Average customer rating:
- A home filled with curiosities and wonders.
- Amazing
- Inside Edward Gorey's house...
- Not MUST HAVE, but definitely NICE to have
- A specialty item for the true Gorey collector
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Elephant House: Or, The Home of Edward Gorey
Manufacturer: Pomegranate Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey
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Amphigorey Again
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Cautionary Tales for Children
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The Other Statue
ASIN: 0764924958 |
Book Description
An intimate photographic journey through Edward Gorey's home.
Customer Reviews:
A home filled with curiosities and wonders........2007-08-09
This is a beautiful book of photographs and text that allows the reader an intriguing view of the home in which Edward Gorey lived and the collections of curious objects, books, and cats he filled it with.
The photographs are large and beautiful - haunting even - and there are lots of them. There is just the right amount of text to cast some light on the man behind the house and his elusive character - anecdotes about his life, his work, his friends and the things that inspired him.
If you are fan of Edward Gorey, or of eclectic interior decorating and design, and displaying collections of antiques, this book will be a treasure in your library.
Amazing.......2007-04-10
That's really all I can say. I have been waiting for this book for a long time, and it was the most incredible thing. Amazing photos. Read up on Gorey first, though. The details are some much better when you get the little visual jokes Gorey set up in his day-to-day life.
Inside Edward Gorey's house..........2006-02-01
If you are an Ogdred Weary fan...this is a truly wonderful book. Photographs of the exterior (peeling paint and kind of saggy porch) and the interior rooms of the house on Cape Cod in Gorey lived and worked, along with his cats and figbashes, piles of thousands of books, assorted rocks and oddish things, and the expected miriad of curiosities. Alas, or delightfully...just the environment one would expect of the eccentric Edward. A cabinet of curiosities...a delight!
Not MUST HAVE, but definitely NICE to have.......2005-09-10
This book wouldn't mean much to anyone who isn't already a Gorey fan. I own (and love) the compilations 'Amphigorey', 'Amphigorey Too' & 'Amphogorey Also', so have a head start. I also have the auto(?) biography 'Ascending Peculiarity', which is almost a necessary co-requisite to this book - it helps explain the cats, and many other Gorey details. Now that the individual books are available again, I'm tempted to get them too, because they are such nice objects - but only if the kids promise to share with me!
A specialty item for the true Gorey collector.......2004-04-05
Even dedicated fans of Edward Gorey will probably know very little about his personal life: he was an enigmatic recluse and few were permitted past his front door. Photographer Kevin McDermott's Elephant House will delight students of architecture and photography, providing rich duotone works of Gorey's intriguing home and its contents. A specialty item for the true Gorey collector, Elephant House is an impressive photographic showcase and a welcome addition to both architectural studies and photographic studies reference collections.
Average customer rating:
- Review on "Drawing from Life"
- A book to Keep
- Figure drawing books don't get any better than this one.
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Drawing from Life
Clint Brown , and
Cheryl McLean
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
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Binding: Paperback
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Figure Drawing: The Structure, Anatomy and Expressive Design of the Human Form, 6th Edition
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Drawing: A Contemporary Approach
ASIN: 0534613535 |
Book Description
The leading textbook for college figure-drawing classes, DRAWING FROM LIFE provides a clear, comprehensive, and thought-provoking guide to drawing the human form for anyone interested in exploring this time-honored artistic tradition. For centuries, drawing the human figure has given artists the tools and vocabulary for creating paintings, sculpture, drawings, or prints-from Renaissance classical to contemporary expression. In addition to working from the model, the figure-drawing student needs instruction in anatomy, history, and conceptual approaches to drawing the human form; such instruction is often missing from life drawing classes due to time constraints. DRAWING FROM LIFE offers these elements, along with a tremendous selection of drawings that represent the broad range of approaches, techniques, and media for drawing from life. The chapters follow the natural development of a student's growth, from fundamental sketching and gesture drawing to creative expression and exploration. An entire chapter on drawing the figure in perspective offers information that is not available in comparable textbooks. Students begin with quick sketches and gesture drawings, giving them a non-threatening introduction on a level they can readily understand and master. The cohesive presentation of anatomy, including a chapter on the human head, helps students understand the human structure and its impact on visible form. The final section brings the concepts, vocabulary, and history presented in the earlier chapters to bear on contemporary use of the figure in art.
Customer Reviews:
Review on "Drawing from Life".......2007-02-26
Excellent book for anyone interested in drawing the human figure. Deals well and extensively with proportion, anatomy and nuances of figure drawing. Required by my art teacher and worth the money as an on-going reference source.
A book to Keep.......2006-12-29
This book gives you the bones to enrich your experience with figure drawing. Professor Brown draws from varied sources and presents helpful images along with text that is intelligent and imformative. It is filled with sketches from masters such as Da Vinci as well as descriptive sketches from Clint addressing the figure as a subject filled with motion. I have continued to refer back to the book and appreciate its portable size. This is a book to take with you and keep even if you are moving around!
Figure drawing books don't get any better than this one........1997-02-03
"Drawing from Life" is a treasure an artist, teacher, and drawing lover finds once in awhile. It is very logically layed out. I enjoyed variety of illustrations, the learning exercises, and glossary. Alas... some negatives: the price, the quality and detail of the reproductions, especially the anatomy ones. The book needs to be bigger in size and make use of detail enlargements to show the beauty of the drawings
Book Description
Who hasn't, at one time or other, kept a journal? The impulse to record our daily lives on paper is nothing if not universal. Still, only a few of us have the discipline to make it past the first few entries, and fewer still manage to create diaries whose insight and visual beauty can inspire anyone but their authors. Drawing from Life: The Journal as Art is an exploration of these exceptions books of obsessive wonder filled to their borders with drawings, sketches, watercolors, graphs, charts, lists, collages, portraits, and photographs.
Jennifer New takes readers on a spirited tour into the private worlds of journal keepers an architect, a traveler, a film director, an archeologist, a cancer patient, a songwriter, a quiltmaker, a gardener, an artist, a cyclist, and a scientist, to name just a few illustrating a broad range of journaling styles and techniques that in the end show how each of us can go about documenting our everyday lives. Excerpts from journals by such artists as Maira Kalman, Steven Holl, David Byrne, and Mike Figgis give us a peek at how creative souls observe, reflect, and explore.
For those who already keep a journal, Drawing from Life will be an inspiration. For those who have always wanted to or tried and failed it might just be the motivation needed to get past that first week.
Customer Reviews:
Reassuring for those who journal, inspiring for those who want to........2007-01-18
I am a visual artist and have always been fascinated with the concept of journaling. This book helped me understand that there's no wrong way to keep a journal (for those of you who tend to think your journal isn't as interesting as other peoples, or that you're "not doing it right", this book is a confidence booster). Journaling is often personal and it's easy to feel self conscious of ones journal while in a vacuum; going through this book and seeing the stories and examples of total strangers helped me not be so critical of myself. I very much enjoyed the examples of each persons journal, especially the handwritten ones; the image quality was so good you could read the entries clearly. It's fun looking through other peoples journals, but confusing if you don't have the person there to explain things...this book includes how the journal writer works, why they do it, and how it has benefited other aspects of their career and/or life.
I was impressed that the majority of the people featured in the book weren't career artists; some were naturalists, psychiatrists, mothers, and college students (to name a few). I liked that there was a wide spectrum of individuals featured in the book.
It also shows that there are a variety of ways to keep a journal and that it doesn't always have to be a "Dear Diary" kind of scenario. It was also interesting to see what people used for journals and how they incorporated other media such as collage, digital photography, etc. or how journaling led to other forms of creation.
As other reviewers have mentioned this is not a book of journaling techniques. However, I found it inspiring to see the different kinds of journals people keep and it's given me ideas of my own to run with.
Here's the point.......2006-08-09
To S. Agulia....
What's the point? Well, I think the point is that you are probably looking for a book on Scrapbooking which is something very different from this. So, go get your glitter-on elsewhere....
This book gave me a lot of perspective on my own book that I keep and I love that all of the styles were very diffferent and inspiring. Here's hoping that there is a Volume 2!
What's the point?.......2006-07-13
This book features photographs & a couple of sample pages from a select & varied group of people - some are artists, some are other professions. I thought the book would be an inspiration for journaling - I did not find it so. Many of the photo pages are unreadable and uninspiring. Felt it was a waste of time and money.
For Your Inspiration-no technique included but visually very pleasing.......2006-03-02
This book is a great glimpse into how people from different fields treat their journals. From putting them up on a pedestal to utilitarian jotting down of memos and thoughts.
If you are looking for techniques this book does not have them. If you are looking for inspiration-this book certainly has it. The dimensions of the book is also quite nice as is the weight of the papers within. Includes a great variety of contributors-now I just want to see the rest of their personal journals.
I received this as a gift for Christmas and I think I have looked at it every day since. I would recommend this for a gift for yourself or family and friends.
If you love love looking at journal arts this is a book worth putting in your rotation.
An exciting look at journals!.......2006-02-26
If you are looking for pretty, "Somerset Studio" style journals, you'll be disappointed by this book. However, this book opens the mind to the possibility of many more kinds of journals. A wide variety of journalers from all over the world are represented here. Fascinating stuff!
Amazon.com
Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters provides an anatomical counterpart to Robert Beverly Hale's classic reference book, Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. Terence Coyle, who for several years assisted Hale at the Art Students League of New York, kept detailed notes of Hale's lectures and teaching methods. He combined these notes with 100 drawings to illustrate how the great masters portrayed specific parts of the human physique. As Hale points out, master artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo, and Raphael "absorbed the technical details of anatomy so well that these details could be set down instinctively.... If an artist has to occupy his mind with the task of clumsily grouping the elemental facts of anatomy as he draws, there can be little room left for really important matters--such as the spirit of the drawing and the artist's expressive intent." Coyle provides several examples within the study of each anatomical area to illustrate the variety of styles and methods employed by the masters. The book treats, in order, the rib cage, the pelvis and thigh, the knee and lower leg, the foot, the shoulder girdle, the arm, the hand, and the neck and head. A complete series of anatomical reference plates by Dr. Paul Richer is included. By applying the timeless anatomical principles the great masters have handed down to us, any artist can begin to acquire the means by which to express the "really important matters." --Mary Ribesky
Book Description
This classic book, whose foremost author was one of the great artistic anatomy teachers of the twentieth century, is an invaluable instructor and reference guide for any professional, amateur, or student artist who depicts the human form. Revealing the drawing principles behind one hundred inspiring masterpieces, the book presents work by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, and other greats. These superb portrayers of figures knew that the secret of drawing them was seeing how underlying bone and muscle structures mold the body's surface forms. Readers are shown how to learn from these great examples as the authors guide them through all the steps they would take in a life class or studio working with live models.
Customer Reviews:
Good for Antamoy References.......2007-05-13
I will just say that this is very helpful for reference to specific part of the human anatomy. Especially the skeletal and muscular diagrams at the back of the book.
Good book.......2006-11-23
for us amateaur artists who want inspiration to create great works of art. This book shows the details of the human body and how great artists drew from live and dead bodies as they create the greatest masterpieces in art history.
Practice practice practice.......2006-01-20
I took an art class at the junior college and the instructor suggested copying the masters to improve drawing skills. I bought this book and copied every picture. Not only did it familiarize me with many artists I had not heard of but, over time my drawing skills improved dramatically. I am now buying collections of drawings of other artists and copying. I highly recommend the book not only as a reference but also to be used to improve skills. I have an engineering background, not art and this helped immensely.
Good book, but lacks in the following........2004-01-07
Pick up this book if you are looking for a great artistic anatomy reference book. If you are looking for more than reference, however, you might want to look elsewhere. While this book is definitely good, it doesn't give the artist direction in how to draw or depict the illustrations. The text is pretty much straight-forward, usually only noting the parts of the bodies in the images. Second, this book lacks the poetic and great writing of Robert Beverly Hale.
Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters is more of an extra reference book or a supplement to Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. In that book, Hale really teaches to the reader whats needed to depict anatomy, what steps the artist must take, gives tips on how to become a great or accomplished artist, why the artists of the past were so good, what mistakes beginners of figure drawing usually make, and sooooo much more. It's pretty much an incredible book to have even if you're not into figure drawing.
I think Anatomy Lessons would probably be more highly regarded in my eyes had Drawing Lessons been nonexistent. Anatomy Lessons is great for further reference, if thats what you're looking for though. I probably wouldn't recommend anyone to buy this book unless you already own or have thoroughly read and studied Drawing Lessons by the Great Masters.
Excellent content.......2002-09-29
An excellent book on artistic anatomy. Reading this one book has taught me more than some figure drawing classes. A systematic deconstruction of how the masters of artistic anatomy have integrated their knowledge into some of the greatest drawings of all time. The book goes through the drawings of famous artists, categorized by the region of the body on which the drawings are focused, and attempts to explain how extensive knowledge of anatomy has been effectively applied. It touches on how these artists could create drawings which are more powerful than merely a photographic rendering of the model through their use of anatomy.
Unfortunately, the book is very cheaply bound. Entire leaves have detached themselves from the spine, though I have treated the book very well. My copy has turned into a stack of paper and scotch tape, wrapped loosely in its former cover. Despite that fact, I still consider it worth the purchase.
I have both this book and "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters." Both are excellent books, but if you must only buy one, get this one. It is the better of the two.
Book Description
This book was written to foster the creative spirit of the artist and to aid in the development and the continuation of realistic representational art. It is for all who love to draw the human form. It is for those who have never drawn a line, for those who are students who can draw to a certain degree, and for those professional artists who are proficient in drawing. This book shows step by step how to construct and draw the human figure and face as well along with all it’s features.
Customer Reviews:
Blind trying to lead the blind.......2007-06-07
One is supposed to be kind in most circumstances, but when this poor book is STILL offered to the unwitting student, it finally seems appropriate to speak out at the risk of seeming mean-spirited. Mr Faragasso's own weak drawings offered as examples should serve as ample warning that he is not in any way a master draughtsman and his instructional notes are on the same level. It is a backward, fragmented approach. How he has survived at the Art Student's League surprises me.
It's especially unique & complicated..........2007-02-01
The title here is interesting: great choice(!). The actual contents, however, are unique yet unrefined.
I bought this based on the interesting cover & title; I hadn't actually seen its contents. When I received this in the mail, my immediate 1st impression was that this looks like someone's loose & rough notes for an *eventually* finished product. This seems like the idea for a *possible* book, not the actual book itself. Many of these drawings are exceedingly sketchy, and many are highly stylized.
Is this helpful though? That's the bottom-line, for me at least. The many pages on the planes of the figure are so incredibly complicated, it's kind of impressive & frustrating at the same time. I give the author a lot of credit in the sense that this is one of the most unique-looking drawing books I've ever seen. 5 Stars for originality! But what good is that if the actual information here isn't as good as in other currently available books? It's just too needlessly complicated & expensive for me to honestly recommend.
Maybe it's great classroom teaching, but as an individual work- it just seems like a nice try at best. If anyone's interested in drawing from memory, I highly recommend Bridgman's books. My other favorites are by Burne Hogarth, as well as The Figure: The Classic Approach to Drawing and Construction by Walt Reed.
The absolute best book on drawing that there is........2006-08-04
Let me say first that I am highly predjudiced in favor of this book.Also, learning to draw is DIFFICULT for most of us!!
I had the good fortune to study with Mr. Faragasso about 20 years ago at the Art Students League. My father studied with Frank Reilly and Mr. Faragasso was one of his classmates. After so many years as a professional painter I can say that the knowledge that he gave to me has served me well. I am so grateful that all of this information has been assemled in one book for all to benefit from.It is also woderful that the information has been preserved (none of us are getting any younger!).
The planes are clearly explained. They relate to the structures which underlie them, therefore they can be a bit challenging. However, that IS our anatomy and it is what we have to learn in order to move forward and learn to really SEE and UNDERSTAND what we are seeing. This book will be a classic.
Superb manual on the craft of drawing.......2006-01-24
This is one of the finest book on the craft of drawing currently available, if not the finest. The book is an execellent presentation of the program developed by the late Frank J. Reilly at the Art Students League. I know this because I was one of Mr. Reilly's drawing class monitors for two years. This is a book for people who are truly serious about learning the craft of representational drawing. Short of having Mr.Reilly or Jack Faragasso pointing out the wat, this is as good as it gets in art instruction books.
Candido Rodriguez
(...)
Not quite what I expected.......2005-08-15
I purchased this book for the study of planes, however that section was so complex and seemed to have no reason to justify shadows and improving composition. However, the drawing exercies are very helpful and beneficial.
Book Description
“An indispensable volume...published for the first time in paperback....More than 200 illustrations of hands and hundreds of images of arms, shoulders, heads, torsos, legs, knees, and feet.” —Library Journal. “It will...meet a deeply felt need to draw the human figure from a vantage point of understanding and visual acuity.”—Arts & Activities.
Customer Reviews:
A GOOD COMPLIMENT TO HOGARTH.......2007-02-07
This book goes good with Hogarth's Dynamic Anatomy. I have gained better understanding from studying this book as well as Hogarth's. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to know a little about human anatomy.
great product, for any skill level, any drawing class........2006-11-10
This is a very helpful and thorough book. It's a great book to draw from, great for structural help. Great price on amazon! It's worth it because buying the individual books is much more expensive!
A must have.......2006-06-26
I also own Contructive Anatomy and his books on HANDS. This is a must have. Not just for the content, but also for the style. Any serious artist should diligenly copy the sketches in this book, as a daily sketch exercise.
One of my Top 3 Bridgman books- great in drawing from memory..........2006-03-26
Mainly for intermediate-level artists- I *might* have to pick this as my #1 Bridgman book. It has a little bit of *everything* depicting figure construction from memory. It's also great for general improvement; a few tips & tricks- an indispensable reference for all working artists.
And Bridgman appeals to a *very* wide-ranging audience: fine & commercial artists; illustrators; comicbook pencilers; animators; video-game designers; fashion artists; sculptors; computer graphics designers; students; intermediate-artists; experts; and professionals. This Complete Guide represents the best of 6 out of his 7 individual books. Drawing the Female Form is the book that gets left out. Designed by editor Howard Simon in 1952; Bridgman passed away in 1943, so it's not Bridgman's fault if anyone has issues with the layout(!).
Here's a quick breakdown of his 6 individual books, from my very favorite to least...
1. Book of a Hundred Hands- His *best* representation of hands; if hands are your main interest, skip all else & buy 100 hands.
2. Constructive Anatomy- His *best* individual work on figure construction- especially with cubed-construction of the head.
3. Heads, Features and Faces- Great for beginners; it isn't in-depth, and it isn't nearly overwhelming like this Complete Guide.
4. Human Machine- Genius in concept- drawings exceedingly sketchy. These are the sketchiest drawings in this Complete Guide.
5. Bridgman's Life Drawing- Like a mini Complete Guide. Treats the figure in its parts as well as with basic, full-figure movement.
6. Drawing the Draped Figure- *Very* basic. Everything you need from this exceedingly thin book is included in this Complete Guide.
In short: The basic *point* of Bridgman's Complete Guide is to help people to draw figures more convincingly, and even from memory. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, this book still succeeds in a very effective way...
P.S. This book is definitely *not* for beginners! Only *Intermediate-level* artists need apply.
Amazing.......2006-01-09
I would rate this ten stars if I could. Speaking as someone who has gone to some school and trying to complete my portfolio through books and tutorials, this book is absolutely indispensable. Its a little hard to understand as navarro states earlier. But once you actually work through an exercise, any exercise, his method clicks very quickly and easily. I am amazed by the amount I learn and skill I gain with every page of this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in any area of art.
Book Description
Lavishly illustrated anatomy books have long been prized by artists, physicians, and other educated readers. Human Anatomy is the first authoritative history of anatomical illustration to include the most recent scientific discoveries and digital imagery. The book includes concise biographies of the great anatomists of history, as well as superb reproductions of anatomical renderings by Leonardo da Vinci, Vesalius, and many others, showing how science and art worked harmoniously to disseminate an evolving understanding of the human mechanism and how it operates. Spanning five centuries, Human Anatomy is an invaluable addition to the libraries of artists, doctors, and general science readers everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful.......2007-09-05
This is a very good overview of anatomy in art. Great reproductions. It has proven a very good source for images, and the writing is astute and informative.
Book Description
At the nexus of art and science, this dazzling new edition of Ernst Haeckel's first work reintroduces the genius of an enigmatic scientist and passionate observer of the natural world.
Although original editions of this book are extremely rare, it is now available for the first time in paperback, beautifully reproducing his drawings and watercolors. While the variety and detail of Haeckel's drawings display an impressive understanding of biological structure, the skill with which Haeckel drew these tiny aquatic protozoa renders them genuine works of art. This volume features commentary and descriptions of each of the radiolarians from Haeckel's work.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing and Little Known Organisms Illustrated.......2006-03-24
Radiolarians are a total blank to the majority of people, yet these remarkable builders of glass houses (microscopic to be sure) abound in the world's oceans. Ernst Haeckel, the Nineteenth Century German biologist and supporter of Darwin, wrote the most comprehensive monograph on the group in his Radiolarian Atlas of 1862, which is still in use today. The illustrations have never been surpassed and so it is certainly a boon for microscopists that the plates have now been republished in all their glory as "Art Forms from the Ocean: The Radiolarian Atlas of 1862". In many ways I wish that the text would have included descriptions of the radiolarians illustrated and their distributions, but that probably would have been of little interest to the general public. Instead there is a discussion of Haeckel's life and work, especially of his involvement with radiolarians and other microscopic marine life.
Still, for the price this is a real bargain, and I thus recommend this book just for the plates to any amateur or professional biologist who is interested in the micro planktonic organisms of the ocean.
Book Description
Both professional and student illustrators of action and fantasy art can take the guesswork out of rendering extreme anatomy and dynamic action poses with help from this valuable reference source. It presents more than 600 detailed color photos of live models, and represents a wide range of physiques, postures, and poses that can be incorporated in fantasy scenarios. The book's accompanying CD-ROM contains all of the book's posed images, allowing illustrators to swipe them directly and paste them into their own computer art projects. The book also instructs on rendering realistic effects to the illustrated textures of flesh, hair, clothing, and metal objects, as well as advice on adding highlights, backlights, and shadows. Here is a valuable reference source that belongs in every illustrator's personal library. All images are copyright free.
Customer Reviews:
Great for figure reference .......2007-09-11
I really enjoyed this book. I actually downloaded the images onto my computer and use them as poses to draw from in the slide show format. Coupled with "The Natural Way to draw" this book really helps me out and gives me a "safe" place to learn away from the limelight, which is important to me.
This images are good and very well done and give you some really good costume studies (as well as drapery studies) on top of basic anatomy and muscle drawing.
Overall, a very good piece of work.
my review.......2007-07-04
This book is a welcome addition to any cartoonist or illustrator's photo reference file as it includes physical and ethnical types different from the usual stereotypical idealized caucasians. On the other hand, it isn't as systematic, varied or consistent in its poses and points-of-view as the Illustrator's Reference Manuals or the Posefile series of books.
Cliche Central.......2007-01-23
The 'Fantasy' of the title is, unfortunately, the heavily-stereotyped 'thud and blunder' style fantasy of Conan the Barbarian, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and other such hackneyed, outdated types.
The figures shown are Barbarian warrior, Warrior woman, Evil Sorceress, Fairy, etc. And they are all quite absurd.
The book also includes little tidbits of information about costume and weapons, like this pearl of wisdom: "The nock is the part of the bow that the arrow rests on." Uh, yeah?
Combine this with poses titled "Bring forth tidings", "Arise, my liege" and the like, you soon realise this isn't a particularly well-done piece of work.
As for the CD, the images are huge - making them very difficult to work with.
This book isn't completely useless, but there are surely better things to spend your money on.
Great for beginner fantasy artists!!.......2007-01-09
If you are new to the fantasy art genre or are looking for a great quick reference for figure drawing, this is the book. It gives a diverse selection of different body types, sizes and looks, as well as a good smattering of accesories, close-ups and clothing...
Not extreme or dynamic, but still has some good parts.......2007-01-03
Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. Overall, it was uninspiring to me, especially in creating my own characters. As a reference photo book, it fails because the poses are not extreme and dynamic as promised. It also seems to try to reach beyond its scope with a section on painting and many comments on characters beyond anatomy and costume.
Pros:
- "Anatomical studies" show each character type in only shorts (or shorts and sports bra for women) so you know what the body looks like in some poses.
- Summary of character wardrobe
- Poses of characters in wardrobe may help in drawing clothing -- depicting folds, how certain material hangs, etc.
- As another review mentioned, an overweight man ("cleric" and "norseman" types) and a small person ("warrior dwarf" type) are shown here, and both are helpful.
- Captions in the book often direct you to details (how material is bunching up a certain way, how a shoulder strap hangs off the body in a certain pose) or notes about anatomy ("legs need to be placed apart because they will have to bend to compensate for the weight of the ax")
- Section of close-up facial expressions (male and female)
- Although brief, there are also some photos of hand detail, including props like rings & bracelets, and accessory details -- boots, belts, jewelry
- Spiral binding allows the book to lay flat (although when you're drawing, you'll probably print images from the CD instead)
Cons:
- Uninteresting poses. This is the sale-killer for me. Although the book says the photos depict "extreme anatomy and dynamic action poses" I found the poses to be too plain. There was no "extreme" posing where the body is in extreme angles -- lunging, jumping, twisting. Instead, someone is standing still with their arms raised and feet spread, but there is no action happening. You can tell because there is a lack of tense muscles.
- The back of the book has a section on painting characters that seems out of place. This is a photo reference book, not a painting book. Unless you already know about painting with acrylics, this section is useless.
- Some captions have irrelevant comments. In a caption of a photo showing a happy "warrior prince" face, it notes, "All characters should be able to feel elation and happiness."
Summary: although a few poses are good, don't expect most of them to be "extreme" or "dynamic." Note that this is not an instruction book on learning anatomy, and you should have at least a basic understanding of human anatomy to use this book well.
Books that I would recommend for beginning artists:
- Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy by Christopher Hart
- Drawing the Living Figure by Joseph Sheppard
- Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth (great for flow of action)
- Perspective! For Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea
- Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery: Solutions for Drawing the Clothed Figure by Burne Hogarth
- Action Anatomy: For Gamers, Animators, and Digital Artists by Takashi Iijima
Book Description
Marjolein Bastin's glowing, detailed illustrations have charmed nature lovers in the U.S. for more than a decade, as they have done for fans in her native Holland and throughout Europe. From the smallest bird, blossom, or leaf to the complex interaction of forest and prairie, Bastin's art demonstrates her unparalleled skill at capturing the fleeting beauty of the natural world. Now Bastin's many fans can follow her creative process through the seasons in View from a Sketchbook, an intimate portrait of the best-selling artist at work.
Through numerous walks and talks with garden writer and editor Tovah Martin, the reader gets to know Bastin's homes and studios in Kansas City, Missouri, Holland, and the Cayman Islands; sees her gardens and natural surroundings; and comes to understand her early influences, and her passionate commitment to preserving and restoring the natural world.
Customer Reviews:
A year on the prairie with Marjolein Bastin.......2004-06-16
"View from a Sketchbook" is a lovely album of watercolors by Marjolein Bastin, the illustrator of the children's books starring Vera the Mouse, and Tovah Martin, who kept a journal of Marjolein's nature walks during a full year from spring through winter. They spent the year at the Bastin's home in a carefully tended patch of Missouri prairie, visiting the Bastin's old home in Ede in central Holland, and on vacation on Grand Cayman.
There are three dozen full-page illustrations and numerous little sketches, sometimes just a single bumblebee or eggshell. You can see the love and care that goes into every little detail. Even the list of contents is terminated with a tiny ladybug. And the cover of the book underneath the dust jacket is decorated with a frieze of Canada geese with a family of chicks. This is an exquisitely beautiful book from the rabbit on the first page to the Giant Swallowtail on the last.
Books:
- F.A.Q.: Frecuently Asked Questions on AFV Painting Techniques (Modelling Manuals)
- Fashion: A History from the 18th to 20th Century: the Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute (Taschen 25th Anniversary)
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
- Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change
- Free to Choose: A Personal Statement
- Gas Purification, Fifth Edition
- Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- Gone with the Wind
- Happy Birthday to You! (Classic Seuss)
Books Index
Books Home
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