Graphics Books

I really wish I had discovered this earlier! I received it yesterday and have already fell in love with the wide array of add-ins that are included on the cd. The book is a great tool to quickly identify the effect that I want. This is a must-have for anyone who has Photoshop Elements!

The book isn't worth much, but the plugins are great. The one click stuff is a great time saver for me, and it really does make things look more snappy without too much hassle. Well worth it for the CD full of plugins!

I love this book. I've already used alot of the layer styles already. Lots of examples. Tons of ideas.

I have had Photoshop Elements 2 for over a year, but until I got this book and CD ROM I had no idea just how creative I could be with the program. There were a lot of effects that I tried to apply to my art but did not quite get the results I desired. This book has helped me unleash my "creative genius". As graphic design student, I have found it to be the best investment I have made besides my computer components. You will find the book helpful, as well, to view the layer styles before applying them to your art. I had found at first that I spent a great deal of time applying and deleting styles and effects before finding the right one, and then I read the book (duh!). I found full-color samples of all the different presets contained on the disk scattered throughout the chapters. It is a small book, but it is very content-rich.

I had used Photoshop 7 in the graphic design lab at school , but I could not afford to buy it. This book and PSE 2 together cost less than $100, and I have no problem duplicating lessons and completing projects at home that are supposed to be done using PS 7.

When Adobe introduced Photoshop Elements it had a low-end program for newcomers to digital photography. It based the cut-down Elements program on its expensive and complex main Photoshop program. However, when you buy Elements you are actually installing quite a lot of the main program (even though no menu commands exist to use new features), and people have been finding ways to exploit the advanced features of Photoshop that Adobe thought would be too complex for Elements users.

Several web sites and two books supply software to advance the capabilities of Elements. One book lets you use some of the professional-level features of the main program, and the other provides some wild effects. That book is the One-Click Wow book I'm reviewing here (the other one is Richard Lynch's The Hidden Powers of Photoshop Elements).

Years ago I wrote a book on Photoshop version 3, and even without enhancements Photoshop Elements 3 is close to being equal to it. The effects in One-Click Wow can be done in several steps in the Main Photoshop program, and in fact that's how they're produced. Unfortunately the effects are of the "take it or leave it" variety - there's no way of altering them - but luckily Jack Davis has produced effects that will appeal to most people.

Because this is a "cheat" and not an officialy approved set of program extensions, you have to manually copy the extensions from the CD to your hard drive. If Elements is running you need to reboot, and then you'll find them listed in the menus for Layer Effects and other places.

One set of extensions work on photographs, and as well as those allowing you to change the appearance of the whole photograph there are other effects that let you add frames or edges. There's a whole series of effects that allows you to change a photograph so that it looks like a painting.

The major set of effects works on graphics and type. They'll change your designs and words to look like chrome or many kinds of natural materials, as well as plenty that look like neon signs. In fact there are several hundred effects, as well as extra brushes and patterns.

It's easiest to see this product not so much as a book, but more like a software add-on with an instruction manual that gives examples of almost every effect - in full color. There's even a multi-page tutorial in using the effects which should explain all you need to know about how to use them.

Davis has been producing the Photoshop Wow books of effects since the beginning of the main program, so the effects here will make a major difference to your pictures. What I've also noticed is the way Davis crops his pictures which is a tutorial in itself - he crops very tightly and you can see the improvement.

So if you can see a copy of this book before you buy it, take a look because what you see is what you're going to get. For most people it's a no-brainer buy, especially since even if you had the main Photoshop program you'd have to do numerous activities on your pictures to equal what you get here.

For the price, it's an amazing bargain for the extra powers you get. I have both this and The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements, and the two of them make Elements a much more powerful and worthwhile program.

Many of us grew up on Tintin and love them for their great nostalgia value, and reminisces of childhood, as well as the brave values of a simpler, more clarified world of yesteryear.
This volume brings together three of the best loved Tintin classics in one handy volume- and for not much more than the price of one.
They are:
Land of Black Gold

An oil crisis breaks out, leading Tintin to the Arab Emirate of Khemed. There he works his way through a series of escapades in the desert and the cities of Kemekhal and Wadesdah where Tintin must deal with the thuggery of the local Arabs . Tintin meets with Emir Ben Kalish Ezab and agress to rescue his kidnapped son Prince Abdullah leadfing him to confront his old enemy Dr Muller, as well as the impossibility of dealing with his charge, the young Abdullah. Quite fast moving and without the flow of some of the Tintin books, this adventure is nonetheless jam-packed with action. We discover that behind all the troubles are agents of a foreign power (Most likely the Soviet Union, whose menace had finally been recognized by the West when this book was first written, in French, 1950. As usual the rest of the gang such as the fiery Captain Haddock and the disastrous Thompson and Thomson add to the brew!

Destination Moon

First written in 1953, 15 years before the first real moon landing in 1969!
I like these books because of their nostalgia value, good old-fashioned values of heroism, adventure good vs. evil. . I first got hold of copies of 'Destination Moon ' and 'Explorers on the Moon' when I was ten, and I was fascinated by the world which they opened up.
Tintin and Captain Haddock fly to the uranium-rich Balkan State of Syldavia, to work with Professor Calculus on his project to send a rocket to the moon, using the mountains of Syldavia as a base. You learn a lot about the fantasyland of Syldavia, and about the unusual perception of the world of his time, by the author, Herge.
This work is amazing in its futuristic scope. The super-modern (for when it was written in1953) Sprodj Atomic Research Center, and the details of the rocket where quite an amazing concept when the book was first published, 16 years before the first real moon landing by Neil Armstrong in 1969.

It is full of adventure, such as when Tintin is wounded while surprising villains at the ventilator grid in the picturesque Syldavian Mountains; and much humour such as escapades with Captain
Haddock's pipe and Professor Calculus' hearing aid , and the famous scene of an enraged Professor Calculus `acting the goat'.

It is a great adventure for all ages, a wonderful album to have.

Explorers on the Moon

This science fictional comic , written in 1954 , 14 years before the first actual moon landing , fails to disappoint , after the precedent set by its prequel , 'Destination Moon'.
This adventure sees Tintin and friends successfully go to the moon and back , defeating such problems as a rapidly depleting oxygen source and villains who have followed them into space .
I read it when I was ten and it led me to become interested in space.
I remember sitting on top of the roof of my home , reading it , and seeing a shooting star fly by. There is something intriguing about these comics.

Don't be fooled by the size of this little book. Other readers have stated how the pictures seem much to small in this more compact version of the comics we loved as children. These are just as visually stunning as the original size comics. Best of all, it is hardcover and will not get damaged (a problem I had with the originals) and they are compact enough to take on a car ride. My son is now as much of an addict as I was at his age. Happy reading!

If you are a Tintin freak, this one is for you. Just buy them

Very good story for children and aldult as well

Volume 5: Land of Black Gold (1951), Destination Moon (1953), Explorers on the Moon (1954). This is the fifth instalment of my reviews of each of the seven volumes.

Land of Black Gold makes little use of Captain Haddock (it actually took form before The Crab With the Golden Claws) and is, subjectively of course, the weakest of all the Tintin adventures created after Tintin in America.

The third of the three double adventures, Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon show an amazingly detailed lunar effort, 15 years before the real moon landing, using Syldavia vs. its communist-style rival Borduria (see King Ottokar's Sceptre) as the backdrop. We see a side of Calculus that we had not suspected, a great deal of slapstick from Haddock, highly convincing moonscapes, somewhat drab colours however, but an effective layout; the moonscapes are outstanding. Tintin's friendship with Haddock requires a little tough love. Great stories, and yet exceeded by the last two in the preceding volume and the three in Volume 6.

This book has the most awesome animal drawings I have ever seen. The fact that they are wood engravings is more than remarkable!

A present for my daughter-in-law and the illustrations were incredible. She is an artist and will make good use of this book.

Wow - the enormous numbers of animal life is astounding and the book clearly shows this. Unfortunately the images are quite dark and the book is very thick (you get your money's worth - image-wise), so scanning them for use in various artistic media is difficult. Therefore, I bought two of the books and plan to cut one of them up (that hurts to say for I treasure books of all types). This way I can control the scanning and modification using software to bring out details and highlight an image to my satisfaction. And finally, the classic images are impressive and I applaud the author for his selection of animals from all realms of life on earth.

Used several of these drawings in projects. Books like this are great for those of us designers who aren't the best freehand drawers.

This is just packed full of brilliant illustrations of birds frogs fish girafee spiders butterflies you name it , throughly recommended for any one who loves botanical illustrations or engravings , really good source material for artists or designers.very nice book but rember it is a paper back not that that matters to me.

The Art of Howl's Moving Castle is a large, hardback book, and is chock full of information and pictures from the amazing movie by Hayao Miyazaki.

This book begins with hundreds of concept sketches by Miyazaki, containing location scenes and characters with notes. The concept sketches go in order of appearance from the movie, so the concept sketches for Sophie come at the beginning, for example, while the concept sketches for Human Turnip show up near the end. There are thousands of gorgeous location scenes as well plus short bios on some of the creators of the movie and a few articles that discuss the creaters' experiences working on the film. Also, at the very end is the complete final screenplay to read through. The screenplay has a few minor changes in it from where the English actors improvised a little (especially Billy Crystal), but otherwise, is exactly from the movie.

Being a student of film and the arts, I found this book extremely helpful and interesting, because it showed the creative process of a huge movie. I would definitely recommend it to any film or arts students to browse through if they wan to get an idea of what kind of work it takes to create such a monumental film!

The only qualm I have with this book is that there were hundreds of screenshots. Not that that's bad, especially if you want to buy this book to revisit the movie, but I would like to have seen a few more sketches and whatnot, or at least a few more articles on how the particular scenes with the screenshots were made.

That aside, I fell in love with this book and was enchanted from front cover to back cover.

This book opens a world of anime art like none other. Primary characters & secondary characters are carefully drawn out and walk through a world & story created for them. As a professional artist, I found great interest in the prelimiary drawings straight through the setting concepts. This is also a great book for fans of the movie. If you loved the movie, you will love this book.

I totally enjoyed the layout and discussion in this book. I have been a Miyazaki fan ever since, "My Neighbor Totoro" which I saw when I lived in Japan. If you relish animation and all the details of this art form, you'll like the format and attention this book gives.

Janine Bolon, Financial Coach, Radio Talk Show Host, author of "Money...It's Not Just for Rich People!" available on amazon. Money...It's Not Just for Rich People!

If you loved the movie, you will love this book, The Art of Howl's Moving Castle it's hard cover, with original sketches, storyboards and the final screenplay!

The book explains every step of the complex story, from the original book adaptation to the final movie. Also have quotes and articles from creators of each process (designers, art directors, supervising animators, etc.) It's like seeing the movie scene by scene with artist commentaries.

Being a great Miyazaki fan I really love this book. Even though majority of the books is filled with movie stills, I love it. I revisit those pictures in the books and get myself lost in the beauty of colors. Also being a student of animation, I really get to learn a lot of things. Character concepts and other drawings are really helpful. I highly recommend this book for anybody who likes stories, animation and colors.

I think this was my favorite volume in the series so far. The first two were fun and entertaining, but in this one the plot becomes thicker, more complicated, and we start to see glimpses of a rich backstory behind the characters Grandma Ben and Thorn. People who liked the first two books will be sure to like this one, too.

This is my 1st Graphic Novel that I have read. Jeff Smith is a great author and illustrator. The words along with the pictures tell a great story. Jeff uses many story elements in his book Eyes of the storm. His plot has several conflicts in it. He uses mainly person-against-person, with it being the Bone cousins and village people against the rat creatures. Jeff Smith uses flashbacks and foreshadowing in dreams to let Thorn know what her past was like. He uses cliff hangers to make the story more suspenseful. Amongst all of this, Jeff Smith knows how to lighten the atmosphere by putting humor in the right places. This book kept me wanting more. I can't wait to get a hold of the next volume. This will not be my last graphic novel that I read.

The Bone books are the gratest comics I have Ever read

check em' out ;)

This book I just read is about a boy named Bone. Bone's friend started a cow race, and convinced everyone to bet on a cow that didn't even exist. So now they have to wash dishes at a bar to pay back what they destroyed. They have weird dreams about their past. So they spend days trying to figure out what their dreams were about. There are furry creatures in the woods trying to kill them.
Bone was the main character in the story he is the coolest and funniest in the book. There grandma reminds me of my grandma from when I was 3. She told me that there as no such thing as ghosts. I figured out that there was such thing as ghosts when I was 5. My favorite part in the story is when Bone realized that their dreams where real. If you like comic books then you will like the Bone series. This book was made to be read by kids 11 and older.

These books are fantastic! I have two 7yr old boys that cry if I don't read this book to them at night.

Parents:
Imagine using, I won't read to you tonight if you don't stop right now, and it works...that's how good this series is. At first I thought the book might be a little too scary for them but they were hooked and it wasn't until book 4 that I had to consider sensoring some of the language (things like "idiot"). Any book that brings kids back to the well again and again is worth purchasing.

This product was received in a timely manner and in excellent shape. Was very satisfied.

My son fell in love with this books. Its a good way of having him improve his reading skill...

Book 6 of Jeff Smith's graphic novel Bone series, Bone: Old Man's Cave features a showdown between the Hooded One and the valley folk - and Bone and Phoney Bone at the center of controversy. A secret sacrificial moonlight ceremony threatens them in another fine Bone presentation.

I can see why Bone is so popular! This volume is truly a great continuation of the series. The plot continues to become more complicated and intriguing, and the characters are still as likeable and endearing as ever. I can't wait to read the next volume!

I'm a fanatic of bone products, so i think they are the most wonderful things i have ever bought.

I sometimes wonder why magical books like this have such a long incubation period. I was fortunate enough to come across a copy in an independent bookstore - Moonlight Books - in Pagosa Springs, CO. Since then, I have purchased several copies and given them as gifts and I keep one copy that I loan out and one copy that I never loan to anyone!

The text below comes from my blog:
... [This] book ... really caught my eye. I loved the title "Church of the Dog." The illustration on the front - just lept off the page! I even liked the feel of the purple paper just inside the cover. This book called me by my true name - I just didn't know it yet.

I began to read... and cry... and read... and cry... This is a love story told through the hearts of an average family. The family is just like yours or mine. Ancient secrets cast long shadows over them. Along comes a woman who enters into this family constellation. She is both the catalyst, the witness, and the container for the ensuing magic. Each of the characters - Mara and Edith, Earl and Daniel enter the container of transformation and are healed. Along the way, I too experienced great love - love of myself and my potential. This story, artfully and loving rendered, gave me hope and healed my heart.

Church of the Dog taught me that my heart could fully grieve my loss. Church of the Dog gave me imagery and metaphors for my pain. Later, the book would play an important role in the mending of my mother's broken heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I love healing stories. This is a magnificent story of hope, love, healing, and grace.

I have the privlege of knowing Kaya- I went to school with her. (I wish we still lived near each other, because I'd like to see her from time to time.) She was always one of my favorite people, because she had that nice combination of down-to-earthiness and idealistic-dreamer.

So when I heard that she'd written a book, it didn't surprise me one bit to discover that it was just a great little story and book!

Church of the Dog is an enjoyable book; you want to know how the story will turn out; it's well-structured, and leaves you thinking, happy, and satisfied that you'd read both a fun story and a true story. (The two aren't always the same, you know.)

Anyway, if you're thinking about it, I'd say grab a copy and read it. Odds are you'll enjoy it.

And Kaya... give me a buzz whenever you come to town. :)

My book discussion group was very priviliged and delighted to have Ms McLaren at our last meeting. She is the very essence of her characters and gives off an 'aura' of such inner tranquility and her sense of humor knows no bounds. We all had the highest praise for her work,the development of her wonderful characters, and the subtle messages that she gently gives us. This is a must read, you will be happily satisfied. This book glows.

This gem of a book will be a favorite library edition and you will read it over and over again (5 times already!). In this day and age that an Author of Kaya's intuitiveness and spirituality is uplifting and such a positive affirmation of our life. Kaya's characters come to life with a belief and caring for each one. As I am of the older generation, I particularly loved Edith and Earl and their love story. Keep on writing, Kaya and thank you for this Angelic gift!!!

Being a 2yr Highschool Student of Kaya's, I may be a little biased. If asked to describe Church Of The Dog I would use the analagy of Being a fly on the wall while, Sitting Bull, Quintin Terrantino, Bob Dylan, And Henry Rollins shared a morning cup of coffee. Her writing style is very unique as is she. And her phillosophies on life and its anonimities Never ceases to shine a new light on a subject. No matter How many times I've thought about the same thing. Great Job Kaya, I'll be looking forward to reading some more books in the near future.

This amazing game (and just plain interesting read!) is currently back in print. You can pick up the new edition, converted to D20, by heading to the publisher's web site. Pagan Publishing and TC Corp have done a great service to its fans by releasing this reprint!

I don't have a long, thoughtful review to write. Just wanted to say this is the BEST RPG idea/supplement I've ever seen. Intelligent, thoughtful, scary, fun...get it get it get it!

This is the best RPG suppliment I have ever read, bar none. It's a great READ, even if you are not a gamer. Interesting background, lots of plot hooks as well. The group that did this book are great writers and are loving what they do and it shows. If you are into Horror, X-Files, Call of Cthulhu, ect...buy it to read, if not play.
The book is curently out of print, but I understand that it will be reprinted in 2006 as a hardcover with d20 rules. Anyone wanting to write or publish an RPG should read this book and use it as an example. A MUST.

DELTA GREEN is the modern adaptation of Call of Cthulhu. Drawing on the same body of UFO lore and paranormal activity as the X-Files, DELTA GREEN has tapped into something very deep. And of course, once you have a successful RPG, you might as well start the fiction flowing, right?

Dark Theaters has some fairly lenghty short stories, designed to flesh out the world of DELTA GREEN. Some clues and hints are elaborated on; what exactly happened during the fabled raid on Innsmouth in 1928? What was the final mission of Gen. Fairfield? We find out more about the summoning by the Karotechia that was a dress rehearsal for the end of the world, but the entirety of the episode remains tantalizingly removed.

Dark Theaters, like the rest of DELTA GREEN fiction, is about what it means to be human. Or not human. The monstrosities which are called up and cannot easily be put away serve to highlight our humanity. But in the end, humanity is just short-hand for a fundamental incomprehension of the universe. We are carrying on a rear-guard action against reality, buying our fellow-man time for ... what? To say that humanity loses in the end is to pretend that there are other players, rules agreed upon, some validity to having tried and lost. Life is a game of solitaire, and we're not playing with a full deck. All is meaninglessness, a blowing of the wind.

And yet humanity means staying in the game. Like Lucifer, the real patron saint of lost causes, we know that we will lose and darnit, we are going to keep playing the hand we were dealt. It gives meaning to life, death, and the passing of the seasons, the sacrifices we have made and those we have sacrificed, to play by the rules, even if there aren't any. So let us cheer for the hero and jeer for the villain, and not go gently into that dark night.

I'm writing this review because the rumors that a new edition with stats for d20 play are getting harder and harder to ignore. Even though the book is old and sometimes hard to find, anyone who seeks it will probably not be disappointed.

Delta Green revitalizes the Call of Cthulhu milieu in two ways. First, it plants the setting squarely within our time, developed from a backstory that starts in 1929 and gets downright spooky in 1947. Eldritch horrors still stalk humanity from beyond - only now the entities that menaced the 20's are content to scheme behind the scenes. Unfortunately for the Earth, some humans are content to betray us all for the ephemeral promises dangled before them. These men are not the frothing cultists and brute savages of Lovecraft: they are scientists, priests, and four-star generals. Plus there are new foes and surprises to keep jaded players guessing.

Second, there is finally a good reason for unusual characters to find themselves allied against the dark. Will a cop balk at sharing forensic evidence with a detective, a journalist, and a Marine? Not anymore. All the PCs are members of or friendly to Delta Green, an illegal conspiracy operating within the federal government. Of course, it's not the ONLY illegal conspiracy operating within the federal government. While Delta Green has adopted the sensible tack of trying to blow away every Mythos problem they encounter, its opponents are convinced that some mysteries can be studied, contained, or even harnessed for their own use.

That's just an overview. There is so much to Delta Green that any gaming group interested in conspiracy-style RPGs could find something useful. There are sections on U.S. government agencies, modern firearms, and mind-blowing adventures that are not for the faint of heart.

With Delta Green, CoC players can feel more confident with a nice gun in their hands, and the assurance that a backup team of ex-SEALs in on the way. Their characters will still die or go insane, but at least they should enjoy the ride.

I am so thankful for the insightfulness of Mr. Aronson. I have done more conceptual video work in the past when I was a graduate student in photography. I am looking a doing another educational project and wanted to brush up on my skills. The book provides me with the knowledge I can use to feel much more confident in the upcoming project as well as exploring my own fine art projects. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in digital video.

este es un libro que explica de manera didáctica ,todos los procesos que tiene una producción audiovisual.
Muy bien ilustrado, con ejemplos que ayudan al nuevo realizador audiovisual a enfrentar sus primeras producciones de una forma segura, buscando que éste no cometa errores que luego pueden demeritar su trabajo.
La única crítica que tengo para hacer de esta obra, es que los ejemplos de montaje los realizan en programa específicos , como Final Cut, algo que de alguna manera deja sin posibilidades a aquellos que manejamos plataformas de edición diferentes.

"DV Filmaking from Start to Finish" is a !!MASTERPIECE!!. It is a book I
recommend to anyone interested in Digital Video. Reading the book was like having Mr. Ian David Aronson in your room sharing with you all of his knowledge.

This book it's not a 18 chapter tutorial on learning Final Cut Pro or After Effects. It's more like traveling back in time and learning from the history of Digital Video to the present day. Aronson show's everything, from film to video, the way you should treat your camera, what you should be
prepared with; lighting, greenscreen, Hardware, white balance, DVD
authoring,
aspect ratios, you name it, including some basic tutorials on doing
edits.
He even gives you an internet address to look and confirm what he is showing
you.

If you are an advanced editor, this book is for you. This book is for to
read,
learn and keep it forever just in case you forget a detail, so you can
review it again and again. I was amazed with the things I have learned from
Mr.
Aronson. Thank you and I'll hope to read another book from him.

Jorge Raphael Valenzuela Hernández
Graphic Artist / Videographer

DV Filmmaking From Start To Finish by Ian David Aronson's will reach both amateur and professional digital video users with a basic primer on differences between digital and print mediums. Familiarity with Final Cut Pro or Adobe After Effects, the two programs used here, will aid in understanding DV applications in either PC or Mac formats, while the author's background as a teacher of digital media lends a logical progression to his tips and practical applied examples.

DV Filmmaking for Ian David Aronson gives you in 18 chapter a coverage for the production, post-production and distribution process of the digital film making.
The book starts with basic digital Cinematography principles. It covers he process stages such as composing shoots, lighting, shooting, working with cameras, audio, still images and titles.
This book doesn't give you a specific software tutorial, but if you are working learning with video production and video editing program, you should get a background about the whole film making process. However, this book gives you a strong background in this industry. I find this book useful for animators, multimedia designers and creative directors.

The two appendixes in the end of the book gives you a tips about getting your work in various media and selling your products.

Nita Leland has a wonderful way of inspiring her readers and making them feel more comfortable with color and paint. Doing the exercises in the book are an essential part of the experience and should not be skipped.

This book is everything I hoped it would be. I am a novice painter, working in acrylics, and wanted some basic info on color theory. This is it. The information is comprehensive yet easy to understand with exercises for the reader to do in any medium. I was so impressed that I bought her Exploring Color Workbook to go with it. This is highly recommended for the artist wanting to expand her color theory expertise.

One of the first books I've looked at that explains color in non technical terms. It has examples of how to use these colors in your paintings. There are several step by step instructions on using different color combinations as well as many exercises for you to do on your own. There's a companion coloring book which is helpful but not necessary. An outstanding book for beginners wanting to know more about color theory. The author has a web site and is very helpful in answering any questions.

Before reading this book I'd had an attitude about 'color theory' and such - or at least the teaching of it. Anything I read was either imperious and demanding or so complicated that I'd be lost in the first chapter.

But this book doesn't order you to do things a certain way. It explains what results you will get doing this and what results you'll get doing that. There is no highbrow judgment here about the only "correct" way to do anything. It is clearly written, with lots of pics and examples, and is completely accessible. What a breath of fresh air!

The book begins with a little bit of the history of color in paintings and the physics of color mixing. She doesn't bog down the book with it though. She gives just enough information to put the use of color in painting into context and as a starting point if one wants to do further research.

Then comes the more detailed information. This starts out simply and builds with each chapter. She explains why things happen in color combining and mixing and how to get the desired results. Color in painting is a detailed and complex subject, but, while she encourages you to learn it all, she is never demeaning or rigid that one has to know all this front and back before painting. She explains why knowing all this will help and improve your painting.

In other words she makes me *want* to learn all this rather than making me feel like I *have* to learn it.

One thing to note is the she uses watercolor in her examples and exercises so some adjustment may be necessary for oils.

There are also lots of things to practice in the book. She has exercises for everything she teaches. So when you're done you will have a tremendous visual reference library. I have lots of art books but this one will stay OFF the shelf and easily accessible. The use of color isn't something that can be learned overnight, so do yourself a favor: get this book.

I bought this based on other reviews about it. I don't know doodley about color and have always gone on gut instinct...and I've painted over a lot of ruined canvas and wasted a lot of paint.
This is an excellent little book with a lot of exercises to make it all quite clear. Every page teaches me something - I have so far had quite a few "AHA" moments. I am beginning to understand why sometimes a color works and sometimes it is just a little off...
I recommend this for everyone. Thank you Nita Leland.