High-focus Drawing: A Revolutionary Approach to Drawing the Figure

Customer Reviews:

Great book, great teacher.......2005-01-10

Funny, I believe the reviewer below has not read the book. Yes, "Revolutionary Approach" is marketing-speak, but the book itself is rooted in the very principles of the masters he mentions. Michelangelo & Degas are used as great examples.

It's not an easy book to digest, but neither are the principles he espouses. Nevertheless, my drawing has become much better because of it, and for the first time I'm actually learning to THINK about drawings & the body.

Highly recommended.

another "gimmick" book, Take out a bank loan and buy it........2004-05-23

MacMullan's text is based upon the inferrence that some "revolution" or other is needed in FIGURE DRAWING. Actually, it's one more sad example of an author relying upon some gimmick wording to push sales. Pushing Sales is one thing, and teaching drawing is another.

This gimmick is just one more promising to RE-INVENT-THE-WHEEL, as though drawing like Raphael, or Leonardo da Vinci, or Rembrandt were not good enough; or more to the point, LEARNING-TO-DRAW like a master were suddenly in need of revolutionary....WHITER-&-BRIGHTER wonder chemical "X37" or some such silliness.

The Book costs...THIRTY-FIVE DOLLARS? May I suggest "RIP-OFF" here?

The Book Is great...........2002-12-04

as a companion to McMullans class at SVA, which I have done. It is also a great tool on the proper way to draw figure. The book instructs the reader how to see the life flowing through the pose...as much as yoda as that sounds. Starting with a shoe and then a plant. It also instructs how the artist should sit and view the model. Rember there is no real subsitute for the actual class and no book is going to make you great.

Personally I have had my differences with Mr McMullan and could go as far as sayign no I don't like him BUT the book is a great tool, as "a reader" stated. One last thing if Mr. Gargan feels that "I doubt if any artist would find this of much value" then please explain why the classes at The School Of Visual Arts in NYC are always packed and turn out people who en up working for disney?

Great!.......2001-03-12

Well, I turn to this book for inspiration to remember what life drawing's all about! It touches on a very important essence about life drawing most other books don't: the natural rhythm of the human form and the ability to "catch" it, and translate it on to the page. The ability to successfuly make true LIFE drawings: making the images come to life. It is the difference between being just a very good draftsman (being able to render forms faithfully with no emotion/life essence) to being an artist. I wouldn't get this book if I only had to get a single ONE on figure drawing, but its something to supplement other (figure) drawing books.

High-Focus Drawing.......2001-01-20

Surprisingly enough for such an accomplished illustrator this is a really weak book. Repetative, self aggrandizing and concepyualy unsound , I doubt if any artist would find this of much value

Average customer rating:

Good-Natured, Good-Humored and a Whole Lot of Fun

At Least This Place Sells T-Shirts. Foxtrot, All Great!

The evils of babysitting, unromantic husbands, and efficiency experts

At least this place sells good comic books

A wonderfully funny read!

At Least This Place Sells T-Shirts: A FoxTrot Collection
Bill Amend
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
FoxTrot | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Return of the Lone Iguana : A FoxTrot Collection

Take Us to Your Mall : A FoxTrot Collection

May the Force Be With Us, Please (A FoxTrot Collection)

Eight Yards Down and Out : A FoxTrot Collection

Come Closer, Roger, There's a Mosquito on Your Nose : A FoxTrot Collection

ASIN: 0836221206

Customer Reviews:

Good-Natured, Good-Humored and a Whole Lot of Fun.......2007-02-17

I have been a faithful FoxTrot reader for years. Roger, Andy and their kids Peter, Paige and Jason are always good for a reality check with a large dose of laughter. I've got two girls and let me tell you, I see a lot of my kids in Paige with, I believe, even a healthy dose of Jason thrown in. And they have Peter's bottomless stomach. Of course, they're faithful FoxTrot readers too. I used to read the strip to them, explain what was going on, but now they get it just fine and we three all laugh together. Then my girls try and explain the strip to their dad, who pretends he doesn't get it.

The FoxTrot folks are a great family, one we sort of got used to checking up on every day, so we took the news that Mr. Amend was going to cease daily distribution of his wonderfully funny people and turn his strip to Sunday only, with a bit of sadness. Still, we have these terrific FoxTrot books to keep us going with our FoxTrot fix. Mr. Amend is to be commended for his great gift to our culture and his great gift to so many lives. I truly believe a laugh a day, helps keep the blues away and the FoxTrot gang are always good for a laugh. Heck there are a lot of laughs in the FoxTrot books. I know, I have them all and I am, along with my girls and my hubby dear, eagerly awaiting the next one.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, we don't have an iguana, but my girls do have a pet gecko and, you guessed it, his name is Quincy.

At Least This Place Sells T-Shirts. Foxtrot, All Great!.......2007-01-20

I've been a Foxtrot reader for a long time and personally I think there is something suspiciously wrong with people who don't find Bill Amend's characters funny as all get out. If you want a good laugh, check out Bill in your local newspaper, or better yet, get one of the Foxtrot books. They are all great, really, they are.

Like many of Mr. Amend's fans I'm a bit disappointed he's switching his strip to Sunday-only, but fortunately I can still read him daily in the Foxtrot books. Get them one and all and you can keep right on a laughing.

The evils of babysitting, unromantic husbands, and efficiency experts.......2005-07-10

"There's nothing like going into a big bookstore on a cold winter evening...finding a collection of short stories that you'd always meant to read...taking off your coat...plopping down in their café...and watching shoppers come and go as you sit back and sip on coffee. Ah, bliss."
"Mom, did you bring your credit card? They have every STAR TREK book." (Jason)
"Since calendars are half-price, can I get Niki *and* Stephanie?" (Peter)
"Fourth and one and they're *punting*?" (Roger, on headphones)
"At least this place sells T-shirts." (Paige)
"Ah, reality."
- Mrs. Fox and family, herein

All the cartoons in this collection are included - in the same order - in the omnibus FOXTROT BEYOND A DOUBT except for the single-page additions of Jason personalizing a T-shirt and the dedication page's picture of Quincy the iguana with a teddy bear. The Sunday double strips are not in colour in this book, although they are printed in colour in FOXTROT BEYOND A DOUBT.

Unless you're particularly attached to the smaller size of this book, its cute cover art, or the three single frame cartoons that were added for the dedication and endpages as described above, I recommend considering FOXTROT BEYOND A DOUBT instead, since it includes all the content of this book with the addition of colour formatting for the Sunday strips, together with content from the previous collection RETURN OF THE LONE IGUANA.

Having said that, let's move on to the content. :)

FOXTROT maintains a continuing storyline, although the kids seem to be growing up rather slowly despite the passing seasons. This particular book begins during the Fox family's summer holidays and ends the following spring.

Some of the memorable bits include:
- Paige babysits for Margaret O'Dell from her mother's book club for the first time, whose little girl is cute but whose babysitting conditions are dire. "Hi there! You must be little Katherine!" "Um, it's 'Katherine', with a 'K'." "That's what I said." "No, you said 'Catherine' with a 'C'. I could tell. Hold on - I'll be right back." "Hi, there! You must be the little girl who's going to need massive therapy in twelve years!" (Peter, much later, takes a dog-sitting job looking after a crazed little canine Nac Mac Feegle - pit bull aggression levels in a toy dog's body).
- Jason and Marcus experiment with model rockets and with the biggest kite they can manage to put together.
- The Fox family takes a family vacation to Fun-Fun Universe (not to be confused with Disney World, of course).
- Paige learns during a speech in social studies class not to listen to her dad's advice on how to control her nerves: "Yowza! It's like a Chippendales show!"
- Peter's first anniversary of dating Denise and his efforts to select a good present (genes from his mom's side, since his dad buys spatulas for Valentine's Day). He also goes through some rather trying study sessions with her while her parents aren't home.
- Jason's classmate Eileen beats his score on a math test; she suckers him into going out for ice cream with her family afterward, even though he officially doesn't like girls.
- Paige is assigned to write a ghost story in English class. After she makes Jason the victim, she gets an A plus an appointment with the school counselor.
- Paige's brother Peter passes himself off as her secret admirer as a joke.
- Jason asks for Doomathon II for Christmas, but trades it at the computer store after his mom becomes addicted to it. "Mom convinced me that I was too young to have a game like that in the house...I mean, *I* can't do my laundry."
- Roger suffers through an efficiency expert at work who complains at finding perfectly good paper clips in the trash and is then treated to lunch at the Ritz by the boss.
- The baseball team players, including Peter, shave their heads after losing a bet with the soccer team (which temporarily cheers Peter's balding father no end).

At least this place sells good comic books.......2001-06-25

Oh, my lord this is like the greatest Foxtrot ever written. The Strips are so cool and the stories are soooooooooooo funny espesialy when Roger smokes a cigar and Paige writes a ghost story. Truely, very fuuny

A wonderfully funny read!.......1999-12-04

This is a great book to give to someone as a gift to introduce them to the humor of Foxtrot. It is wonderfully funny and engrossing: you will have finished it before you realize it!

Book Description

WRITING HUMOR is a detailed analysis of how many famous writers have used humor in their books. There are interviews with John Cleese, Fannie Flagg, Larry Gelbart, Cherie Eichen and Bill Steinkellner ( Cheers) Jennifer Crittenden: Steinfield and Everybody Loves Raymond)..

Customer Reviews:

Clear, well-written and enjoyable advice for writers.......2003-11-01

I was impressed with the writing and the range of literary knowledge (as a professor of English, I am familiar with a range of writing skills). But more important was the clarity of the instruction; in detail, examples, and demonstrations, it is a wonderful tool for writers. The interviews are excellent--particularly the one with Larry Gelbart.

Humor Will Set You Free; This Book is the Key.......2003-08-23

Trying to teach somebody how to be funny is like trying to teach somebody how to be TALL. You can't. I dare you. The great thing about Ian Bernard's bouyant examination of humor is the clever way he deconstructs the eternally elusive phenomenon of: FUNNY. He does it by being a smart, witty writer who is, simultaneously, a huge fan of other smart, witty writers. The material he has chosen to analyze is hysterical. He also has famous funny friends who happily show-up in his book as if they were attending a fabulous party in his living room. As a writer of comedy myself, as well as a teacher of comedy writing at UCLA EXTENSION, I intend to force my colleagues and studentia to buy, own & read this book. Its somewhat clunky title is the only thing I feel could use a re-write. I'd call it something like... "CHERISHING HUMOR" because it's not just for writers -- it's for readers and other smart, clever people (like the author).

Book Description

"Rare is the resource that is equally accessible to both newcomers and the well-initiated. This Rough Guide is one of the happy exceptions. Aside from being informative, the guide is attractive, with red highlights visually breaking up blocks of text." -Comic Buyer's Guide

Faster than a speeding bullet, this Rough Guide brings you the mind-bending truth about the fantasy world's bravest and baddest, telling you all you need to know about the superheroes who save us and their vile enemies. Awesome features include:

• Superheroes and Heroines: The essential A-Z of the spandex-suited legends, including sidekicks, fatal weaknesses and implausible powers.

• The Villains: Asbestos Lady to Violator.

• The Origins and Creators: The artists who created the superheroes, and the key comics and publishers.

• The Influences: How superheroes influenced such icons as Jerry Seinfeld, Elvis Presley and Donald Duck, inspired scientists and changed fashion.

• Comics, Novels and Graphic Novels: The high flyers and where to find them.

• The Places, the Contexts and the Ephemera: The what, where and why of superhero lore on TV, in the movies, in print and on the Internet.

• The Background: All you need to know about the legends from Batman to Namor The Submariner and The Incredibles.

Customer Reviews:

Extensive? No? Fun Overview? Yes?.......2007-06-06

It is a rough guide, not an encyclopedia. It gives you a fast running overview of the four colored world of comics in a fun and fast way. A nice quick subway read that will leave a smile on your face.

Not as bad as all that. . ........2006-01-29

OK, let me say that Mr. "worst... comic-book book... ever" review guy almost had me until I read the last line. The books he reccomends instead of this one are pretty much crap with a pile of fact errors of their own. So if this guy likes those books and dislikes this one, then this one must be OK, right? Well, anyway, I generally really like the Rough Guides so I gave it a look.

For a start, it really will give a comic book expert a heart attack. I spotted mistake after mistake. For example: Buffy the Vampire Slayer lives in Sunnyvale (wrong, Sunnydale). Tarzan had his own comic book in the early-1930s (wrong, Tarzan didn't get his own comic until 1948. All previous comic book Tarzan stories were newspaper strip reprints). I could go on and on.

On the flip side, the book also gets quite a few things right. The casual reader won't know that the mistakes are mistakes. What this book needed was an editor who actually knew something about comic books and super heroes. Not trash but read it at your own risk.

worst... comic-book book... ever.......2005-02-28

This reference is near useless. It's full of misinformation and factual errors that'll make a casual fan go "that's not right", infuriate a die-hard fan, and cause the Comic Book Guy to have an aneurysm. It's not even visually appealing. If you really care about this stuff, get the Essential versions of the Marvel Handbooks instead.

Great OVERVIEW of the Comics world..........2004-10-23

If you'd like to learn all about comics, this is a good starting point. The book covers the historical context, the creators, the superheroes themselves and the public's fascination with this entertainment genre.

Why are people fascinated with comics? Why the appeal? This book answers these questions, and shows how comic characters have influenced and been influenced by culture, especially in North America. You'll learn about the creators of Superman, the Marvel characters and a host of other creative geniuses who have encouraged us to take a break from reality and enjoy the world where superheroes fight for right and justice.

The book is a fun read, with lots of interesting trivia and surprises. A great look at the philosophy behind, and people's need for, superheroes. Great reading!

Average customer rating:

Rough Guide to Superheroes
Helen Roddis
Manufacturer: ROUGH GUIDES (PENG)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K6A05O

Rough Guides Superheroes/Kids (15 + 1 Free) Copy Stockpack (Rough Guide Series)

Average customer rating:

Rough Guides Superheroes/Kids (15 + 1 Free) Copy Stockpack (Rough Guide Series)

Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 1843534053

Book Description

Musicology: The Key Concepts provides a handy reference guide for students of contemporary musicology. Its clear and accessible entries cover a comprehensive range of terms including:

· Aesthetics
· Canon
· Composition
· Deconstruction
· Epistemology
· Gender
· Historicism
· Mimesis
· Pastoral
· Transculturation.

Fully cross-referenced and with suggestions for further reading, this is an essential resource for all students of music.

Key Concepts in Popular Music (Key Concepts.)

Average customer rating:

Key Concepts in Popular Music (Key Concepts.)
Roy Shuker
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Music | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0415161045

Book Description

Key Concepts in Popular Music presents a comprehensive A-Z glossary of the main terms and concepts used in the study of popular music. The book includes definitions of key musical genres, from bhangra to punk rock, musical subcultures, from hippies to Goths, methodologies, from Marxism to postmodernism, musicological terms, from sound to harmony musical phenomena, from girl groups to concept albums Each entry includes suggestions for further reading and listening and is cross-referenced with related concepts.

Popular Music: The Key Concepts (Routledge Key Guides)

Average customer rating:

Popular Music: The Key Concepts (Routledge Key Guides)
Roy Shuker
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0415347696

Book Description

Popular Music: The Key Concepts presents a comprehensive A-Z glossary of the main terms and concepts used in the study of popular music. The book includes definitions of:
* key musical genres, from bhangra to punk rock
* musical subcultures, from hippies to Goths
* methodologies, from Marxism to postmodernism
* musicological terms, from sound to harmony
* musical phenomena, from girl groups to concept albums
Each entry includes suggestions for further reading and listening and is cross-referenced with related concepts.

Book Description

Booo!

Have a happy Halloween with Cheerios! Children can place their own Cheerios in the recessed spaces to add glasses to black cats, buckles to witches' hats, and complete other spook-tacular scenes.

Tasty, interactive holiday fun!

Customer Reviews:

Cheerios Halloween Play Book.......2007-01-04

The Cheerios play books are favorites of mine, as gifts for toddlers. Their purpose, as my daughter pointed out, is to encourage children to eat more Cheerios, which they do! However, they also have fun and do a little learning along the way. How often is a child allowed to play with food, after all? There are simple illustrations on durable pages, with opportunities for matching, counting, and learning shapes. Small motor dexterity can be practiced, to place the Cheerios into the shallow recesses of the pages to create buttons on costumes, glasses on a cat, etc. This book is a good take-along size to fit into a tote bag (with some Cheerios, of course) for entertainment. Friends I've given this to say that their children really enjoy it!

A little story . . . ........2005-03-17

I can't believe my first Amazon review is about a kids' book that touts a product! For the most part, I try to keep my kid away from all-too rampant marketing.

Anyway, the grandparents gave my now 20-month-old daughter this little book for Halloween and since then we've had it out a few times when she eats Cheerios (or the generic variety of same). Today as I was getting ready for work, my little one was sitting on the counter, noticed the Cheerios box and wanted some. I poured a few on the counter, after which she immediately said "down" and "book". I figured she was just being her fickle toddler self, so I let her down off the counter. She went running off to her room and emerged a few minutes, and thud noises, later with this book! I was pretty impressed that she made the association and riffled through all her other books to retrieve this one.

She does stick the Os in the little holes, but not perfectly. She seems to like the book okay, it is not a favorite, but obviously she has a fun little contextual association between it and O-shaped cereal!

The Cheerios Halloween Play Book Clip Strip

Average customer rating:

The Cheerios Halloween Play Book Clip Strip

Manufacturer: Little Simon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Board Books | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0689019602

Book Description

Successful real estate investors and entrepreneurs who've spent countless hours building wealth often see their profits dwindle due to an IRS hitch or other legal snag. After working so hard to be prosperous, investors need to know how to hang on and preserve their wealth. In a clear, methodical, and accessible way, Wealth Protection Secrets of a Millionaire Real Estate Investor outlines the steps and techniques to safeguard investments.

Until now, William Bronchick's wealth protection secrets have been available only to attendees of his powerful seminars, who have consistently praised his cutting-edge, concise, money-saving advice. In Wealth Protection Secrets of a Millionaire Real Estate Investor, Bronchick shares his proven methods, including how to:

* Use trusts for asset protection and tax savings.

* Hire family members for tax deductions.

* Create a paper trail to help during a lawsuit or IRS audit.

* Defer income tax payments without a penalty.

* Slash taxes through the use of corporate entities.

* Gain protection from financial ruin in a divorce.

* Understand the ""secrets"" of life insurance to minimize costs and financial risks.

Also included are sample asset protection plans that can be easily modified. Smart real estate investors and successful entrepreneurs will get an indispensable collection of some of the best ethical and legitimate tactics for maximum wealth protection.

Customer Reviews:

Not overly useful.......2007-03-26

I bought the book because the reviews were good but I was very disappointed with the book because it doesn't really cover anything you couldn't just find on the Internet. Each topic is covered in like 2 paragraphs. There is not much substance in this book.

I ain't saying you a gold digger but..........2006-01-16

People only sue other people who have money! This book touches on the important ABCs on avoiding lawsuits, avoid standing out in the broke crowd, and holding assets in anything but your own name without losing control of them. There is a very enlightening section on Life Insurance that was worth every penny in itself. This taps into Land Trusts but for a complete package I found it with Land Trusts by Louis Brown (just be prepared to pay serious $$)because this topic doesn't come easy to me. Never-the-less, this is the book for you if you're ready to protect your ass-ets.

Great Starter Book for Asset Protection.......2005-04-14

On my first reading of this book, I said, "Huh?" Then, I attended a corporation seminar. Both the seminar and Bronchick's book were instrumental in formation of my expertise in the use of corporations for asset protection for my real estate business. Admittedly, this book is light on details, but the diagrams and examples provided more than make up for that. Besides, you should seek professional advice anyway in addition to this material.

This book is a goldmine for the entrepreneur. Not only is the advice great for those of us in small business, but the material is a rich source of pratical ideas you can apply to your operation.

Plain English explanations of complicated subjects.......2003-12-01

Once again, Mr. Bronchick does an excellent job of taking complicated legal subjects and making them readable for the average person. I am an attorney as well, and I often recommend this book for clients to read as a primer to the subject (especially when I tell them what it will cost for an hour of my time to explain it!). There are a few books on the market on asset protection, but this is the only one that is geared towards the landlord or small-time real estate investor. One caveat for the reader- there are some sample forms in the appendix, but they appear to be for example only. One should always review these concepts with an attorney to make sure the forms are drafted to comply with the client's specific needs and appropriate state law.

Easy to read, good overview of the topic.......2003-09-19

This book was very reasy to read, considering the magnitude of the subject matter. Short, but to the point on a variety of topics involving real estate and small business liabilities. I particularly liked the sample asset protection plans laid out in detailed diagrams. The book also covered a lot of things NOT to do, such as "trust scams". There's quite a few legal forms in the appendix, but not enough information on how to fill them out and use them. For my purposes, however, the book gave me what I needed, which is a bird's-eye view and the background knowledge to visit with an attorney to implement the strategies. Anyone who expects a book give them 100% of the information necessary to draft complex legal documents involving all their assets needs a reality check.

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