5 comments about Weirdos from Another Planet!.

1. I love all Calvin and Hobbes books, but this collection has a few of my favorites that never cease to make me laugh out loud, including:
   
   "The Disembodied Hand That Strangled People" (I snicker just writing it)
   
   The trip to Mars ("We're going in the wagon?" "Of course! What did YOU want to do? Flap your arms?" "I guess I hadn't thought about that part."
   "Obviously."



2. I am a Calvin and Hobbes fan. And this book did not dissapoint me.



3. Calvin and Hobbes has always been a great read. This was the first one in book form that I read and thoroughly enjoyed.
   
   The book has many good strips and quite a lot of Sunday strips as well. The aliens show up towards the end and there is a good many strips on that series where he explores the Martian surface and rightly is told by Hobbes that if one is not potty trained would you invite them to your home? So of course after damaging Earth, men need not expect a welcome from the Martians or anyone else.
   
   There is a lot of wisdom and good humour in the book. The opening splash page itself is attractive about why intelligent life hasn't contacted us - with a picture of deforestation.
   
   Other favourites are of course being a tiger, or the tiger's welcome to the kid coming home from school, Dad's approval ratings in the election, the family outing, room service for the ill kid, etc.
   
   The parents are delightfully tolerant of the crazy nutty Calvin. The family outing to the woods is a riot. Calvin wonders what kind of vacation is it if he has to be with his parents, LOLz. Even Calvin's vulnerability is explored when he panics after breaking Dad's binoculars.
   
   This book is cute as hell - and especially a great gift to pretty young girls who thank me endless for making their day. You won't ever be disappointed, probably not with any Calvin & Hobbes collection - they are a gem, a treasure, a laugh riot, a piece of modern art and culture.
   
   Beware of Captain Spiff, the T-Rex, the paleontologist, the incredible comic strip from the best graphic art has to offer.



4. 
   
   
   
   
   Is it possible that just 20 years ago that Calvin and Hobbes - - one of the finest comics strips ever created - - was fresh and poignant every day in the paper?
   
   "Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us," says Calvin, looking at the chain-sawn stump of a tree, in 'Weirdos from Another Planet' by Bill Watterson. The demise of Calvin and Hobbes is reason enough not to contact Earthlings.
   
   Doonesbury by Gary Trudeau is sometimes still incisive, with the same brilliance in political observations as when it was new and Richard Nixon was newly president. But brilliance is boring after 40 years of repetition. Doonesbury is dated. Nixon is long disgraced, dead and gone.
   
   Calvin remains relevant, because like Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' he dealt with the universal human condition - - - as it applies to small boys and to the grown men they become without ever losing their small-boy outlook on olife.
   
   "Do you believe our destinies are shaped by the stars?" Calvin asks Hobbes.
   
   Ever the logical one, Hobbes replies, "Nah."
   
   Calvin counters with words as relevant today as in 1988, because, "Life's a lot more fun when you're not responsible for your actions."
   
   How do we greet strangers? Calvin went to Mars and, after mugging for the Viking Lander "to blow some circuits at NASA" he met a live Martian. Hobbes thought the Martian must be as scared of them as they are of the Martian. Like many of us when meeting a foreign culture, Calvin explains, "We're just ordinary Earthlings, not weirdos from another plsanet, like HE is."
   
   Doonesbury was similarly brilliant in portraying Nixon as a weirdo; but, Nixon nostalgia remains firmly Nixon. "Weirdos from another planet" is sadly reminiscent of the usual reaction to the current resident of the White House, and most likely The-President-to-Be.
   
   Calvin's Dad isn't all that slow either, as when he sets him up in the first three panels of one daily strip by asking, "Hey, Calvin! Guess what time it is!"
   
   "Why? What time is it?
   
   "It's a very special time!
   
   "Oh boy, oh boy! What time is it?
   
   "Do you really want to know?
   
   "Yes, Yes! Tell me! Tell me! Quick! Please! Yes!
   
   "IT'S YOUR BATHTIME! OH BOY!!
   
   Gettting Calin into a bath is about the same agony as pilling a cat. In the final panel, a dejected Calvin is up to his nose in sudsy water and commenting, "You know how old people always write to Dear Abby, complaining that their kids never write,call or visit? Those letters really crack me up."
   
   Calvin had his own four-panel approach to homework, "When I grow up, I want to be an inventor. First I will invent a time machine. Then I'll come back to yesterday, and take myself to tomorrow, and skip this dumb assignment."
   
   Personally, for me, it was lima beans. Any time lima beans appeared, it was lima beans or no desert. Calvin and his Mom had more imagination; Calvin looked at his bowl of soup and horrified, "Hey! What's this stuff in my soup? Yeccch! Is this rice? It had better NOT be!"
   
   His Mom was very worried, "Rice? Let me see!"
   
   Calvin was insistent, "Look! These little white things! See, there's rice in my soup. I hate rice!"
   
   His Mom looked closely and explained, "I didn't put any rice in. These are maggots."
   
   Calvin was delighted, explaining, "Gosh, wait till I tell everyone at school what WE had for dinner.".
   
   His Dad lamented, "Another lovely meal at home with my family. I wish my job required more travel."
   
   Evolution? As Calvin explains, "Just think, Earth was a cloud of dust 4.5 billion years ago . . . 3 billion years ago, the first bacteria appeared, then came sea life, dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and finally, a million uears ago, man. Now, in 1988, there's me. The acme of evolutuion."
   
   Hobbes, rolling his eyes, responds, "Oh, PLEASE."
   
   Even Richard Feynman can't come up with better answers. Trudeau is always wordy, as Watterson was at times. But the genius of Watterson was the ability to draw a 14-panel Sunday strip showing Calvin filling a water balloon and sneaking up on Hobbes . . . . panel after panel. Only one dialoguie panel was needed, when Hobbes drily explains, just before he was otherwise to be doused, "As if life isn't short enough."
   
   It ends with a thoroughly frustrated Calvin resting beside Hobbes.
   
   This is the Master.



5. Got it for our 12-yr. old daughter's birthday. She loves it! She's a big fan of Calvin & Hobbes. This was her 5th book!

5 comments about Comic Artist's Photo Reference - People & Poses: Book/CD Set with 1000+ Color Images (Comic Artists Reference).

1. Do you ever get that perfect composition in your head but can't seem to work it out when sketching? I know I do. As a comic book artist and cover painter I have the usual reference library of cheesecake pin-ups, muscle magazines, and old comics laying about. A new addition to my reference library is People and Poses. This is a terrific resource and helps me nail the anatomy in my drawings and paintings the first time. People and Poses brings me real life, right now, awesome poses to help me turn my creative ideas into reality. A must for any artist's library.
   
   Brian Miller, Author: Hi-Fi Color For Comics: Digital Techniques for Professional Results



2. This book is great for getting proper perspective and foreshortening etc. into your action drawings. I'll take a whole lot more of them! Perfect for graphic novel or comic illustration where you don't have models available for reference shots, or you need an inspirational shot for a particular mood. Like I said, my only complaint is that I want more! It includes a CD also so you can reference that as well, but I haven't checked to see if that has different poses or not yet. Hopefully it does. As an accurate anatomical reference for drawing humans or heroes in action, it is great! It does what it sets out to do. Top Notch.



3. I was very disappointed after purchasing this book. The content is average at best and the CD doesn't even contain ALL of the images found in the book which I thought was very misleading to the customer - you have to scan the images not on CD that you want - what a waste. You can do better by finding image references through Google Images and those are free. This book has some value, perhaps if one is just starting out, but hardly a top resource for anyone else. The "extremely positive" reviews here are no doubt either people who fall into this newbie category or friends of the author looking to help him out by placing positive reviews. Pass on this one or get it used / discounted somewhere. Not worth the full price that's printed on it. I was suckered.



4. The book would be ideal if it was wire-bound, and you could flip to a certain photo, then lay the book flat to draw from it. Otherwise, it's hard to keep it open to one page without clips, clamps or otherwise incovenient tools. While the CD is helpful, leaving the computer on the whole time to draw from it wears your eyes out quickly.



5. I'll list the GOOD, then I'll list the Not-So-Good (aka. BAD).
   
   The best two things about this book are:
   
   1) A decent amount of images therein show the models in clothing (cloaks, some street clothing).
   2) There's some decent reference of models holding weapons in "battle" poses.
   
   That's it, really...
   
   The *not* good (ie. BAD) things about the photograph are as follows:
   
   1) The images are SMALL. Even the ones on the enclosed CD-ROM. Seems like the largest they get is around 700-800px on the longest side.
   
   2) The camera's focal length causes the subjects to look distorted (ie. Huge hands close to the lens, tiny feet far away). For example:
   http://is.gd/21M0
   
   3) Only 4 models total. And two of them don't take their socks off. It may seem like a small thing, but not showing the feet is kind of huge. There's a lot of important detail in the tendons/bones/toes that is completely missing from half the images in this book.
   
   4) The lighting creates strong shadows. This could be good or bad. Good because you get some nice play of light across muscles/tendons. Bad because sometimes parts of the model cast shadows on their face/etc, and obscures expressions and such.
   
   All in all, it's OKAY. Frankly, I wouldn't buy it again. I'll keep it now that I have it, but my recommendation is to look elsewhere for a good reference book.

5 comments about How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way.

1. Some of you folks writing reviews are, like me, graphic designers. And, yes, I too have owned this wonderful book. I even laughed at the publication date at the top of the page because mine is from 1978!
   
   Lee and Buscema are two of the foundation blocks of Marvel Comics and I wouldn't expect anything less from this wonderful work. If you are a beginning or almost intermediate comic book artist, I can't think of a better place to start than this book. I still refer to it, sometimes, for reference tips.
   
   I won't bore you with a diatribe of what can be learned here... just buy the book. I think you'll be surprised that, in 30 years, you'll still own your dog-eared, yellowed, frayed-out copy. I've still got mine.
   
   Oh, and when you're done with it, do yourself a favor and take a look at some Burne Hogarth books.
   
   Enjoy!



2. How to draw comics the Marvel Way is a good book but it's very old information. I think that Marvel comics and the comic book industry has changed since this book was published in 1978 and 1984. Don't get me wrong! I like this How to draw comics the Marvel Way! book written by Stan Lee with artwork by John Buseama, but the books information is too old. I think comic book artists today use better materials besides paint brushes and india ink. You buy Markers with india ink in them at an artsupply store. there are other things in this book that do not appy to comic books in 2008 as well. If your a begining artist, I will recommend this book but It's not for advance artist. B+



3. I bought this for my 11 year old son for his birthday. He's been trying to draw superheroes lately. When I began flipping through it, I recognized many of the images. I then remembered I had this book when I was a boy. I checked the original publish date and found it to be 1978. Yep, this was it. It's a very good book for those who need some structure with regards to their pencil drawing. The concepts of human form, perspective, dimension etc. are easy to understand with many, many examples. Step by step instructions make it easy. Even those with limited artistic abilities will be able to draw well using this book. I recommend it highly!



4. This is sort of a classical text, focused on covering the various aspects of drawing comics.
   
   Though drawing comics involves a lot about learning to draw, I would think that an ability to draw whether inherent or acquired would be a necessary starting point to effectively use this book. On the contrary one might as well get started here and then hone the necessary drawing skills.
   
   As in any specific form of art, such as Illustration, Fine art, Animation art, Commercial art etc, Comics art has its own set of skills that need to be honed.
   
   This is a book written by Stan lee and John Buscema, one a great story teller and the other a fine artist. It does cover several aspects of the trade.
   
   As the title suggests the genre is more towards the 'Action' side, as opposed to a style such as Disney, Asterix or that of Herge's Tintin.
   
   A significant amount of the book focuses on the figure and its action, which is so vital to this type of comics, and these are real gems. The quick setup of a pose, the dynamism needed for convincing action, the looseness of the approach, and then the focus on the form, the details of the figure the head and so on are very effectively presented.
   
   the other important ingredients of composition, perspective, foreshortening are covered in detail.
   
   There are of course couple chapters that deal with comic book covers, and the all important comics inking.
   
   Though obviously this was written in a pre-digital period, all the information can be readily applied to today's all-digital comics creation.
   
   Coming from successful practicing veterans, the entire book is packed with practical information.



5. I have a feeling that most of you contemplating buying this book are replacing an ancient or lost copy of it and know exactly what you're getting, in which case you won't be disappointed. Over the years the title has become somewhat misleading and should now read, "How to Draw Comic the way Marvel did it from the late 70s to the late 80s using the tools available at that time" or perhaps more marketably: "How to Draw Marvel-style Retro Comics."
   
   Stylistically, I wish this book would recirculate around the Marvel offices to remind creators what their comics are supposed to be like. It is far from cutting edge or eye opening, however. At the time of its publication I think it was extremely innovative and captured an innovative style. But styles have life cycles...
   
   Having said all that, I love this book, although I suspect that a big part of that is because of my nostalgic feelings for it.

5 comments about John Howe Fantasy Art Workshop.

1. This is a wonderful book. I am a big fan of Mr. Howe's work and much of the advice in this book is familiar from John's forum but it's a good chance to see how he works step by step, as well as how he organizes his studio and prepares for illustration jobs. While there are only a few "walkthroughs" featuring new art, the book is full of interesting tidbits of information about the creation of other paintings. There are lots of tips even I who has been painting for many years didn't think of before. John Howe makes a point to encourage readers to find their own unique style and way of painting, unlike many how to books which only show one way of doing things. I particularly love that his sense of humor shows. He honest about illustration and admits that he isn't perfect and procrastinates as much as possible before every job.



2. John Howe is the artist I credit for making me interested in fantasy illustration, and will always be one of my favorites. It should come as no surprise that the artwork in this book is amazing, and the information presented is also quite insightful. It is not an art how too book, so much as it is a general treatise of John Howe's way of thinking about his work, and going about his creative process. He actually expresses pretty clearly his dislike of anything that feels like a how too process, or is so forumulaic that it can be presented as if there is only one set way to do it. One of the best additions to my art library.



3. I'm always interested in any collection of John Howe's work and this book does not dissapoint in that regard, it is chock full of illustrations and examples of his approach and techniques. The addition of his insight and advice just makes this a terrific volume with no failings. In addition to being very useful as an instructional book, it's also inspirational. It's worth every penny of it's very reasonable price.



4. This is a great book and those I've shown my book to agree with me. Amazing talent and very well illustrated. The workshops show amazing creativity.



5. This is a very lovely book for showing how a professional artist goes about his business. I appreciate the lack of product endorsement.
   
   Howe can get rather verbose and sometimes repetitive, but this book is filled with great inspiration in text and pictures.

5 comments about Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation.

1. I've been looking for a book like this for years! I've been able to find some great books about the principles of moving an animated character around and the "Art of"-type of books about a particular movie can be very inspiring and educational in their own right, but a book that deals with the thought process that goes into the production design of an animated film is long overdue. I wish it could have delved deeper into the more theoretical "nuts and bolts" of things like setting up camera shots for both 2D and 3D animation--I guess I'm looking for something more technical, where this book still has a "coffee table" feel to some of the individual chapters on particular films--but it's already had a big impact on the way I lay out scenes in my own work. I have a feeling this one is going to be on my drawing table for a long time!



2. Hans Bacher has created a wonderful, insightful and beautiful book, which is a work of art in its own right. Yet, it IS an instructional book on the process of Production Design for animation. Whether you are a student of animation, a film aficionado, or a working industry professional, you will find something new to think about and much to appreciate on every page.
   
   The images are clear, and both appropriately chosen to illustrate Mr. Bacher's points and serve as coffee table worthy art. His precise and yet easy way of presenting the subject of Production Design is a fast read, while remaining, educational, interesting, and enjoyable all the way through. Well worth the investment.



3. This is a great book for any art student wanting to get into preproduction for film or animation. This is the bar, industry standard. I found it to be very helpful in sharping my own portfolio.



4. Some very rare production designs that could be only described as jaw-dropping!
   
   But beware - a large part of the book is dedicated to Mr Bacher's teaching on crafting good production design and there are plenty of illustrations that doesn't have anything to do with actual animated films.



5. As a student of animation and illustration Dream Worlds is a must have. The book is full of useful information about compostition, color, and lighting as well as fun anecdotes about the author's experience working in the Disney company.

5 comments about AutoCAD 2008 and AutoCAD LT 2008 Bible.

1. I'm an experienced CAD user and use it Often. It is a great reference bood I keep close for immediate use. It is easily to follow and look up many different subjects. I am also using too train a new CAD employee. Work great for both.!!



2. This is the third version of this book I've gotten and none have ever let me down!



3. My professional occupation have been in construction as a bricklayer, but now I need to re-educate me on the cause of health. Aiming to be an cad-operater I want to learn Autocad as well as possible. I enrolled in school, but found the books there a little short on the subject. So I got this book from Amazon in hope of pick up a little faster, and I sure did.
   This book has all you need to know about Autocad, with the latest tools laid out in nice detail. I recomend it from my whole heart.



4. If you want to receive a doctorate degree and you have the time, this is a great resource book to have as a reference. It is very detailed with examples learning the ropes with 2/3D AutoCad. The font could be larger for easier reading but that would significantly increase the number of pages.



5. great reference book for the beginner or the one who usually use AutoCAD for living. This is a must have book because you could get almost every command /answer in it!

5 comments about Drawing the Head and Figure.

1. I grew up reading and using Jack Hamm's "How to Draw Animals", like it was a bible. As a professional illustrator, relying heavily on realism for all my work, his books are a great introduction in learning to see correctly, to gain insight into proportion and drawing skill. Anyone who doesn't get anything out of it isn't putting the time and effort into studying the material. It will help you if you take the time to read it. I just bought this book, as a refresher, as he always has something to teach, no matter what stage of art skill you have. I recommend his books to my students all the time. Art school basics in a book.



2. This is an excellent book, written by a man who was an absolute master of drawing. His depth of knowledge is extraordinary, as is the clarity, simplicity, and comprehensiveness of his approach. As an artist and illustrator I own many books on painting and drawing, and this is one of the best.



3. This book seems a bit old-fashioned in it's exercises and drawing suggestions. Even the examples of women's faces look like heads of women from the 50's. Maybe it is from the 50's originally. Anyway, it is dated.
   
   The layout is messy and the faces cartoonish.
   I am hoping to find some helpful tips on drawing the human figure but I am not too optimistic so far.
   
   I'd say skip this book as I am sure there are much better ones out there.
   
   If you don't have it check out Drawing for Dummies, it is a MUCH BETTER instructional guide than this one.



4. Two weeks ago I couldn't even draw a stick figure with the correct proportions, now, I'm actually drawing males/females quite nice ... for a beginner of course !
   
   This books is awesome ... even though I haven't really paid attention to the 1st part of the book, concerning faces (which really don't generate enough interest at the moment for me as a 3d modeler) the second part, concerning anatomy and proportions was pure gold !
   
   So easy, so nice ... drawing made easy in all possible ways ! I'm still thrilled ! Although at first I was a bit discouraged, after reading the book and getting familiar with it, drawing became so fun. I usually spend about 1 hour per day, and use this baby every time...
   
   I plan in buying my girlfriend a copy of this book in the near future ...
   
   Conclusion: If you're a beginner ... this will be wonderful help ... and best of all it's cheap !



5. This book is not expensive, but is the most useful book on figure drawing I own. I have consulted it so many times that it is dog-eared. A thing that sets this book apart is the way the author uses easy to remember rules of thumb and anatomical "landmarks" to aid in drawing. While not getting too detailed, the author enables you to avoid the gross mistakes that cripple a drawing. For example, the book shows how to successfully draw a quarter view of the head and shoulders, and explains the natural tendency to draw this view incorrectly. This is, without a doubt, the best art book I own.

5 comments about The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book.

1. What a treat, 126 large pages of Calvin and Hobbes comic strips in full-color. Having this book means being able to read and re-read your favorites. There are even a couple I'd like to frame and look at every day.
   Bill Watterson does such a great job getting inside a kid's head and what a kid. Calvin's active imagination creates imaginary worlds, monsters under the bed, and bedevils his parents and Susie who lives down the street.
   Hobbes comes alive when he's alone with Calvin, but reverts to a stuffed tiger when others are present. Their conversations are inventive, philosophical, and sometimes just silly. It's great fun!



2. This collection is the best from Watterson. 5 stars. Calvin and Hobbes are great in this one.



3. This collection takes place mostly in summer/fall and the theme is around lazy days and Sundays as well. My favourite panel in this collection is when Susie and Calvin are playing house and begins: S: "Darlinggg, I'm home! And I brought a surprise!" C: "Let's hope it's a divorce!" I still go off into spurts of laughter at that one... **LOL** Enjoy (in full page and full colour) the adventures of Spaceman Spiff to a max here. There is also a lot of "pouncing" which I thought would have been more appropriate in Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat but....nevertheless 5 stars for a great strip that never gets tired!



4. This is great anytime---you can pick up and read any or all quickly and have fun!!



5. I'm a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan so I cannot really give a very objective view.... but I really liked the book and is EXACTLY what I want to read on a Lazy Sunday!

No comments about The Nude Male: 21st Century Visions.

5 comments about Drawing for the Absolute and Utter Beginner.

1. This is a fabulous book for the beginning artist. I have just started an art class, and when I found this book I was estatic. It is a great lesson by lesson drawing tool. It is very easy to follow and like the title says it is for the absolute and utter beginner. I also feel like those who ARE more advanced will also benefit from the book. I like how there are examples from her students of all levels.



2. I like this book because it is very friendly, images are very good and I've noticed it has helped me a LOT in my drawing skills. Quality of the paper is excellent and I think it will help a lot of people like me.



3. Recently I decided to get back into drawing. I purchased this book after reading some good reviews about it on a number of art sites. It tackles not only the technical aspect of drawing, but the mental process behind it as well. I found this important as I was having trouble coming to the realisation of how your mind can hinder you greatly. All in all, the layout of the book is great, the comments and diagrams by students is encouraging and I have certainly found more success in my drawing and sketching results.



4. I can't say I was blown away with this book, nor can I say I was disappointed, this the rating of 3 stars. It has great text to tell you "why" each part is important which a lot of books seem to lack any decent text at all. So for that I give it 5 stars.
   
   I was "expecting" at least some technique tips and pointers, like, here's a good way to draw texture on a leaf, or more concrete examples, like maybe some "tips" in the margins or something. A little cheat to keep you saying "oh cool" or something. At some point it seems to drown in text, which I suppose is probably what a beginner needs, but I'm more of a lets get to it kind of person. I want to see at least something fun at the end of my first lesson, not a squiggly line, so I would suggest complementing this book with a tips and technique book to get a well rounded beginners experience to keep it fun and keep you motivated.
   
   Obviously my expectations were not met, and that may be my own fault. I would say if you are a beginner, this will give you the start and the "classroom" portion, but add a book that will add the FUN and instant success to it too. It's a decent book, give it a shot.



5. An easy to follow, step-by-step instruction on realistic drawing that includes a variety of mediums. As the title states this book is a intended for the raw beginner. Other books such as Betty Edwards "Drawing on the Right Side of Brain" contain similar lessons, but this one "clicked" with me. No drawing book will be all things to all people, but this volume is certainly a good place to start. I can also recommend "Drawing for Older Children & Teens" by Mona Brooks, these titles compliment each other nicely.