Book Description
Features items made just for The Queen, from carpets and curtains which were made of the same material as in the castle, to special books writte n by authors such as Rudyard Kipling, which were then bound in scale size!
Customer Reviews:
It is a must.......2007-06-14
For the builders of dollhouses as hobby, it's a must to read this book and to discover what can be done.
A Stunning book.......2007-01-07
I must tell the reader that I have never seen the actual doll house, nor have I seen the other catalogs, so I cannot compare them, but this is a fascinating book. It is hard to believe that one is actually looking at miniatures, the detail is so fantastic! In some ways, this is probably better than, or at least a wonderful supplement to seeing the original. Tiny things are photographed in a detail that may not be possible in viewing it, and one can linger as I imagine one cannot at the real exhibit. The text explains that one views the actual dollhouse in cross-section, one side at a time. This book is organized more as if one was walking through the house, beginning with the Entrance Hall on the Ground floor and then climbing to the top.
The book has close to 90 photographs, almost all of them in color. The ones not in color are mostly historic. There is a floor plan, and a lengthy introduction explaining the history of creating the house.
A marvelous book that should interest anyone who likes dollhouses and home decor.
I was so enchanted by this book that I ordered Queen Mary's Dolls' House by Mary Stewart-Wilson simply because the cover shot isn't in this book, and I figured (correctly) that there would be other unique pictures. A very few of the shots are in both, but not enough to make them redundant for the person who wants all the information they can get. To compare and contrast the two, the Mary Stewart-Wilson book, with photographs by David Cripps, is longer, has more pictures, particularly more closeups of the tiny furnishings, etc., and is a hardcover. I am charmed by Cripp's method of showing scale: he poses the tiny cricket bat next to a regulation cricket ball, and the little golf clubs next to a real golf ball. Without considering price and availability (the S-W book is currently out of print) I would say that it is the better book. If you just want something to jog your memory or give you an idea of what the house is like, either would be adequate. If you are really interested, I'd recommend both: I think the Royal Collection book is a pretty good buy. I'm certainly not considering giving up my RC book now that I have the S-W. This book frequently shoots the rooms at an angle, giving one another view. I actually think the angled shot maintain the illusion better. To compare the shots of the Queen's bedroom, the Stewart-Wilson shot shows the entire bedroom. The Royal Collection shot, at an angle , reveals some additional details such as the fire screen and the chinoiserie cabinet, but cuts off the exteme left-hand side of the room. (Her Majesty has apparently been rearranging her decorative items since the S-W book.) Parts of many of the other rooms are cut off as well, but at times the view of what is shown is better. The S-W detail of the 18th century pietre-dure table concentrates on showing the design on the top. The RC detail shows more of the table and the objects normally on it. The historical sections, revealing how the house came to be built are the most different, and the RC book has more pictures of people who participated in creating the doll house and of the room in which it now sits with the Phillip Connard mural. The captions are overlapping, but not identical, and so one gains more information by having both.
Customer Reviews:
Accidental History.......2007-05-01
Lutyens, the architect of Queen Mary's Dolls' House, also designed the city of New Delhi and the Viceroy's House, one of the largest and most unique palaces in the world. Sadly, he was one of the world's greatest artists, but is remembered only for this (comparatively) tiny tourist attraction.
Tourists, architectural students, and historians should buy this book. This is the only thorough analysis of any of Lutyens' buildings, and as such, is an important historical document above and beyond its tourist appeal.
Probably the best book until they make a virtual reality show........2007-01-15
I was so enchanted by Royal Collection Official Guide Book to Queen Mary's Dolls' House that I ordered this one figuring (correctly) that there would be other unique pictures. This is the better of the two books - nearly three times as long and filled with more pictures, especially detail shots of the tiny furnishings and decorations. I am charmed by Cripp's method of showing scale: he poses the tiny cricket bat next to a regulation cricket ball, and the little golf clubs next to a real golf ball. This also includes a section on how the house is aging: fading wallpaper, damaged paint, etc. All of the pictures, except for a few that are historic, are in color. This is unfortunately out of print, and may be more expensive, so the purchaser will have to weigh issues of cost and availability for themselves. I think that either would do as a souvenier.
If someone is really interested, I would recommend getting both books. The Royal Collection Official Guidebook is a pretty good buy at $11.95 and a nice supplement to this one. A very few of the shots are in both, but not enough to make them redundant to the person who wants all the information they can get. Generally, the duplicate shots are slightly large in the S-W book. To compare and contrast the two, while the S-W book has more of everything, the RC book still has some unique shots. The photographs in this book take in the entire room, while the RC book often shoots the room at an angle, cutting off part of the room, but what is shown is sometimes in better focus and a bit larger. To compare the shots of the Queen's bedroom, the Stewart-Wilson shot shows the entire bedroom. The Royal Collection shot, at an angle , reveals some additional details such as the fire screen and the chinoiserie cabinet, but cuts off the exteme left-hand side of the room. (Her Majesty has apparently been rearranging her decorative items since the S-W book.) The S-W detail of the 18th century pietre-dure table concentrates on showing the design on the top. The RC detail shows more of the table and the objects normally on it. The historical sections, revealing how the house came to be built are the most different, and the RC book has more pictures of people who participated in creating the doll house and of the room in which it now sits with the Phillip Connard mural. The captions are overlapping, but not identical, and so one gains more information by having both.
More Corrections.......2006-05-19
To further correct the first reviewer, the Doll's House is certainly not a copy of Windsor Castle. It is nothing like it. Windsor Castle is a CASTLE - stones and very old, and big. The Doll's House is an "ideal home" of the early 1020's - albeit intended for royalty and not for your average Joneses.
Fantastic book.......2006-03-01
With a couple of corrections of the first review, I'd like to make sure that it's known that Queen Mary did not commission this dollshouse. It was the original brain child of the Princess Marie Louise, who spearheaded the creation of the house. Queen Mary was "extremely surprised" but agreed. The initial shell of the house was erected in Lutyen's office, then removed to the drawing room of his house in Mansfield Street in London.
It was unveiled to the press, once completed, in the Mansfield Street house, then moved and reconstructed in the Palace of Arts at Wembley. It went from there to Windsor Castle, then to an exhibition at Olympia. In February of 1925, the house was returned to Windsor Castle. The Daily Mail donated a glass case through which we can now view the dollshouse in Windsor Castle.
This wonderful book has photographs of the letters written by Princess Marie Louise to all the firms and manufacturers involved in the dollshouse creation, as well as numerous photographs of the interior and furnishings. Pictures of tiny dollshouse ledgers, keys, and even a garden snail grace this book.
An extraordinary dollhouse explored in depth.......2002-03-15
England's Queen Mary--grandmother of the current Queen Elizabeth II--commissioned the construction of her extraordinary dollhouse (or "dolls' house" as it is referred to here) in 1921, during her own reign. It resides at Windsor Castle, as it has since being constructed there. Designed by Edward Lutyens (famous for his graceful furniture), the house is a reproduction of Windsor Castle right down to the last nail--almost literally.
David Cripps' photography beautifully captures the interiors of this amazing dollhouse, from the grand to the plebian. Here is the linen closet, each batch of towels tied with different-colored ribbon to denote whether they were intended for the nursery, the staff, or the kitchen. Here is a lacquer cabinet with gilded stand, dovetailed working drawers, and gold-leafed decoration. Here is a bed, complete with pillows, bolsters, sheets, blankets, and even a tiny walnut-handled bedwarmer. The toilet, complete with toilet paper discreetly placed in a bowl alongside, really works. The toothbrushes are made of ivory and have bristles made from the hair of a goat's inner ear. In the cellar, bottles of Chateau Margaux are properly corked and waxed and labeled. The pantry shows real bows of Fry's Chocolates sharing space with McVitie & Price biscuits, barley sugar candies in hefty glass candy jars, and Frank Cooper's Seville Marmalade in squat jars tied with brown paper and string.
The garage houses a miniature bicycle with brakes "in perfect working order," not to mention a Rudge motorcycle and sidecar, a seven-seater Rolls Royce limousine-landaulet, a Vauxhall, a "Sunbeam open tourer," and two Daimlers. Gorgeous royal crests are hand-painted on each. The house even has its own petrol pumps and fire appliances, as was normal for large houses in that era.
The house's garden is splendid despite the absence of a single living thing. The lawn, made of cut green velvet, boasts several tiny mowers (both motor-powered and not), and the nearby garden has its own lovely benches, hoes, spades and the like. There is even a robin's nest, complete with eggs, and a tiny, tiny snail.
Perhaps the most extraordinary thing in the house is the book collection. Famous authors were asked to contribute their own works. Arthur Conan Doyle obliged by submitted "How Watson Learned the Trick," an original 500-word short story done in his own handwriting. The bookplates for each of the books were designed by beloved Winnie-the-Pooh illustrator Ernest Shepard. Rudyard Kipling submitted not only two poems, but illustrated them himself as well. Other well-known authors who gave their own works to the Queen's house included G. K. Chesterton, Joseph Conrad, Robert Graves, Aldous Huxley, Hilaire Belloc, Rose Macauley, W. Somerset Maugham, and Vita Sackville-West. Topping off the fine works of this distinguished crowd are the leather-bound autograph books--one each for famous folks from stage and screen, famous folks from the military, and famous politicans.
There is even a room for storing the scepter, crowns and other regalia--all featuring flawless gemstones!
The details are endlessly fascinating and the house and its furnishings so well-constructed that without a tennis ball or coin or some other everyday real object, you easily forget that everything your eye falls upon here is miniature. For those who cannot get to Windsor Castle themselves to view the house in person, this book offers a very fine tour.
Customer Reviews:
Spirit of Nature translated into the Art of the Abstract.......2004-10-27
If you are looking for a watercolor tutorial in botanical painting, wildlife or landscape, walk away. This isn't the focus of "Painting the Spirit of Nature." Author Maxine Masterfield is, instead, taking the artist on a tour of an interior landscape, using the metaphors, symbols and shapes and colors of nature to create abstract or abstracted imagery. Look at the cover picture; the painting could represent boulders or broken rock face, but is in fact an abstract. This is the lesson of "Painting in the Spirit of Nature."
There is a lot about texture, unconventional techniques using things like salt and other methods, how to find imagery in everyday scenes and objects and how to compose a painting. The real value, however, in this book, is in the selection of paintings. You may or may not like them, but if you have been trying to find an "abstract voice"--I'd say this book would be great for you. If you liked "Watercolor Bold and Free", this is along the same vein.
This is not the spirit of nature!.......2002-08-23
I bought this book since the reviews were quite enthusiastic about it. I have more than 50 watercolor books as well as many other art books, and this is just and justly the worst of them all.
It is about experimental painting, that is true, but it is not about "the spirit of nature". Experimental or abstract painting is simply no excuse. The abstract patterns made through various techniques aren't exciting or beautiful and the techniques themselves can be found in various books where they belong - as a small sidenote. The techniques shown aren't useful at all for a watercolor artist wanting to capture nature.
The enthusiastic reviews gave me a diametrically opposite view of this book than what it was. As a "nature" book it belongs in the trashcan.
What I thought about was some loose techniques for creating texture for nature paintings, but that was not the case, it is all about totally abstractism which was not what I was after.
If you are looking for ways of creating abstact patterns, okey buy it, otherwise don't!
Awesome.......2002-04-22
If you are looking for ideas and techniques this is a wonderful book. Very well done.
Fabulous Teacher, Fabulous Art.......2001-05-06
I was lucky enough to have this artist-author as a teacher almost 2 decades ago. I no longer work in this style or medium but when I was working in it, her methods were the most marvelously freeing ones. If you feel constricted with your present results in water color, as if you must "break free" from such rigid control, Maxine is the teacher for you. The art works are totally glorious as well. Many are hers and she uses other artists' work as well. The book has art work on virtually every page. Back when I took her course, I know that her work was also selling for a lot of money to big commercial clients to put in their buildings and to some private homes as well. Thus, she had cracked the commercial barrier too. I applied her techniques in later years to acyrlics and liquid dyes as well and they worked fine there too.
A perennial favorite in my reference library.......2000-04-05
I also frequently recommend this book to other artists, beginning or advanced. I've had this book for years, and am awed everytime I open it up. It's perfect for jumpstarting the creative juices because almost every page contains an inspiring thought, image or technique. Her photos of natural elements, together with paintings by herself and other artists shows everyone how to use nature as a springboard for creativity. You will LOVE this book!
Book Description
The most thorough guide to watercolor materials and techniques ever assembled in a single volume, this is the book for anyone working with watercolors, from beginners to experienced artists looking to develop more professional skills. Starting with a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the tools and techniques required to master the art of watercolor, the book then presents detailed lessons in basic drawing skills. Design concepts are explored: line and shape, light and dark, perspective, and composition. All the major watercolor painting techniques are shown: methods for laying washes, preserving white areas, glazing, establishing form, creating textural effects, lifting color, masking, and using resists. With color the driving force behind the author's whole approach to painting and his distinctive "organic" handling of the medium, color theories and strategies are clearly explained and applied to a wide range of subjects-still life, figures, landscapes, and architecture-some of which pair watercolors with other mediums such as gouache, pastel, and collage. An ongoing reference source, this is a book that watercolorists will turn to again and again for guidance.
Customer Reviews:
If wishes were fishes..........2007-09-27
I wish I would have bought this book before I bought the supplies I did. I know that I would have saved a lot of guesswork and helped form my style faster and more satisfactorily. I am an amateur painter and will always be, so cost effectiveness is an issue. Even though I have brushes and stuff that I will not use (probably) I have the feeling with this book that I have an instructor at hand. Thanks guys!
The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists.......2007-07-13
After reading several books about watercolor, I found this book to be the best watercolor book on the market. It is the clarity and thoroughness of the explanations that make this such a valuable resource. I particularly found the section on color theory helpful. This is not a book with a few scattered tips against a background of gorgeous pictures of the artist's work. Rather, it is a master teacher reaching out to all levels of learners as he takes the mystery and confusion out of doing watercolors. If you were only going to buy one book about watercolor--this is the book!!
The Watercolor Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artists
Helpful.......2006-09-09
I was recommended this book by a professor to use as my guide in an Independent Study in watercolors. I don't have any other to compare it to, so I'm just writing what I got out of it.
It has very good descriptions about types and brands of paints, papers, and brushes to start out with. There are also some chapters dealing with general composition and color theory.
I was more interested in techniques though, which I thought Dewey covered well. As a newcomer to watercolors, I was introduced to different types of washes, layering, lifting techniques, etc. I really liked the mixed media section which discusses laying watercolor with things like pastels or colored pencil.
It was nice to see a variety of work too. It's not all of Dewey's pictures (though I thought his stuff was pretty dang amazing).
Great for Beginning Watercolor and Art 101.......2005-10-06
I find this book great for beginners as it emphasizes the fundamentals of art elements and techniques for any painting or drawing medium. I found myself understanding more of the concepts I was already familiar with and I also learned much about watercolor's relation to elements of art. I really love the way he explains color and how watercolor is especially perfect for expressing color more than other types of painting. I also love seeing the step-by-step process of how he achieves the end result of each painting and concept he's discussing. It gives detailed instructions but allows you to imagine and create unique paintings, as well. He also hints about the standards of watercolor techniques and basics, such as saying how wet on wet is good for the organic look or adding too much color removes light since watercolor is a subtractive process. Great book, and I read it cover to cover, taking notes along the way. Very basic.
Beginners must take a look at this book.......2004-12-17
I primarily wanted a book full of watercolor pictures by a contemporary artist plus instructions on how some of them are made. I had settled on about 3-5 books of which I intended to buy only one. Took a drive to Barnes and Noble, saw them all and I must say I was impressed by this one. Watercolor aficionados would have mostly heard of this author and artist. Amazing collection of pictures of not only the artist but his own selection of watercolor art from other major works with illustrative details of those art work. The only drawback I notice is that the details are restricted to current context and not much is said about that picture. I would have appreciated that kind of description. This is definitely an error which the author might want to take up in his next edition. Else... this book has great tips and instructions. When a learning artist thinks, "Damn it... how do I get that effect ?". This is a book that can be confidently consulted. Anyone looking for encyclopedic details on what the watercolor is all about and wishes to learn it all and get all the 3 credits from his/her couch from just one book aint going nowhere. This book is a superb reference. I guess the author did what he wanted to do. I did buy this book. B&N is $6 costlier but amazon charges that extra for shipping and it takes time.
Average customer rating:
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The Purpose of Painting
Angela D'Aleo
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
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| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
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| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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Watercolor Painting
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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General
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Watercolor
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
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ASIN: 0823044564 |
Customer Reviews:
A fine overview of the subject, beautifully illustrated.......2006-10-25
Ron Ransom has written a popular series of books for student painters, featuring his own techniques and illustrated with his own paintings. This book is something different. It is a tribute to his favorite watercolorists, illustrated with excellent reproductions and with a text that is respectful and full of usefull insights.
The term "impressionist" is used here in the sense of painters who work directly from their observation of nature. (This is not a book about the French Impressionist school of painting, although many of them were gifted watercolorists). Some of the painters are contemporary artists who are still working, and others are from the past. They all express a love of nature through their work, although they vary quite a bit in their individual styles.
Although it's not strictly a how-to manual, student painters can learn a lot from the book. BUt you don't need to be a painter to enjoy it. If you love watercolor paintings, and are curious about the thought processes and methods used by topnotch painters in this medium, you will enjoy this lovely book.
a delightful book.......2006-04-04
a useful survey of various prominent watercolorists, the book provides fundamental information about each artist, leading to the conclusion that however techniques may vary, the basic ingredient to produce great art is hard work and dedication.
An inspiring glimpse of some wonderful painters..........1999-06-07
The paintings of Edward Seago, Edward Wesson, Douglas Treasure, John Yardley and others more well known to Americans, such as Frank Webb and Claude Croney, are featured in this book. Ron briefly touches on each artist as a person and what inspired or inspires them to paint, and illustrates it all with a representative selection of their works. A very informative book and a good one to have for reference in one's art collection, as there aren't many watercolor impressionist books around.
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