Watson Books

This is one of the essential tools to have if you are trying to get in the film business. It is one of my recommended readings that I use for my seminar, HOW TO GET AND SUCCEED IN THE FILM BUSINESS. It has the most updated list of production companies and agencies. I tell all of my students that it is a must buy.[...]

Very useful if you are "in the biz" and need to know more about representation. You will get a great deal by buying the distribution book with it. If you are a writer/director/producer, it is good to have that extra book on hand.

This directory is the most comprehensive listing of persons and titles at almost every production company there is... I believe it is the only database of its kind. Everyone from mega-producers to full-time interns are listed, as well as their phones, faxes and addresses. An invaluable resource.

Hollywood Creative Directory is a superb compilation of Hollywood producers who can make your dreams come true by producing your screenplays. If you haven't succeeded with Hollywood agents, give HCD a try. It lists extensively production companies, offering names, addresses and telephone numbers. If you're having trouble defining your genre or you'd like for producers of films you admire to read your screenplays, make this your first stop on the Hollywood Express to success.

This is a great bare-bones book on how to draw cartoon cats in all kinds of interesting poses. I love it. One caveat: the actual content is basically identical to the book, Kids Draw Cartoon Cats, Kittens, Lions and Tigers. Kids Draw Cats, Kittens, Lions and Tigers (Kids Draw) I ordered both, thinking they would be different. They are not.

Either book should give you some fun, however. I could wish that the book was longer with more pictures, but that is nitpicking.

Good cartoon books on drawing specifically cats are hard to find, and this is one of the best. I am currently working on a script with 4 different cat types, and this book has them all, including the tiger! Althouth basic drawing techniques could be improved (he jumps to the finished product quickly), it is still a great teaching tool and a lot of fun.

I am 12 years old and I love to draw.And this book helped me to do better.I always thought you could draw by just drawing right off the bat and in this book, I found that you had to start off with shapes and guide lines.Now I can draw much better now that I know the proper way to draw.I also had a problem, when drawing animals that stood on all fours.It would always be very difficult for me to draw their legs so that they looked good and this book helped me with that too.I was going to buy "How to Draw Cartoon Dogs, Puppies, and Wolves" but I found it was out of print.I saw a used one here on Amazon but it was $..., and I don't have that kind of money...

This book really improved my cartooning. I spent many hours with this book and have really improved my drawing. The "Modeling Cats After People" section gave me some great insights into expressing personality.

My kids loved it as well. They especially loved the "Cat Characters and Costumes" section. I highly recommend this book.

Michael Watson's story of his search for his birth family is a celebration of resiliency, drawing in the reader as he struggles to reconnect with his birth mother and a family that had been told he died at birth. The heartening outcome of his personal journey is the establishment of his "Why Mom Deserves a Diamond" essay contest, to which over 25,000 students have submitted essays.

I have just finished reading "In Search of Mom" and loved every word of it. It had special meaning for me as I had adopted both of my daughters. It was like looking through a mirror from the other side.

In Search of Mom gave me the inspiration to search for my birth mother, in which I have already used many of Watson's ideas. If she is alive she will be 69. My main concern is to know my nationality.

 In Search of Mom is a fantastic book for anyone who has wondered what it feels like to be adopted. Because of Watsons unique way of involving the reader, I went through half the book the first evening. I have already ordered 5 copies for my friends. I highly recommend this book.

Jade is now available from ImageCascade Publishing. New republication! A must read for readers of historical fiction! Sally Watson has a gift for presenting girls as feisty, strong-willed characters. Excellent role models for young readers, ages 10 to 15. Readers must also read Ms. Watson's Highland Rebel, Mistress Malapert, Lark, The Hornet's Nest.

What a wonderful book! I read this one over and over when I was a kid, and now I want to read it to my 5th grade students, as we study the Colonies and the Revolution. I was amazed to find Jade listed as a rare book, and searched for it for 4 years, until I finally struck pay dirt.
Jade struggles to be free of the constraints of her gender and class, and does that with flair and courage. The reader has an inside look at pirates, and gets to know Anne Bonney and Mary Read, both famous female pirates.
Jade's code of honor, and behavior, gives modern kids something to work towards. She thinks of things larger, and more important than herself, and takes the chances needed to change.

Sally Watson creates a feisty and believable heroine who rebels against cultural standards which expect her to remain a modest and meek girl and make a good marriage. Jade, however, has other ideas. She secretly learns to fence, and sets free the fox caught by the son of an acquaintance. When she speaks her mind to her father, he beats her, and her mother and sister sigh. Finally her parents give up and send her by ship to her aunt and uncle in the west Indies. Jade shocks them as well, but when she sees a slave at the market who seems wild and unbending, she convinces her uncle to buy her, and they become fast friends. Jade rebels against her aunt and uncle as she did against her parents, so when there's an outbreak of disease, they take the chance to send her home. The boat they send her on is a slave ship... And the first mate is a young hook-nosed cynical man who expresses contempt for fear, slaves, and women. But when Jade gets an opportunity to free the slaves on board, she finds that someone has already loosened the hatch and is working on the same plan as she. Jade is stabbed in the shoulder after the slaves are discovered escaping, and later is discovered... And flogged... But the first mate is also revealed as having freed the slaves, and is flogged as well. During the lashing, pirates attack, and Jade is rescued -- to become a pirate herself. An exciting and romantic adventure, for all ages.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but as a child it was one of my favorite books, and I read it many, many many times. Jade is a colonial era 17 year old girl from an aristocratic family. She refuses to be constrained by the conventions of her time and learns fencing, frees slaves, and becomes a pirate. Her personal moral code is fascinating and Jade strikes a blow for women and for the subjugated. Its a rollicking adventure story with a wonderful female heroine.

I have JO Sonja's books back to the 1970's. I keep ALL of her books. She has changed direction from the '70's and I love her old style of painting. However,I won't get rid of any of her books. She used to use only oils and that I loved. She now has her own line of paints usually in acrylics. This is a good book but for me I prefer her '70's line of painting.

This is a beautifully illustrated and very informative book on many different ethnic decorative painting styles. I very highly recommend it an excellent addition to the library of any decorative painter.

This comprehensive overview of decorative painting includes historic American, European and Asian styles. More important to me, however, was the basic information about developing a personal technique, varieties of materials available, practical information about finishes, and more. This book should be the cornerstone of any decorative painting collection.

I am totally in awe of this book. Not only has Jo Sonja collected exquisite photographs of folk art from all over the world, she has also provided wonderful instructions for creating each of the styles on your own--and added notes for developing your own personal style. In the next millenia, Jo Sonja will be remembered for her work as one of the great folk artists of this century.

Kerry Gammill has always been one of those artists who I thought was underappreciated. His art was always consistently good without trying to be overpowering the way so many artists are today. "Drawing Monsters and Heroes for Film & Comics" presents a wonderful cross-section of Gamill's work throughout his career, both pre and post-comic book days. Gammill's early life was not unlike my own...except for the being a talented artist part. He was a big fan of classic monsters, horror movie hosts, silver age art, and those great old monster model kits by Aurora.

Gammill discusses how he eventually broke into comics with Marvel and gives aspiring artists some great advice on how to do the same. As he points out, back when he broke in there weren't many publishers like there are today and if you wanted to draw superheroes you had to work for Marvel or DC. The playing field has changed and there are many more outlets available to artists today but Gammill still recommends that putting together a great portfolio not only of pinup type pages, but also examples showing how to flow a story and action. He also recommends getting to know the human anatomy. As a long time comic fan I could not agree more. There are many talented artists in comics today but the best are those that can tell a story, not just draw splash pages. Dozens of examples of Kerry's work from his comic days are on display including many pieces that were never used. Gammill again emphasizes the need for artists to study anatomy and facial expressions which are especially critical when drawing characters from a particular perspective.

Gammill abruptly left comics and began doing conceptual work in a number of different areas. He provided concept drawings to a toy company who made premium items for fast food meals. A number of these drawings are included in the book and feature things like R2D2 band-aid dispensers, and Darth Maul mouse pads. Lunch boxes, tooth brushes, model kits...Gammill provided the concept art for dozens of different products. And you never would have known that one of our favorite comic book artists was partly responsible for the design of Taco Bell kids meal toy!

Gammill would go on to do concept drawings for film and TV and work on projects such as "Virus" starring Jamie Lee Curtis and the new Outer Limits television show. We get to see drawings he did for the shelved "I am Legend" film that was to star Arnold Schwarzenegger was and based on the story by Richard Matheson. Another project that Gammill worked on that has since been scrapped was the "Superman Lives" film that has since been replaced by "Superman Returns". These drawings show off his vision of Superman's adversary `Doomsday' who has a very different look than the comic book version.

Gammill's very diversified career is given a bright spotlight by Vanguard Productions and his advice to aspiring artists is invaluable.

Kerry Gammill is a one superhero of an artist! Boy, I've read his comic book work over the years (SPIDER-MAN to SUPERMAN to POWERMAN/IRON FIST) but never knew the extent of his talent until I read this wonderful book. Gammill not only can draw, he can tell a crackerjack STORY! Please, Hollywood. Use this guy more often! (Your current crop of films are so lame). Looking over the beautiful illustrations it's no small wonder that he was picked to design make-ups for horror movies and TV shows. I learned volumes of helpful tips from the background information concerning his influences. Every kid should use this for their own references on who and what to study if they want to be the best. And Gammill's youthful experiences doing homemade make-ups for his little backyard "movies" got him friendly with STAR WARS make-up artist Rick Baker! Baker who has won six Oscars and probably will again for the new PLANET OF THE APES! How can you beat that for an inkling of how good Kerry's make-up designs are? If you want to learn what it takes to become a professional artist AND how much fun it can all be in the process (with lots of drawing to get there), get this book! Buy it for yourself but you'll probably have to get one for a kindred soul/best buddy that loves comics and movies. This will become a special book among those up and coming "new" comic book artists and special effects make-up designers of tomorrow. Someday, I'm sure one of them will list it as one of THE books of their formulative years.

Kerry Gammilýs drawing Monsters and Heroes For Film and comics is a great book for beginning drawers and advanced drawers . It is great for learning muscles and for animation . It goes from basic figures to story boards for film and T.V. Learn to make comics and Body suits . I learned a lot from this book ,you will too. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to draw comics .

I know Kerry Gammill slightly, so you're free to dismiss this as a Buddy's Puff Piece if you wish. The title of the book is a misnomer; it sounds like a how-to book, when in fact this is a guided tour through the portfolio of a very gifted, very flexible artist. Useful for any adolescent with an interest in monsters or superheroes (or for anyone with an adolescent heart), Kerry's book strongly illustrates the changes in horror/hero art stylistics over the decades. Starting in the Sixties (when Kerry was a schoolboy), we see him recreate the stark imagery of the Universal horror heroes, followed by the "so busy I think my eyes will pop" style of Jack Kirby's Marvel comics, and we close with a detailed view of Special Effects artistry, and see the heavy hand of H.R. Giger (Icky ooky organs! Spooky spiky spines!), which seems to predominate in this unheralded branch of the art world. No, Kerry's not Vermeer (I like to imagine the Dutch minimalist leafing through a copy of X-Men), but he is a very talented artist working in a strange but awfully fun corner of the imaginative world. If you (or your children) love monsters or superheroes, or you're interested in an insider's view of the Special Effects world, this book is an excellent addition to your library. Note: general intensity of imagery and a few nudes and kinda-nudes make this book inappropriate for very young fans.

Shannon Okey's knitting books are wildly fun and have unique ideas I've never seen in any other knitting books. The patterns are especially creative and functional, like the Beauty-to-go-Bag or the Striped Pencil Purse. I used her ideas about picking up stitches on the edge to actually sew two pieces of a hat together with excellent results.

The book cover and beach bag are perfect summery projects and you could even make the Ooh-la-la Flip Flops that use a size 8 needle and a skein of Crystal Palace Splash.

Knitgrrl 2 follows Knitgrrl 1 with 16 new patterns. There is information on knitting history that was rather enlightening. Should you knit a sweater for your boyfriend? Read this book to find out.

~The Rebecca Review

Shannon Okey, Knitgrrl 2 (Watson-Guptill, 2006)

Shannon Okey's back with another book of patterns like you've never seen before. Readers of Okey's first book (titled, not surprisingly, Knitgrrl) will recognize the general layout here-- how-to tips with clear illustrations, silly, endearing artwork, and of course, the patterns. While the book starts out feeling like a retread-- the patterns at the beginning will be in-your-sleep kinds of things for those who went through the first book-- don't let your guard down. By the time you get to the patterns at the back of the book, you will be challenged unless you are a seasoned veteran-- and you may be challenged anyway, even if you are.

Good, solid stuff, just like the first book. If you liked one, you'll like the other. *** ½

Shannon Okey's approach in making knitting something hip and trendy and attracting the interest of young adults definitely worked! I read through this book before actually knitting the projects although I could hardly resist making them. If it wasn't for the fact that I was out of yarn...

After also reading the Stitch-n-Bitch book by Debbie Stoller, I conclude that the Stitch-n-Bitch book mentions the same things but the Knitgrrl books just puts it in a more interesting way for teens as they are not interested in reading through a lot of text, in plain black and white with no funny illustrations. Knitgrrl 2 covers not only basic techniques but it really goes in dept for a Young Adult book.. It even has a special chapter about Beading, which I found very interesting as I've heard so much about this new technique and most regular knitting books don't include information on this yet. The page about dying your yarn was really interesting as well.

As for the projects, they are great! Not long afghans or big sweaters(just a small top and a poncho) but small projects to start with like a head band, a make-up bag, book covers, a shawl (ofcourse) and many more summer projects. The color transition in her projects made the projects even more inviting to knit them.

There were illustrations throughout the book (by Kathleen Jacques) which I found really beautiful and hip. Kids love cats or dogs so they'll surely look or even stare at these lovely illustrations.

The trendy small summer projects together with the easy approach make this book the perfect beginner's guide for any soon-to-be-intermediate-knitter. You really don't have to be a teen to thoroughly enjoy this book and learn from it!

-reviewed by Eveline for http://euroreviews.r8.org

For those of you who loved Shannon Okey's first book, Knitgrrl, you're in luck--Shannon recently released a sequel, Knitgrrl 2, just as full of fun, acessible patterns as the first--if you weren't familiar with Knitgrrl, then now you've got two great books you can add to your library.

Both books have fantastic how-two information, which use pictures instead of just drawings, to teach the basics. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. The original book is full of fun, easy patterns that teach basic skills like scarves and wristlets--a cool i-pod purse and leg warmers--there's even a basic introduction to lace.

In Knitgrrl 2, the patterns continue to be fun without being at all repetitive--there's a great belt (and I can attest that knitted belts are very popular with the 2 kids classes I teach) and a sideways knit cardigan by Kristi Porter knit in Noro, that I'm sure will have lots of "grown up" knitters running for their needles. (Kristi's a frequent contributor to Knitty.com and the creator of the new FrankenKnits.com site.) Knitgrrl 2, also has a beautiful knit, beaded necklace, and an adorable cropped tank top. Both books are sprinkled with helpful tips and ideas, and are full of fun illustrations by Kathleen Jacques.

This is a wonderful book and I love all the pictures. I am a huge Lucille Ball fan. Have looked through this book more than once. Love it every time!

They say pictures are worth 1000 words, but as far as I'm concerned the book doesn't need words! Some pictures I have NEVER seen before. I LOVE IT!

Bart Andrews and Tom Watson celebrate the career of America's First Lady Of Comedy in this loving tribute. Released in 1980 and still in print today...it's just that good.

This is a wonderful profusely illustrated book on the life of the great star Lucille Ball. One of the few books to look at her full career, not just her television success, it has many rare photos from her exceptionally long film career as well as her pioneering television work. The back cover color photo of a 30ish Lucy is worth the price of the book alone!! One of the top five books to own on this wonderful woman.

I can't believe Rolilns didn't go blind drawing this GN. His style is SO detailed. And it's perfect for the story, which is about a future in which sleep is really a luxury. NO JOKE. Until the hero, Bronsen, accidentlly discovers a sleep machine, which you'll never guess what it is.

I also recommend "Survival Machine," a trade paperback from a couple years ago that he wrote/drew. It is worth hunting for.

Rollins is a really talented artist and his writing style is clear, engaging, and appealing. He provides lots of useful details for would-be graphic novelists and plenty of interesting personal anecdotes. The "flip book" structure is cool. I warmly recommend this book, even if you're not that into graphic novels!

As a longtime fan of serious graphic storytelling, and an aspiring writer of a graphic novel script, I picked this up to learn the nuts and bolts of how long-form graphic stories are put together. The book is a great "how-to" concept -- the idea is that you read Rollins' 100-page sci-fi graphic novel "The Resonator", and then you flip the book and read about how he created it. You could certainly skip the graphic novel, but the "how-to" information is much richer and clearer if you don't.

In general, I tend to like either really simple and clean or really detailed and complex artwork, and Rollins is definitely in the latter camp. The book is a visual treat, as he painstakingly evokes the crumbling, jerry-rigged components of distant future space living. The story itself is a mixed salad of some very imaginative ideas along with some more familiar ones. It follows a uranium miner named Bronsen as he seeks to escape his stultifying life by using a illegal "resonator" to sleep and dream. In this future, mankind has evolved out of the need for sleep, and sleep becomes a kind of luxury good, strictly controlled by the megacorporation that governs all of mankind. The revelation as to what the resonator is is outstanding, and Bronsen's dream sequences are a brilliant contrast to his waking life. However, the "what is a dream and what is reality?" nature of the conclusion was a tired sci-fi theme long before "The Matrix" trilogy milked the final dregs from it. And stories in which a megacorp rises to rule over all humanity have always struck me as rather lazy. Ditto for the circular concept that these spaceships are kept running on a constant search for uranium, but the only use for the uranium is to power the ships. Nonetheless, on the whole, it's a graphic novel well worth one's time.

Flipping the book over, one gets about seventy pages of explanation, covering writing, preproduction, penciling, inking, and lettering. As a writer and not an artist, I was most interested in the writing section. Here, Rollins explains the story's evolution from writing workshop project to short story, to script. This is pretty straightforward "Fiction 101" stuff, with little I found new or useful. The one part I did like was his "Note on Character" (pages 18-19), in which he suggests that characters become quite interesting when there's a difference between what they think they're afraid of, and what they're really afraid of. I hadn't thought about that before, and his examples are quite revealing. The other sections are copiously illustrated with conceptual sketches, diagrams, and clear explanations of his artistic process. Overall, well worth reading if you're an artist thinking about embarking on the long form. Somewhat less useful if you're more focused on the writing side.

Kudos to Prentis Rollins. First, for a fascinating if somewhat cerebral science fiction graphic novel, "The Resonator." Using his graphic novel, he shows by example the kind of depth that can be achieved via telling stories in the format of a graphic novel.

Second, flip the book over and he provides an extensive how-to text, "The Making of a Graphic Novel", in which he provides detailed information and tips on creating graphic novels, with lavish illustrations of pages at different stages, descriptions of tools, etc. Fascinating, as well as extremely useful for people interested in creating stories in this form, or for people who simply want more insight into the work that goes into the crafting of a graphic novel.

As a cofounder of a startup computer company, I found Watson's advice to be quite cogent. There are all sorts of elaborate methods for management of large scale projects, computer-related or otherwise. Like the Capability Maturity Model Integration from Carnegie Mellon. But this and others of its ilk can be offputting to a new manager, who has to supervise a small group. Much of the functionality is simpler unnecessary or too time consuming. And the books that explain those models can be many hundreds of pages long. Daunting to even start reading, let alone to decide whether to use those or not.

A virtue of Watson's book is that you can quickly absorb it in a few hours. You don't have to risk a huge commitment of your time, to form an opinion of it. Turns out that the procedures it describes are very easy to do. Plus, you don't necessarily need a computer to keep track of the tasks. The book's diagrams show a process that can be documented on paper or blackboard.

There is very little of a quantitative aspect here. No metrics. Somewhat of an old fashioned approach, before computers became prevalent and made it possible to quantify a lot of processes. So this is not a book for quality control or six sigma type tasks in a production line.

The smaller project is often overlooked in books about software and project management. Many authors give the implicit signal that only the large projects need to be managed, as if the small projects can be run in an ad hoc manner. That is of course not the case; the small project needs focus and direction, just like the large ones. In some ways, since the small project will often have a more rigid delivery window, it requires a more consistent focus.
Watson sets down some basic guidelines for such projects, starting with some simple forms. Being short and simple, these forms could only be used on small projects. However, like all forms, they should be considered a rubber sheet rather than a rigid slate. Even small projects require a high degree of adaptability as things are rarely constant.
There is no question in my mind that the guidelines set forward in this book will work in helping you manage your small projects. While they will not scale up to the larger projects unaltered, there is much of the structure that will. And to the extent that a large project can be split into a sum of smaller projects, you may find that these principles may also be of enormous benefit, even when your project is large.

There exists the PMBOK which stands for Project Management Body of Knowledge and long with it a certification program for project managers. This consists of a tried and true set of procedures, forms, techniques, and software to assist in the management of projects.

This book has an opening sentence: 'Many of the methods and techniques used in traditional project management look like proverbial sledgehammers when directed at smaller projects.' He is absolutely right, the use of a full scale project management system on a smaller project will likely take more effort than is to be spent on the project itself.

Instead the author has come up with the SP (Smaller Projects) Method. It keeps what is useful but eliminates the 'luxuries' of dealing with smaller projects. For instance one part of big projects is team building. The smaller project 'team' may well have just a single individual for a month or two.

To go with the information in the book, one of the appendices includes a series of forms that you can use to work with the smaller projects that will assist in its management.

Reviewed by Kathleen Dowdell for Reader Reviews (10/06)

The purpose of Mike Watson's guide "Managing Smaller Projects" is primarily to help people manage smaller projects logically and effectively. This might seem like a simple task, one that could be applied by studying prior project management methods used by large corporations on large projects. This is not so. Watson explains the what, why and how of managing smaller projects so that these smaller projects are not overlooked and left to their own devices and ultimately become a financial burden to the company.

One of the 16 chapters in the book discusses the challenge of managing a project alongside your normal work load. This is extremely useful in evaluating your time commitments by measuring where you spend your time. The author suggests completing a time sheet for 3-4 weeks to get an actual account of how you spend your time at work. Additionally, a chapter on project initiation outlines eleven strategic project factors that are a useful, practical approach for tackling your project. Once the answers to these project factors are drafted and out in the open, two things are accomplished. First, you can communicate the conditions surrounding the project. Second, the project plan (developing a strategy) can be built around these conditions. Then these strategies can be listed in "pieces" or "chunks" which will make it easier to manage the project.

When beginning a small project you must be very clear about what area of your current operation you are trying to improve. In reviewing your objectives, the goals of your plan, the roles and responsibilities, and resources your target will be in sight and you will not waste time scattered about in every direction.

Some practical information that the author shares is to resist the desire to buy project management software thinking it will manage the project. "People manage projects, not computers" is the author's viewpoint on this. I would agree with this theory. I have purchased software programs that I thought would cut down on my work only to find that the programs caused more work and were not appropriate for what I wanted them to do. A computer is more useful for documenting and holding the many tasks but it will not manage the project. As the author quotes "you wouldn't buy an accounting package, give it to a novice and then rely on them to produce company accounts for the next month end, would you?" What it can do for you though, is keep track of your task list, break the list into doable units, keep spreadsheets on your progress, and organize your resources. There are seven standard forms included at the end of the book along with two checklists to remind you of useful techniques for each stage of the project

Mike Watson has been a consultant, project manager, and trainer for over 30 years. His practical approach makes "Managing Smaller Projects" an invaluable tool for people who lack formal management training as well as those who work in formal management who want to control smaller projects without the formal corporate burden that is often felt in that environment.