I found this at the thrift store for 50 cents, and am glad I didn't pay more. This has the look and feel of a self-published book, but it's actually fI found this at the thrift store for 50 cents, and am glad I didn't pay more. This has the look and feel of a self-published book, but it's actually from a real publishing house; albeit not one who hires production professionals, it appears. Everything about this book screams amateur; from the ugly layout with clashing colours, to the badly exposed, badly organized photos on confusing backgrounds, to the jewelry pieces themselves. With some projects I got distracted by the badly applied glittery red nail polish of the jeweler; the flash really liked bouncing off that. Technique-wise, some really basic things are missing, like how to make ear wires; and the jeweler is kinda sloppy, so everything looks thrown together in the end. There is no design advice here or really anything much that would, as they say "teach you to fish", information about when and why you'd use a particular technique. 2 stars is reaching; it's more 1 and a half.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, since there are some really amazing books on wire wrapping out there; just about everything else I've seen is better....more
Bright and fun ideas -- you'll never look at anything in your home quite the same way again, because "how could I print with this" will immediately coBright and fun ideas -- you'll never look at anything in your home quite the same way again, because "how could I print with this" will immediately come to mind and distract from whatever else you were planning to do ;). I was primed for this since I take a lot of close-up photographs of textures in everyday life, so I am used to looking more closely at things that usually escape notice, but this has sharpened that eye for detail with an application in mind beyond looking cool in a photograph. I learned traditional printmaking in school and haven't really done any since, because "I am not an artist", but this has me itching to clear off a work space and get to it, since there's no initial layout of expensive art materials required; I already have everything I'd need. I also learned some new things; I didn't know certain foams could be made malleable and impressionable with heat.
Beyond the eye-opening, it gets a bit repetitive page after page, but I am not quite sure how one could improve it; possibly with some additional instruction when it comes to carving things, but Traci is clearly much more free-wheeling than I am, so the sort of precision I tend to look for is probably best pushed to the back; might do me good to let go of that. I would have also liked on occasion a photo of an intermediate step; I am not quite clear on how the melted foam insulation roller worked, for example.
But this is quite inspirational; well worth it....more
Zentangle: pretentious doodling for yuppies who have money to throw at their art practice. Because you're worth it!
Now mind, I love everything relatedZentangle: pretentious doodling for yuppies who have money to throw at their art practice. Because you're worth it!
Now mind, I love everything related to patterns, think doodling is great, and there's some amazing art out there, and that includes these newfangled Zentangles. But they're not as innovative as the founders claim. Since the patterns are quite basic, they generally have been present in human crafts in specific for centuries -- it's just that people didn't scribble them on artsy tiles of expensive paper in order to relax, they used them to decorate their household items and clothing.
I also think mindfulness and creativity are wonderful, and much needed in today's hectic, material world. And of course repetitive movement is in itself conducive to "flow" and meditation; no fussy rituals needed (I get into that state while sanding large expanses of wood on my boat). If that repetitive movement happens to create lovely little pieces of art, even better.
That's probably why the attitude emanating from the Zentangle founders bugs me; the whole impetus seems materialistic, starting with copyrighting the pretentious name (even though it has nothing to do with Zen Buddhism), selling the expensive art tiles and pens, and training CZTs, "certified Zentangle teachers" at $2000+ a pop in historic Providence, RI -- and finally the business zealously pursuing copyright claims. While they're busy with that, there's zero acknowledgment of those patterns not having sprung fully formed from Maria Thomas' creative spirit, and the names (each tangle has an "official" name) are funky but have no connection to their provenance. It kinda sucks that so many artists can't make a living, so while I don't begrudge these people theirs, it also ticks me off a little extra, since so many very capable and original artists fall by the wayside unseen, while the capitalist instinct is overflowing here. Pretentious, pretentious, pretentious.
None of which is the fault of the author of this book, but it's not like she's stepping outside of the lines either, and conveying something much beyond the materialism of the founders, what with with her recommendations of art materials that follow the official line to a T (I wonder what kind of Kool-Aid they offer at their workshops). But beyond that, the book didn't encourage me to be mindful. It didn't inspire me with wonder. The art was serviceable, but not amazing; I did some comparable doodling way back in University (and I do not consider myself an artist, and never thought I could draw until Betty Edwards taught me differently with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain). That's probably not even a bad thing, since doodling is meant to encourage newbies who might feel hampered by art that's way out of their league. But my biggest issue was that the art didn't always fit with the directions -- if you're teaching a stepwise approach, don't go 1-2-3-10.
In reality, doodling is fun, creative, and relaxing. You can do it on any kind of paper, with any kind of writing implement, and expensive materials do not make you a better artist (heck, expensive materials tend to keep me from doing something with them, because I feel guilty if I don't give them their "due"). But if buying special paper makes you feel you're worth it, by all means; whatever gets you going. I'd encourage you to keep the limitations in place in any case (3.5"x 3.5" tiles and a pencil-drawn random "string" to divide them), because constraints get the creative juices flowing, and a small format is much more approachable at first, doesn't hit you as easily with the "fear of a blank page". ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) are also really great for that reason.
This book is a decent introduction to doodling if you skip most of the prescriptive nonsense. It clocks in at a reasonable price too, contrary to the founders' own primer at a solid $50 (US, that is). I should really give it 3 stars, but I am too bummed by the movement itself....more
Inspirational for people who're new to photography, or never quite got the hang of it since they've taken it maybe too seriously, viewed it as high arInspirational for people who're new to photography, or never quite got the hang of it since they've taken it maybe too seriously, viewed it as high art. This book is a set of "stretching exercises" for your untoned-as-yet photography muscles. Even if all you have is the camera in your smartphone, you can do most of the exercises in here. It's about having fun and about stretching your comfort envelope (in very mild ways); the art will come in time. Might be especially useful to aspiring multi-media artists who want to incorporate more of their own imagery into their work; the author's wife has contributed some of those exercises, and I found those to be fun; I will definitely do them. Everything is better if you add a fairy (homo subtext intended; not in the book, but by me). ;)
I am not sure there is much here if you're already a solid amateur photographer; I've found that I've already done most of the exercises intuitively over the course of carrying my camera with me everywhere I go. I was amused at the exercise with an actual film camera -- that's how I started in photography, but I dropped it because even though I had the camera given to me, film was too expensive at the time and I felt I didn't have enough control over my own work without getting into the even more expensive part of developing it myself; I was thrilled when the digital age came to photography. But for those who have never experienced film, it'll be an instructive exercise. I recommend Polaroids as well, which are not part of the book, but which I found interesting a few years ago when I found a Polaroid camera in a thrift shop. I think one can still find the paper.
Anyway, yes, the book is definitely fun and inspirational for beginning artists. 3.5 which I might raise to 4 once I do the exercises that are new to me (not looking forward to photographing strangers; imposing on people isn't my thing -- but I recognize the value in it)....more
I wouldn't call the projects in this book "art jewelry" -- they're beyond the basics, but a ways from anything that I'd count in that category (comparI wouldn't call the projects in this book "art jewelry" -- they're beyond the basics, but a ways from anything that I'd count in that category (compare with the magazine of that title). And "new techniques"? None of these techniques are new, and haven't been new in more than a decade. The projects were all much of a sameness; mould some clay or cut it out with a preformed shape or stamp it, put on some sparkly medium, put together with other pieces like it, bake, add some beads and findings, tadaa. Everything looked kind of rough, not just the items labelled "bohemian"; nothing was fabricated to the precision I'd expect from art jewelry -- the high-key photo on the front makes it look more artsy than it is on the inside. And it wasn't all that creative either; the most creative aspects were taken from something another person had created -- images, stamps, molds. Polymer clay is so amazingly versatile, it can mimic a wide variety of other materials, but you wouldn't know it if you only read this book. Everything here screams "polymer clay", when the material's strength is that it has long transcended its original purpose.
Technique-wise this book is quite poor. Foil transfer, image transfer (limited to a material that isn't carried by any major craft store or Amazon), use of other materials (epoxy clay, UV resin) with polymer clay; none of which went into much detail. I saw no reason for the epoxy clay at all (other than knowing that it is useful if one needs extra strength), there was no demonstrated need for it with the projects in this book -- findings for brooches can be affixed with polymer clay itself, which is plenty strong enough, but the authors seemed not to know that one can bake polymer clay multiple times, so when they had a little complexity in their projects, they used the epoxy clay after baking -- using polymer clay instead means one gets a more finished look.
In 1995 I might have been excited about this book, but 20 years later, not so much. For a comparable price pick up Polymer Clay Jewelry by Debbie Jackson instead, which has much more polished projects and offers more techniques.
The authors are enthusiastic, love their creations (which aren't generally ugly, though some of the colours don't work together; some colour mixing theory would be helpful), and explain the projects step-by-step, that's why it gets 2 stars. But I am glad I borrowed it to check it out; it won't join my permanent polymer clay collection (it might have been slightly unfair to read this right after reading Dan Cormier and Tracy Hughes' master class on die-forming polymer clay, but it is what it is)....more
Excellent introduction to the psychological, social, physical, and emotional aspects of good character design. Explains key concepts from psychology aExcellent introduction to the psychological, social, physical, and emotional aspects of good character design. Explains key concepts from psychology and social science, including cultural and gender specific roles and perceptions, and includes design exercises to explore ideas further. Especially suited for people who want to develop a firm grounding in starting to think about game design in a holistic sense. Included are some quite interesting interviews with game designers; I especially enjoyed the insights from Hasegawa and Tsurumi of Sony on differences between the American and Japanese markets when trying to develop the same franchise for both.
This offers a framework; it isn't immediately practical -- the author won't be holding your hand while you design your first main character.
Good organization, clear writing easily understandable for lay people, and extensive references for anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge after reading this book.
My main quibble are the illustrations, which seem to me -- ironically -- quite ugly, and IMO don't always make their point as well as they could; there is no credit anywhere to the illustrator, so I have no idea who drew them. Also, alas the book is too expensive new. Distributing it without the DVD would cut that cost; one could just offer the files as downloads from the publisher's or author's website....more
Brilliant introduction for people who might have trouble making a stick figure look good. Whittles the art down to the very essentials and gets you stBrilliant introduction for people who might have trouble making a stick figure look good. Whittles the art down to the very essentials and gets you started with those in an inspired way that cleverly side-track the inevitable self-doubt that'll try to sabotage you. Also, funny (one might expect that from a book on drawing cartoons, but you'd be surprised how many don't actually manage it).
Would give it five stars, but it does alas not quite follow through with the simple step-by-step method and for the latter part gives mostly examples. This might not be an issue if one actually works through the book, and practices a lot instead of inhaling it as I did, but I felt I could use more hand holding for longer because I am filled to the brim with the above-mentioned self-doubt....more
Try Brian Platt's How to Draw Cartoons instead for a basic introduction that actuaTerrible. Terrible cartoons, terrible humour, terrible instructions.
Try Brian Platt's How to Draw Cartoons instead for a basic introduction that actually points out exactly what's essential, and how to build on that....more
Passable as far as giving a basic introduction to following a workflow for building assets and working with them in Unity.
Lacking in detail especiallPassable as far as giving a basic introduction to following a workflow for building assets and working with them in Unity.
Lacking in detail especially when it comes to Blender; not enough explanation, with significant gaps on how to get from A to B at the very start when it's actually all a mystery to a newcomer. Recommend to read an intro to Blender first; WikiBooks has a nice one for free.
There's also nothing here on game design; again it's best to read a good book on that before tackling your own game; this book solely shows you how to bring the author's game to life, and without actually explaining that first, though maybe jumping right into character creation will be more motivating for some people; me, I prefer to know why I am creating these characters and what they're meant to do.
2.5 stars really; it got me a quick start but I wonder how useful it had been if I didn't already know about game design and general 3D modeling....more
it's not useless, mind, but... i've read a fair number of these books over the years, and this one struck me as particularly dull. first off, it'smeh.
it's not useless, mind, but... i've read a fair number of these books over the years, and this one struck me as particularly dull. first off, it's mistitled. it does not teach you HOW to write a damn good novel, it conveys pointers as to what types of things go into writing a novel. there is a difference, but i am not sure mr frey would appreciate the nuance.
which brings me to why only 2 stars when it's "not bad". i docked the book for several shortcomings. for one, it's a repackaging of The Art Of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives -- he quotes from it frequently. maybe a modernized version was needed, but why then use as examples writers most of us read in school, but not for pleasure? yes, yes, they were masters, but nobody who buys this book will ever write like dickens or even want to. could you even get published today if you did? ;) that's what makes the book dated, not that it was written in the 1980s (i think we can all extrapolate from references to typewriters and whiteout).
lastly, the dogmatic tone turned me off. he has his way, and that's apparently the one true way. no, thanks. especially not since IMO he is just plain wrong when it comes to premise, and he's much too limiting in how to start a novel. and he's sadly judgmental and narrow-minded about imagists, but that's more a matter of taste.
in short, this is alas not a damn good book about novel writing....more
solid guide for beginning fiction writers. direct, practical, and concise, with contemporary examples and exercises to get you started. not just applisolid guide for beginning fiction writers. direct, practical, and concise, with contemporary examples and exercises to get you started. not just applicable to short fiction either; the sections on character, conflict, setting, and narrative voice transcend the medium.
made me wonder why i'd never heard of margaret lucke before; will have a look at her fiction now....more
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