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Special Book Choices For Artists

... reviewed by D'Lynn Waldron, PhD (c)03

(digital) Texturing And Painting

This is one of the best art instruction books I have ever read. The first half of this book is of great value to artists in all media, and the second half is of special value to artists who create textures to be used on 3D computer graphic images. The title of the book has 'digital' in small letters and brackets because this is a book for artists in all media.
      Demers uses his personal passion for textures to teach you how to use your eyes as an artist should. He takes examples from everything from old wood to Old Masters, to show you how to see, appreciate, create and apply textures.
      The lessons directly related to 3D are not about a specific program, but are about the creative process that goes into selecting and applying textures in any 3D project.
      The Mac/Win CD with this book is genuinely very valuable because it is filled with examples and projects, and includes the full files with all their Photoshop layers.
      Owen Demers is an art director in New York who is very involved in creating textures for 3D projects. He is a born teacher, though he has never been a teacher by profession. Let us hope he will do more books like this to instruct and inspire artists in all media.
      I would urge that the first half of this book be issued as a separate volume because it would be an enduring classic. (digital) Texturing And Painting by Owen Demers New Riders $55- 334 pages, color Illus., Mac/Win CD

Creative Thinking In Photoshop

A New Approach to Digital Art

This is a book to inspire representational fine artists with the possibilities of the digital medium using Photoshop.
      The book presents various styles of representational art and explains how to create them in Photoshop.
      The beginning chapters cover creative techniques step by step. There are some screen captures, principally showing the use of Layers. The concluding chapters tell how to output and present your artwork.
      This is a book specifically for representational fine artists who wish to explore the uses of digital technology as a medium for their art.
      Sharon Steuer has won awards for her art and for her books for artist. Creative Thinking In Photoshop: A New Approach to Digital Art by Sharon Steuer - New Riders $45- 224 pages, color illustrations

Photoshop 7 Magic

This is a very well designed instructional book that presents sixteen interesting projects using the facilities built into Photoshop.
      The a wide variety of projects achieve impressive results without the artistic training and skills necessary to create similar results using conventional media. In the process of doing these sixteen step by step projects one learns to use many of the facilities within Photoshop, with screen captures of the Photoshop controls that are large enough to be seen clearly.
      The CD contains the files to do each of the projects, plus demo versions of the programs referenced in the book. Photoshop 7 Magic by Rhoda Grossman and Sherry London with ten contributors - New Riders $45- 289 pages, color illus., Mac/WinCD

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