1 comments about Draw 50 Creepy Crawlies (Draw 50).

1. My 5 year old son, who shows no particular artistic talent, enjoyed this book because he loves bugs. Even though this book is designed for older kids, he did a fair job drawing the crawlies. I uploaded two of his best work above. He gets no adult help.

3 comments about The Encyclopedia of Pastel Techniques: A Comprehensive A-Z Directory of Pastel Techniques and a Step-by-Step Guide to Their Use.

1. As a professional artist working with pastel, I find this book to be an ongoing source of inspiration and reminders of alternative ways of 'doing' pastels. When I get stuck in a rut, or feel 'stale', browsing this book is one of my favorite ways to get rolling again. With the growing popularity of pastels as an artistic medium, this book truly should be re-issued.

   I looked for it for several months locally, then placed my order through Amazon.com. It took six months, but the wait was well worth it! Thank you, Amazon.com!




2. This is one of the best art books I have found. The author teaches a lot in a few words. (Have you ever opened an art book, and turned to a subject, only to ask "Is that all they are going to say?") Part 1 is Techniques. Part 2 is Themes. Part 2 breaks general subjects like Landscape, Environment, and The Figure, down to teach you about Seasons, Space and Distance, Industrial Settings, Mood and Atmosphere, Standing Figures, Groups of People, Figures in a Setting, Full-length Portraits, Pattern in Still Life, etc. Even though each section is only a few paragraphs, I learned more than I thought I would. Each section also has several artworks with a paragraph explaining what the artist did.
   This book shows a wider variety of illustrative styles than most I've seen. I found I could take a new subject, and flip through it until I found the style I thought would best represent it. It is full of color, good teaching, and variety.



3. This book is very rich in techniques for all kinds of pastel work, from ink and wash with pastel overlay to oil pastel. Many artists' works are featured, and there are plenty of demos on how the work was done. Plus there is a beginning section on various stroke techniques and the effect of colored stocks on how pastel looks applied.
   
   My beef with this book is that it is not particularly organized. So if you are interested in oil pastel, you have to sift through 20 index entries where oil pastel is just mentioned in passing to where it is demonstrated in full.
   
   Still, there is a huge variety in this book, so there is bound to be something to appeal to any artist, no matter what their technique or style.

2 comments about The Pastels Artist's Handbook (Artist's Handbook Series).

1. Ok for a rank beginner, never mind if you've used pastels for any length of time.



2. I have actually had this book for quite awhile and always refer back to it when there is a new texture I am wanting to create or just to refer back for fresh technique inspiration. It has a little bit of everything and is great for beginners and old-school pastelists alike.

No comments about Building Architectural and Interior Design Models Fast!: An Easy to Follow Step-By-Step Guide to Constructing Design Studio Models.

5 comments about Architecture and Design Library: French Country (Arch & Design Library).

1. This lovely book is quintessential French country. The authors take the reader on a tour of vistas from the Mediterranean Sea to Provence; country homes range from the rugged to the elegant. The text reveals to the reader the common elements to be found in the variety of homes found in the French countryside. Vibrant colors follow paticular painterly selection if one wants to create the true feel of a French country home. Shutters are French, not American. Lace is typically at the windows, or for a more grand effect billowing panels with French pleats, caught and pulled to the side about 3/4's from the top of the drop. Window boxes brimming with color are essential for this style, and borders of lavender would make you feel that you are really there. Terracotta roof tiles would complete the exterior view. Inside, the walls vary, but they definitely make the statement: I am France. Terracotta tile floors are very common, but hardwood floors are fine, too. Mouldings are landmarks, and they are abundantly visualized in this volume. Provencal prints, bergere chairs, ladder back dinning and/or kitchen chairs, flowers---all are shown in French homes. In the kitchen, pots on display, wall tiles, a baker's rack, a country table, open shelves, walls that are rubbed with earthy hues make the room inviting and warm---a gathering place. Dining is wonderful, inside or out. The French love to eat outside. The bedroom is simple or elegant, but deliberately French. Lace, panels, sometimes two layers, billowing to the floor, European pillows, and definitely a bolster and duvet enrich the feeling of a retreat. At least a touch of toile should be seen. I remember a French friend telling me once, that one of the most important things a true French person does when considering something for their home. She said the French don't decorate like Americans do, try to figure out if an object will work; for the French, if they like something, they find a place for it. They learn very early how to put things together. And you can always see it no matter how much they have to spend. It's just perfect. This beautiful volume is filled with beautiful pictures to create your own French Country style.



2. A fine representation of French country decorating style. This book covers exterior, interior and a bit or garden landscaping. It has many fresh ideas for a real french country feel, but with a touch of elegance. Wonderful "Rooms for Living" with decorating ideas to suit every budget, as it mixes all kinds of things. The traditional effects are softened by simple yet beautiful touches. Once you go through the book for the first time you will want to go through it again to catch all the detail work you missed the first and second and third time.



3. Yes, the pictures are lovely...but as one reviewer noted, one will want to go through the book several times just to see everything one missed. On my second time through, I noticed almost every photo had many books (sometimes shelves full of books)in the background. 99% of those books were titles in English. Yes, yes, I know the French speak English very well..but what are the odds that ALL the books would be in English? Wouldn't they at least own a few titles in their native language? Made me wonder where some of these homes are located and if I was truly looking at an American (or UK) home decorated in French Country style.



4. Although I love my other design books, with lots of descriptions and history, this book has ideas for real world adaptations of french country design (that is, for those of us in the u.s.!)



5. Beautiful French country designs are paired with real-world adaptations of those ideas. Bring the French look to the United States.

No comments about Catalogue.

1 comments about Blueprint Reading for Electricians.

1. I am totally disappointed in this book. It would be alot easier to do a Goggle search of electrician symbols than to try and use this book. It is suppose to be for electricians but it lacks any foundation for the electrician. The main reason I dislike this book, it has no substance just electricial symbols, no explanations, no discussion of what the electrician needs to focus on, and the worst part, the graphics are small and not well done at all. Full of useless information, for example, I want to learn about electrical blueprints so they had to include door schedules,etc.etc. just fill material to sell a book.

2 comments about How to Draw Aircraft Like a Pro.

1. The book covers a lot of basic art fundementals, from media, sketching, values, shading, color, composition etc. There are plenty of excellent examples of finished drawings/paintings of aircraft with pitfalls to avoid. So why the but? Well, to me the key to drawing an airplane correctly starts with the ability to assure proper relative alignment and sizing of the aircraft's structures. The use of descriptive geometry to achieve this is covered in very, very, very basic terms (about 2 pages) with the example shown being a line drawing of an aircraft with all square surfaces. It would have been much more helpful to have an example of an actual aircraft drawn this way in all it's various stages. So, my suggestion, should you ever revise the book, is to drop all the basic art fundementals and get into the meat of descriptive geometry. What tools are needed, handy shortcuts, etc.

   Oh, and by the way, what is the plane identified on pages 71, 120 & 121 as a "Kate"? It appears to be a Ki-51, but I could be mistaken.




2. "How to Draw Aircraft Like a Pro"

   Looking for a primer on aviation art? Then this is your book!

   "How to Draw Aircraft Like a Pro" fills a huge gap in the literature of art instruction by comprehensively addressing aviation fine art.

   Frank Wootton published "How to Draw Planes" in 1941. Jim Dunavent wrote "How to Draw Airplanes" in 1973. Both of these books were nice efforts in their day, and have become collectable classics in their own right. Even if they were still in print, they would come far short of addressing the nuances of aviation art as comprehensively as does this new 2001 book.

   To be sure, the necessities for producing fine art - composition, perspective, light and shadow, hue, value, intensity and so on, are independent of the subject matter. However, in practice, many people are drawn into the field of aviation art by dint of their passion for flight, rather than an overwhelming passion for art. This book was created to asist and encourage them.

   Established fine artists who don't need the art basics may still find the engineering and aeronautical insights of this book helpful. Consumers of aviation art are among the most demanding and detail driven to be found anywhere. To the "rivet-counters," fine art is also accurate and believable. There is no quarter given under the guise of "artistic license". The painting had better be right in every aspect of the story it is representing.

   The title itself is a good for getting the right people to pick it up and crack the cover. In truth, the book delivers far more than it promises, especially if you have the two books mentioned earlier. Drawing is the the crucial requisite skill for competant aviation art. It is the skill mentioned first by every master aviation artist who is queried on where to start. It is the also the skill most frequently neglected by the novice, who hopes in vain to shortcut the process by copying a photograph. The text hammers away on the basics of drawing, but also does get into the techniques for how to PAINT aircraft like a pro.

   The book is comprehensive and affordable. I found myself wishing for much larger reproductions of the excellent artwork, and for a hard cover in the interest of durability, otherwise I'd have extended a fifth star to the rating.

   "How to Draw Aircraft Like a Pro" represents the cumulative lessons-learned of the first great generation of aviation artists, those who have brought aviation art its long deferred recognition as bona fide "fine art". An aspiring aviation artist could spend years of painting and enduring professional critiques at ASAA Forums to uncover the popular pitfalls of composition and execution one at a time- or they could avail themselves of the collected wisdom in this book.

   In summary, this book fills a huge gap in the literature. The artists and the authors did a very credible job of bringing together a huge amount of material on a complex subject.

   And they did it just in time for helping to Celebrate the Centennial of Flight 1903-2003. What could be better?

   Interested in aviation art?
   Buy this book,
   join the American Society of Aviation Artists,
   and grab a pencil...

   Oh-by-the-way:
   In response to the question from the earlier reviewer--
   Yes, the "Kate" on page 71 etc is actually a fixed gear Mitsubishi Ki-51 "Sonia". The Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" is correctly represented, with its gear retracted, on pages 122-123. Same ocean, same war, different branch of service.
   Remember what I said about "rivet-counters"?

No comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Manga Fantasy Creatures Illustrated (Complete Idiot's Guide to).

No comments about Contested Symmetries and Other Predicaments in Architecture.