If you were going to buy just one book on painting in watercolour, you wouldn’t go far wrong with this one. Looked at from the perspective of someone who has seen a great many art instruction books, from the basic to the advanced and from the brilliant to the terrible, my first impression is that there isn’t anything special about this one. On the other hand, that is in many ways its strength. Sally Harper covers a wide range of techniques and subjects without going into more detail on any of them than a beginner needs. The page format is relatively small, but that also makes it unintimidating and tends to concentrate one thing to each spread, which also makes it straightforward to follow.
All in all, this is a book it’s hard not to damn with faint praise, which is a shame, because it’s good value and sits well with the market it’s aimed at.
Author: Sally Harper, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Artist’s Handbook, Subject: Techniques
This is a worthwhile introduction to the art of figure drawing that, while it won’t tell the more experienced artist anything they don’t already know, is an excellent and really quite thorough primer that gives valuable advice to the novice.
Viv Foster provides a useful grounding in basic anatomy that won’t make you feel as though you’ve bought a medical textbook and then explains, with copious illustrations, the shapes and structure of male and female figures. All of this takes up the first half of the book before we get to more detailed poses, which are dealt with in some detail, using step by step demonstrations where necessary. The overall style is quite loose and may not suit those who want a more detailed likeness, however, but it should also provide a solid grounding for anyone new to the subject. If this is something that interests you, but you have little experience, you’d do a lot worse than start here. You’ll almost certainly want more advanced and more detailed books later, but this is an excellent first step.
Author: Viv Foster, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Artist’s Handbook, Subject: Figure
Do you see what they did there? It’s a clever portmanteau word that sums up exactly what this book is about, namely, a thorough collection of embroidery stitches.
I’m not qualified to say whether it lives up to its strapline: “the only embroidery reference you’ll ever need”, but it claims to include blackwork, canvas work, crewel work, hardanger, pulled work and stumpwork. To a non-specialist, it certainly looks the part and the instructions seem admirably clear and well laid out.
Author: Helen Winthorpe Kendrick, Medium: Embroidery, Publisher: A&C Black, Subject: Techniques
OK, given my reservations about its sister volume on architecture, a pocket guide to graphic design is just weird. I mean, this just isn’t something you’re going to need to carry round with you.
It’s certainly good to see something that recognises the importance of graphic design and brings it to a popular audience and, if this book can achieve that, then I can forgive it its obvious shortcomings, but it also argues against itself because small type and small illustrations just don’t do a good job in the very field where the layout should shine.
The series bills itself as “filled with everything you need to know about the given field”. Are you sure about that?
Author: Anna Gerber, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Little Book of Big Ideas, Subject: Graphic design
This handy and well-illustrated guide packs a lot into a small space and introduces the design and manufacture of the increasingly popular form of ceramic jewellery. Joy Bosworth covers the whole gamut from the original concept and looks at moulding and firing as well as tools and fittings and the practicalities of simply putting a piece together. With illustrations covering both the practical and aesthetic aspects of jewellery and also showing work by and international range of artists, this is thoroughly comprehensive.
Author: Joy Bosworth, Medium: Ceramics, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Ceramics handbooks, Subject: Jewellery
This is part pf a new series from Blacks called Little Books of Big Ideas. Now, the fact is, I’m automatically suspicious of small books. I’ve nothing against them personally, though I’m not sure I’d want my daughter to marry one. The problem is that they immediately condemn themselves to small illustrations and pages you have to peer at and I don’t think that’s a good thing unless there’s a compelling reason, which is usually that it’s something you want to be able to carry round with you. So, do you need a pocket guide to architects? I don’t have an answer to that, though I did say “architects”, not “architecture”.
I’m not going to pretend to be qualified to judge the list of who’s included, though a look at the contents produces several of the names you’d expect and I can’t immediately spot too many glaring omissions, though the lack of James Stirling and Denys Lasdun might raise an eyebrow or two, given the inclusion of C F A Voysey.
On the whole, I’d have said this is something you’d peruse at home rather than carry in a pocket, so the format is perhaps wilfully perverse. As a potted guide to the history of architecture, it’s quite a handy thing, but there’s not exactly a shortage in this field.
Author: John Stones, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Little Book of Big Ideas, Subject: Architecture
Black’s excellent and developing series of Printmaking Handbooks is producing some little gems.
Although it can only be an introduction, Megan Fishpool goes a long way towards explaining the processes and practicalities of the complex hybrid print process and manages to cover most forms from stereoscopic and lenticular to intaglio and colagraph. Clearly written, and well researched and illustrated, this is an invaluable guide to a difficult subject.
Author: Megan Fishpool, Medium: Printmaking, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Printmaking Handbook, Subject: Printmaking
I’m not sure that you can really review a directory, but it’s at least worth noting that such a thing exists.
If you’re a student of printmaking without access to your own equipment, this will give you a list of establishments across the country where you can access both equipment and the skills and advice of experienced printmakers.
Author: Sean Rorke, Publisher: A&C Black, Subject: Printmaking
This handy and not over-complicated guide explains the techniques of firing at low temperatures without using glazes. It’s thoroughly illustrated both with technical photographs of the various stages of the process and also with examples of work by many different contemporary practitioners.
Author: Sumi von Dassow, Medium: Ceramics, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Ceramics handbooks
The use of clay for wall spaces is becoming increasingly fashionable amongst architects and decorators and this handy introduction to some of the methods and techniques involved is timely. The author looks at methods of production and installation as well as creative aspects of the process and reviews the work of some contemporary practitioners in the field.
Medium: Ceramics, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Ceramics handbooks