Instruction Books

This book is great. Isela has put together many techniques new to the looming community. She shows you how to loom knit and make it look as if you have needle knitted the item and why it turns out that way. I had never known before this how to do a true knit or purl stitch on a loom.How can you do cables? How do you increases or decreases?Socks? All of this is in there. Only the e-wrap was ever explained before. She gives you all the tools you need here to translate regular knitting patterns and gives looming terminology. If you want to learn to knit by using these looms or other looms on the market pick up this book.
This looming craft is knitting in the round but it can also be used to make flat panals for making other items. She explains that with pictures in this book. This also was her first publication. Book number 2 is about to be released with even more patterns.(May 2008) It is a primer that gets your imagination flowing, she has spawned a whole group of non knitters to try to knit and do it successfully and some are even going further with chart reading and becoming pattern writers themselves. Caution: looming is addictive once you learn these basics.The sky is the limit.I highly recommend this book to new and old loomers out there.

I watched someone on a loom at my local craft store and I picked up a set for myself. I made a few scarves and hats. When you're ready to make the next step into how to use your looms to make things a little more complicated but not overwhelming, this is a good book for that step. I'm very pleased with this book. I would recommend it to a friend.

I only had made hats and scarves on my knifty knitter until I bought this book. This book is very comprehensive. It gives you a little history of loom knitting, the different types of looms, different types and gauges of yarn, and gives you a list of tools you need and tells specifically what they are used for. It has instructions for starting and finishing your knitted projects, picking up a dropped stitch, joining flat panels together, adding stitches, decreasing stitches, and pretty much anything else you might need to know to create things on your looms. I love the variety of patterns! And all the instructions are very easy to follow... with lots of pictures and drawn diagrams. I recommend this book to anyone who is stuck just making scarves and hats on their knifty knitter!

This book has a lot of great proyects on diferent types of looms.
You really have to get it! :)
From shals and scarfs, to hats and socks to wear on everyday. :)

Great book!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is starting loom knitting. The book is well written with lots of photos. Good for visual learner like me. There is a very cute childs hat that I have already made. Very easy to follow the directions and it shows you the basic stitches so you can make new patterns on your own. Even has a felting section.

Great book with step by step instructions, this would be my pick for the first time quilter. It shows at least 100 different layouts for you log cabin blocks. It is wonderful.

I have had this book for about 6 months now and am very happy with it. I bought it to help me make my first quilt on my own.
It gives very clear step-by-step instructions and also a list of all general supplies one needs, such as a rotary cutter, cutting mat, different types of batting, pins etc. I did not feel the need to buy all of it, but it does give a good starting list. I probably spent $50-75 to get started, excluding fabrics and a sewing machine of course.
What I also love is that it gives very exact amounts of the fabrics you need. I found they are highly accurate, leaving just enough room for a mistake but without having a pile of scraps left.
The book offers many different sizes and patterns, showing clearly which patterns go with which size.
I highly recommend this book, because it guides you through every step from cutting, assembly, layout, sewing, batting, with text and many helpful images.
The only thing I found slightly misleading is the title. Except for the smallest quilts, I don't think many people could finish a quilt in a day.

No way one day!. But... in three days I made a 60x60 lap quilt over New Years. With an unfamiliar sewing machine on a dining room table. I think it could be done in two in my own studio.

What this did was give me confidence to go home and finish my QS Triple Irish Chain.

I recommend this book highly for beginner quilters. Sometimes you read instructions and wonder what the quilter was smoking. Not Ms. Burns.

If a guy like me can do it, anyone can.

t in san jose

If you are a quilter and you haven't made this quilt, what are you waiting for? You have to make this quilt pattern at least once in your life. If you are thinking about quilting and can sew a straight line, this is where you want to begin.

It's easy, simple, the results are beautiful. I've made many of these as gifts; I've given the book and fabric as the gift.

This book taught me to be a stripper over 20 years ago. (Read the book you'll understand "stripper".)

Great book, clear instructions and illustrations. I can't wait to make the quilt.

When my grandparents got me this book, I didn't think it could help me. I was looking for a "How to Draw" not a "How to Write". This book proved me so wrong. I couldn't believe how much fun it was to read, and it helped me a lot too. Almost everything I thought I knew was proved wrong and after reading it I felt like I understood comics so much better. As well as making me better at writing comic books, it made me a better writer altogether. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in comics or in just plain writing or art.

Well thought out, well written, quality throughout. I like this book the best so far; the previous weren't as appealing as this but were still very well done. The author really practices what he preaches as far as his message and the book speaks for itself. You won't be disappointed. Looking forward to the new books!

This is the best cartooning and illustration
book that has EVER been created. It accomplishes cartoons and
illustrating and explains everything. THIS is
the only book you will ever need. Don't let this
book escape you, you will NEVER forgive yourself if
you let this treasure get away. It is total visual
instruction. Easy to understand. Easy to attempt.
It is the book I keep on the drawing desk next to me
because it is so complete. Wow!!!!!!---- Luisa Felix

What I like about this book is the fact that it is not only instructional for comic book artists but also for all artists. He writes and draws to enhance what he is teaching so that it is not even noticed by the reader that he is being taught. I have met Scott and he is as entertaining and funny in person as he is in his book.

Great book for beginning comic artists. You will not be taught technical details for how to draw or lay out panels, but you will be shown how to pace comics, shown some basic face anatomy in the context of emotion, given a few inspirational tips on choosing characters, and so on. Probably an interesting read even for people who aren't sure that they want to get into comics.

I purchased this book based on its recommendations, and I'm not sorry I did. It's been 25+ years since I touched a sewing machine, and this book definitely helped take the fright away. Perfect for new seamstresses of all ages.

I have the Rip It! book and love it. I just got this book for my niece for christmas. She wants to learn how to sew and I know this is the best book out there for her. It's very easy to understand and comes with patterns for her to learn with. I'm also getting her a sewing machine from www.sewfastseweasy.com
I love giving! She is going to be so thrilled!

I bought this book for my daughter and she has taken to sewing extremely fast. She's so proud of what she makes. Her enthusiasm for sewing now is almost too much for me to keep up with. This book was was easy for her to understand and the illustrations were very clear. She's been playing around with reconstructing her clothes so I'm thinking of getting her the Rip It book as well. I'm happy to see her involved in a positive hobby that she truly enjoys and gets satisfaction from.

I just bought this book because I wanted to delve into sewing a little more. I knew how to sew but I didn't know much about sewing techniques or terms or sewing notions and how to use them. This book was very easy to understand and explains everything I need to know about sewing and using notions and patterns. It's now my sewing bible! If I get stuck on something I grab my sew fast sew easy book.

The book is great it even comes with patterns. The book is easy to understand and has lots of detail. I would definatly recommend it.

Small compact paperbook can take with me when traveling. Am enjoying the brevity, but not as much the small print type, but still very enjoyable book.

I love this book. It shows a beautiful example of the artists work in alphabetical order and a great short history of each artist. I discovered a lot of artists I wasn't familiar with. It's a great quick reference and easy/enjoyable reading. It's more than I expected! A must for anyone interested in art/artists.

A bargain at the cover price and even better at the prices listed here at Amazon. I have copies at both my homes and am always referring to it. Would that Phaidon could do the same for music and lovers of great literature.

An excellent mini art history book. It covers the majority of well known artists with a representative work. All this and the paperback is small enough to carry around. I present it to my students for special achievements.

This little book couldn't be any more straightforward or useful. Over the span of 500 pages, each page is devoted to a different artist, with one representative work by that artist and a short description of his or her life and work. At the end, an invaluable 6-page glossary provides short and informative descriptions of the major genres and schools of art (e.g., Fauvism, Constructivism, Expressionism, etc.) that don't require a PhD to understand, as well as explanations of common art materials and techniques (e.g., gesso, fresco, tempera, etc.). It's a great value, and much more inexpensive than almost any other art book this informative. Buy it now!

Tim Harrower provides a very practical guide to newspaper design. The art of newspaper design tends to be very subjective, so this book lays down some facts and guidelines to put to rest some of the indecisive elements of design.

For a beginner, this is a book that will give you the confidence and understanding to conquer page layout.

The CD gives the novice an even more practical guide than the book can deliver.

One criticism is that the book is printed on light gloss stock and is spiral bound. I am not sure how it was survive rough treatment.

Brian Hurst

This textbook is awesome. I've never seen a better textbook. It lays everything out, and makes it simple to understand. It tells you what to do and what not to do in simple language and clear pictures. It's one of few textbooks worth keeping for future use in your career (provided you're going into the newspaper industry)!

When I accepted my first "real" job in journalism as a page designer for a local weekly I was struck by a horrifying thought, I really knew nothing about newspaper design. I had done it before for my college paper, sure, but this was the big time. I needed a refresher course and I needed it fast... Tim Harrower and this spiral-bound book came to my rescue.

Although it was first published in 1989, this book will be relevant as long as newspapers exist, even in this age of computer design. Harrower explains and shows why certain designs are good and bad and he approaches it in a situational, problem-solving format. For example, he explains what should be done when you have to design a page with no art, when you have butting headlines, or two horizontal photos etc. Harrower says that most page designers stumble into the job and from this point of view he explains what exactly, a good design is. This book will always be on my desk.

(I wish my publications professor used this instead of the worthless $105 monstrosity he made us buy (and that we never used by the way).)

So, after some mild freaking out followed by a lot of reading, I can start my new job with confidence thanks to this book.

I ordered the hardbound and got the spiral bound, a product worth $12 less. It was then that I discovered there is no way to express a complaint to Amazon: no phone number, no email address, no human help. All that is available is a maze of pre-written web help, none of which includes "credit my account $12, since I don't want to go through the hassle of sending this book back." What's up, Amazon? Don't you want satisfied customers? I spend literally hundreds here each year. This egregious deficit needs to be fixed immediately. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book.

I am an editor these days.
I came on this book quite a few years ago when I was a sub. It was recommended to me by an old hand in the newspaper game.
Without doubt, it is the single best aquisition I have made in terms of newspaper design.
In the places I have worked, I have been regarded extremely highly for my layout skills.
This book, with a little creativity, is the basis of almost everything I do in terms of layout.
If you are serious about the newspaper game, get it, study it and then apply what you learn. It will help our career enormously.

This is one of the, if not THE most solid animal book there is. Packed with drawings (as all of Jack Hamm's books are)...very clear. It's the book I'd recommend first for someone who wants to learn to draw animals. I'm a professional working in animation and this is a book that all of my coworkers own.

While Jack Hamm is quite well-respected, I have to recommend The Art of Animal Drawing: Construction, Action Analysis, Caricature (Dover Books on Art Instruction, Anatomy) for anyone considering this book. While this book does have a lot of useful information (like demonstrating the position of the ankle in different animals), some of Hamm's drawings are lifeless, stiff, and sometimes downright awkward-looking. This is most likely due to the use of taxidermy models (in some cases photos of taxidermy models) as the base for his drawings. This is most evident in some of his more exotic animals where the faces look malformed.

Even by looking at the images provided here, there is a bit of a difference in the feel his sketch images when compared to his finished ones. This is more pronounced in the book itself when you see the book in its entirety. The poses for the finished animals are routinely a little bit unnatural looking, just like how the lion on the front is, if you look at him long enough.

Hamm's instruction itself is valuable, but the images he presents with them are not always the best. I have personally found copying the images in a drawing book to be a good study to understand an animal and get an idea of what it is and how it moves, and that is where this book falls short. Basically you end up copying a copy.

I would not hesitate to recommend this to someone looking for a couple of animal drawing books, but if you're only going to buy one, Hultgren is the way to go. I speak as someone who owns both. This book has some useful information in it, but Hultgren is the one I carry around with me. In conclusion, it's a good book, but not the best.

The book was in fair shape. A little disappointed because it was less than advertised condition. But not enough to make an issue of it. It was OK.

Helpful when you must insert animals into a painting or drawing; well put together and a good variety of animals.

Every artist should own this book, it has great instructions, and illustrations, of animal structure, shapes and design

I have never written a review for anything but this I felt that it is a must. I bought this book yesterday and made it about 40-45 pages into it and already just singing in my car I went from struggling at an E4 to an A4 with little to no difficulty Jaime Vendera knows what he's talking about and he explains in such a step by step simple way that even I, a fairly inexperienced singer, can understand. I can't wait to finish it and see what I can do.

What I like about this book is that its not the same old recycled information. I thought I had read everything on vocal health but Jamie has given me a new way to care for my voice.

I usually wont buy a book if it doesn't have a 'Search Inside' option. I got this book purely because of the great reviews. I'm glad that I did.

Even though this book doesn't come with cd's, Jamie more than made up for this by giving the reader access to the Members Only section of his website. Here you will find video lessons, a forum and exercises to accompany the book. I am very happy with this buy.

Nadia

I know this book is good, however, amazon claims it's in stock, i'm sending this book as a Birthday gift, and they tell me it will take 1 and 1/2 MONTHS to deliver this.

Customer service just tries to make you feel good about your purchase, but when it comes down to it, they don't give a .........form letter is all you will get.

Amazon, WAKE UP.

and I stand by that. I have studied many programs regarding vocals and if I had only gotten this book a long time ago it could have saved a lot of money. I was thorougly impressed with Jaime's knowledge as well as his dedication to his students. This book contains everything you need to know to become the singer of your dreams. I have actually spoken to Jaime and what I found was a guy who was loaded with knowledge that was as anxious to teach as I am to learn the secrets of the voice. I think the fact that I talked to the man himself instead of an associate speaks volumes. Another great thing is that when you buy the book you get access to the members only area of his website which includes a message board of other singers so you can share your experiences as well as setbacks so it remains a constant source of knowledge. If I could recomend 2 products it would be this book and "Vocal Power" by Jim Gillette. The 2 work hand in hand and give the most bang for the buck. You wont need expensive voice lessons to become a great singer. Just the knowledge here and a bit of dedication. If I was able to hack this site and give him a 10 star review I would thats how impressed I am. I honestly can't "sing" enough praise about it...but then again I am only 2 weeks into the course :)

So, I'm going to preface this with a little information on me. I'm 19, and I have had about 4 singing lessons, which I did after buying the book. I'm considered a bass/baritone. Before buying the book the lowest note I could sing was about an A2, and the highest was an F4 above middle C.

Well, I read the whole book and sort of understood what was going on. It was really hard not having someone there to help me, but I tried applying the things in the book. My range expanded, going down to a Gb2, and up to an A4, but that was really pushing it to the limit. I then took several lessons, and he helped me to better understand how to apply what Jaime was teaching. My range went higher from there, but after I dropped the lessons due to not having time to take them, I totally forgot what I learned and was back to where I was before.

All the sudden, I had some sort of drastic change happen. I was driving home late at night, and tried doing a vocal slide; started on my lowest note and slid up as high as I could.

I have NO CLUE why all the sudden it happened, but it did. I went past my break point, and up into the Robert Plant zone, which was really crazy and something I never thought could happen. I thought it was a fluke ,and tried it again the next day. I could still do it, and this time I measured it. I slid all the way up to a C6. Almost 2 octaves higher than where I usually flipped into falsetto. I seriously can't believe it.... I can't automatically start on a high note and sing Communication Breakdown in a single try, but just the fact that I am hitting these notes means it IS possible.

Sing a whole lot, read the book, and just have fun. It took me awhile to get to where I am ( and even then I still don't know how it happened), but I'm almost starting to take this for granted. I pretty much don't remember what it was like to have a break point and not get past it, but MAN am I glad it's gone!

This book is a complete must. Check his forums after you buy it. I also think there is a new revision coming out.

-Allen

I learned so much about all of my favorite artists in this book. This book is tastefull done (unlike Building a Mystery by Judith Fitzgerald). The author actually talked to the artist and got their perspectives on many different topics and the meanings behind their songs, which makes this book true and somewhat autobiographical. It is good to see a book also where the artists are not portrayed as glamorous. These black and white photos seem the bring the artists back down to the same level that the reader is working on. It is a really nice book and an interesting read.

Well, I am going to read the book, if I ever get a credit-card...which hopefully there's another option..( or I'll be broke before I get paid....) Anyhow, I'm sure this book is well worth reading..TO me anything by any of these great artist(s) who have inspired me in my darkest hours of frustration.. I will never give up the God given gift(s) thanks to you all!!!! (And hopefully we'll all Jam before New Year's Eve!!!!!) -C

com) from Atlanta, Georgia November 14, 1998 Dear Emma and Marc, Solo is awesome, the images and narrative are both soulful and powerful. As a practicing artist I'm attracted to the imagery in your book. The photographs have a cinematic quality to them, in particular the series of photo's of Holly Palmer. When I look at the images in your book I feel spirit and emotion of the people represented through your imagery. Examples of what I'm referring to are images of Lucinda Williams (pg 290 and 300), Sheryl Crow (pg 273), Roseanne Cash (pg 246), Jewel (pg 224), Shawn Colvin (pg 39), and Sarah (pg 18)... I like the way the narrative and art work weave together like a quilt, your images make me feel good. More on Solo later... Peace, Love, and Understanding, Freddy Ciminelli

This is the finest example of what beautiful photography and amazing storise can do for your soul. This book should be read by every woman in America at every age. The stories are personal, enlightening and truly amazing! There is so much to learn from SOLO... I return to it daily.

The night I bought this book I sat down and finished the whole thing. I bought this book because I was a huge fan of Sarah McLachlan and Shawn Colvin, Jewel and Cheryl Crow, but I learned so much more from the other singers too. Sarah's interview struck me as the most down to earth, but every interview was intriguing and I just couldn't put it down. Some of the artists I had never even listened to like Ani Difranco but then next day I borrowed a friends CD and I have to say thanks to this book my CD collection has gotten a lot larger! Thank you Emma and Mark! The only bad thing about this book is......it ended! (and Tori Amos wasn't in the book, but was mentioned by Sarah McLachlan! =)So that was fine by me!!!)

When it comes to the saxophone, this book covers it all. Embouchure, posture, the parts of the horn, the history of the horn, reeds, fingering, you name it and it's in this book. It's surprisingly in depth on every front, even having a section on the altissimo register. This really is among the must haves of any saxophone player's library.

Having said that, this is in no way the ONLY book you should have. While it contains warm up exercises, actually buying a decent scale/chord study book should be a high priority. Also, if you're serious about learning the 3rd and 4th octaves, you need to buy a good high register book.

Ultimately, for me at least, this book comes down to more of an encyclopedia as opposed to a bible. It can take you really far, but you're eventually going to need to buckle down with specialty resources.

This book is considered by many to be the "Saxophonist's Bible." A great book with many illustrations and practical advice for playing the saxophone.

I have recently started learning the basics of saxophone playing. My knowledge of playing the Saxophone, and indeed any musical instrument, and also music theory is limited. However I found that the information in "The Art of Saxophone Playing" was very informative and the way it is set out has certainly been of great help.
I think that the more advanced player will profit more from the information given in the later chapters. I'm hoping that as I improve I will better understand these chapters.

Great book!
I just started learning to play the sax, and this book has given me
an invaluable insight into the instrument and how to play it.
I recommend it to anyone starting to play the saxophone, but the information is valuable even for established and professional players.

This book is a staple among saxophonists of all veins (jazz, classical, and anything else). It is a must-have, and for good reason. It gives insight in to every aspect of being a saxophonist, including some brief but helpful information on doubling. Some chapters are very in depth, though others are less so. A great find and worth every penny.