Pastel Workbook: A Complete Course in Ten Lessons

Book Description

Following the best-selling Workbook format, each lesson in this introduction to pastel begins with a list of aims, together with clear instructions on how to achieve them. Step-by-step demonstrations, annotated artworks and finished paintings reveal the whole process in detail, while practical exercises allow beginners to build up their own invaluable workbook. A book to inspire all those new to this adaptable and lively medium.

Customer Reviews:

a good book to start with.......2005-09-11

I bought this book after we started pastels in my art class. Not liking the pastels very much at first I decided to do a little work on my own. This book was invaluable! This is such a great book to start off with. Not only does it teach you about the medium itself, it also goes into color theory and the reasons for choosing certain colored papers to convey the feeling of the painting. Along the way I learned a great deal, but most importantly was not that I couldn't use the pastels, it was the pastels I was using were not very good, hence my frustration with them. I went out and bought some good pastels and worked my way through this book. I don't regret it. This book really inspired me to do more. I even took it to class and we did one of the lessons! This book is well worth more than the price.

Good Pastel Book.......2005-09-02

This is a good book for beginners, well written, and takes you far enough in your learning to be very useful.

Fabulous book for interested beginner!.......2005-07-09

I have made here and there some trials to get into pastel but due to the kind of instruction books that I used my results were less than thrilling. So I started wondering whether maybe I have just zero talent (I am only talking about 'fun amateur talent') to use this medium - until I bought this book. Suddenly my results turn out to be beautiful thanks to this excellent instructional book which really leads you step by step to the next level. Even the simple exercises turn out as fun little pieces worthwhile keeping. Jackie Simmonds somehow manages to come up with an explanation for every mistake you can make and how to fix it - in my opinion she really knows how to teach others and her style to put it into writing is very pleasant - even just reading the book will be half the fun. Also broad spectrum of examples is covered.
In my opinion more than worthwhile the money I paid for it and I will buy more books from Jackie Simmons. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do!

Very good for beginners.......2005-02-02

As a painter, familiar with acrylics and oils, I found some frustration when I tried pastels. I mean, how hard can it be, they're just fancy crayons, right? Wrong. Lots of little differences in application techniques and blendings and materials etc. This book walks you thru all the basics and gives you some practice at the fundamentals. You will probably need more instruction later but this will get you started and help you overcome the early frustrations. Only reason I didn't give it more stars... it is a little short! But good value for the bucks.

GREAT BOOK FOR BEGINNERS!!.......2003-07-13

I am an absolute beginner and have bought many pastel books and this is one of the 2 best i have.It assumes you know nothing, which for me, was true.It begins with basic marks and techniques and progresses into making pictures. I gained much confidence by going through this well organized book. If you are an absolute beginner, buy it!!!

Customer Reviews:

The True Index of an Era.......2004-12-18

For those of you who dont know, Mick Mercer is a journalist who documented the explosion of the "goth scene" in MANY countries and over MANY MANY years. This INDEX, while not a spoon fed description of "What is goth" or "why does my 14 year old wear black" is an EXCELLENT source of the community of dark artists across the world- the very thing the book was intended to be and executes more than successfully. The book is now several years old, and so is a testament to an era when goth still had a bit of interesting things going on...I believe now as I did when I first got the book when it came out, that it was intended for goths to be what the internet later became: a resource and reference... or to the seriously inclined a way for them to get exposure to the meat and potatoes.

If you are looking for A book to read on the sub-culture, Mick Mercer does have several books on that subject as well. He was there and lived through it in a way most of us, even those of us who have been actively "in the scene" for decades, couldnt possibly have known.

The Hex Files: A Great Reference for its Time.......2004-11-16

Mick Mercer's "The Hex Files" is not a sit down and read type of book. If you're looking for a detailed history of goth culture to read straight through, this isn't what you need.

The book is a reference, set up like a small encyclopedia of different countries' involvement in the goth scene. It's content includes bands, fanzines, businesses, and important individuals. The year of publication was 1997, so some of the information is a bit out of date. However, it's very common for information in this scene to quickly become obsolete, and is no fault of Mercer. For some, the book has become a bit of a keepsake to attest to the late nineties. If you are seeking a more recent publication, try "21st Century Goth," also by Mercer.

The book also include resources for those seeking out the pagan, vampire, and fetish scenes. Whether you like it or not, these have become aspects of the goth scene and therefore deserve to be included for those who are interested.

The entries contain very short commentary, ranging from a few sentences to a few paragraphs, and contains engaging black and white photos. If you're not too keen on the content, the book is worth its price merely for the great photography of bands, individuals, magazine covers, and artwork.

Please take note.......2003-09-10

This book is now seven years old. People buying it should either be aware it's been out for ages, or at least appreciate that it predates Net popularity, meaning I had to get info printed in overseas fanzines to get a lot of the International responses I did. The content from certain countries will therefore seem small or incomplete. As to people saying this is pretentious, that's their assessment, which is fine, but I know what bands are Goth and which have simply had an influence on Goth. It isn't a subtle difference, and it shouldn't be hard to work out. The book stands as the best record from its time, of what was possible to find out without bankrupting myself on postal costs. People may look at it now and regard it as curious, but this is now a period piece. It stands on its own merits as having more info than was available to anyone at the time, and beautiful photos, and at no point did it set out to get to the root of what the Goth culture was, as I made it clear at the time that it was an International Guide, following my previous books which had a European bias.

not what i thought it would be.......2003-07-16

i got this book last year and had looked forward to it's arrival for what seemed like an eternity. when it got here, i was let down. it's filled with snippits of information on various things, like bands, stores and whatnot. it's not actually a book to read. it's more of a reference guide. there is some info in there that is useful, but it's not what i thought it would be.

The pretenciousness of Mercer giving " goth " a bad name..........2003-03-07

To keep this short and sweet, Mercer denounces the Cure and the Banshees' influence on the genre ( although both bands are MUCH,
MUCH more than " goth " ), seems to be of the opinion that the current Valor version of Christian Death is indeed the same band
despite the fact it is now third rate metal ( and that the immortal Rozz, Gitane, David Glass, George Belenger, James McGerty and Rikk Agnew all are no longer in the equation ).
At least he has the good taste to like London After Midnight,
even though they, too, are far, far, more than a " goth " band.
And Corpus Delecti, another wonderful band. But Mercer's book in pretencious; sterotyping the genre, and the lack of info on the
subculture is unforgivable; given this egomaniac's know-it-all-attitude. Much of info here is out of date as well. ---Funeral Rites 2

Book Description

Once upon a time Eddie played conert piano to reverent audiences at Carnegie Hall. Now he bangs out honky-tonk for drunks in a dive in Philadelphia. But then two people walk into Eddie's life--the first promising Eddie a future, the other dragging him back into a treacherous past.

Shoot the Piano Player is a bittersweet and nerve-racking exploration of different kinds of loyalty: the kind a man owes his family, no matter how bad that family is; the kind a man owes a woman; and, ultimately, the loyalty he owes himself. The result is a moody thriller that, like the best hard-boiled fiction, carries a moral depth charge.

Customer Reviews:

A writer's writer.......2007-06-05

For something published almost fifty years ago, this book feels startling modern, not only in language but in technique. A meditation on family, obligations, and the inescapability of fate, the novel follows a former soldier and piano virtuoso who's given up on life, wanting only to play dreamy tunes in a dingy bar. But when he's dragged into a world he always fought to avoid, he's forced to face who he really is -- with tragic results.

Philly Noir .......2005-11-21

I expected more from this Goodis novel that the previous two I had read (see Blonde on a Streetcorner and Moon in the Gutter), only because it is the basis for the 60s French movie of the same name with Jean Paul Belmondo... in fact, that title is the publisher's ploy to get you to buy this book which was originally titled Down There by Goodis. Not a very glamorous title, but somewhat apropos for its setting in the Port Richmond area of Philadelphia, down and dirty working class sawdust floor saloon where the piano man finds his refuge and existence. Anyway, I was disappointed despite the more accurate naming of Philly and South Jersey environs that Goodis provides to give it a more naturalistic flavor. It did not seem as humanistically developed as the other two novels I read. This time Goodis succumbed to the cliches rather than exploiting them to develop his story. Another well drawn brutal fight scene, which he seems paricularly adept at writing and that as usual goes on for pages. No remarkable sex scene, as limited as they usually are in his books. Not all that bad but not all that good. For Goodis fans no doubt a must read. Also, for Philly memories.

absolutely enjoyable.......2005-05-13

For years I have avoided reading Shoot the Piano Player because the film by Truffaut is one of my favorites. It hardly seemed fair to the book to try and read it when I liked the film so very much.

It was a mistake to have waited.

Shoot the Piano Player is a subtle and hard-hitting novel that goes beyond many of the expectations of a Noir thriller. The writing is subtle and moody, with moments of aggression and connection that flash like heat lightning.

Eddie does not need any trouble in his life. By the time trouble catches up to him at Harriet's Hut he is already a beaten man. Disengaged and detached, a single act of involvement carries him over the line and back into life. This is a dark and poor Philadelphia where the past catches up to a person and where nothing and nobody are what they seem.

Recommended for fans of Noir fiction and films. Truffaut fans should not worry about being disappointed. Even if you aren't yet a noir fan, this is an excellent book for anybody with a taste for smart and well-written literature.

Destiny can be deadly........2004-07-03

Eddie is the name of the piano player of the book's title. For the princely sum of thirty dollars a week, Eddie provides background music in a rundown dive. He figures that if he has nothing, nothing can be taken away from him. And if he stays in the background, like so much wallpaper, no one will ever bother him.
Eddie's strategy for living works quite well. That is until an untimely visit from his hoodlum brother triggers a cascade of events that threaten his very life.
Shoot the Piano Player is a short allegorical novel that is dark and unapologetically downbeat. Deceptively simple in its construction, there's a lot of truth about life contained within its pages. If you take the time to read this book, you will learn more about what makes human beings tick than you ever would by reading any ten psychology texts put together. An enthusiastic 5 stars.

You Can't Escape Fate.......2004-03-14

"Shoot the Piano Player" is quintessential American crime noir. The protagonist is Eddie, a piano player in a sleazy Philadelphia bar. He comes from a family of criminals but managed to escape that life. At one time, he was a promising classic pianist, but then he fell from grace. Now, Eddie's brother Turley literally stumbles back into his life, bringing chaos and uncertainty. At the same time, Eddie begins to tentatively woo a waitress at work. The plot is full of twists, although it's a bit of a mess at times.

The novel was originally released in 1956 as "Down There," which appropriately reflects the dilemma Eddie faces. Specifically, the book focuses heavily on fate, which seems to be dictating that Eddie return to "down there" from whence he came. The book's name was changed subsequently to reflect the classic 1960 movie it inspired - "Shoot the Piano Player," directed by French auteur Francois Truffaut. As with Truffaut's movie, the book's plot is secondary to character and ambience. Instead, Goodis reflects on small moments, such as Eddie's exhilaration at standing close to the waitress in an alley as they hide from gangsters. Indeed, the characters are well-delineated, and I found myself truly caring about them.

Book Description

When it appeared in 1960, the inspired fun of Francois Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player shocked and delighted critics and audiences around the world. Its sudden shifts of tone and mood, its willful play with genre stereotypes, and its hilarious in-jokes clearly signaled that Jean-Luc Godard's equally innovative Breathless of the same year was not a fluke. The two films heralded the arrival of the so-called New Wave, sharing with other New Wave films an insistence on low-budget, location shooting and, above all, on cinema as the personal statement of an author. These films had a tremendous impact on all cinematic practice. Peter Brunette's introduction to this book gives us new insight into the film, based in part on revisualizing it in terms of recent postmodern and poststructuralist thinking. He argues, in effect, that Truffaut was one of the directors who paved the way for a postmodern aesthetic. The volume also contains a complete and accurate continuity script of the film (based on the authoritative, wide-screen version), a series of interviews with Truffaut (including one by Helene Laroche Davis, previously unpublished), a large number of reviews and essays, a filmography, and selected bibliography. Peter Brunette is a professor of English and film studies at George Mason University. He is the author of Roberto Rossellini and co-author of Screen/Play: Derrida and Film Theory.

Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player

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Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player
Elton John
Manufacturer: MCA Records
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007AEZEK

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Don't Shoot the Piano Player
Michael Pearce
Manufacturer: Spin Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Focus on Shoot the Piano Player
Leo (Editor) Braudy
Manufacturer: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000S69TVC

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Shoot The Piano Player
David Goodis
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JD29NE

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Shoot the Piano Player
DAVID GOODIS
Manufacturer: Grove Black Cat
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MP3KXW

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Shoot the Piano Player

Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Shoot the Piano Player (Film Focus)

Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0138096244

SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (originally Down There)

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SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (originally Down There)
David Goodis
Manufacturer: Grove Press - Black Cat
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GVUCEM

Book Description

For many centuries, the Western imagination has pictured the medieval period as a kind of odyssey: a journey that took humankind to a strange country and ended in the Renaissance with its homecoming and the restoration of its inheritance. In this stimulating and provocative book, Christopher
Page, Director of the acclaimed early music vocal group Gothic Voices, explores the kinds of generalizations that we habitually make about "the Middle Ages" and which, whether we know it or not, sustain the false image of a medieval odyssey. In chapters that proceed chronologically from the
thirteenth to the fifteenth century, he examines what we suppose to be the serenity of medieval reflection on such matters as the "numerical" explanation of musical beauty, and he questions the modern tendency to regard Ars antiqua motets as music for "an intellectual elite." Turning to the Ars Nova
and beyond, he discusses the relation between fourteenth century innovations and contemporary science. A final chapter explores the powerful influence of Johan Huizinga's classic The Waning of the Middle Ages upon musicology. Page's lively prose is full of provocative ideas, and is enriched by an
uncommonly deep experience of medieval music.

Book Description

Updated chess classic shows how to learn from losses by recognizing the warning signals and by analyzing what went wrong in losing games. Revised chapters focus on shift from correspondence chess to play based on e-mail and internet; benefits of computer chess, plus analysis of face-off between Kasparov and Deep Blue.

Customer Reviews:

Engaging title, exceptional material.......2003-03-04

I bought this book on a whim: I've always wanted to have my picture taken with a quizzical look while holding this book. Interesting to be sure, and maybe a little silly but what I found was a deeply instructive book and to the caliber of writing one has come to expect from Tim Harding. A very good book for beginners and intermediate players and one I highly recommend.

My most helpful chess book.......2002-11-09

I bought this book with the intention of improving my chess game, but it ended up improving my life. After taking a hard look at what would be required for me to become a Class A or Expert player, I realized that I'd end up cheating myself and others of a lot of good things in life just to satisfy my ego.

As a result, I now play chess only casually, without particularly caring whether I win or lose, and devote much more of my time to prayer, visiting hospitals and prisons, and cultivating my friendships.

A grateful Christian

You'll stop blundering as often after reading this book...........2001-05-12

I very much enjoyed this book. As always, Tim Harding has a very entertaining writing style, making his books very enjoyable reads. He is an international master in correpondence chess, having won many top level titles, and has a very clear way of presenting his ideas on how to analyze games.

The primary focus of this book is to identify where and how blunders as well as less innocuous mistakes are commonly made, and how to avoid making them. As he states on the back cover, "Before you can play well, you must stop playing badly". The book is divided into many sections, each looking into the types of problems which commonly present themselves in various facets of the game. There are chapters on material loss (avoiding tactical blunders), looking for warning signals in both the opening and the endgame phases of a game, and several chapters on the middle game. The latter is divided up into sections on avoiding losses both in good positions and in difficult positions. The author finishes with chapters on how to avoid losing on time, in correspondence chess, and while playing against computers.

I gave the book 4 stars simply because it was not quite to the level of some of his other works, such as "Better Chess for Average Players" or "Winning at Correspondence Chess". It is, however, very instructive, and is filled with numerous game examples to illustrate his points.

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Why You Lose at Chess
Fred reinfeld
Manufacturer: Fireside
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0671215396

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Why You Lose at Chess

Manufacturer: NY: Simon and Schuster, 1956
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GZEIPC

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Why You Lose at Chess Limp

Manufacturer: B.T. Batsford Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0713427604

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Why You Lose at Chess
Fred Reinfeld
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NRAMPI

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WHY YOU LOSE AT CHESS

Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GU9HZS

Book Description

Christian Reflections on The Leadership Challenge gathers together in one place a remarkable collection of leaders who share insights on faith and leadership. Well-grounded in research, this reflective and practical book shows how Christian leaders - no matter the setting - put into place The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2007-09-27

Thanks for your great service. The book was delivered quickly and in excellent condition. I enjoyed doing business with you.

Excellent!!!! .......2007-09-24

This book was in great condition and came to me in a very timely manner!!!

Insightful!.......2004-08-06

According to the authors and contributors, the example of Jesus Christ contains indispensable lessons for leadership. However, in the Gospel, Jesus seems to have commanded disciples primarily to love God and one another. He never seems to have promised success in worldly business affairs or to have offered managerial precepts. On the other hand, in the parable of talents he taught his followers to be fiscally conservative and to invest wisely. To their credit, the authors and editors who compiled this book acknowledge that Christianity never set itself up specifically as a recipe for business success. Regardless, they conclude, that applying precepts they identify will lead to success. The leadership guidelines they quote make sense and do not exclude thoughtful businesspeople of any theological background. The authors illustrate their advice with amusing, instructive anecdotes. The counsel is accessible, ethically illuminating and personally inspiring, although if you usually skip the sermon, it may not be for you. We believe that its primary appeal will be to Christians who seek to serve as servant leaders in their communities and workplaces.

A High Call To Exemplary Leadership.......2004-04-07

I just read Christian Reflections on the Leadership Challenge edited by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, and am I glad I did. This is a fantastic book-both informative and inspiring.

Kouzes, Posner, and the five others whose chapters are included in this book offer invaluable insight as to how we can join with Jesus in exercising leadership within the framework of our faith. In so doing, they touch upon such themes as passion, service, and sacrifice. Consider, for instance, these lines from Patrick Lencioni, the author of Chapter 5: "Before setting out on a quest to challenge the process and change the world, Christian leaders should probably ask themselves two questions: `Who am I really serving?' and `Am I ready to suffer?'" This chapter, I think, brings us right to the heart of what it really means to be a Christian in a country where so many have forgotten.

Throughout each of the chapters, these same themes sound in one way or another. Whether it is a willingness to sacrifice time, credit, power, position, prestige, comfort, or even money, it is clear that suffering and sacrifice are at the very heart of the leadership enterprise. That is perhaps the chief reason why leadership is rightly described as a challenge in the first place. Though it is within the reach of everyone, it will not come easily or without cost. Nobody knew this better than Jesus.

There are, of course, other themes discussed, as well as the "The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership" for which Kouzes and Posner are best known. In fact, Chapter 2, which discusses the Five Practices specifically applied within a Christian context, is one of the best in the book. I also thoroughly enjoyed Chapter 6 by Nancy Ortberg. Though trained as a nurse, she answered God's call to ministry in a way that would put many with advanced theological degrees to shame. Very inspiring! And Chapter 8, again by Kouzes and Posner, really brings it all into focus in a very practical way.

I have found much to ponder in this book, and I have every confidence that anyone wishing to better emulate Jesus will too.

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