Art Book Reviews

Painting the Drama of Wildlife Step by Step by Terry Isaac

2010-08-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

We have the pleasure of being able to number Terry Isaac, who moved here a few years ago, among the artists in our small community of Penticton.

Painting the Drama of Wildlife is a wonderful book that shows precisely how Terry achieves those incredible paintings of his.

The title states it succinctly when it says 'step by step'. He goes over some of the necessary information like composition, materials in the getting started section.

Then comes the fun part where he has included 12 demonstrations that help us to get the feel of it.

In another chapter he covers important points about wildlife as a subject and techniques he uses in creating a painting that is true to the animal being portrayed.

In the chapter "Putting It All Together" he gives you another four demonstrations of Isaac magic.

There is lots of good information in this book including a checklist to use to ensure you have created your best painting.

As this book is out of print right now you may have to look for it as a used book or you may be able to get a copy from Terry Isaac himself. His contact information is on his web site. www.TerryIsaacsart.com He also has a excellent DVD out if you prefer that format over a book, or better yet, get both.

Zoltan Szabo's 70 Favorite Watercolor Techniques

2010-04-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

This is an old book by a great painter, illustrator and teacher. He came from Hungary to Canada and eventually to the States.

Zoltan's Favorite Techniques is wonderful book for newcomers to watercolors.

I love this man's work. He has a wonderful grasp of design and color and an almost abstract style in his paintings and he knows how to convey this information so that it is understandable and easy to try out yourself.

He has since passed on and must be missed by many just for his work and teaching alone. A marvelous talent and a great teacher if I go just by his books as I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person.

I believe this particular book is still available and a great addition to an artist's selection of resource materials.

I found a link: http://www.zoltanszabo.com/ It seems to be in transition and says all books are out of print at the moment. Maybe the book can be found on Amazon as used. It is worth the search.

There are some images of his paintings on Zoltan Szabo's web site that are worth looking at to see how you feel about his style of painting. Personally I find his work lively and beautiful.

Animating the Looney Tunes Way

2010-03-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

I am willing to bet that most artists like to try something totally different now and then. It keeps the ideas flowing to take a little break from the usual routine and is a natural part of being creative.

In need of a little distraction from my routine, I spotted this nifty Walter Foster book on Animation. It teaches character development, has Model Sheets, story process and character animation on the agenda. And guess who the characters are that you will be drawing. Well let me just flip to the Model Sheets.

You will love this. There are too many to list but a quick start is Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny, Sylvester, Tweety, Wile E Coyote and Road Runner. There are lots more, including supporting characters. Bet you can think of a lot of them yourself with no help from me.

This book shows you how to draw the basic walk cycle with Donald Duck and Elmer Fudd including information about how it works. It covers other characters and other cycles, backgrounds and much more.

It is just plain fun and not as easy as I had thought, to draw these guys. So it gave me a bit of a challenge.

If you dream of being an animator and I hear they make really big bucks, then I am sure this book will be a great introduction. It will help you to develop some great skills. It will also provide you with an understanding of the inside lingo in the world of animators.

Artist's & Graphic Designers's Market 2010

2010-02-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

I pick up one of these great reference books most years.

Last year or perhaps the year before they began a section on art fairs. Some of these fairs appear to be a good place to sell art but my experience is it pays to be choosy.

The categories of market listings are: Galleries, Magazines, Book Publishers, Greeting Cards (includes gifts etc.), Posters & Prints, Advertising (and related markets), Stock illustration & Clip Art Firms, Syndicates & Cartoon Features, Record Labels, Artists Reps and Art Fairs.

Strangely enough the font size has been increasing the last few years, leaving me to wonder who's eyesite is not as good as it used to be, or if there are fewer listings.

Either way it is still an excellent reference to have and includes articles on selling your art.

Each market listing contains information specific to that particular market. The listings state the market needs and some state what they pay. Each listing also includes contact information. The rest of the information varies a bit from listing to listing so be sure and pick one up and take a look for yourself. Not sure if you want to buy one? Most libraries have the latest one in their reference section.

At $32.99 Canadian or $29.99 US it is a good investment for a working artist.

The Glory Boy by Ted Goodden

2010-01-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

I don't normally review fiction but this particular book has a fascinating story of the natural world. The writer is an artist.

It begins with a young man who people think could be more motivated. Gert, the young man, goes to live in a forest which he loves. However, he hasn't made plans for winter. Cold and hungry he is fortunate to be taken in by a woman of the forest.

Once the warm weather comes to the forest, she sends him out to collect gold. Gert is overcome by greed with some unpleasant results.

This delightful story, beautifully illustrated by the author, has a wonderful ending that lends a much needed and unusual appreciation for our world and for bees in particular.

It also, I think, shows Glory Boy like all of us is useful after all in a way that not only is of benefit to him but to everyone.

To purchase this book inquire at Red Tuque Books

I couldn't put it down as it has some unusual and entertaining ways of telling some basic truths.

Imaginative Realism by James Gurney

2010-01-30T06:46:00.000-08:00

With no end of books to distract with their pretty pictures I found a wonderful book that fascinates with more than just paintings to look at. It is full of great information and joy to read.

James Gurney of Dinotopea fame has written a book for people who choose to create worlds, people and creatures that don't exist called "Imaginative Realism - How to paint what doesn't exist".

He talks about the methods he uses to get those folds in the clothing, shadows and cast shadows and all the possible angles so you can find composition that really tells the story you have for your viewer.

By paying particular attention to details we can create convincing paintings of what is not real.

Gurney dresses up in funny clothes, draws himself in the mirror or gets his wife to take photos as he rolls around on the ground. He visits archeological sites, talks with scientists and just generally has a good time, works hard and produces fabulous art.

There is a lot more to discover than what I am able to tell you here. Gurney has a lot to share with us about his art.

This is one art book that I think would be an excellent reference for artists and an entertaining one.

And he has a blog.s Here is the link gurneyjourney.blogspot.com

Vanishing Point Perspective for Comics from the Ground Up" by Jason Cheeseman-Meyer

2010-01-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

Are there any artists out there who lack perspective? Thought you would appreciate a little humour with your reviews.

I find my perspective could be improved and I have picked up several books on it but to no avail. It is not the most exciting topic for an artist - at least not for this artist. Too much reading and it is not easy to get the right perspective on a lot of things never mind the ones I am drawing.

Well, I found a book that makes perspective fun, interesting and has great pictures, "Vanishing Point Perspective for Comics from the Ground Up" by Jason Cheeseman-Meyer.

Have to wonder what Jason is like in real life because it takes a strange mind to come up with some of this stuff. He looks like a neat kind of guy though and I can highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a handle on why their trees look so weird in one picture and great in another.

What is in this book? All the basics including curvilinear perspective which I have never seen anywhere else. He makes a great point when he says that "once our minds develop an intuitive understanding of perspective, we can work not only from observation to image but from concept through construction to image - 'from the ground up'". Vanishing Point is set up to help you develop that intuitive sense in your work.

He shows, describes, explains and includes a 'put it into action' section for you to try it out yourself. Don't know whether I should mention this or not but there is a little section called Homework too with each new concept. Luckily it isn't like school and you can do it or not as you like. I suggest you do to get the most out of this book.

If you are an artist this is a wonderful book to have and if you are a fantasy artist it is a book you have to have.

The Technical Pen by Gary Simmons

2009-12-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to technical pens as a means of creating drawings for electronics prior to Computer Aided Design.

I soon discovered technical pens are wonderful for fine art drawings too. They come in various line widths and are capable of only a specific size of line or dot for each different size. You might think this is limiting but they can produce amazing fine art pieces.

The book "The Technical Pen" by Gary Simmons is a great place to see some of the incredible work that can be done with these pens. If like me you want to try them out for your own drawings, Gary's book covers the following aspects of use:
* Tech stuff re: buying, using and caring for the pens.
* Various methods and strategies for rendering
* Strokes, tone, texture, outlines, patterns and much much more.

Check out page 130 of this great book. There you can flip through the section on colour.

Yes! You can put different colours in the pens and create intricate and complex ink drawings that are totally amazing and reproduce well because it is all line and dots.

It is so relaxing it almost therapeutic to take the time to ink a pencil drawing and the results are delightful.

This book has been in my library for a number of years and I refer to it over and over again. Sometimes I just look at the pictures and sometimes I look in it for ideas or techniques. A wonderful art book!

Watercolor Wisdom by Jo Taylor, AWS

2009-10-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

This book has great pictures. The first most important thing in any art book I think! I liked this book best for the way Ms. Taylor covers design principles so thoroughly. But there is a lot more to it, making it a good all round reference book for any watercolorist.

Once you have some design principles under your belt and lots of techniques to play with you will be able to turn out lovely paintings that you don't want to part with.

Watercolor Wisdom includes good design information along with colors, their qualities and lots techniques to practice.

Watercolor is a real challenge when you first get involved with it as it moves freely and is not the easiest medium to control. The luminosity and beauty of the medium is worth the trouble but you need technique to help make it behave itself.

Practice and Watercolor Wisdom gives you everything you need to turn out great paintings. Soon you will have paintings you just love to hang on the wall. When you have too many to show in your own home then you will have to sell them and make lots of money. Hmmmm. Not a bad idea eh?

International Artist Magazine

2009-07-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is a review of an art magazine and my favorite so I would like to point out some of the highlights and encourage people to get a copy for themselves every couple of months as they are published 6 times a year.

There will be one coming out soon for August/September. Each issue has an art competition. The fee is very reasonable at $9 US for North America. There is also an amount for Australia and the UK. The Grand Prize is $2000 US and is published in the magazine. You can submit digitally too online.

The rest of the magazine is dedicated to making art. There is a column on business practice, workshops and art in the making and more.

This is a very popular magazine in my neck of the woods and I check often so I don't miss getting a copy because they go fast. A wonderful art magazine for artists by artists.

The subject of the contest changes each time. Some of the categories are Seascapes, Rivers and Lakes, My Favorite Thing, Flowers and Gardens, People. . . .there are a few more. You can look it up online and I believe all the categories are listed there.

You can also see all the paintings as they are submitted for the next competition. They are posted online as people upload them.

This magazine can be a great promotional tool for emerging artists if they get published and if you don't get published it is worth it just for the read and the images of all the great art.

Cartooning at Naramata School Art Convention

2009-03-03T11:26:00.000-08:00

Rather than another book review this entry is about an already reviewed book "Big Book of Cartooning". I did the review December 22,2008. Blitz's wonderful book proved to be a great reference for me recently. I had a wonderful opportunity to work with some children at Naramata School during their Art Convention.

Local artists were invited in to teach the children. This included some very exciting stuff and the children spent two days painting, making videos, dancing, making pots and drawing among other artistic activities. I did cartoons with them.

I told them chalk and talk stories and drew the cartoons involved in the stories. I borrowed these stories from Blitz's great book and the kids responded with enthusiasm.
They loved it.

I used information from sources to explain and teach how cartoonists work but the "Big Book of Cartooning" was overall the greatest tool I had. We drew cartoons from their initials (a teacher's suggestion), the children made up stories and drew them and they even came up with their own chalk and talk cartoons.

The children were a delight and are naturally great artists. I wonder where some of this talent goes to over the years. But Naramata School is doing a great job of keeping it alive. For example one of their projects involved a group of children who have produced greeting cards with their art which are being sold to help people in countries less fortunate than ours.

During the art convention Bev, one of the invited artists, told me that her group were drawing cartoons in their paintings as she taught them how to use acrylics. What a pleasure to know that they enjoyed the cartooning enough to use them in another art form.

I have to admit that I was tired by the end of the first day. We adults should be the ones taking the vitamins. These kids have unlimited energy and enthusiasm. It was a marvellous experience and I would love to do it again.

Artist and Graphic Designer's Market

2008-12-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

It never fails to astound me how many artists have never heard of this amazing book. If you want to sell your work this is a 'must have'.

This book is not only full of 1000's of companies looking for your art, it also has all the information articles that you need on how to approach these companies who are dying to pay for the priviledge of using your art.

The listings include galleries, print and poster listings, magazines that buy art, greeting card listings etc. The listings often tell you what the company pays, how to approach them and who to contact. It may also have a web site listed so that you can research them online.

You have no idea what you are worth until you look at this great book. Most libraries carry a copy in their reference section. It is worth getting a copy of your own though, if you are serious about earning a living through your art.

Each of the companies that have been queried answered questions on their needs and tips for artists. So it is a good resource on what is currently selling.

This book is published every year by Writer's digest. It is fun just to read the articles, never mind all the other great information about who wants what and how to approach them successfully.

Big Book of Cartooning by Blitz

2008-12-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

Ah! so you are into cartoons. Me too. Why? Because they make me laugh. They aren't easy to draw though. So I suggest you pick up Blitz's book "The Big Book of Cartooning".

It's comprehensive. It has everything you need whether you want to do gags, strips or caricatures. And Blitz has a few money making tips in the book to help keep you in paper and pens or even more depending on how far you want to go with it. Career,part time money maker or just for fun - it has it all.

I believe Blitz also has a kit if you want a nice gift for another future cartoonist. My preference is the Big Book of Cartooning though. Other supplies that come in the kit are easy to come by and the book describes what you need and what to do with it.

So if you want to cartoon -- this is a great book to have for learning and for reference.

How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself by Nita Engle

2008-11-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

The subtitle for this book is "Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects"

If you are a watercolorist and landscape artist you will enjoy trying out the techniques in this book. It is just plain fun and the results are amazing.

I set out my materials to try some experiments and painted an ocean scene one morning following instructions, squirting paint and chasing it all over the place. What a blast! Some of my experiments came out a little boring but finish up with a wee bit of detail and be prepared to be thoroughly shocked at how great they look after all. I fell in love with every painting that I have done this way.

Nita covers washes, texturing, stamping, design and more. Not only is this a great book for any watercolor artist, it is especially good for those who are trying to overcome that tight look in their paintings.

It is messy though. Do not do this on carpet unless you don't mind any of the more staining pigments giving a permanent touch to it.
Newspaper was certainly a big help in containing the wet pigments as I tipped and tilted the board too.I have had this book for a few years and still go back to it when I am feeling kind of stuck.

Fantasy Art Workshop by John Howe

2008-11-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

John Howe's images are so exquisite I seriously had to force myself to move on to the text to find out what he had to say.

Once you manage to tear your eyes away from the awesome beauty of his art there is plenty of interest in the text. If you are going to learn from anyone it may as well be a master like Howe.

He seems to hold his pen in a very odd way and I bet once you see this book you may be wanting to try that out too just in case it makes a difference.

This wonderful book guides you through the creative process of working in fantasy and entertains you along the way. It is full of wisdom, beauty and great information leading to great art.

If you are intrigued he has a new book out as well. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Here is the link to a quick video where John Howe talks about dragons, inspiration and his art. Click here to go there and enjoy the clip.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-1-010-3
ISBN-10: 1-60061-010-2