4 comments about Prints and Drawings of Kathe Kollwitz.

1. This book is a great teaching aid for drawing and the transition from drawing to print processes. Great examples of the simplicity of marks necessary to create a form or mood recognisable to all. It is as much about what is left out as it is about marks made. Very dark subject matter delt with in a sensite way, a must for all for teaching and inspiration.



2. This large-scale volume does a very nice job of covering many of Kollwitz's finest works...and at a very nice price, thanks to Dover Publications.



3. Kollwitz was hated and persecuted by Hitler for taking the underside of humanity. She presents the real effects of modern warfare upon our defenseless civilians women and children. She presents the weary face of defenseless despair under relentless attack. She is the face which must be seen, like the courageous and proud Frida Kahlo, yet hers too weary for pride and fierce resistance.
   
   Get this book and LOOK . . .



4. Kathe Kollwitz shows real people dealing with the real problem of the Second World War. Her drawings are poignant reminders of the love and humanity that can exist in the midst of madness. She is also not afraid to show the horror of the war and the tolls it takes on its victims.

3 comments about Shop Drawings for Craftsman Inlays & Hardware: Original Designs by Gustav Stickley and Harvey Ellis (Shop Drawings series).

1. The title is as it says Stickley and Ellis. I was still hoping to find some Greene and Greene or Maybeck work though.
   
   Robert has put many many hour into reproducing the details, well done.
   
   It would be great to find the artwork in electronic format for CNC cutting.
   
   The hardware examples all from Stickley and limited to pulls and a few hinges.
   
   I found the text in the first part of the book informative reading.



2. I bought this as an inspiration for my wife who makes boxes. We both love the book and have come away with some great ideas!



3. This book is a great resource for those of us who wish to see in great detail various inlay patterns in Craftsman furniture. Most photo-oriented books really do not take the time to focus-in on the inlay, leaving the details a blurry mystery. The author has taken the time to reproduce authentic inlays using Autocad line drawings. This is a highly specialized kind of book and I was elated to find it! Leave it to Robert Lang to give us the expert's details.
   
   The book could be greatly improved by the addition of close-up color photos of the inlays the designs were taken from.
   
   A great addition to the Craftsman movement! A 5-star effort!

1 comments about Muybridge's Animals in Motion CD-ROM and Book (Electronic Clip Art).

1. As an abstract painter, I find this a great addition to my resource library for painting and image reference. It is also a nice companion to the Humans in Motion book.

5 comments about Balenciaga and His Legacy: Haute Couture from the Texas Fashion Collection.

1. The pictures are stunning and cover a range of designs. What surprised me was how much I enjoyed reading about a woman who collected the textile art of Balenciaga and the history of Neiman Marcus. The author included pictures of Balenciaga creations being worn by their owner. Somehow that added a special touch and made this more than a collection of photographs of elegant clothing. I look forward to enjoying this book for many years.



2. M. Balenciaga was a master couturier so lacking today as one considers haute couture, especially, as the French houses of haute couture are virtually gone. At the time of M. Balenciaga's impact from the 1930s through 1968 when he closed his Parisian house, there were many more houses of haute couture. He, like Chanel, Christian Dior, Pierre Balmain, Mainbocher, Jacques Fath, Schiaparelli, Vionnet, and Gres to name a few, flourished as women from around the globe turned to the tradition and process of the haute couture as the pinnacle of what it meant to being well-dressed. Out of this number, the creations of M. Balenciaga stand-out. There is that certain something about his work which commands and rivets the attention. Yes, unquestionably elegant, imbued with masterful design, quality, and exacting a nobility for the wearer which she may or may not have actually possessed, but still whenever I view his creations I think to myself "more". Unlike today where being anonymous seems to be the rule of what passes for style, M. Balenciaga assured a woman would never be forgotten. This volume pays homage to that certain something and begs the question "where are the contemporary talents?" At the moment, in Paris there are only in my view, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel and Valentino. These individuals know how to dress their haute couture clients (especially, those not wishing to dress perennially 18 years old) whereas the remaining haute couture houses present nothing but a media circus, for too long lead by that dreadful costumier posing as a couturier at Christian Dior. For the sheer pleasure of pondering something beautiful, I recommend this volume as well as Balenciaga by Marie-Andrée Jouve and Jacqueline Demornex published in 1991.



3. gorgeous pics of gorgeous clothes. this guy is my fav. when it comes to couture and this book won't disappoint. well worth the money. yeah, Dior is great too but this guy really is the 'master'



4. My company produced the mannequins used to exhibit the couture in this fine text, so for me it was a delight, that bias aside, the forward by Givenchy is worth the cover price alone. The text my Myra Walker is insightful and the book is beautifully ilustrated. Seeing Balenciaga's illustrations along side his creations is a joy for any true fashionista. The book is a homage to Balenciaga's work, but not Balenciaga, who was a private and complicated gentleman, and who would like to remembered that way, for his work, not for himself.



5. This is a fabulous book! I love the images and history. I would recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation for fashion history and photography.

1 comments about Drawing and Painting Plants.

1. The book consist of detailed botanical illustrations of flowers, plants, trees, vines, leaves and mushrooms. I bought this book so I could get an inspiration for my graphic design work and the book almost have it. It shows the details of tree barks and stems, cross section of flowers, roots and bulbs. If only it covered more fruits like berries and strawberries it could have been better. Since I prefer color illustrations, I wasn't so crazy about the pen & ink drawings. I really like the fern illustrations on page 115. Overall, this is a great book.

5 comments about Lonely Heart: The Art Of Tara McPherson.

1. I really LOVE this book! From start to finish, I LOVE everything about this book-Tara's dedication "To everyone who has loved and lost"; Frank Kozik's wonderful Foreword speaking about the appreciation of an art culture and discovering such a unique artist like Tara McPherson; to all of the amazing rare & hard to find works of Tara Mcpherson's art this book features...this book is truly a must have!!! This book does not have a great deal of text...The most text you'll find in this book is the Foreword by Frank Kozik, which says everything that needs to be said! This book focuses on the art, which for me is a breath of fresh air as Tara's beautiful, intense, colorful art speaks for itself! "LIFE IS ART & ART IS LIFE"...I found that to be the case with this book, which I love seeing being an artist myself...to find an artist like Tara who shares her life through her art...what a gift! I purchased a couple of copies of this book, because I am a fan of Tara's art & this book FEATURES some of her SOLD OUT, RARE & HARD TO FIND Paintings, Prints, Posters, drawings, an interview with Tara & some of her personal photos which is a nice personal touch!
   
   Nerdy BirdLonely Heart: The Art Of Tara McPherson



2. This compilation of Tara McPherson's work is simply amazing.
   I could spend hours pouring over the pages.
   She's so talented and this book is a must have for any Tara fan.
   Very decent price also.



3. Love, light as the air, but sometimes as dark red as the blood running through your veins (see my customer images).
   "This book is dedicated to everyone who has loved and lost" reads Tara McPherson's dedication on the first page.
   Love, broken hearts, innocence and its loss, yet neverending hopes and dreams come to mind when I look at these drawings.
   Tara's work is beautiful, seems innocent at first sight. The colors - mostly pastel - at first have you think you're in bubble gum heaven. But you don't need a second look to discover the deeper and often darker side in Tara's art.
   Tara created posters for bands like Supergrass, Green Day, Dandy Warhols, The Hives, The Strokes, Duran Duran and Suzanne Vega, Josh Rouse, Elvis Costello, PJ Harvey, and various covers for DC Vertigo.
   The book contains beautiful reproductions of posters, portraits, comic book pages, drawings, roughs, an interview with Tara, polaroids, and a foreword by the legendary Frank Kozik.
   A beautiful gift!



4. Tara McPherson is a NY based artist who seems to gently dominate all of the fields she works in.
   
   She's made her mark in Comic Books, Poster Art, vinyl toy design and fine art. This book collects a body of work from sketch to finished piece, including transparent layover pages that bring her process to life. And for it's very affordable price, should be on every art collector's shelf.



5. This book is fantastic, the quality of the colours is great and i love the tracing paper pages that show the process from drawing to prints. Tara Mcpherson is an inspiring modern artist, I am a high school teacher and my students love this book.

4 comments about Ed Emberley's Big Orange Drawing Book (Ed Emberley's Big...).

1. All of Emberley's books are wonderful. The Big Orange Drawing book specializes in things that are orange so a lot of it is Halloween themed. I loved working through these books as a child and still have some of the Halloween decorations I made from this book.



2. This book is from a series of 4 books from Emberly are the easiest books on drawing there are, period. Anyone young or old can learn to draw some great critters and vehicles from these books. ANYONE! These are a great first step. All of his Big Color books are great, (They are a series, each named after a color). Famous for the easy way it shows you how to draw step by step, what appears to be a complex Haunted House, but it is simple when you do it his way. This book includes a number of fun ideas including robots, tiger, military ships, Halloween holiday drawings, and more. He even shows you how to make yours unique rather than a copy of his drawings. You can be the doodle hero of your classroom or office after using this book. He does it simply using very simple steps, lines, and basic shapes to start you off. My favorite in the series would be the Purple Book, because I am partial to the pirate ship instructions.

   If you want to move up from here and learn the terminology of what you are doing, and really become an accomplished artist, the next step after these are the terrific books by "Jack Hamm".

   If you just want to have some fun, get this book!




3. I am a 21 year-old artist. I forgot all about Ed Emberley until a couple of weeks ago. Emberley was my first artistic inspiration and I developed an interest in art through the direction of his variety of juvenile instructional books. I highly recommend these books to any children who express an interest in art. His series of books are EXTREMELY simply to understand and children at any age can grasp his artistic expertise.



4. Believe it or not children's drawings end up looking much like Ed Emberley's. Line by line and shape by shape the Halloween related objects take form. Our other family favorite was Emberley's "Big Red Drawing Book". Absolutely love these books!

5 comments about Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers.

1. Joseph Masheck's review has no place in this book.
   
   Get the new Dover edition *without* the intro.



2. This version of the vintage text on composition--that the artist Georgia O'Keefe, and no doubt many other artists of note studied in their day--comes with an amazingly well written and profoundly useful lengthly Introduction by the multi-gifted philosophizing art historian Joseph Masheck.
   
   After reading only the first few pages of Masheck's fast-paced concisely intelligent writing, I was hooked, and ordered his book on Cezanne--titled *C's Aesthetics* --which I have now completed reading, and am working on re-reading the section specific to certain of Cezanne's paintings so as to compare Macheck's analysis with repro's of the specified paintings by *C*.
   
   So, I am very glad that I bought this version of the Dow Composition book, for that Macheck Intro alone.
   
   Also, Macheck states, in his Intro, reasons for recommending artists & art students revisit this older written work on Composition by Dow--to the effect that those from younger generations were born into abstraction and do not understand how it came about--that there once was a time when only in the work of Cezanne was anything like the current (and past Cubism) styles of abstraction even suggested and made possible--and so a study of Dow's *Composition* is a way of revisiting those times so as to expand one's understanding, appreciation.... and output as a working artist...
   
   After completing the Macheck Intro to Dow's *Composition*, I began to read the vintage text portion and do the exercises---and right away, with the first exercise, felt amazed at how much the ink line brushwork helped me on many levels. I had never done Asia style ink brushwork before--it was not something taught in the California art school where I studied for my degree (perhaps considered old-fashioned) and though I have seen many examples of Japanese & Chinese painting & brush style calligraphy in museums in those countries and in the USA-- seeing, studying, thinking about something does not replace doing, as Dow reminds in Section III of his *Composition* book---"artistic skill cannot be given by dictation or acquired by reading."
   
   And so it may be beyond words to explain exactly how doing the exercises benefits and how those benefits come about--such as in using the exercises and new understandings as *jumping off points* in creating studies and fully realized art works...



3. This book has a lengthy rambling introduction!!!!!! The content by autor is good but when I got both this book and composition - understanding line, notan and color --- guess what it's the same content. The other book (by the same author) is much cheaper and without the rambling introduction.



4. This is a wonderful approach to design and very valuable to the artist, photographer or anyone interested in the over arching principle " to fill a space in a beautiful way"
   
   Unfortunately the bookbinding I received through Amazon and from the publisher is falling apart. The pages began falling out when I first opened the book. The binding loses more pages with each reading.
   
   The worst binding I have ever seen!!! Buyer beware



5. Having just read some of the past scathing reviews I thought I needed to comment. I started looking for information on Dow about 10 years ago. It was limited. I found an old library copy of "Composition" from the 1930s at a used book store($3) It was an excellent find. Crumbled edges and bug eaten pages and all. I did some research about Dow and realized the influence of his teaching on the design principles that we use today. All in all the current book is a good representation of the original, even if you skip over the introduction.

2 comments about Faberge and the Russian Master Goldsmiths.

1. I own over 25 books relating to Faberge and Russian goldsmithing...some older, some exciting to have found in the "marketplace", most are insightful and then there is that rare "blah" exception...and this is one of the latter...had I realized this was a new reprint of an 89 title I wouldn't have been shocked...the Faberge photos are by now all familiar (with the rare exception) as is the saga of Forbes and his quest. Although some of the lesser known artists have been brought to light here it just seems to lack that "spark" despite a shining new format!
   Beyond a 7 pound reference base for photographs nothing much will be added to one's collection on the master and those who envied his talents...I am sorry to say! I hope Faber's new book will stand out above this one!



2. Lavish photographs of some amazing things along with some great background about Faberge and Russian Imperial items in general. There is a lot of forgery in this field. Get to know the difference between reproductions and the real thing. 95% of the reproductions are easy to spot with some research and by looking at the "real stuff".

5 comments about Mehndi : The Timeless Art of Henna Painting.

1. This is a great book to have for intruction on mixing and applying henna. It also has great historical information on henna and the henna plant. As far as design ideas go it is lacking, I suggest "Traditional Henna Designs" for that purpose.



2. When I was completely new to henna, I found this book fun. Now, while I am no expert, I think there are better on-line how-to's such as at mehandi.com (and no, I don't work for them). I'm still only an occasional henna slinger, so this book has some inspiring patterns. If this is your first book on henna though, I would suggest doing some more research. The above mentioned website has a great deal of free information and patterns.



3. IF you are interested in Mehndi styles and traditions, as well as the meaning behind the designs, this is the book for you! It very clearly explains and illustrates how to create the designs you want, and what materials to use in order to do so. They have included much fascinating history behind the tradition, and I was enchanted with this book from start to finish.
   I will certainly refer back to it many times for design ideas, and in creating artwork both beautiful and ornate.



4. I have been teaching the art of Mehndi for years and this is the best book for if you are getting started. It has background information on what designs mean, the basic history, beautiful designs - some that are dazzling colored designs in the middle of the book, and it is well put together. Great for anyone who will be teaching, just getting started, or simply interested in the subject. If you're looking for a book about henna/mehndi. THIS is the book.



5. This is a GREAT book!!! Beautiful!!! I got chicken skin when i read the writer had painted her right hand (shown in the cover of the book) even when she is a right hand writer. That's amazing... This is not a fashion book; it is a cultural book where you will about the ancient roots of the mehndi art among other stuff. I love it!!