Book Description
Fun with Chinese Characters (in three volumes) makes learning Chinese characters entertaining and memorable! Every page contains all the information you need to learn a Chinese character: the origin (etymology) of a character, its description and an entertaining illustration by cartoonist Tan Huay Peng. Knowing the origin greatly simplify the recognition the characters. The cartoons which accompany each character are often comical and clever. Examples of how the character is used in compound phrases are offered. First volume contains an in-depth introduction on the genesis of the characters. The third volume contains index of all 480 characters and their location.
The characters are written in traditional and simplified characters and has romanized pinyin pronunciation. Stroke orders, definition and example sentence make this book a valuable resource. Learning Chinese characters has never been so much fun!
Customer Reviews:
great for beginners.......2007-03-09
Very accessable. Shows line by line how the character is drawn with a dozen or so examples of the character along with another forming words. There is also a cartoon showing how the character has changed over centuries or why the character is shaped the way it is. It's the perfect book for someone like me, trying to begin on their own.
Not Just For Fun.......2006-09-19
I found 'Fun With Chinese Characters', as well as the rest of Tan's work, easy to read, informative, and very helpful in learning Chinese.
After a brief introdouction to the Chinese language each page deals with one character, providing examples of older forms, a story behind the character, which sometimes gived insight into Chinese culture or proverbs (A word of warning should be given that not all of his explanations are genuine, some are purely mnemonic. However, he never claims anything more.), a cartoon to illustrate the point, several compound words and a simple example sentence.
Strong/helpful points are the mnemonic focus of the book (illustraions, stories, historical development, etc.), pinyin, the breaking down of some of the characters into primary components.
Weaknesses are that not all of his explanations are genuine and their is nothing to tell you when they are genuine and when they are not, which is the only reason why I only gave it 3 stars. Also I found the referencing to characters to be wanting.
If you're a visual learner and you are in it for ease of learning and memory aid then you will probably enjoy this book.
However, if you are after a historical/scholarly work on Chinese characters then you will likely be disappointed. (McNaughton's 'Reading and Writing Chinese: A Comprehensive Guide to the Chinese Writing System' available in both simplified and traditional characters and Harbaugh's 'Chinese Characters: A Genealogy and Dictionary' might be better for you.)
Remember, the book is called, 'FUN With Chinese Characters'
Outstanding Work for a Number of Reasons.......2006-03-16
This book (with its two companion volumes) is a wonderful work for a number of reasons. Its introductory essay (a nine page historical overview of Chinese characters, emphasizing their phonetic-radical structure) is worth the price of the book all by itself. The cartoon drawings are artful and evocative. The generative and mnemonic entries are informative, historically based, and sublimely written. The work emphasizes simplified characters but supports traditional characters as well. It has examples of modern usage.
I have only a few caveats: The handwritten characters for given names (e.g., those for Cang Ji) in the introductory essay are virtually indecipherable. There are unfortunately no examples from literary Chinese (wen yan wen). Many proverbs (cheng yu)occur only in English translation, not in the original Chinese.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend this work for beginners and intermediate Chinese readers. Advanced Chinese readers will appreciate it for its colloquial and artistic qualities--and may find amusing or enlightening tidbits within.
Awsome as a study aid!.......2006-01-24
This is a really fun book. I'm currently in my first year of chinese and really enjoy using this book outside of school. My teacher recommended it to me. It illustrates characters that normally seem difficult in a fun way. This isn't the best choice for someone who is not taking chinese in a class but independantly. It doesn't give much detail on how to use the words. It's just like an interactive dictionary. I absolutely love it.
Great for What it Is!.......2005-03-16
This series is a great aid to memorizing characters. There is one character per page, and for each character there is an accompanying illustration, along with a selection of words and phrases that feature the character, the pin-yin pronunciation and the traditional character, if applicable. In addition, there is an illustration of the evolution of the character over time, from the most ancient form found on the tortoise shells, to the modern form.
It is not a scholarly reference book, and is not organized as such. It is meant to be flipped through casually and enjoyed. This series has been in print since the 1970s, so the illustrations ARE dated, as one reviewer points out below. Often the illustrations are of people in traditional costume, but one shouldn't take offense because of this! It wouldn't make any sense to see a pig, for example, hanging out in the house of a Beijinger with a bike parked out back; but the pig does make sense in an old farmer's house. Furthermore there is intelligent irony to be found in the illustrations that is sensitive to women's history and other issues. So, if you take offense with illustrations of people in traditional Chinese costume or of silk worms, lanterns, etc., this book is not for you. I say, lighten up and enjoy this wonderful book!
Product Description
Learning Chinese can be fun.
Customer Reviews:
fun with chinese vol 1... is FUN.......2007-02-09
The majority of reviews, by far, are overly happy with this, and I am no exception. I bought the first 2 volumes and CANNOT SAY ENOUGH. ITS SUPER ! I read 2 seperate reviews of the book (one in each volume) and I couldn't believe how uptight people are. These cartoons are WONDERFUL and skillfully drawn. One reviewer said he (and his daughter) were offended because of the chinese stereotype characters. THERE IS NOTHING OFFENSIVE IN HERE. And to be honest, these are traditional characters, and dressing they way they did in the old days. If you go to china today, much of the tradition still exists. They even still pull rickshaws. This reviewer was chinese & should come to grips with the traditional appearance of the chinese. I think its wonderful. As for the other reviewer who Loved the book, but felt embarrassed in front of his kid, because women were seen in "traditional" roles preparing food, etc.... damn, get a life. This is still the way in china, and even to a lesser degree in the USA. Why the hell is everyone LOOKING FOR THINGS TO BE OFFENDED AT? DO yourself a favor and buy this book. you won't regret it. Its fantastic & I learned alot. This is a FAMILY book you can share with anyone.
A find!.......2001-09-03
This is a helpful book. My five year old and I have just about gone through it twice, and it has held her attention, though I should say that she is insanely into languages of all kinds. But the the book is well designed, showing the etymology from ancient forms to traditional forms to simplified forms. Each character gets a page, and the etymology and cartoons constitute the top half of the page. The cartoons are fun and -- usually -- help you remember. My only criticism is the cartoons: often, embarrassingly non-PC, making me wince a bit as my daughter absorbs the roles men and women are _supposed_ to have. Also, I think the cartoons, though always drawn well, are often a little too far out there to really help you remember the meaning of the character. The middle to bottom of the page shows the character in phrases, and the bottom shows the character in a sentence. The phrases and the sentence are well-chosen, vernacular, and contemporary. Overall, the book is excellent, and I'm trying to track down the next volume, because nothing I could find at the local bookstores comes close to being something a five-year-old would want to read!
Great explanations, very easy to comprehend!.......2001-03-30
The first time I took a glance at this book I immediately decided I was going to read and finally learn Chinese. When I opened it, I was overtaken by the simplicity and structure of the book. A minute into the introduction I knew how to read Chinese!! I was very surprised, I never thought it would be this simple. By the 20th page I was smiling and thinking, "Wow!! This is fun. I have to buy this book." Unfortunately I have to return it within 2 weeks to my campus library at Cal State Northridge but I know that during those 14 days I will learn and return it knowing that I could speak Chinese. This book deserves 5 stars and I highly recommend it to anybody who wants to learn this language that day by day is becoming more necessary. I am positive that you will learn and have plenty of fun.
chinese characters are not only fascinating, but also fun.......2000-06-25
This book does not fall short of it's title. The Introduction gives some helpful background as to the ancient genesis of Chinese script, going back to the legendary period and Cang Ji, on up through the Modern Period. It clearly illustrates how various types of compound words are created - and potentially deciphered, and covers pictographs, ideographs, and determinative-phonetic characters. The Preface gives a general overview of Chinese as a means of visual communication. The body of the book gives a description of each of 176 of some of the most common characters. Each character description includes a cartoon to help the reader recall the etymology of each character, which can help novices simply to remember the character. As well, a number of examples of how the character is used in compound phrases are offered. This is the first of a three-part series, and the only one of the series to have the Intro and Preface described above. A great introduction to Chinese characters for someone unfamiliar with them, and a fun read for someone who is.
Book Description
Portraits not only capture a likeness, but offer for generations to come a glimpse into the subject's life. Sounds like quite a challenge. But with Ann Kullberg's help, it's not as difficult as one might think to create lifelike colored pencil portraits.
Using her own beautiful portraiture for instruction and inspiration, Kullberg walks artists through the process step by step--from basic information about materials and techniques to two demonstrations that show how complete portraits come together from beginning to end.
Readers will also find Kullberg's secrets for making their portrait come alive, along with 17 mini-demos that make it easy to paint realistic features, hair and clothing.
Customer Reviews:
Colored Pencil Portraits: Step by Step.......2007-09-14
This book is equally useful for beginning colored pencil artists through more advanced portrait artists. It is a must read for beginners, as I am. Author Anita Kullberg begins with basic colored pencil techniques, composition and the all-important skills of using light, dark and mid tone values. Then, she leads the reader through the step-by-step techniques of painting skin tones, facial characteristics and realistic hair. By the time I painted my second portrait using Kullberg's techniques described in this book, my painting was believable and recognizable. Far more important to the amateur, I really liked my work! The book is indexed for an easy search for content and Kullberg's "Hints" are real gems. This is a great reference book in addition to the tutorials.
Best book on colored pencils ever!!!!.......2007-08-08
This book was spectacular. The author and artist is absolutely amazing. When I found the book I had no idea how to blend and make skin tone with colored pencil being a black and white pencil artist, but I was able to read her instructions and use them to make my first colored pencil portrait and it looked fantastic. If you are an aspiring portrait artist and you want to learn colored pencils, this is a book you can't do without!
Colored Pencil Portraits: Step By Step.......2007-07-31
This book got me started on colored pencil, it was my very first introduction to the medium. Ann Kullberg through her enthusiasm is incredibly motivating- with carefully thought out step by step techniques and beautiful paintings to show you exactly how she achieved each effect. She goes through every process of creating a portrait in colored pencil starting from a blank page- learning the tools; to composition; right up to the business of selling your work. Ann is also very humble and took the time to answer all of my questions personally when I wrote her a letter. It was because of this and the great joy I got from working through her lessons I went to one of her workshops. She is a patient teacher who will not hesitate to help another-sharing all of her secrets. Ann Kulberg is of great strong moral character and a master of her trade. I would recommend any product she has created.
Colored Pencil Portraits: Step-By-Step .......2007-05-14
This is a wonderful book. It is very informative if you want to learn to work with colored pencils. I recommend it to any bidding artist!
If you can attend her workshop-do it!!!.......2007-04-17
I just attended her portrait workshop for 3 days & can tell you that this gal is the real deal! She's genuinely gifted & has such a wonderful & bubbly personality! I had attended a workshop 2 yrs. ago from a different cp artist & vowed not to go to any more until I decided to go to Ann's (whose workshop I wished I could've took in 2005 instead of Arlene's). This book will help you so much!! I am used to doing colored pencil with the scumbling method which takes forever!! Ann has developed the most amazingly easy technique that is so much faster & looks just as good if not better!! I think the only bad reviews must be by her ex! Ha! I want to attend the 2nd workshop someday that goes with her 2nd book. I have her CDs that go with her books & CDs of her online magazine for colored pencil. All are so helpful!! Her method & books will help even the worst of artists I believe! Thank you Ann for all of your help!!
Book Description
With this surprisingly simple step-by-step guide, anyone can create beautiful pet portraits. Anne deMille Flood walks readers through her easy techniques for rendering cats, dogs, birds, horses and other cuddly friends.
Beginning and intermediate artists will appreciate the close-up demos for getting the texture of fur and feathers just right. There's also clear instruction on working from reference photos, choosing focal points and getting started.
This is an essential reference for anyone who wants to create animal portraits in colored pencil. Artists will quickly find themselves drawing better than they ever thought possible!
Customer Reviews:
"Realistic" Pet Portraits in Colored Pencil.......2007-05-14
This book would be less misleading if the "realistic" were left off of the title. The drawings are good illustrations, say for a children's book or the like. There's actually a couple included drawings that I had to wonder why they were included because they looked like good drawing for someone in highschool. Anyway, it may help if you really are just beginning to draw, but it was not what I had hoped for at all. If you want to see amazing colored pencil drawings and some interesting techniques, I would recommend the "Colored Pencil Solution Book" by Janie Gildow and Barbara Benedetti Newton.Colored Pencil Solution Book
Great book, really helped!.......2007-02-08
Lots of details about producing the appearance of details in animals. It is amazing what you can produce. I refer to this book a lot.
Useful for beginners as well as more advanced artists.......2007-01-09
Animal portraiture - especially of beloved pets - can be a very satisfying artistic endeavor, both emotionally as well as financially. This book provides a great overview of methods, materials, and examples of drawing full color pet portraiture that should be tremendously helpful for beginners, as well as more experienced artists looking for some tips and helpful tricks.
The author covers more than just cats and dogs, going into details and examples specific to horses, rabbits, exotic birds, and even hamsters! Her instructions for layering color to achieve depth and effects such as shine and reflections are clear and easy to follow. Colored pencil can be a tricky medium to work with yet it is also one of the best, in my experience, for capturing the intricacies of animal fur and feathers, and this book does a lot to make a difficult medium less intimidating.
The only thing I could possibly have seen added to this book to make it even more useful is just some simple anatomical drawings of the animals included, at least muscle groups and/or skull structre. While this might be more useful for advanced artists, there is truth to the fact that "the camera lies" and an artist working from photo references, as is the focus here, can make his or her work even more realistic by knowing how to fill in the details that the camera can miss or distort. But this is a minor issue. In every other way I highly recommend this book.
Best colored pencil instruction book for pets on the market!.......2006-09-19
This is the best colored pencil book for learning to master pet portraits on the market. Hands down!!! I own allot of art books and am a self-taught artist in colored pencil and believe me, Anne deMille Flood has done for pet portraits when Ann Kullberg has done for people portraits. I cannot possibly say enough about this book, but it's worth every penny and then some. You won't be dissappointed, except perhaps wishing she had a full series of these books.
Realistic Pet Portraits in Colored Pencil IS A REALISTIC VALUE.......2006-02-21
Outstanding book. Excellent results obtained immediately after just briefly reviewing the first few chapters. Wonderfully effective techniques. Easy to learn. Excellent format! I've been an Illustrator/ Artist for over twenty-seven years. I highly recommend this book.
JF Willis
Customer Reviews:
People & Portraits (Drawing in Color) by Lee Hammond.......2006-02-22
Excellent book - especially for those just learning the art form. An excellent adjunct to Ms. Hammond's books on drawing with graphite. Helps the beginning artist make the transition from grayscale to color.
Pretty medicore, sometimes awful.......2003-12-23
Ms. Hammond's pencil portrait book is not remarkable, but at least in that book she stuck to graphite -- not color.
This book shows a decided lack of colored pencil rendering technique. There are examples of awkward and somewhat untidy rendering coupled with mediocre drawing skills. This combination does not make for a good art instruction book.
Colored pencil can easily look messy and blotchy (or uneven) if rendered improperly. There were definitely some examples of that here. Also, one would assume that a portrait book would show, well, portraits that were well-drawn. Nope, not here. Some have misaligned features which are rendered with little sensitivity.
There also seems to be a lack of understanding about how to use color as well. Some of the shadows and dark colors are "overkill" and too harsh for the face.
However, to be fair, a few of the portraits were not bad. Some portraits used a deliberate "light touch" with a more limited color scheme (one portrait in particular springs to mind) and these looked better.
There was also little actual *drawing* instruction. Sorry, but just teaching the graph or grid method isn't going to hack it. That's just one tool used for drawing, and it very easily can become a crutch of that's all an artist knows how to do. What about drawing from life? How can someone use a graph or grid to draw from life?
I understand that the author is a very encouraging teacher and that's great. But my goodness! This certainly is not the best colored pencil book out there. A *much* better choice would by any colored pencil book by the fabulous Bet Borgeson. Now *that's* colored pencil done right.
Great book.......2000-10-29
i think that is a great book. it explains all the techniqes in detail. and shows you step byt step how to the drawing and coloring. Lee Hammond does great work and i love her books.
Customer Reviews:
Great technique.......2003-10-17
I found this book perfect for the kind of colored pencil work I wanted to do. It is great for learning how to burnish and improving on individual colors and features of the face, however, a host of other techniques outside of burnishing are not much mentioned. I would not recommend this book for beginners learning to draw but rather artists already familiar with the basics who want to pick up another medium. Of the 12 or so colored pencil books I've read, this is definitely in my top two.
........2002-06-20
"People who thought they couldn't draw - but after learning from this book the work was pro quality. " This reviewer has managed to stuff portraiture into a neat little shake and bake package.
Of course their art would look "pro" if a teacher is behind you correcting each line out of place! However,creating portraits of people, by yourself is something which requires practice, hundreds and hundreds of hours. I don't think it is fair to say that this book will make beginners, "pro". That is wishful thinking and a total belittlement of art! I have to agree with the first review, the art does look mediocre. It would probably suit a beginner, but obviously disappoint someone a little more skilled.
It would help if the author was a good artist........2002-03-07
I've created (and sold) countless portrait drawings and paintings through the years, and I love drawing portraits. I was expecting that with all this good feedback, this book would be something special. I was appalled.
I'm sorry, but the drawings just weren't very good. There was one portrait in particular (of a young African American boy) that was truly warped. The features mishapen, the rendering, shading and color were all off. Actually, all the artwork in this book is rather amateurish. Some of the artwork was a little better, but generally, it was decidedly mediocre. The colored pencil techniqe isn't good either. I confess that I lose respect for an art instruction book when the art examples in the book are rather bad.
And then there's the "grid" thing, which is the *only* drawing method taught in this book. Sure, it is a good learning aid, and is useful in many ways. But other drawing techniques (like freehand drawing) should be learned, so that the artist can have some measure of freedom and flexibility. The grid method is way too limiting to be used exclusively. It can almost be something like a "crutch", if an artist never moves past it. (Always having to draw those squares, squares, squares on everything! Yikes!)
That's why it's too bad that this book only covers the grid method. Most artists will discover that as their skills develop, they will eventually want to start drawing from life, (or eventually even draw things from their imagination). They'll never learn any of that from this book. Get Betty Edwards' drawing book, if you want to learn more about how to *really* draw. This book doesn't cover a fraction of it. And for colored pencil techniques, get Bet Borgeson's fabulous colored pencil books. She's absolutely marvelous.
I'm glad that this book helped other people, and I'm sure there must be something good in it (though I couldn't see where. I guess I was too blinded by the mediocre artwork). But there are FAR better drawing and colored pencil books out there.
Lee Hammond Does I t Again.......2002-01-15
If you liked her other books, you'll enjoy this Lee Hammond book dealing with colored pencil drawing. Try it, you'll like it.
Does Exactly What it Says.......2001-12-12
Ok..the previous reviewer just doesn't get what this book is about. Even professional artists often use projectors, photos, slides, etc for serious drawings and paintings. The point is not that you are copying from a photograph. The real treasure of this book is that it teaches and encourages ANYONE that they can draw well and create works of art they can be proud of. Any book that helps someone realize a dream or goal like that is a book I like whether it's copying from a photo or not.
People, especially portraits, are often perceived as being very difficult to learn but Ms. Hammond shows how using a simple medium such as colored pencil and her lessons in seeing, placement, value, edges, etc can result in very beautiful portraits worthy of framing and hanging on any wall. The first chapter demonstrates several students first attempts at a portrait and then a few weeks later their second attempted portrait of the same person. The difference between these two attempts is stunning. These people went from childlike drawings to amazing professional results. Just ordinary people. People who thought they couldn't draw - but after learning from this book the work was pro quality. THAT is what really makes this book worth 5 stars. The fact that it uses photographs to teach portraiture is incidental.
Customer Reviews:
Not just stuff to look at.......2007-03-07
I like this book, it is small and easy to carry around. Each artist shows how they come up with these creative portraits. They show how they take images from several photos to create one unique work of their own. They show up close detail, so you can see how that particular technique looks up close. They give you a list of the colors they are using for the portrait in detail. For example, a list of colors used for the eyes, skin, hair, etc. I like looking at the final works, they are inspiring, especially Vera's. She did a piece based on her overcoming breast cancer. It's amazing.
Average customer rating:
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Quick Portrait Sketches for Profits and Fun 3 Steps Secrets of the Trade for Beginning or Advanced Artist
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Plastic Comb
 Study & Teaching
| Reference
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Pencil
| Drawing
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Colored Pencil
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Portraits
| Painting
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Themes
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0978776410 |
Book Description
Are you an artist and don't know it, or you know it and really want to show it? Quick sketches garners fast cash in a wide open market, such as courtrooms where photography is not permissable, country fairs, shopping malls, flea markets, art exhibits, relatives, friends, neighbors, and of course on the internet just to name a few. The list of potential customers is infinite.
Speaking of images, this word expresses precisely the essence of the art of quick sketching like no other can, in that portrait sketching is all about capturing a discernable likeness of the subject in lieu of an exact photographic imagery.
This publication rather than espousing theoretic jargon, historical contents, and complicated techniques, takes a simple direct hands on approach with innovative methods that guarantees to produce quick and professional results. I
Its contents reveals in condensed form the secrets and applicable techniques of quick sketching, developed from decades of successful experiences by the artist and author. Benjamin Jackson, is an artist of international repute as painter, illustrator, designer, and teacher his repertoire is prolific in each category. So much for the formalities as previously promised to avoid rhetorical redundancy, lets get busy the very moment this standing or lay flat portable combo book and easel is in your hands, which includes: (1)PRERENDERED SKETCHES IN BLACK AND WHITE AND ETHNICALLY TINTED PAPER. (2) CHARCOAL PENCILS IN WHITE AND BLACK. (3) FLAT KNEADED ERASER (4) STUMP FOR SHADING. (5) 12 BLANK TINTED PRACTICE SHEETS. (6) TRANSPARENT WIPE CLEAN VISUALZATION PRACTICE SHEETS.
Customer Reviews:
BAD CHOICE!.......2007-02-13
This is a poor excuse for a book! It has a couple of pages of [...] "how to draw a head" instructions. The rest of the book is just sketches of portraits. You could get a MUCH better book than this to learn portrait drawing. Save your money! I sent mine back for a refund!
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What's in a Chinese Character
250 Essential Chinese Characters for Everyday Use, Vol. 1
A Chinese Character A Day Practice Pad: Volume 1
Chinese Characters for Beginners (Book & CD-ROM)
Fun With Chinese Characters Volume 2
