5 comments about Robert Wade's Watercolor Workshop Handbook.

1. I was very impressed with this book. The side tabs make it easy to go directly to the section you want. Advice was excellent and well presented.



2. A beautifully printed hard cover book by an extraordinary watercolor artist. The book is filled with outstanding examples of landscapes, cityscapes from all over the world. In addition to being an inspired World class watercolor artist, Robert Wade is also a great teacher, the book is filled with practical advise and hands on lessons on color mixing, painting people,skies,glazing,location painting and many other subjects.Just to be able to look at his outstanding paintings would easily justify buying this book.



3. Excellent handbook for the serious watercolorist. Robert Wade has a great approach to some of the more difficult aspects of painting with watercolor. He is brief, to the point, yet his explanations make sense! Enjoyable reading and a great reference tool.



4. What a wonderful book with terrific instructions and insights. Replaces 20 books in my collection which don't come close to the wisdom this book provides.



5. I have a library of over 60 watercolor books, and this is by far my favorite. I also own all of Wades's tapes, and his new CD. I find them to be an extension of the book. I took a workshop from a famous watercolor teacher who had us doing wash on top of wash. She must have gotten the idea from Wade as he has a section on just that topic. He covers washes on top of finished paintings that changes the character of the painting completely. A fasinating book that I return to over and over again.

No comments about Miracles on the Border: Retablos of Mexican Migrants to the United States.

5 comments about Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World.

1. I am reading and drawing. I am writing and here in southern New Mexico, Alamogordo all by myself. I am sooo glad she found art to be a good tool for seeing detail. I'm seeing differently.
   I have seen color all my life but been afraid to express it. I grew up parttime in Maryland. The East Coast has its own flavor, but out West we command another kind of beauty. Natalies writings have been a good refresher for me. I'm excited to do a workshop up in Taos. Thanks.



2. I had never heard of Natalie Goldberg before this book was mentioned casually in an online journaling group. But the comment peaked my interest and I surely was not disappointed! I read the entire book in one sitting (during the first major snowstorm of '05!) There were many "ah ha" moments...and I especially enjoyed the chapter about her father...very emotionally moving and insightful. Highly recommended if you do visual art and are curious about what propels you.



3. Natalie's paintings are dazzling...she seems to have caught the emotional color of her subjects, the inner dance of things...it's essential magic. In the chapter titled "How I Paint", she says: " I noticed that the blue of my paints wasn't blue enough to get the intensity of that New Mexico sky. I painted the sky red instead. I painted Jazz yellow. He was a brown dog, but yellow expressed him better. Color became fluid".

   There's a chapter on her father, with 7 paintings of him, the first from '78, the last, '98...wonderful portraits, with a sadness in them, despite the vivid colors.
   Another chapter, "A Deep Source of my Writing", is about how her writing and painting are interrelated.

   She writes of her European travels, her visits to the Musee Matisse, Cezanne's studio, the Kafka Museum, and so much more...with an easy flow that makes reading a pleasure, but it's the paintings that captivate me.

   Her interiors are incredible..ordinary places like bathrooms and kitchens, turned into playgrounds of glorious color...her buildings and outdoor scenes are also amazing (her sense of perspective is fabulous !), but I love her cars best of all. If I could own one painting, it would be the green Chevy truck on page 22. It seems to have a face, with a side window that's winking at me.

   This is a very special book, so full of life and love. It makes me laugh, inspires me, gives me hope and warms my heart.




4. I can only echo the other rave reviews: This book is a must-own (not just a must-read) if you're an artist, a writer, or both. Even if you can't draw a stick figure, but have always wanted to be an artist, this book will set you on the path to creative expression. Don't just wish to be an artist... get this book, and start painting!



5. Don't lend it to a friend, guard it with your life! Ms. Goldberg's drawings are wondrous. I want to say that they remind me of David Hockney's work - but that wouldn't quite do it. Because her style is hers alone and it's magical! The accompanying text throughout gives you an understanding of her drawings - and how she's able to unleash that part of her creativity - and have FUN! I never fail to read the latest Natalie Goldberg book - her insights, her truthfulness about her struggles help me realize that we're all artists. Some of us are just a little freer and further along than the rest. Thank goodness Natalie keeps writing to show us paths that she's hewn for herself.

5 comments about Andrew Wyeth: Autobiography.

1. I discovered this book at my sister's home after I bought a print while visiting. The comments accompanying each print in the book provide an intimate look at Wyeth's life and art. It added a new dimension to my fondness for his work. I'd highly recommend this book to any admirer of Andrew Wyeth.



2. This isn't a linear autobiography, in the usual sense. Instead, it presents selections from Wyeth's entire life as a painter, from his mid-teens to his late seventies, when this book was published. Wyeth's own notes on each piece make it an autobiography.
   
   This says less about the artist than about his artwork, which speaks for itself. His subdued palette captures the people and places of his life. Places include farms, barn or farmhouse interiors, Maine shorelines, and other open spaces that are increasingly hard to find. Wyeth's people include his wife Betsy, his sister, and neighbors. Grittier than Norman Rickwell but no less affetionate, he presents them at work, at hard-earned rest, or simply at a quiet moment. A few nudes of teenaged Siri, including the remarkable "The Virgin," capture the gawky grace of emerging womanhood. Two images really stood out for me, though, images I would never have associated with Wyeth. "Spring" and "Christmas morning" carry a surreal sense, somehow even closer the the supernatural for their entirely realistic rendering. "Spring," especially, offers an amiguous sense of hope using the starkest and bleakest of visual language.
   
   As Wyeth narrates each painting, a sentence to a paragraph for each, parts of his life emerge: friendships, successes, and losses. Without being mysterious, the text comes across as spotty and selective, omitting far more than it presents. If you want a standard kind of biography, you'll have to look elsewhere. Instead, this book is closer to the occasional cup of coffee with the artist, shared over weeks or months, in which different moments of his life arise almost at random. His words add an intimacy to the art that's hard to express, but that is worth experiencing - as is the art itself.
   
   -- wiredweird



3. I purchased this item as a gift for an artist friend, she was very happy with the quality of the reproductions in this book.



4. I didn't know a lot about Andrew Wyeths work before reading this book. I had seen the paintings and I liked them a lot, but I didn't know that much about them.
   
   The book is labeled as an autobiography, but its form is not what many might expect. This is not a book consisting of prose with the occasional picture, it is a book that mainly shows Wyeths paintings with a paragraph or two about the paintings below. Written by Wyeth. For some this may not be what they are looking for, but I liked this very much.
   
   It is a very good introduction to Wyeth's paintings and the subject matter he painted. The people, the places and their history. There isn't a lot of information about Wyeth himself in the book. At least not in the sense one would expect from a traditional biopgraphy. But after reading it I feel I know a lot more about both Wyeth and his paintings than a typical art-history or biographical text would give me.
   
   I'd be happy to recommend this book.



5. My teacher introduced me to Andrew Wyeth's paintings and drawings about a year or two ago. I've been in love with his work ever since. It's just how beautiful his linework is and how he brings life to the paintings. That is so incredibly rare. There are plenty of portrait artists out there, but I can't think of one that impresses me as much as he does. I think this is because of how well he knew his subjects.
   
   He said drawing with pencil helped him get to the core of a thing. If you've ever drawn or painted people and animals from life, as he did, it increases the appreciation for his work one hundred fold. I also think that this is why his paintings and sketches are so full of life - you just don't get that from a photo, there is NO comparison. His landscapes blow me away every time, and I'm not really a fan of landscape paintings. Something about the solitude of it all just takes me in.
   
   My favourite is Night Sleeper, which is on the cover. His palette is just beautiful, i don't really think it's muted or drab - the closer you look, the more colours you see. How he played colours in juxtaposition, so that they glow, is another part that gives his work such intensity and life.
   
   The comments beside all the work are, as people have mentioned, very good. The entire book is one of those slow joy books. It's just nice to sit with it and turn the pages slowly and take in every thing.

No comments about Wreaking Havoc: How To Create Fantasy Warriors And Wicked Weapons.

5 comments about Watercolor, You Can Do It!.

1. I can not believe that Amazon does not carry Tony Couch's books.
   He is an awesome teacher that gets his points across to the novice.
   His advise is easy to follow and he uses his colour in a pure and simple way



2. The early chapters on handling paint and the brush seems to really get to the point. The section on "moisture control" really is a must read for anyone still struggling with this aspect of watercolor painting. I recommend this book all the time to anyone who asks about good reading material. Too bad it is out of print. A must for the watercolorist library!



3. This is a great book that addresses problems that I haven't seen addressed in other books. He is also encouraging to the painter who may not feel they have a lot of talent but still want to paint. He feels that all people with the desire can do it. I got the book from the library, and loved it so much I purchased it. I've heard his videos are great too.



4. This is one of the best books teaching watercolor painting. I've bought many. He stresses that the journey (learning) is more important than the goal (being a great painter). He's an excellent teacher and his step by step illustrations are some of the best. A great help to me.



5. After reading at least 30 watercolor instructions books, this one goes to the top of my list. Couch covers everything from the basics (from equipment to how you actually get paint on to the paper) to the essential guidelines of design and composition. These (sometimes boring) subjects are covered in an easily-digestible, easily-usable manner, making it exciting to get to your next painting and apply what you have read. The book includes a really good description of how the painter is a "shape maker, symbol collector and entertainer" and numerous step-by-step examples of painting basic landscape components (trees, sky, rocks, water). The book is upbeat with a wonderful sense of play and humor running through it -- plus the reader is given dozens of examples of Tony Couch's own marvelous watercolor paintings, as well as examples from eight other superb watercolorists. The gallery of paintings alone is worth the price of the book (which, by the way, is about 30 pages longer than most watercolor instruction books -- so you really get your money's worth!)

5 comments about Zoltan Szabo's 70 Favorite Watercolor Techniques.

1. I had the best results from Mr. Szabo's watercolour books. I could actually follow the instructions and come up with something that I wanted to frame.



2. This book is not a good self teaching book, since there are little projects that you can follow and do by yourself. The landscapes are messy and unclean works of Mr. Szabo, that I didn't like at all!!
   I wouldn't recommend this book to anybody and I feel lucky that I borrowed the book from Public Library and didn't pay for it!



3. Zoltan Szabo was truely a master of watercolor landscapes. I was fortunate to be able to attend one of his classes in Nashville, ID in 2002. If you ever experienced his teachings you would enjoy his books a great deal more. He was a watercolor purist in every form of the word and a teacher with a great deal of patience. The art world lost a great one in early 2003 when he passed away. Now Zoltan will paint with colors that he could never have imagined on a heavenly canvas.



4. Well, it was a nice book, nice paintings, some nice watercolor tricks...but it just didn't inspire me..something was missing.
   Maybe it was the "cold how to do" approach, that came up all through the book and the lack of originality. Im sorry to say i was disappointed.



5. The best part of this book is Zoltan Szabo's explaination of watercolor paint. He explains transparent colors, opaque colors, reflective colors, sedimentary colors, staining colors, and nonstaining colors. I've read many books on watercolor painting and this is the first one I've seen that explains the nature of the paint. Also covered in this book are many techniques of applying paint. Several exercises are included.

5 comments about The Art of Bev Doolittle.

1. Very good book for the price, has a good collection of her artwork as well as information about her processes and her life.



2. I was first introduced to the art of Bev Doolittle when I lived in Alaska back in 1994. I bought my first print in 1997 followed by this book and several more prints. I find her "hidden" imagery fascinating and mesmerizing. I love showing my prints and this book to guests, waiting for their inevitable reaction of surprise when they see the "whole" painting. She really is a rare talent and this book brings her whole collection (at that time) to you. I know some of her original prints are worth thousands now and its unlikely I'll ever own them. But at least I have high quality fold out "mini" prints to enjoy!



3. To be a part of Bev Doolittle's art is, in itself a gift. I saver each
   
   picture as an example of anothers insite into " my West ".



4. The book arrived sooner than expected abd was given as a gift. the receipient was very pleased. I have been very pleased with every order I have received from Amazon.



5. Bev Doolittle's definitive collection (you don't need anything else of hers if you have this one) is a glorious compendium of richly detailed full-color reproductions of her paintings. The optical tricks alone are worth the book's price tag, and the minuteness and authenticity of Doolittle's details rival the paintings of Frank C. McCarthy (another favorite of mine). Anyone who loves illustrations of horses, American Indians, or both cannot call their collection complete without this title.

5 comments about Airbrush: The Complete Studio Handbook (Practical Art Books).

1. This book is great for beginers and good for someone a little further along. It gives you most airbrush tricks that you'l need to paint whatever you want to paint.



2. I hate to gush but this is, imho, the single best book on airbrushing that I've seen. It covers technique from beginner to advanced. The instructions are straight forward. I suppose they could seem boring if you're an advanced artist. Since I learn from even a rehash of what I already new, I wasn't bored.
   
   Unlike other reviewers, I wasn't disappointed because it doesn't cover painting motorcycles or helmets. The title is fairly straightforward and a good clue to what the book covers. If you're only interested in painting motorcycles, try How to Custom Paint Graphics here on Amazon.
   
   If on the other hand, you see an airbrush as another tool in expressing yourself through art, get this book. Vero is a master at solidifying visualization. He introduced the use of shields and the book contains a template for his design for one of the most versatile shields around.
   
   When you aren't using it for reference, I recommend putting it on the coffee table. People who drop by my apartment are instantly drawn to the cover which features an illustration of Vero's "Study of a Girl". Instant conversation starter!
   
   Rado Vero is recognized as one of the greatest illustrators who ever lived. Reading his thoughts on airbrush and different ways to create are as invaluable as reading Da Vinci's ideas on creating perspective. It didn't bother me that it was first printed in 1983. Nothing in this book has been outmoded. In fact, many of his ideas, such as use of shields, are now the standard in art schools. I expect it to be equally as valid in 2083.
   
   I have bought multiple copies of this book and given them to friends who are just getting into airbrushing. I expect that I will buy quite a few more before it's over.



3. ... this is the one.
   
   Covers the mechanical stuff more briefly than many, and has a nice section on fixing problems, including straightening a bent needle. Gets briskly on to the =use= of the thing, and runs a series of exercises to help you get the hang of techniques, including learning how to draw freehand. This guy is not hung up on anal-compulsive frisket cutting, but recommends a "universal mask" you can make out of a styrene or metal sheet that will do for a lot of work.



4. Excellent book however as the title states relates mainly to studio applications and technical details. Not really applicable to air brush enthusiasts wanting to style cars or helmets etc.



5. Service was great and the book was awesome. Answered every question I had and taught me things I never thought of.

1 comments about Painting with Brenda Harris, Volume 2 - Precious Times.

1. I am an artist who paints in Acrylics and I teach others to do so. I am always looking for ideas and techniques to teach my students. Brenda Harris had a television painting show in the 80's/90's, but I never got to see it as it did not play in my area. I did meet Brenda at a painting convention and got to take some classes from her. She is a wonderful teacher and painter. I have bought most of her books and some of her videos and I use her methods of painting in my work. My students like it when I paint something from Brenda's books. She is one of the few artists left who actually encourages teachers to teach from her books. I like that about her, and will continue to purchase her books and videos because of this generosity. You will not be disappointed if you purchase any of Brenda's books or videos. She's a gracious "southern lady".