Painting-the

This book is one of the main referance books in my library for watercolor. I only wish I could fine Volume 2.

This is an excellent book on watercolor that helps you teach yourself to paint. It is one of the few watercolor books that I have seen that uses brilliant color. The book concentrates of landscape and still life, which are the topics that most people will have ready access to and the author's method of having you keep a sketchbook and paint at least 15 minutes a day is a wonderful way to learn. His suggestion that you always include figures in your landscapes is also excellent as most people wish to avoid figure work. THIS BOOK GETS YOU PAINTING.

This book was extremely helpful to me as an already practicing professional artist. It had helpful suggestions for handling new details that I hadn't approached in a long time. For the beginner to the professional,this book has something for everyone. If you are interested in learning new techniques for solving some of the problems you may encounter, this is the book for you!!

This is an excellent book for both the two dimensional artist or the three dimensional sculptor. It has a wonderful assortment of various ethnic faces for reference and gorgeous children of various ages and backgrounds. The proportional head charts are the best that I have seen. "Keys to Painting Faces & Figures" is beautifully presented and would be an asset to any artist's library.

There are numerous petroglyphs and pictographs throughout the American Southwest. Some of that artwork created between 200 B.C. until the 17th century, show Kokopelli, the fluteplayer -- a sacred figure to Native Americans as well as modern popular culture icon of the region.

The geologists Dennis Slifer and James Duffield introduce the reader to the world of Kokopelli, describing his many guises by analyzing dozens of rock art sites. Moreover, they also take a closer look at how Kokopelli is represented in ceramics and kiva murals. The study is rounded off by mentioning the myth surrounding Kokopelli and by telling some Native American stories about the often humpbacked fluteplayer who symbolizes fertility among other things.

The book is richly illustrated with maps, sketches, black and white as well as a few colored photos. Artists will surely be inspired by the multitude of Kokopelli portrayals as well as other petroglyph motives. This excellent study is also recommendable for everyone interested in this part of American Southwestern history.

I gambled when I ordered this book, since I hadn't a clue what I'd find inside. And this gamble paid off! What a fantastic compilation of kokopelli imagery....a marvelous source of inspiration for my own carving work. You will find photographic documentation of the original petroglyphs as well as line-drawings....masses of them! And the discussion of the mythology behind kokopelli gives life to these spritely images. One of the best buys I've made this year! I've recommended it to others I know who work with ancient imagery.

I'm an artist,and a book lover too. Maybe a little addicted to buy good books at Amazon. And recently bought a jewel, the book Landscapes in Watercolor by T.Philcox. The images fascinated me. And the content, provided by some leading artists, really worth the price too. I was curious about Theo's books. I was invited to a new one, the still life one. Now I'm eager to see it!

This book moves right away from the tired 'how to do it' approach, and instead takes you right to the artists' studios. Each of the twenty or more artists from all over the world, talk freely about their inspirations and approach to their work, showing a wide diversity of style. Many of the artists are very well known to the UK market - Peter Graham, David Curtis, Trevor Chamberlain, David Bellamy, Alwyn Crawshaw and Brian Lancaster, to name but a few. There are some stupendous works from Australians Greg Allen and Bob Wade, and gorgeous colour studies from the American, Sally Cataldo. The individual entries for each of the artists makes fascinating reading, as their personalities shine through. This compact book will provide inspirational ideas and encourage experimentation. The designer has given the works space to breathe, making the book a pleasure to use. It would make a lovely gift for any aspiring artist, if you could bear to part with it!

As an artist I am always in search of books that are not only interesting to read, but primarily filled with great photographs of works. This book is filled with wonderful original works...all in color. I would also say that "don't judge a book by it's cover" applies to this one because it not only contains floral "plates" like the one on the cover, but also stunning trompe l'oeil still lifes with a floral theme. This is a wonderful little book!!

Anyone who has read the Bible or romantic poetry knows that flowers are often used as symbols. What may not have occurred to you is that the person you receive flowers from or give flowers to may read a message into the selections in the arrangement. If you are like me, you will never again select flowers as gifts solely for their aesthetic qualities. The book's strength is an outstanding choice of paintings used to illustrate the flowers discussed as well as their symbolism. You will be pleased to find the references for these paintings in the book so you can explore the works separately from the book.

Ms. Heilmeyer is both a botanist and an art historian in Berlin, which makes her eminently qualified to explore this subject. Her review of the history of flower symbolism begins in ancient Egypt and moves forward in time through Greece, Rome, and Christian sources across Western Europe. Her key point is that "Throughout the ages flowers have played an important role in expressing feelings, or when joyful or sad news had to be delivered."

The book is organized so that you get one page of essay facing one page of art illustration. The essay page will often have some small botanical illustrations on it. In total, you will find 156 color illustrations, almost all of which are wonderful! I was especially impressed that Ms. Heilmeyer was able to find botanical photographs that so aptly captured the symbolic elements of the flowers. On the top right of the page with the essay, the symbolic meanings are summarized to make it easier to use the book as a reference when assembling a message through an arrangement.

I was struck that many flowers symbolize different things totally in the religious versus the lay context. The potential for mixed messages is strong in those cases.

Here are a few flowers and some of their symbolic meanings to give you a flavor of what you will learn in the book:

Columbine (Aquilegia) -- wisdom and strength, piety and fear; a symbol of salvation, the triumph of life over death; an aphrodisiac;

Thistle -- Scotland's national emblem; a symbol of hard work, suffering and Christ's deliverance; dispels melancholy;

Strawberry -- First fruit of the year; a symbol of purity and sensuality, fertility and abandance, humility and modesty;

Camellia -- A symbol of the transience of life;

Crocus -- Symbol of the Resurrection and heavenly bliss;

Stock -- Symbol of happy life and contented existence;

Lily -- Purity;

Lily of the Valley -- A symbol of the Virgin Mary;

Daisy -- The love flower;

Daffodil -- The promise of eternal life;

Carnation -- Bravery, love, and friendship; symbol of Mother's Day;

Peony -- An arden love of God;

Rose -- Love and joy; and

Pansy -- Sign of the Holy Trinity; symbolizes loyalty.

The obvious application of this book is to make up bouquets that are meaningfully beautiful. I hope you will use it that way to bring you closer to those you love.

After you have finished enjoying this book and making many wonderful arrangements that you would not have considered before, I suggest that you also think about other natural items that have symbolic meanings and employ them as well to expand your visual use of language.

Linda Kranz has created a virtually new art form for families. Of course, rock painting is an ancient art, but how many families have been having fun lately creating stone pizzas, footballs, and messages of love? The color photography and multiple examples are great and very appealing. No one could ask for directions that are more clear and precise. The best part of the volume may well be all the great patterns at the end of the book. This is a terrfic family book. Highly recommended. BOTH kids and parents will love this one!

Let's Rock is a terrific "hands on" introduction to rock painting for kids...but don't let the title keep the "big kids" (adults) from picking this book up for themselves. Author/artist, Linda Kranz, has provided the artist hiding in all of us to look at the rocks that surround us through a different set of eyes and then to transform them into delightful, miniature works of art. I have worked in the arts and crafts field for nearly 30 years and finding "how to" books that truly show each step from materials, patterns, and easy to apply techniques that will give the user the same professional looking finished product are not always available. "Let's Rock," however, provides that and more. Each step is shown in full color and is easy to follow for kids and adults and all of the designs displayed are included among the over 100 patterns that are inside the book. If you ever felt the desire to paint and were afraid that you didn't have the talent, "Let's Rock" will introduce you to the brush in a delightful way that will have you painting with joy and whimsy.

I browsed this book in the bookstore many times before I actually purchased it, and I'm glad I did. The simplistic approach the artist takes with her paintings captivate me; the light lights contrasted with the dark darks are breathtaking, and yet everything seems so soft and pastel-looking. I have learned a lot about value because of this book. It's wonderful. Buy it.

If you love watercolor (just to look or also to paint them) you may possibly adore this book as much as I do.

Lucy Willis is immensely talented. Her feeling for light and how to handle it with watercolor is nothing short of amazing. She does many of the paintings in this book "a la prima" or without pencil drawing first. This fact alone astonished me as her rendering is draftsman-accurate with a brush. She also has a nice section on painting interior scenes. I hope she writes another book, so I can see more of her delightful work.

The extraordinary luminosity of Fr. Kroug's iconography is clear in the large color photos. The detail allows one to look at the layers in his tempera/fresco technique, as well as his unique manner of highlighting. His use of color, while within the canonical guidelines, is uniquely modern and is attuned to the 20-21st centuries. His icons, like the "Descent into Hades" contain the essence of spiritual meaning, speaking understandably to anyone who regards this icon, believer or not. He has been compared to Andrei Rublev as a uniquely gifted iconographer. The two are very different in style, but the same beauty, joy, and faith shine through their icons.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in general iconography, as well as for iconographers. It is very well done, and makes one hope more of Fr. Gregory's icons as well as his writings might become available in the future.

This book totally surprized me. The format is incredible. The images are reproduced on a large scale that lets you look at them for hours. The commentary is not preachy or dry. It is a unique look at a totally unique art. The more I read the more I wanted to read. It's that good. But honestly since this is a book on art the words should only enhance understanding of the images, they do. Each image tells a story, one that you will want to read again and again. If you want to experience art that is not ordinary, this book is an excellent breath of fresh air.

This is a one of the best books on oil painting that I've seen (though probably best for an intermediate level painter; it's a little short on basic 'just getting started' information). Both the author's advice and the demonstrations are helpful and done in a professional but friendly way.

The best compliment I can give it is that I've actually looked for the author's paintings to purchase.

First rate demos. Good graphics. The artist-author is a premier realistic Plein air painter.

The beautiful illustrations help make this book one of my favorite childhood stories. It is a heartwarming story of a little mouse who is an artist. She captures her dearest friends in a painting, in which they all see just themselves. "Little Mouse's Painting is a story that can be enjoyed by everyone.

When searching for just the right gift, I remembered this lovely book. Little Mouse's Painting has everything you may be looking for in a book for young children. Beautiful illustations, sweet as pie story and a lesson to learn for young and old. Little Mouse paints a picture and all her friends see something different in it. It will become a family favorite.