Foundations of Drawing by Al Gury

When looking for an art book I look for tips on how to improve my drawing and how to improve my practice time.  Keeping in mind I’m a novice at best.  I was surprised by the historical information this book provided, it tied in well with a class I had taken in college called the History of Art.  With this book, I could refresh a lot of interesting facts I had forgotten or was not aware of.  The book contains a wide variety of full color reproductions of art work throughout history.  The book does go into great detail on the technical aspect of drawing, a key area I was most interested in.  Explaining different drawing techniques and proving tips.  What was missing or should have had more of was the step by step illustrations to practice one’s own skills. Being a beginner, I was not able to complete but the first few chapters.  There is a lot of information that can be accessed from reading this book. The detailed description of the drawing tools is helpful for a beginner.  The technical method in the remaining part of the book is more towards the experienced artist.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  

Braving It by James Campbell

 

As the world continues to shrink and technology takes over almost every part of our lives, it is good to know there are parts of the world that remain unchanged.  In this book, the author tells of his adventures in the untamed wilderness of Alaska.  That itself would be an adventure more than anyone could imagine but he also brings along his teenage daughter.  While this is a coming to know yourself and your child story it also brings in other aspects of life through the eyes of a young female teenager.  Many of the things us assume or take for granted we can now see through a teenager’s eyes, a different and younger view of life.  An adventure like this you would think would be a once in a life time experience but father and daughter take a total of three trips in the remote parts of Alaska.  As the adventures continue to unfold you get to see the changes in both the father and daughter through each trip.  With little to no technological distractions the ability to talk and depend on each other is critical for one’s survival.  It is unfortunate not all teenagers are given the chance to see the world unspoiled by human’s and how nature truly is meant to be like.    

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.