The Essential Kitchen Design Guide

Book Description

The kitchen is the heart of the home, the ideal place to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee, an informal gathering, or an intimate conversation. It is also a complex organism in which numerous independent systems must work in harmony to minimize the energy required to prepare meals and clean up afterwards. Few rooms see so much activity; fewer still challenge designers with such an array of practical, technological, and esthetic considerations. The successful kitchen designer creates a warm, pleasant atmosphere while solving problems of storage capacity, accessibility, functionality, ventilation, lighting, safety, and durability.

For many years the National Kitchen & Bath Association has conducted a prestigious education program for kitchen designers. The Essential Kitchen Design Guide, condensed from the NKBA's own six-volume manual, is an invaluable sourcebook and technical guide for kitchen planning and design. It offers an established set of kitchen-planning guidelines—accepted as the norm for the industry—and provides authoritative presentations on every kitchen mechanical system, design issue, and planning principle, as well as appliances, fixtures, and other equipment.

Hundreds of design details, descriptive technical photos, and useful checklists help you make the most of all the information provided. Reliable data, proven techniques, and helpful tips prepare you to tackle every aspect of kitchen design, including

Electrical systems, lighting, and plumbing
Fixtures and appliances
Cabinetry, floor coverings, counter tops, and other equipment and materials
Drawing and presentation standards for the kitchen professional
Cost estimating
Space planning
Kitchen-related building codes
And more

The Essential Kitchen Design Guide is an indispensable tool and an essential addition to the professional libraries of architects, interior designers, and anyone interested in pursuing the finest in kitchen design.

From the organization whose name is synonymous with the highest standards in kitchen and bath design-the kitchen design guide no professional should be without!

Customer Reviews:

Expensive, but worth every penny.......2007-01-12

Three years ago, we did a major redesign/renovation of our kitchen, right back to the studs, including moving appliances and cabinets and changing the flow -- almost exclusively based on the information and advice in this book. Having lived with the results for awhile now, there's not a thing I would change or do differently. Whether doing the work and making the selections yourself or working with a kitchen designer, you will find this resource invaluable. Anyone can walk into a kitchen design center and pick out pretty cabinets and appliances; this book will force you to think about the layout of your kitchen so all the elements work together without interfering with each other.

I also disagree with the reviewer below who found the pictures outdated. This is not a place to get inspiration for colors or cabinet styles. This is a resource that will help you figure out whether you actually have enough space for that kitchen island you've always wanted, or making sure you will be able to reach your main storage cabinet when the dishwasher door is open, or where the electrical outlets should go.

Expensive book, but I think it saved us from making more costly mistakes.

Amazingly detailed information.......2006-10-10

An excellent reference for designing from scratch or for remodelling your kitchen. This book is written for the interior designer, not really for the do-it-yourself-er. It goes into extensive detail about everything you can imagine will be in a kitchen, how to lay it out, how to select everything in it, how everything operates, pros and cons of different materials and designs (and that's everything even down to how electricity works, what the characteristics of different woods are, and so much more). I'm building my retirement home and am working with a skilled architect. Even so, I found this book extremely useful and I especially liked the sections on ergonomics, pathway clearances, how to design your counterspace and cabinets so they don't conflict with each other. If you read this book, you're not going to make a costly mistake in designing your kitchen - it's got it all, and it even emphasizes what not to do. Need to consider elderly or handicapped? They cover that also. For those who can't find this book or who prefer not such a large tome, the Home Depot Kitchen Design and Planning 1-2-3 (ISBN: 0696217449) has an excellent summary of the more applicable portions of this book. The reviewer before my review who complained about the photos - well, appliances are going to be outdated even in just a few years. If you're looking to recreate a kitchen via a photo, stick with kitchen oriented magazines. The basics of layout are going to be the same, and the way this book is written and the diagrams (most are diagrams, not photos) are still applicable, since it addresses our current lifestyles where the kitchen is the hub of our homes, and it helps you understand the different layouts and how they can be modified and how they can work for you.

Out of date, elementary information.......2005-04-10

Poor quality photography make this book completely out of date with today's kitchen design trends. Yes there is some basic, stress basic, information about how to draft, and the elementary concept of the kitchen work triangle, but no new ideas here. It is disappointing that the NKBA would put their name on such a book. It is not the definitive guide on kitchen design and not worth the large price.

Average customer rating:

Bath: An Architectural Guide
Thom Gorst
Manufacturer: Ellipsis London, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criticism | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Travel | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Insight Compact Guide Bath & Surroundings

ASIN: 1899858288

Book Description

The city of Bath sits in a bowl of hills at the southern tip of the Cotswolds. It was here that the Romans established their city of Aquae Sulis, and it was here too that eighteenth-century English society settled in the refined luxury of the architecture we now call Georgian. These are the elegant and dramatic squares, crescents, and terraces, built in solid golden local stone, that form Bath's core and that give this comparatively small city its international reputation. But Bath is not just a museum of a long-passed phenomenon. It is a living urban organism, of just the right size to live in. The Victorians and Edwardians built here, sometimes indecorously, and contemporary architects including Nicholas Grimsahw, Aaron Evans and the Smithsons have work worth visiting in or near the city. This guide covers all Bath's notable architecture and places it in the context of the social and economic forces that have shaped the city.

Average customer rating:

Pevsner Architectural Guides Bath
Michael Forsyth
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Tourist Destinations & Museums | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0300101775

Book Description

This delightful book is the first comprehensive architectural guide to Bath, England's finest Georgian city. Full of new discoveries and lively descriptions of the city's notable buildings, the book follows in the great tradition of the Pevsner series. It features superb, specially taken color illustrations throughout and numerous easy-to-use walking maps. The great set-pieces of Bath-the famous Pump Room, The Circus, Royal Crescent-are embedded in a graceful urban landscape developed by a long succession of gifted local architects. The city's Roman roots are represented by the remains of its extraordinary baths, its medieval prosperity by the splendid Abbey. Exquisite villas and terraces on the surrounding hills add further variety. For all who share an interest in the buildings of Bath- from architect to historian, tourist to armchair traveler-this is an irresistible volume.

Average customer rating:

Bath: An Architectural Guide
Charles J. Robertson
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Europe | Travel | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:

The Essential Bathroom Design Guide
National Kitchen and Bath Association
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Study & Teaching | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Professional Reference | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Construction | Architecture | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books

Design | Architecture | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books

General | Architecture | New & Used Textbooks | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Essential Kitchen Design Guide

ASIN: 047112673X

Book Description

From splendidly opulent to necessarily Spartan, the residential bathroom exists in a bewildering variety of styles and forms and may be appointed with a seemingly infinite array of fixtures and surface coverings to suit the needs, tastes, and budgets of a broad spectrum of clients. All bathrooms depend on the same basic mechanical systems, fulfill the same functions, and are subject to similar—but not always identical—code requirements. The successful bathroom designer understands bathroom systems, functions, and codes; has detailed knowledge of a broad range of fixture and material types; comprehends bathroom planning principles; and produces professional working drawings that communicate successfully with client and contractor alike.

For many years the National Kitchen & Bath Association has conducted a prestigious education program for bathroom designers. The Essential Bathroom Design Guide, based on the NKBA's own six-volume manual, is an invaluable sourcebook and technical guide on bathroom planning and design. It offers an established set of bathroom planning guidelines—accepted as the norm in the industry—and provides authoritative presentations on every bathroom mechanical system, design issue, and planning principle, as well as fixtures, materials, and other equipment.

Mechanical systems: plumbing, heating and cooling, ventilation, electrical, and lighting
Floor and wall coverings, counter tops, and other materials
Fixture specification
Drawing and presentation standards for the bathroom professional
Cost estimating
Space planning
Bathroom-related building codes
And more

The Essential Bathroom Design Guide is an indispensable tool and an important addition to the professional libraries of architects, interior designers, and anyone interested in pursuing the finest in bathroom design.

Book Description

Beyond basic lies a rich world of kitchen and bath possibilities. No better guide exists for exploring that world than this book. A wealth of information on thematic styles and how to apply them in these important rooms, this guide can help you create kitchens and baths that complement, harmonize with, and enhance the architectural style of houses and interiors. Featuring more than 200 color photographs and 100 line drawings, Kitchen and Bath Theme Design: An Architectural Styling Guide, shows you how to create Early American, Victorian, country-style, Art Nouveau, contemporary, and other popular kitchen and bath themesNcreate a unique statementNor simply add a few evocative details. Whether you want a complete kitchen and bath design guide, a source of inspiration, or just a few ideas, this bookNdeveloped by the National Kitchen & Bath Association and the only kitchen and bathroom design guide in full colorNhas it all.

Average customer rating:

Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Illustrator's Guide to Creating Action Figures and Fantastical Forms

Li'l anatomy

Art Essential

Good supplement

Human Anatomy taken to the fantasy max

Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Illustrator's Guide to Creating Action Figures and Fantastical Forms
Glenn Fabry
Manufacturer: Barron''s Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Illustration | Commercial | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Pop Culture | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Specific Objects | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Figure Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Themes | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists

Dragonart: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy Creatures

Drawing & Painting Fantasy Beasts: Bring to Life the Creatures and Monsters of Other Realms

Drawing and Painting Fantasy Figures: From the Imagination to the Page

How to Draw Fantasy Females: Create Sexy Cyberpunks, Seductive Supergirls, and Raunchy All-Action Heroines

Accessories:

Drawing and Painting Fantasy Figures: From the Imagination to the Page

The Fantasy Figure Artist's Reference File with CD-ROM: Hundreds of Real-life Photographs Depicting Extreme Anatomy and Dynamic Action Poses

How to Draw Fantasy Females: Create Sexy Cyberpunks, Seductive Supergirls, and Raunchy All-Action Heroines

ASIN: 0764129503

Book Description

Here in a single volume is a practical, comprehensive training course for budding illustrators working to master comic book art, graphic novels, fantasy posters, sci-fi book covers and illustrations, and computer games. The author, a highly successful fantasy artist, teaches the basics of human anatomical drawing and musculature, as well as perspective and composition. He then instructs on ways to distort, develop, and transform the human figure, giving it features that range from monstrous or magical to super-agile or larger than life. Detailed artist's references and step-by-step instructions show how to build bodies that truly stretch the imagination—mighty alien warriors, kick-boxing cyber-punks, and mega-muscled superheroes, to name just a few. Art students also learn how to show their characters in many different dynamic action poses, such as flying, spinning, punching, and jumping, as well as how to express each character's emotions through facial expressions. More than 300 color illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Anatomy for Fantasy Artists: An Illustrator's Guide to Creating Action Figures and Fantastical Forms .......2007-07-24

This is a good book if you want to learn how to draw action figures that are real life people not creatures

Li'l anatomy.......2007-03-25

Thankfully, I was able to browse at this in my public library before buying it. The title doesn't reflect on the actual book. While the illustrations were clear and quiet a few were lovely the book failed to explain how the artists used anatomy and how they determined how to compose their figures. for an anatomy book, this falls horrible short. There about a handful (literally one handfull) of pages with live models. The images are of various sizes and almost on top of each other. More annoyingly for what few live model poses we are given the best are put inbetween two pages. You'll have an annoyign crease righti n the middle of the picture. It's not that hard to fill in the gaps, but certain details are lost from this type of placement.
Also when going into skeletal structures he might have used a real model skeleton instead of sketches. You don't get an adequate understanding of dimension with a pencil depiction alone. Also, most of the book is dedicated to the common characters of comics (e.g. the barabarian, the female robot, Muu the fatman, Brutus the hulk). All these characters really show are sketches at different angles with bullets with brief common sense info.
Plus the anatomy of most of the characters arenot really explored. It would have been nicer had they compared the exagerated features with realistic features.
Overall , despite some talented artists' contributions, this book fails in teaching anything abotu anatomy.

Art Essential.......2007-01-12

This is not only a great book but a wonderful guide on drawing great action figures. There are many tips and tricks I recommend in here and it not only looks at just one detain but many perspectives in drawing fantasy characters.

Good supplement.......2006-11-29

Get Drawing and painting Fantasy Figures and/or Fantasy Worlds first. This book is good if you can't get enough of source/guide/inspirational material.

Of Course, R. Crumb said "Wanna know how to draw better? Draw. Wishing won't make it happen!" and that's the first and best advice. Still, I have all these books I mentioned and do not regret my purchase!

Human Anatomy taken to the fantasy max.......2006-11-08

When I think of the subject of anatomy I think of the human shape. And this is what this book does. It takes a really good look at the human form both male and female and then it expands on this to the limits of fantasy art by also delving into distortions of the human form in the shape of goblins, ogres, wizards, cyborgs and dwarves. This is what I was looking for in a fantasy anatomy book. How to take the human shape and expand it in new expressive ways.
Strong points: Every single page has at least ten drawings - the book is absolutely stuffed with lots of illustrations and drawing
In particular there is a strong focus on communicating action in your drawing - this stays true to the action figures part of the title.
Large section of actual photographs of a male and female in various action poses; this a real handy reference.
Some nice complete drawings of the human skeleton and human musculature - these are good references.
Special Bonus: Glenn Fabry takes you through a 19 step process of doing an actual painting from first sketch to completed painting. This really helps in understanding the process of an artist.

Weak points: the beginning sections on practicing drawing, getting inspiration and understanding light are rather sparse but I consider these to just be review like in nature .

This is a really good book but it isn't aimed at teaching you how to draw. This book is aimed more at people who have some drawing ability already and want to learn about the ins and outs of anatomy in the fantasy genre. The title pretty much says that point: It is anatomy for fantasy artists

The Fantasy Figure Artist's Reference File with CD-ROM: Hundreds of Real-life Photographs Depicting Extreme Anatomy and Dynamic Action Poses

Average customer rating:

Great for figure reference
my review
Cliche Central
Great for beginner fantasy artists!!
Not extreme or dynamic, but still has some good parts

The Fantasy Figure Artist's Reference File with CD-ROM: Hundreds of Real-life Photographs Depicting Extreme Anatomy and Dynamic Action Poses
Peter Evans
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Figure Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Themes | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

ASIN: 0764179616

Book Description

Both professional and student illustrators of action and fantasy art can take the guesswork out of rendering extreme anatomy and dynamic action poses with help from this valuable reference source. It presents more than 600 detailed color photos of live models, and represents a wide range of physiques, postures, and poses that can be incorporated in fantasy scenarios. The book's accompanying CD-ROM contains all of the book's posed images, allowing illustrators to swipe them directly and paste them into their own computer art projects. The book also instructs on rendering realistic effects to the illustrated textures of flesh, hair, clothing, and metal objects, as well as advice on adding highlights, backlights, and shadows. Here is a valuable reference source that belongs in every illustrator's personal library. All images are copyright free.

Customer Reviews:

Great for figure reference .......2007-09-11

I really enjoyed this book. I actually downloaded the images onto my computer and use them as poses to draw from in the slide show format. Coupled with "The Natural Way to draw" this book really helps me out and gives me a "safe" place to learn away from the limelight, which is important to me.

This images are good and very well done and give you some really good costume studies (as well as drapery studies) on top of basic anatomy and muscle drawing.

Overall, a very good piece of work.

my review.......2007-07-04

This book is a welcome addition to any cartoonist or illustrator's photo reference file as it includes physical and ethnical types different from the usual stereotypical idealized caucasians. On the other hand, it isn't as systematic, varied or consistent in its poses and points-of-view as the Illustrator's Reference Manuals or the Posefile series of books.

Cliche Central.......2007-01-23

The 'Fantasy' of the title is, unfortunately, the heavily-stereotyped 'thud and blunder' style fantasy of Conan the Barbarian, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and other such hackneyed, outdated types.

The figures shown are Barbarian warrior, Warrior woman, Evil Sorceress, Fairy, etc. And they are all quite absurd.

The book also includes little tidbits of information about costume and weapons, like this pearl of wisdom: "The nock is the part of the bow that the arrow rests on." Uh, yeah?

Combine this with poses titled "Bring forth tidings", "Arise, my liege" and the like, you soon realise this isn't a particularly well-done piece of work.

As for the CD, the images are huge - making them very difficult to work with.

This book isn't completely useless, but there are surely better things to spend your money on.

Great for beginner fantasy artists!!.......2007-01-09

If you are new to the fantasy art genre or are looking for a great quick reference for figure drawing, this is the book. It gives a diverse selection of different body types, sizes and looks, as well as a good smattering of accesories, close-ups and clothing...

Not extreme or dynamic, but still has some good parts.......2007-01-03

Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. Overall, it was uninspiring to me, especially in creating my own characters. As a reference photo book, it fails because the poses are not extreme and dynamic as promised. It also seems to try to reach beyond its scope with a section on painting and many comments on characters beyond anatomy and costume.

Pros:
- "Anatomical studies" show each character type in only shorts (or shorts and sports bra for women) so you know what the body looks like in some poses.
- Summary of character wardrobe
- Poses of characters in wardrobe may help in drawing clothing -- depicting folds, how certain material hangs, etc.
- As another review mentioned, an overweight man ("cleric" and "norseman" types) and a small person ("warrior dwarf" type) are shown here, and both are helpful.
- Captions in the book often direct you to details (how material is bunching up a certain way, how a shoulder strap hangs off the body in a certain pose) or notes about anatomy ("legs need to be placed apart because they will have to bend to compensate for the weight of the ax")
- Section of close-up facial expressions (male and female)
- Although brief, there are also some photos of hand detail, including props like rings & bracelets, and accessory details -- boots, belts, jewelry
- Spiral binding allows the book to lay flat (although when you're drawing, you'll probably print images from the CD instead)

Cons:
- Uninteresting poses. This is the sale-killer for me. Although the book says the photos depict "extreme anatomy and dynamic action poses" I found the poses to be too plain. There was no "extreme" posing where the body is in extreme angles -- lunging, jumping, twisting. Instead, someone is standing still with their arms raised and feet spread, but there is no action happening. You can tell because there is a lack of tense muscles.

- The back of the book has a section on painting characters that seems out of place. This is a photo reference book, not a painting book. Unless you already know about painting with acrylics, this section is useless.

- Some captions have irrelevant comments. In a caption of a photo showing a happy "warrior prince" face, it notes, "All characters should be able to feel elation and happiness."

Summary: although a few poses are good, don't expect most of them to be "extreme" or "dynamic." Note that this is not an instruction book on learning anatomy, and you should have at least a basic understanding of human anatomy to use this book well.

Books that I would recommend for beginning artists:
- Human Anatomy Made Amazingly Easy by Christopher Hart
- Drawing the Living Figure by Joseph Sheppard
- Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth (great for flow of action)
- Perspective! For Comic Book Artists by David Chelsea
- Dynamic Wrinkles and Drapery: Solutions for Drawing the Clothed Figure by Burne Hogarth
- Action Anatomy: For Gamers, Animators, and Digital Artists by Takashi Iijima

The Figure in Action: Anatomy for Artists

Average customer rating:

Figure anatomy "How To" book showing figures in action

The Figure in Action: Anatomy for Artists
Louise Gordon
Manufacturer: Batsford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Figure Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0713459476

Customer Reviews:

Figure anatomy "How To" book showing figures in action.......1997-01-01

According to the ISBN number this is a book by Louise Gorgon title: "The Figure in Action, Anatomy for Artists" The publisher is Batsford. It is a good drawing book showing the figure and beneath the skin: bones-muscle. Shows the figure under stress which is unusual in figure drawing books. A lot of the drawings lack clarity and muscle definition. Why have clothed figures in an anatomy book? I felt it was way overpriced at $29.95. I almost returned it, but it filled a niche in drawing book collection

Simplified Anatomy for the Comic Book Artist: How to Draw the New Streamlined Look of Action-Adventure Comics! (How to Draw)

Average customer rating:

GREAT for those who love drawing animated-like stuff
Highly Recommend!
Well worth having
FANTASTIC BOOK FOR THE BEGINNER
Top notch book

Simplified Anatomy for the Comic Book Artist: How to Draw the New Streamlined Look of Action-Adventure Comics! (How to Draw)
Christopher Hart
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Figure Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0823047733
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Book Description

Maybe you’ve noticed. Today’s superheroes and action heroes aren’t as brawny and muscular as they used to be. In fact, almost all the characters in comic books and on TV have a fresh, new look--simplified, streamlined, edgier, with a hint of anime/cartoon design, and appealing to kids and adults alike. Now Christopher Hart, the superhero of how-to-draw books, has come to the rescue of artists everywhere with Simplified Anatomy for the Comic Book Artist. Anatomy has always been a difficult subject, but for this book Hart uses his straightforward approach to show a simpler way. In clear step-by-step illustrations and text, he shows: how to draw streamlined figures in poses; body types and muscles; the mechanics of facial expression; how to know which muscles to eliminate in a simplified drawing; grouping muscles; muscle contours versus bone contours; muscles in classic comic-book poses like flying and punching; and more. Now artist can stop struggling with the fine points of anatomy and start creating modern looking heroes and heroines with help from Simplified Anatomy for the Comic Book Artist.

Customer Reviews:

GREAT for those who love drawing animated-like stuff.......2007-08-24

For starters, this book is by Christopher Hart, so naturally it's a great buy for people interested in the subject.
This is a great book for people who prefer a more cartoony style to the graphic novel detail; I myself love drawing cartoons (including many Disney ones) and this book is wonderful in teaching you how to do your own, as well as be a most excellent reference guide for muscles, bones, and character ideas.
A TOTAL recommendation if you want to try the more cartoony style.

But if you're more into the hard-core graphic novels (like the newer X-Men series), I totally recommend Christopher Hart's "Drawing Cutting Edge Anatomy: The Ultimate Reference for Comic Book Artists."

Highly Recommend!.......2007-08-21

Simplified Anatomy for The Comic Book Artist teaches a new streamlined style of comics. In true Christopher Hart style, he breaks the concepts down for the reader, so that he or she can learn and progress quickly. This was very enjoyable, enlightening, and entertaining, and I highly recommend it.

Well worth having.......2007-07-06

The only bad thing about this book is consistency due to the many different artists that worked on it. With that in mind this book is well worth having and a good resource about the adventure or Bruce Timm style of drawing.

FANTASTIC BOOK FOR THE BEGINNER.......2007-06-30

Simplified Anatomy for the Comic Book Artist is comic art instruction Guru Christopher Hart's latest book and one of his best yet. Hart has been doing comic art instruction books for many years with a long list of titles to his credit. In this latest book, Hart tackles the modern, more simplified, and streamlined comic book art. Inspired by recent animated series such as Batman, Teen Titans, and Justice League, we are seeing more and more comics today being produced in this more simplified, animated looking style. This modern style has done a couple of things for the comic industry. First, it's far less time consuming to produce this type of art than traditional comic art...less time means less money. Second, and no knock on those artists, but obviously you can get away with somewhat less talent with this style as there is a minimum of detail required. Finally, much of this art today is being produced on computer, again saving time and money. This certainly accounts for the recent popularity of this style of art.

Hart takes a step-by-step approach to his instructions. On one page he shows an example of a piece of art done in traditional style and next to it, the same piece done in the simplified style. Basically this is simply a matter of less definition being added to the character. Less muscle definition, fewer or no bone structure outlines to the face and body, hair designed as "one piece" as opposed to drawing several lines of hair and curls, etc...The examples are striking in their sheer minimalism.

Now, this isn't merely a matter of taking out lines, but rather a complexly different approach to drawing figures. There's a whole change in thinking about how to construct the anatomy in this approach. Remember, you're not going for realism anymore. Fully the first 50 pages are spent just on the head and facial features. Hart will show you how to simplify the look of the eyes, nose, and mouth with dozens of examples included along the way.

Next up is the body and it's the same process as before. Simple bone and skeletal structures, simple muscle definition... Again, Hart shows dozens of examples of body types from heroes to regular guys to mad scientists. In this style, bodies are more angular...the hips and knees often come to an exaggerated point as opposed to the rounder look of traditional comic art. In defining muscles, that standard six-pack now becomes a two-pack...the shoulders and chest exceedingly broad and triangle-shaped.

Hart rounds out the book with a look at forced perspective, getting your characters to look like they are virtually jumping out of the page at you. Honestly, I believe that this book and this style of art has opened up a lot of doors to artists who maybe were not quite good enough to make it with traditional comic art. It's also allows small press publishers to compete against the bigger publishers. Heck, you even see this style of artwork showing up at major publishers like Image and Dark Horse.

It's another well-done book by Hart and perfect for the aspiring comic book artist.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Top notch book.......2007-05-31

The title says it all.
With its simple to follow instructions accompanied by the related illustrations, anyone with the love of drawing comic figures ought to get this book. Every one of the dozens of character begins with the simple lines, angles, various views, simplified skeleton and moves into heavier lines and more details to compose a perfect figure. Special chapters touching on specific muscle groups for the male and female comic figure, body parts such as hands, feet, and hips, poses, modes etc.
I highly recommend this book as it is educating, fun and challenging all in one.

Figure in Action: Anatomy for the Artist

Average customer rating:

Figure in Action: Anatomy for the Artist
Louis Gordon
Manufacturer: B T Batsford Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Anatomy | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0713459468

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books