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After purchasing many watercolor books on flowers and realizing they just didn't fit my needs, I was hesitant to purchase another one. But after seing Basic Flower Painting, I succumbed and am thrilled with the instructions and the step by step demos that are the most helpful of all. The price is so reasonable for what is provided in the content, and the colors are as vibrant as in a much more expensive book. I couldn't ask for anything more. I recommend it to any level artist whether beginner or advanced. There's something for everyone in it.

Caveat: this title may attract the novice, but "Basic" shouldn't be confused with "Beginning." If you are have a limited palette and are not yet conversant with terms like "charging color," "thirsty brush," and "modeling," the demonstrations may be frustrating.

That being said, the book is a joyful compendium of fine work by accomplished artists. Many examples are featured in the _Splash_ series. Demonstrations are varied, detailed, and challenging (although the section on special effects with cotton swabs is a bit long).

As a reference or idea-generator, the book is excellent. The editor has thoughtfully included sketches for constructing single blossoms, composite flowers, stems, leaves, weeds, and wild grasses. For the adventurous, she also includes articles on techniques with crumpled paper, compositions, acetate, acrylic, and airbrush.

I would recommend this book highly for an advanced beginner who is interested in exploring florals in more depth, or for the more accomplished artist who seeks a comprehensive overview of the subject.

If you really want to learn about flower painting, This is one book you simply cannot do without ! This book REALLY teaches you the basics step-by-step. It is beautifully illustrated and will give you the necessary knowledge in learning how to paint flowers with the help of different artists. There are very few books on flower painting that will give you this much demonstration, tips & techniques plus beautifully painted flowers that are painted so realistically that you can almost smell them.

This is a great book for beginers. Lots of great photos and explanations. Very happy with this purchase!

The author teaches various silk painting techniques step-by-step. For each project she provides a picture of the finished piece, a drawing of the design that can be photocopied, a materials list and pictures for each painting step. The instructions are clear, the projects appealing. The book also has one of the clearest instructions how to make your own steam-fixing device and how to steam fix. It's a great book that will get you started.

This book clearly sends the novice silk painter through the basic techniques of this exciting craft. The colour photographers are brilliant, showing step by step ways to acquire the skills needed for silk painting and so complete the various projects within the book. Add this to the shopping basket now it's a must!

One of the things I do when I looking for ideas for new paintings is to look through this book. I also go for walks, take photographs and go to museums and galleries but when those options are unavailable or inconvenient books like the "Best Of" series are a great help.

This book contains works in more than just 'pure watercolor'. Many of the most beautiful works are mixed media. The common denominator being that an aqueous media has to be the dominant element in the painting. Thus there are works in gouache, acrylic, pen and ink with watercolor, gold leaf, watercolor pencils, water-soluable pastels...basically anything that can be used with water. An added extra is that many of the paintings list what surface was used. Books like these are always a great pleasure and inspiration to look through.

This showcase book is packed with spectacular watercolor art with a wide variety of subject and style, including people, nature, still-life and abstract. It is delight to leaf through and a great source of inspiration.

Some of my favorite pieces include a beautiful lily pond landscape by David Lee and a portrait of a woman by Paul McCormack. I also liked two different collage style pieces fish and fishing poles by Patricia Scott and another with shells, birds and writing by Judy Hoiness. I enjoyed a colorful abstract by Margaret Manter and a still life of melons by Sue Archer.

Caption information includes artist, title, size, paper used and sometimes medium notes. Artist addresses and a brief note about the judges are included in the back. This book makes a great gift for the watercolor artist or enthusiast.

Both the Best of Watercolor and the Best of Watercolor 2 are filled with a wonderful assortment of beautiful work by current, award-winning watercolorists. The techniques and subject matter are varied, and give the reader a terrific selection of truly fine work.

This beautiful book is a lovely elegy to an artist who, sadly, we lost to AIDS earlier this year. Though the pages don't quite do justice to the art itself, you can see the pieces themselves, for a short time only, at Buffalo's Albright-Knox Museum through the spring of 2003. If you can't experience the art, this sumptuously produced book, using his farm in western New York as an inspiration, is nearly as good. My prediction is that Frank Moore's star will be in the ascendant for many years to come. Though he is no longer with us, his talent and joy of surprise will delight us for many years to come. And isn't that what art's about after all?

Full-page color photos of Frank Moore's paintings are especially strong in Between Life And Death: images of nature drawn from a folk art influence. From cameos of large insects and flowers and diminutive humans to folk art cards and a closeup of book titles, this is filled with images of species and interactions between objects and man.

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the current art scene, but I was not familiar with Frank Moore's amazing work. I just came from DisneyWorld with my parents and happily discovered a show at the Orlando Art Museum of these beautiful and haunting images. Though on first glance these paintings and drawings seem direct and quite simple, it becomes obvious upon closer inspection that they were actually highly planned and worked out. The balance between science, medicine, and nature itself is beautifully maintained and the introduction of death metaphors seems quite appropriate given the state of our current health-care system. I am truly sorry to hear of the loss of this supremely gifted artist but glad to have stumbled upon this beautifully done work and book about it.

Mrs. Maryjo Koch

Subject: Bird Egg Feather Nest

Dear Mrs. Koch:

Congratulations on creating an absolutely beautiful book! Words fail in trying to express my respect for your unique and scholarly approach to this universally appealing subject. Your presentation is at the same time unbelievably detailed, yet still is not pedantic or boring. I especially love your artwork and the imaginative way you have used hand-lettered "swatches" to describe the associated drawings.

I have carefully observed the dozens of kinds of different wild birds in our backyard. I even "talk" to some of them. But without your drawings and explanations, I could never understand or appreciate the amazing details of birds' eyes, eggs, feathers, beaks, talons, etc.

In particular, your revelations on nest-building is a very clear compilation of your outstanding research. But I guess my greatest admiration focuses on your chapters about EGGS, FEATHERS, and SINGING. How did you ever discover all these incredible facts? I will always be thankful that I happened to stumble over your book in our local bookstore. It has given us much joy.

My only regret is that you explain all these amazing facts by using the word 'evolution'. In spite of your very scholarly approach to scientific analysis it is incomprehensible that you explain all these marvels by quoting the babbling of an unscientific dreamer like Darwin. He concocted a totally unproven theory to try to explain what he couldn't accept: that God had mandated that all these amazing ideas become a reality.

Nice work on the book, but please don't try to pretend that all these wonderful things that you have discovered happened by accident!

Thanks again for creating your Masterpiece!

Sincerely,

________ Ken Waltz

From the moment I picked up this book I was in awe. Ms. Koch's illustrations are absolutely incredible and should be appreciated by anyone who has ever been in the great out doors.

This book draws the reader and non-reader (18 months to old avid birders) into its pages with beautiful, detailed illustrations of birds, their nests, thier young, the vast diffeences of eggs, etc. The snipets of information range from dietary:

"Birds and humans have similar nutritional requirments ... yet differ vastly in what each finds appetizing"

to nest planning and building.

Readers can pick up the book hundreds of times, start anywhere, middle or end; and immerse themselves in bird lore, migration insight, famous quotations and familiar and exotic detailed illustrations of birds, their nests, their environment, their eggs, EVERYTHING! I recommend this book for children and even experienced birders.

Very easy, creative and inspirational.
It's not like other books on the subject which eventually make you consult other books. Even beginner like myself can perform the projects easily. And you know what? The results are quite professional.

This book is full of bright colorful designs and patterns to spruce up any object in your home. With so many techniques, you can pick and choose between them to create your own unique pieces of art. The designs are easy to create because they use simple shapes, color shapers and stamping tools. However, many are also elaborate, taking several layers of paint, so they can be somewhat time consuming.

The book starts out with instructions on how choose brushes, mediums, papers and other useful tools. It then explains how to prepare and finish surfaces. It also guides you through basic brushstrokes. Twelve projects follow including objects, fabrics and furniture. Each one includes a materials list and step-by-step instructions accompanied by photos and illustrations. Some of my favorite projects include a Bokhara pattern wall art hanging, a cool jazz candleholder and an English rose round table.

My favorite part of the book is the library of over 20 decorative patterns. Again, a materials list and step-by-step instructions guide you thorough each one. A large close-up of the texture is shown along with several small picture swatches of it a various stages. Some textures include the carpet-liner, bubble-wrap, color-wash, and dry brush.

Having seen in class what you will see as color photos in this book, and having been witness to the steps and techniques required to produce such interesting and delightful art, I can heartily recommend this book for the thoroughness, simplicity in technical description, sparkling creativity and talent, and wholeheartedness that its artist/author exemplifies in her person as a teacher.

Wait til you see her special brand of batik, her uses of printing, and what her methods of layering will yield. You won't want to leave your paints alone! Happy creating!!!

First off, Barlowe is an amazingly talented artist, and anything he does is worth owning.
Second, this book is an excellent continuation of "Inferno". If you do not own "Inferno", this can be read alone. However, the two are part of the same vision of Hell.
Third, while this book has slightly less content than "Inferno", it's still excellent. The artwork is inspired and haunting. The demons have an organic feel that makes them look real. They also have the remnants of their angelic heritage. Whereas "Inferno" is Barlowe's travels through Hell, focusing on people, places, and "beings", this book focuses on beings in the hierarchy of Hell, from officers to demons to fallen souls.

As my first thought, the point of view of Brushfire was much different from that of Inferno. This time it is written as if Barlowe were actually in Hell while painting his various subjects. Although this can be interesting, the perspective sometimes leaves out alot of information about the demons major and minor, focusing more on what he was thinking and what was happening around him at the time he was painting.
Brushfire mananages to have very visually rewarding illustrations. Pictures of "posing subjects" tend to be more photographic, while pictures outdoors are usually more like the ones from Inferno. However, I feel it could have incorporated more of the titanic scale so ubiquitous in Inferno. This effect gives Barlowe's Hell a very supernatural feel, one that separates his vision from that of other's.
As a humorous ending note, there is a little "insider joke" in the book. One of the pictures is of Morphaiis, a demon that Barlowe befriends on his visit to Hell. What makes it funny is that the painting is of James Cowan, Barlowe's friend and book publisher (who just happens to work for Morpheus International.

And that's not a bad thing, in the least. Some of the images simply took my breath away, more so than those in Inferno. Hannibal and his army of souls still has be picking up the book just to see it again. The text that accompanies the artwork is nice as well. It answers some questions that Inferno left us with and gives more of the lush inferno of hell while expanding it with the sketchily outlined events of a rebellion and war. While I believe this book could stand on it's own, it truly seems to shine as a companion to inferno. Indeed, inferno itself seems much more coherent after having read/viewed Brushfire.

-SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:
"A Japanese American child receives an origami kit for her birthday. The brightly colored papers are "as thin as butterfly wings" and she handles them with care and reverence, spreading them out "like a rainbow." Kiri pores over the diagrams in the instruction book and tries to "Fold crisply" and "Crease sharply!" The steps become more complicated and when the delicate sheet tears, she cries in frustration. Afraid of ripping another piece, she puts the papers away. As time passes, Kiri enjoys other artistic pursuits, like painting and chalk drawing, but she is still intrigued by the art of origami and continues to practice her folds on notebook paper. When her watercolors run together on make a soggy hole in the center of her picture, she finds another use for the origami papers. she cuts out flower shapes and as she glues them on her painting, "The colors began to dance." Feeling emboldened, she selects a sheet of yellow paper and sucessfully folds a butterfly. Falwell's cut-and-torn paper collages are the perfect medium for the story. Kiri's disappointments are realistically captured, as is her creative spirit. Instructions on how to make an origami butterfly are included.
-BOOKLIST:
"Colorful and bright, this story of frustration and determination will appeal to children who have experienced both . . . . The cut-and-torn paper collages are just the right medium for this story, and Falwell uses her papers to good effect-sometimes very simply, sometimes in elaborate ways-to capture both the enthusiasm of the child and the enthusiasm apparent in Kiri's art. A final page offers instructions for making an origami butterfly; as with Kiri, it may take children awhile to master the project, but they should enjoy practicing."
MORNING NEWS:
"Butterflies gives young readers the feeling of having a book in a book with Kiri's own story of her birthday treasure. More practically, readers can try out origami using some of the instructions included in the story. Author/illustrator Cathryn Falwell cleverly spreads the joy through Kiri's own words as she calls out the instructions from her book, "'Fold crisply. Crease sharply.' the book said." Kids, try the step-by-step picture instructions at the end of the book to make your own origami butterfly. It looks easy enough even for grown-ups. -THE DALLAS

Butterflies For Kiri by author/illustrator Cathryn Falwell is the story of Kiri, a young girl who is struggling to learn the art of origami, paper folding to craft a beautiful butterfly from a square sheet of colored paper. Her first tries tear the paper, yet with inspiration, determination and perseverance, Kiri is able to achieve her goal. Instructions for young people to fold their own butterflies are included in this charming, full-color picture book.

My children and I were delighted to find this new book by one of our favorite author illustrators. Kiri struggles with learning a new skill the same way my little perfectionist 7-yr-old daughter does. The way Kiri explores her own creative expression while continuing to patiently practice the folding of the origami is really beautiful. When both of these parts come together at the end of the story, Kiri's imagination dances free. My daughter found a kindred spirit in Kiri. The illustrations are gorgeous. My younger children also enjoyed this book.

i devoured this book with the same pleasure i'd get from reading a beautiful children's book. the illustrations -- step by step images of simandle paintings in process -- are beautiful to look at. the stories -- how to put together a painting, from first sketches to last touches of detail -- are simple and engaging. simandle's approaches to brushwork (including the palette knife), mixing colors, preserving white and developing visual rhythms are well worth learning. a very fine guide for the intermediate painter looking for more poetry in their watercolor technique ... one of my favorite watercolor books.

I am a Swedish girl who bought this book by chance and it turned out to be just what I was looking for. A wonderful book, a "must" for everyone who like bright, light, sparcling and fresh watercolor paintings. M Simandle teaches you really how to capture light and how important it is to use, as she calls it, "broken color" - many, many fragments of bright pigment, sparkling and contrasting with the white of the paper. A book that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

I found Marilyn's unique approach and palette knife techinique a real find in the world of watercolor instruction books. The beautifully designed step by step latouts and gorgeous subject matter really hit the spot for the starving artist in all of us. Each lesson makes everyone an editor so we can go on to design and illustrate our own personal world in watercolor. I love this book!! (like you didn't notice)

This book was sooooooooooo funny!
It's about Alfie Mason, who lives with his topsy-turvy family. His mother is somewhat drunk and his grandfather, who has a point but never shuts up, and his sister, Alma. He spends every minute he can get drawing cartoons in the attic. But when his spoiled brother, Bubba, comes back to live with them, he has to sleep in the attic. Alfie decides to keep his beloved attic to himself, by shutting himself up in there. His family tries to get him out, but it is no use. He even skips school to stay in there. But I can't tell anymore, or I'd spoil it.

This is a great example of what children's literature should be about. It tells a lot in a very few pages about how sad a child's life can be when the adults are less responsible than the children. We see Alfie's grim world through his eyes.

Alfie lives with his mother, grandfather and sister. Alfie's only interest in life is to draw cartoons. He draws at night, at school and any other time he can manage to sneak away. In the evening, he climbs up to the attic and closes the world of his loud abusive obnoxious mother behind so he can draw and dream about a better life.

Betsy Byars does a wonderful job of realistically portraying a grim world with an alcoholic mother and grandfather who do nothing but argue and watch television without beating the reader over the head with the harshness of it all. I felt real hope in Alfie as he tried to control his little world and keep it out of the hands of the irritating mother who fails to understand his artistic interests.

This book is really good. It's about a boy who loves to draw cartoons but his mother doesn't. He stays up in the attic drawing all the time. One day he finds out his older brother, who he dislikes, is moving in with them. Also he will be staying in the attic. Read the book to find out how Alfie defends his attic