Drawing and Designing with Confidence: A Step-by-Step Guide

Book Description

Readers of this book learn graphic rendering skills quickly with the proven how-to approach that has made Lin the most successful teacher in the field. His method emphasizes speed, confidence, and relaxation, while incorporating many time-saving tricks of the trade.

Customer Reviews:

Don't Do It!!!!!.......2007-08-17

If you are buying this book because it is required text for his talk, do yourself a BIG service and get your refund, immediately. He promises to deliver how to teach you graphics in 7 or 12 days, depending on location, and he WILL NOT deliver! He takes your money, teaches, perhaps, what equates to two days of real teaching and continously tells you how privileged you are to learn these things from him. The remaining time is spent on his non-stop blathering about non-related ideas like his philosophy, websites (like myspace,etc), his house, etc., etc. I never knew any one person could talk SO much about nothing. He opens with 3 hours of lecture about not complaining about anything (by that I can only assume he has had many unhappy people in his past workshops). If you complain about his content, he threatens not to teach you anything. He calls that being a negative person. He wastes your valuable time and your hard earned money. BE FOREWARNED!

Learn the technical side of drawing.......2006-11-10

You have to put in some time but this book gives you all the tools you need to draw well. I can already see my progress after a few hours. Highly recommend this book.

Not Good For Beginner Artist.......2006-10-29

The book has alot of great art work and teaches some inetersting points but unless you already an acomplished artist, this book will bore you,over whlem you, and mabe even discourage you.

I didn't feel the confidence the books title said it would give. Mabe I will reread it when I have the confidence in my art work to understand what the book is talking about.

Its not that its a bad book, its just filled with alot of bla bla bla and not enough instruction-

drawing and designing with confidence: a step-by-step guide.......2005-09-16

Although I've been drawing and illustrating for a living for quite some time now, this book served to refresh my memory on things that I have forgotten and teach me some new and quick short cuts. I highly recommend this book for beginners and polished illustrators.

Worth the money.......2005-07-20

Great book on different drawing techniques and the basics of perspective drawing as well as more advanced composition samples. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and create immediate results. In my opinion a good source for students to either acquire some sketching-skills or fresh up on the basics. Another great feature are the many sample-drawings of different drawing styles. The only draw-back is that the drawings are being too much reduced from their original size. But if you take the time to scan the ones you are particulary interested in and get them back to a decent size, you will get a lot out of this book.
"All in all": a valuable source in my opinion.

Average customer rating:
A History of Tibetan Painting: The Great Tibetan Painters and Their Traditions (Beitrage zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens)
David Paul Jackson
Manufacturer: Verlag Der Osterreichischen Akademie Der Wiss
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 3700122241

Book Description

David Liittschwager and Susan Middleton have established a reputation as the foremost chroniclers of the endangered natural world, combining rigorous methodology with aesthetic genius. Their work has afforded a vivid presence to rare animals and plants, many of which are threatened with extinction.

This groundbreaking portfolio of photographs encompasses the spectacular array of life-forms endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, including species either new to science or previously thought to be extinct.

Working with internationally renowned field biologists, Liittschwager and Middleton have ventured into remote native habitats and uncovered intact ecosystems where plants and animals still live in healthy relationship to one another. Their inaccessibility has helped protect these habitats from damage, even if it means that few people will ever have the opportunity to experience their richness and value directly.

Remains of a Rainbow combines Liittschwager's and Middleton's work with a powerful text (including a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer W.S. Merwin) to tell a story of rare and wondrous creatures and habitats and the people devoted to their preservation.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Book.......2007-01-19

We first saw the hard-back version of this book in the museum on the island of Kauai. We thought it was a wonderful hardback book, but the museum tols us that it could cost $150.00 and was no longer available in any form. Luckily we found it on Amazon in soft cover (which is more than adequate) and for much less money. Truely a beautiful and informative book!

Pretty pictures but don't trust the text.......2006-11-08

The pictures of rare Hawaiian plants and animals in "Remains of a Rainbow" are pretty.
Pretty uninformative. And the text is largely nonsense.
The tipoff is "rich volcanic soil." When you see that in a book about Hawaiian natural history, you know right away that the author made no effort to learn his subject.
Just a few paragraphs away, we run into a rhapsody about the ancient Hawaiians' respect for the "unity and balance of the natural world." Large, slow, tasty birds excepted, of course.
The text by photographers David Liitschwager and Susan Middleton (assisted by Maui poet W.S. Merwin in an ill-informed introduction) is the verbal equivalent of kudzu -- an exotic, boring growth that smothers the interesting natural stuff underneath. Green goo.
It is understandable why the sponsors of "Remains" -- Environmental Defense and the National Geographic Society -- pander this way. It is not so easy to sell Hawaii's endangered plants and animals on their merits. After all, you and I are not likely ever to encounter most of them.
Which raises a question: If none of us is going to meet them except in the pages of a book, why bother to preserve them in nature? A small herb that was never known to exist until three or four years ago, and which was down to maybe five or 10 individuals then, is not going to alter the islands' ecosystem if it disappears.
One answer to that question is the last word in this book, taken from the writings of the late Maui biologist Wayne Gagne: "We are in pursuit of environmental quality, an ethical stance where our native biota is concerned, and for accepting each natural ecosystem on the planet for what it is . . . each a unique result of multifaceted ecological processes, past, present and continuing."
Fine words, but Liittschwager, Middleton and their sponsors obviously do not believe they can sell them. So instead of marketing Hawaii for what it is -- a unique place -- they peddle the ecological situation here, which is grim enough in fact, as part of a crisis "of declining biodiversity worldwide."
This is the "sixth great extinction" argument, one of those resilient popular ideas for which there is little evidence. People holding such views can find themselves in paradoxical situations.
Middleton, who blows the tin horn of mass extinctions louder than Liittschwager, writes about how after 15 years of working with endangered species, none she had encountered had yet gone extinct. Until Clermontia peleana.
But it turns out that while Clermontia peleana, a Big Island plant, probably is extinct in the wild, it is not yet quite extinct from the Earth.
Middleton does not seem to find any contradiction in simultaneous belief that the world is in the midst of the biggest extinction crisis in 65 million years and the fact that even a specialist in endangered species has yet to encounter one that passed on.
Considering that outsiders Liittschwager and Middleton had the cooperation of dozens of Hawaii's best biologists, they could easily have done better.
For one thing -- and this is another tipoff that the writers have not done their homework -- if they had listened to local experts, they would not have made such a big deal of Hawaii's biological diversity. To call islands with no amphibians, no reptiles, no pines and no ants diverse is perverse.
Instead of revealing and reveling in Hawaii's strange status -- its untypical ecological situation makes it the greatest natural laboratory of evolution -- Liitschwager and Middleton went for the picturesque and shallow.
Their pictures are gorgeous but don't tell much. They mostly were shot against solid backgrounds and display only a part of the organism. There is little hint of how each species functions within its community.
The misleading text of Liittschwager and Middleton is somewhat corrected by thumbnail descriptions of the 142 species illustrated, which were written by local authorities and are reliable.
"Remains of a Rainbow" represents the work of years, with the combined support for publishing from Environmental Defense, the National Tropical Botanical Garden and The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii; along with the on-the-ground help of NTBG, Maui Land & Pineapple Co. and other public-spirited groups.
In an afterword, David Wilcove, senior ecologist of Environmental Defense, writes that the survival of species in desperate straits will rely on "above all, public education."
"Remains of a Rainbow" is so far from contributing to public education that readers will end up knowing less about Hawaii after reading the book than they did before.

Don't get me wrong............2006-01-18

Now don't get me wrong. This is a wonderful book with beautiful photographs of Native Plants and Animals of Hawaii. The only thing wrong with the Softcover version is that the cover creases so easily. So if you want this book for your own personal library the Hardcover version is preferred. But if it is used as it is meant to be, as a coffee table book, than this is the book to have.

WOW, WOW, WOW, WOW.......2003-02-25

WOWS on every page. I gave this book to my Mother and Aunt for X-Mass. I wanted one for myself but ran out of cash (dag nab it) This is one of the most AMAZING nature books ever. If you need some brownie points give this as a gift, it will keep you out of the Dog House for YEARS.

Spectacular Photographs.......2002-04-28

This book contains some of the most spectacular photographs you've seen. Close-ups even a pro would seldom come close to. It's unlikely you'll see many of these in your travels, but it feels like your walking through a Hawaiian tropical jungle as you page through the book. Many of the pages would look great framed for your walls. This is the perfect coffee table book, all of my friends have picked it up and marveled over the interesting plants and flowers, even the non-gardeners.

Remains of a Rainbow 2002 Calendar: Rare Plants and Animals of Hawaii

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Remains of a Rainbow 2002 Calendar: Rare Plants and Animals of Hawaii

Manufacturer: Natl Geographic Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar

Nature & Wildlife | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Remains of a Rainbow: Rare Plants and Animals of Hawai'I

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Remains of a Rainbow: Rare Plants and Animals of Hawai'I
David; Middleton, Susan; Environmental Defense (Organization); National Tropical Botanical Garden; Nature Conservancy of Hawaii Liittschwager
Manufacturer: Natl Geographic Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLYBLE

Book Description

In Which Door Has the Cadillac?, Andrew Vazsonyi reveals the personal side of a mathematician who passionately believes that the more people know about real-life math, the better their lives will be. Laced with offbeat humor and plenty of anecdotes, his memoir will be appreciated by readers interested in a lively, personal account of the world by someone who lives and breathes math.

As Carol J. Latta, executive director of the Decision Sciences Institute, says, “For over three decades, Andy Vazsonyi has shared his passion and genius for real-world math with his colleagues in the decision sciences community. His memoir reflects the combination of his extraordinary intellect and prevailing sense of humor.”

Martin K. Starr, Distinguished Professor of Management Science and Operations Management at Rollins College’s Crummer Graduate School of Business, says, “Andy’s memoirs are an unconventional trip to places you can never find again with people who remain great even though they are no more, in ways that only Andy’s mind can fashion.”

Customer Reviews:

pretty darn good.......2004-07-05

A nice, fun autobiography. Not as good as "Surely you are Joking, Mr. Feynman", but quite entertaining. Andrew is basically a guy who started off as a 'pure' mathematician who 'sold out' to do stuff that is actually useful (due to circumstances) and has grown to love what he did as he went along applying mathematics to 'real life'. On top of it he had about at least 4 careers, going from and aerodynamics engineer for one of the early missle programs to a managment consultant to a marketing wiz to a professor. Combining this with his 'Marsian-Hungarian' background this makes for a lot of interestiong stories.

An Excellent Read!.......2003-02-25

I just finished Which Door Has the Cadillac. As far as I know it is the first autobiography written by a modern mathematician, as the others are biographies. Vazsonyi has written a fast-paced, humorous, and engaging story of his life. I was moved by his personal struggles to escape Hungary before the Nazi onslaught. Interesting anecdotes of his encounters with notable and not-so-notable people, such as Paul Erdos and Zepartzatt Gozinto, made it difficult to set the book down. My vision of math has been expanded by Vazsonyi's quirky and yet grounded examples. The probabilities associated with the Cadillac problem are excitedly counterintuitive. It doesn't surprise me that even Paul Erdos was fooled by this problem. My favorite chapter was The Galloping Fighter Plane. All and all an excellent read!

What an Amazing Life.......2003-02-24

What an interesting book from a man who has lived through the most momentous moments of the 20th century!

Don't worry --- this isn't a math book; it's the memoirs of Andrew Vazsonyi's journey from pre-war Hungary to modern-day California, and the ways that math has helped him to solve real problems, and have fun.

The style is easy and fun. Highly recommended.

Book Description

It is now clear that our risk of developing almost any disease is influenced by the genes with which we are born. One of the most important dividends of the Human Genome Project will be a much greater understanding of the influence of genes on disease and disorders in children (from asthma to autism) and adults (including heart disease, virtually all cancers, and Alzheimer's disease). The nature of genetic risks in families is becoming clearer and this book is written to help people understand them. Philip Reilly, a physician-geneticist, who has given hundreds of lectures on this subject, takes a user-friendly approach. Drawing on the many questions he has been asked (for example, "My sister has multiple sclerosis. Am I at an increased risk?"), Reilly discusses over 90 common conditions, diseases, and disorders, arranged from conception to old age. In frank, non-technical terms, he makes clear what is known and not known about the genetic factors and, if your risk is elevated, what you might be able to do about it. This book is a uniquely valuable resource for anyone seeking more information about a family's disease heritage.

Customer Reviews:

Is It In Your Genes? is a great book.......2005-11-06

Philip R. Reilly packs a lot of punch into this book. The clear cut organization is set to represent the human life cycle-from pregnancy to adulthood. This makes it easy to find whatever disorder you are interested in learning about. Despite his many years of medical experience, Reilly uses a language that is easy to understand and follow. There are tables and charts on every couple of pages that help contribute to the understanding of whatever disorder he is on. This book is very accurate and up to date (due to its recent publication date). I checked this book out from the Oklahoma State University library and have enjoyed browsing through each disorder and learning something from every one.

Average customer rating:

Many errors but a touching book

Touching Book

A Tribute of Sorts.

Great book, powerfully moving, but prepare yourself

Their Last Words: A Tribute to Soldiers Who Lost Their Lives in Iraq
George G. Sheldon
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Veterans | United States | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Operation Desert Storm | United States | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Last Letters Home

Voices from the Front: Letters Home from America's Military Family

Last Letters Home - Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq

Faith of Our Sons: A Father's Wartime Diary

My War: Killing Time in Iraq

ASIN: 0425203859

Book Description

Over 1,000 American soldiers have died in Iraq since combat began in 2003. Their Last Words is a remarkable homage to the lives and deaths of some of the Americans who died in the war on terror. Family and friends share fond, revealing remembrances and photographs of the men and women who answered their nation's call - and made the ultimate sacrifice. But most memorable are the haunting last letters home in which the soldiers themselves tell not only of the hardships and loneliness of war, but of their pride and determination in serving their country, and of their undying devotion to those who'd given their lives its greatest joy and meaning - the loved ones they'd never see again.

George Sheldon, author of the Washington Post bestseller When the Smoke Cleared at Gettysburg, has created a remarkable testament preserving the final words of a generation of Americans who exemplify honor, duty, and love of country - and who have given their lives so that others might live in freedom.

Customer Reviews:

Many errors but a touching book.......2005-10-19

This book mirrors the one that HBO did on Last Letters Home. I have issues with him bringing Jessica Lynch up during the chapter about the 507th Soldier who was found dead a few days after the attack. He mentions her twice on the page and I feel that took away from the deceased Soldier's story. Also, the author should have had someone with military rank knowledge edit his book. The rank is Private First Class not Private, First Class which he writes all the time. Also there are several inconsistencies in dates which could drive a reader nuts. The last letter home was written 10 years before the Soldier died??? Or was written 6 days after the soldier died??? His editor needs to be fired!

Touching Book.......2005-06-09

This book is very touching. I honestly had to hold back my tears. This book is a quick read but worth it.

A Tribute of Sorts........2005-04-23

THEIR LAST WORDS is a collection of stories, letters, and emails constructed together as a tribute to some of the soldiers who have lost their lives fighting in Iraq. The lives of 14 different soldiers are told in this book. The soldiers profiled all lived a variety of lives: some were men, some were women, some were white, some black, some were young, some were about ready to retire, some were in support of the war in Iraq, some were opposed to it. However, each and everyone of them shared a love for their country and fought and served bravely because despite their differences, they knew that what they were fighting for was something bigger than themselves. Each section of the book includes at least one personal email or letter written by each soldier. Some of these were their last pieces of correspondence before being killed. I got choked up a couple times while reading this book and I feel it really captures the essence of what each of these individuals sacrificed to protect. Reading this helped make the war in Iraq more personal for me.

Great book, powerfully moving, but prepare yourself.......2005-03-19

As the wife of a Marine who is "over there", I have become obsessed with reading books about the Marine Corps, the Iraq conflict, and books like this one, windows into the lives of soldiers and Marines who have lost their lives. Every single letter in this book made me cry, and not just because they hit close to home, but because of what these men and women gave up to do their duty, and protect the men and women fighting alongside them. My heart broke for every grieving family, and this book and others like it are neccessary, especially for those who do not have a loved one serving, if only for such people to understand the true cost of this and any war.

Customer Reviews:

Very useful collection of essays.......2004-04-09

This excellent collection of essays is the result of an Advanced Seminar held at the School of American Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The contributors include eminent anthropologists and historians writing on various strategies of remembering history counter to the party line in China, Mongolia, Georgia, Czechoslovakia, and former Yugoslavia. Each article presents a fascinating case study of how groups and individuals use metaphor and other linguistic subterfuges to remember and express their own version of taboo events and historical personalities. Although not theoretically challenging, this work is a significant contribution to understanding the process of intellectual resistance to state-centralized thought control.

Memory, History, and Opposition Under State Socialism

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Memory, History, and Opposition Under State Socialism

Manufacturer: School of American Research Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 9993268631

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The Kids' Science Book: Creative Experiences for Hands-On Fun (Williamson Kids Can! Series)
Robert Hirschfeld , and Nancy White
Manufacturer: Williamson Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Crafts & Hobbies | Arts & Music | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Experiments & Projects | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Kids' Nature Book: 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

The Kids' Wildlife Book (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series)

Ecoart!: Earth-Friendly Art and Craft Experiences for 3-To 9-Year-Olds (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

Kids Garden!: The Anytime, Anyplace Guide to Sowing & Growing Fun (Williamson Kids Can! Series)

ASIN: 0913589888

Product Description

The Kids Science Book Science has never been so accessible to kids before! The authors bring science alive through hands-on learning activities. 160 pages.

The Kids' Big Book of Science & Nature: Creative Experiences for Hands-On Fun (A Williamson You Can Do It! Book)

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The Kids' Big Book of Science & Nature: Creative Experiences for Hands-On Fun (A Williamson You Can Do It! Book)

Manufacturer: Williamson Publishing, Vermont
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1885593775

Product Description

Kitchen or playground, earth below or sky above, kids discover science and nature all around them- and have lots of fun, too! Creative natural and scientific experiences encourage kids to question, observe, predict, and estimate! The Kids' Big Book of Science and Nature stimulates each child's natural curiosity, imagination, understanding and respect for the wonders of the world we all share!

Kids' Science Book: Creative Experiences for Hands-On Fun

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Kids' Science Book: Creative Experiences for Hands-On Fun
Robert Hirchfield
Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0613602668

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