the reader, rather he puts it all on paper for the devoted color theorist to decipher.
   that said, it is for the most part approachable and relatively short reading. I re-read this book every couple of years to keep my busy mind fresh and focused when working with this most essential component of my work.



2. The information in this book is interesting, but the color in the color wheels and all color samples are very pale and washed off. Very disappointing.
   
   If you need to use the color wheels or scales as references, this book will not be helpful.



3. I purchased this book because I wanted to understand colors, color schemes and theory(ies) better in order to apply to my necklace designs. It's a good book to have in your library, but it won't answer all the questions you may have about some applications. Itten's other books however cover pretty much everything; try The Art of Color, for example, if you'd like learn more about color effects on moods/feelings.



4. It's been difficult to give a balanced critique. On one hand, "Elements of Color" has a wealth of information, but on the other, it takes serious committment to fully understand and comprehensively apply the information Itten presents. There is much valuable data, but it's interspersed with almost stereotypic, outmoded "Teutonic" concepts; e.g. assigning "Blond Types" springtime, bright, vivid colored topics, while "Dark Types" should be assigned "Night, Burial and dark room" topics. There is much valuable, technical information, but it is like digging through hard stone to find the gold; overwrought and culturally centered, judgemental statements are very common ("red expresses intermediate degrees between the infernal and sublime"... what's this?!?!). Other statements seem value-laden, i.e., "sentimental blue", "angelic pink", "blue reigns supreme"... Some excuse may be found in realizing the concepts in this treatise may have been developed before the Post Modernist Age, which accepts cultural and ethnic diversity, that accepts art and the use of color as being open to various interpretations, that color is certainly relative and greatly subjective, that many statements about color are only opinions... and that there is no absolute truth as to what color is "right" or "wrong". Unless the reader is studious and very serious about trying to unearth the information contained in this book, he or she is much better served by studing Albers or others. Too bad there is no editing, no index, and no glossary. What would Itten think of the book, "Chromophobia"? ... Pablo Tellez



5. Itten, himself is one of the greatest color theorist of our century, and the masterful mind behind the Bauhaus School.
   
   In this book Itten describes his color theory and the facts of his famous "Color Star", which is one of the most strongest tools for color harmony for designers and alike.
   
   Most color books have samples of color harmonies you choose from when you design, or talk about complementary colors, but cant tell you why u use such combinations or so.
   
   If you have an analytical approach to design, rather than just copying what others do, you will love this book. You will begin to understand the language of colors.
   
   Have u ever heard of "the Seven Color Contrast", if not then it is time for you to get familiar about it.
   
   This book is an evaluation of Ittens masterpiece "Art of Color". The chapter on subjective experience of color is very limited in this book.
   
   If you are willing to invest more on color matters buy "Art of Color"
   
   If you are happy to stay with the basics then this book is adequate for your purposes.