A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Art Books

The Illustration Idea Book

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Raincoast FTC

Just think for a minute how helpful it would be to have a guide walking you through the types of illustrations you need for a your book, or project. Today I reviewing a helpful book called The illustration idea Book. A fascinating look into the why and how of illustrations from around the world. 

Illustration Idea book, review image

What I am Reviewing

The illustration idea book: inspiration from 50 masters serves as an introduction to the key elements of good illustration.  This simply done up book presents 50 different approaches by illustration masters from all over the world.  

Seven themes covered include creating characters, symbol and metaphor, illustrated lettering, inventing worlds, and caricature.  This results in an accessible, inspiring guide helping you to use professional techniques to illustrate your materials. 

Put together by Steven Heiler and Gail Anderson, The illustration idea book: inspiration from 50 Masters is a trade paperback of 128 pages.  This book design guide helps you gain skills to help you in illustration and graphic design. Published by Laurence King Publishing, I am reviewing it on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

Illustration Idea Book

The Details about The Illustration Idea Book

The Illustration Idea Book contains seven themes.

  1. Play with Lettering (six examples)
  2. Create Characters (nine examples)
  3. Invent new Worlds (seven examples)
  4. Experiment with Caricature (seven examples)
  5. Transform Cliches (seven examples)
  6. Use symbol and metaphor (ten examples)
  7. Visualize Data (four examples)
Illustration idea book

Each new theme is introduced by blue pages that list the theme and the masters that you’ll be learning from.   There is no explanation about what each of these sections concerns beyond what you can infer from the title. 

illustration idea book sample page

Each lesson by a master includes a one page write up with an illustration to go with it.  In the write up the master will give an explanation about the illustration provided.  The master will then explain why it was created and what the illustration is all about. 

The illustration idea book, reference
The illustration idea book -sample page

Thoughts/Recommendations

The Illustration Idea Book encourages graphic designer to think outside the box (and sometimes within it) in order to create just the right image.  It’s not really for the beginner student, more for the advanced student who has some skill but needs to refine them.   There are no direct walk-throughs, you’ll find explanations as to the why behind each illustration. 

I personally think it’s very interesting reading about the hows and whys, seeing the thought behind the creation. It is difficult to say how helpful it would be to illustrators though. 

I would suggest that it’s at least worth a look through.  It’s good to be inspired by the thoughts and creations of others Seeing where that will take you is such an interesting process. How it will influence your future efforts, I really couldn’t tell you.  🙂

disclosure

The New Jumbo Book of Easy Crafts

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Looking for easy to make crafts for a variety of ages?   Enter in The New Jumbo Book of Easy Crafts.  150 crafts of a wide variety to entertain and educate the children and youth in your life. 

The New Jumbo Book of Easy Crafts give you over 150 crafts to choose from.   With clear step-by-step instructions, crafts organized into four themed sections, and detailed colourful illustrations, even the littlest hands can make a big impression. 

Four sections divide up the 150 crafts provided in this book.

  • Imagine and Create
  • Wear and Use
  • Make and Play
  • Decorate and Celebrate

Imagine and Create contains crafts such as wiggling caterpillar, egg-cup chick and rock painting.   

Wear and Use gives us pasta jewelry, magic wands and decorated baskets. 

Make and Play gives us sock sacks, marble mazes, puzzles, folded frog puppets and much more. 

Decorate and Celebrate allows us to make decorated eggs, doily angels, paper cutouts and party favours. 

Clear materials lists and instructions makes the completion of each craft a breeze.  The full colour pictures put words into image helping to reinforce each step to the completion of a successful craft. 

Clear materials lists and instructions makes the completion of each craft a breeze.  The full colour pictures put words into image helping to reinforce each step to the completion of a successful craft. 

My Thoughts

I like this book!  The sheer variety of crafts available and the ease of use make this book a keeper in my eyes.  Judy Ann Sadler did an excellent job of putting these crafts together, and Caroline Price’s illustrations brought it all very much to life.   The only thing I would have liked would have been to see actual photographs of the finished craft. 

Crafts that I want to do… button puppy!  It’s too cute!  Bead buddies intrigues me for a doll class I still want to teach.  The Pom-pom bear would just be fun to give a try to, brings back memories of games I used to play with my lad. 

50 Toys to Make

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50 Toys to make is an older book I pulled off my shelf the other day.  I’m still flirting with the idea of teaching a class for older children to make gifts for younger ones in their families.   Or even items that maybe I can make and sell as gifts. I dunno, mostly for a class idea though.  🙂  

50 Toys to Make

Anyways, it’s a good book filled with techniques and step by step instructions to help you (or a child) be successful.   Starting off with a page talking the different materials you’ll be using, with helpful hints.  For instance I learned when working with Balsa wood it’s a good idea to wear a mask since it produces a fine dust it’s best not to be breathing in. There were also equipment and technique pages as well.  These pages came with text and full colour images to help you see what is being discussed.

50 toys to makeOne of the things I really liked was the inclusion of templates printed on graph paper.  This makes it cost-effective to include in a book as well as making it easy to expand them as needed to make the project. 

The crafts are divided into four sections to make it easier to find what you are looking for:

  • The Nursery
  • Early Learning 
  • Dolls, puppets and soft toys
  • Games and Outdoor fun

Each project comes with a materials list as well as step by step instructions to easily complete the project.

50 toys to makeSome of the projects are making a flower power cushion, a jack in the box, Activity blanket, sunny flower blackboard, rag doll, and character Skittles.  So many projects… so little time!  All kinds of ways to make like fun and interesting for children. 

My thoughts:

I like this book. 🙂  If I didn’t it wouldn’t still be on my shelf after my massive cull in the spring!   I love the step by step instructions which make it easy, even for me to complete the projects.   The variety in the 50 projects presented keeps me interested, I never thought of making a game out of old pop bottles before. Did you?

50 Toys to Make, book cover

 

 

50 Toys to Make: Fun & Practical projects to make for babies and children.
Petra Boash
Acropolis Books
Hardcover, 96 pages
Toys, DIY, crafts

Observe, Collect, Draw

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Observe, Collect, Draw is a journal to help you learn more about yourself (by collecting data) in order that you may become more connected to who you are.  Doing this will enable you to be the creative, talented person that you are.    So if you are an artist, or writer, or sculptor, you can bring forth your talents more easily.  🙂  This is my review. 

Observe, Collect, Draw - a visual journal

From the back cover:

A guided journal with a fresh approach to the trend of journal-as-tool-for-self-examination. The journal is delightfully illustrated in the authors’ trademark style-accessible, whimsical, detailed. Blending inspiring examples with engaging instruction, this journal asks: What do we learn about ourselves when we measure our gratitude, confidence, and distraction levels? What do our collections say about who we are: our books, music, the clothes we wear? Observe, Collect, Draw! functions as a mini-course in information design, as accessible to beginners as it is engaging to seasoned info designers.

Observe, Collect, Draw - a visual journal

The Nitty Gritty

Three main Sections to this journal

Part one: learning to see.  This is where you overcome your fear of the blank page while learning more about using the data you have as material. 

Part two: Observing, Collecting, Drawing.   Immersing yourself in the world of data by following guided exercises to observe, acknowledge, count and draw.

Part three: Crafting your visual language.  You’ll find open ended ideas for drawing with the data you have collected, following your own rules and using your own style.   Your work, done your way, using your own style and rules. 

Observe, Collect, Draw - a visual journalThroughout the pages you will find whimsical drawings starting with learning what Data is.  Data is simply getting the math about the things that are in your life: plants, people, food, events, interactions, it’s all just data.  It tells us who we are and what we do.  What’s important to us is shown to us in the data we collect about our lives. 

You can then take that data and turn it into a useful form.

Like when a person enjoys a beautiful sunset and takes those colours and turns into a painting, necklace or rug. 

The goal of this journal is to help you figure out what the data is in your life, so that you can in turn take that data and be the artist you are meant to be. To that end, guided exercises are given to help you collect data. 

For instance, grab up your camera/phone.  Take a look at the pictures that are on it.  Now map out what’s on it, animals could be blue, people red, houses orange… Whatever.  Just map it out.  Colour code and use dots and shadings to show connections.   This gives you data. 

Observe, Collect, Draw - a visual journalYou not only look at the good things of your life, but you also get into the harder things in life, like figuring out what makes you complain.  What you complain about?  Who do you complain to?   It’s all data. 

Observe, Collect, Draw - a visual journalThe more you document your life, the more data you can mine, which gives you more information you can turn into artistic endeavors.  Once you have worked your way through all 35 exercises, you are invited to then draw.  First you analyze the data you have collected, find the stories of your life, then experiment with how those stories look using colour, lines, images, and before you know it you have a data image.  Once you have that, you work your way through 12 additional exercises, or if you will, drawing prompts.

These drawing prompts include things like the animals you see, your holiday souvenir, your family, small talk, social media and more. 

My Thoughts:

I wasn’t too sure about this book when I first got it.  It’s like HUH?   I’m supposed to examine my life so that it makes my art better?  Who in the world has time for that?!?!?!?  But as I went through it, it started to make sense.  The more you know about yourself and the way you put things together, the more you can bring yourself out in the art that you produce.  It’s not a bad thing that, is it?  

Is it worth getting?  I think so. It’s good to stop and think about the things you do sometimes, helps a body to become more aware of personal foibles, strengths, interests they perhaps weren’t aware of, and gives ideas to talk about.. for instance today I was thinking about how much I like mint tea… making MY OWN mint tea, and then wondered if I could inspire others to like mint tea. This I thought about because of a page in this book.   Good yes?  Indeed. 

Observe, Collect, Draw - a visual journal

 

Observe, Collect, Draw! A Visual Journal.
Giorgia Lupi
Stefanie Posavec
Princeton Architectural Press
Softcover, 160 pages
Journal, Art, Self-discovery
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Other Giorgia Lupi books you might be interested in
Dear Data.
Dear Data Postcard kit.

disclosure

Things to Make and Do

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As you can see from my image, my copy of Things to Make and Do is a bit battered and stained.  Although this small book doesn’t have any many crafts in it as some do, I like it because it has projects in it that I haven’t found in most other craft/art books.  Let me take a moment to tell you about this helpful book.

Things to make and do, main image

What do you get?

Produced by Scholastic Services, this almost 80 page book contains about 40 projects.  These range in difficulty from easy (book marks) to hard (prickly vase).   Well written instructions help the maker complete their projects well. Part of the author’s goal is to help the young makers design and create projects they may be able to sell.  To that end she enclosed a small section at the close of the book to assist them in their endeavors (things to do). 

Table of contents, book things to make and do

The Nitty Gritty

Illustrator Ethel Gold provides simple drawings to guide the maker in their projects.  Some of the projects look remarkably simple, but their complexity is see as you go through the steps to make them. The projects use items often readily found around the house, I didn’t run into anything I didn’t know what it was.

Things to make and do - sample project

I have to admit, I did need to research what crafting wax is. I’d heard of it before but wasn’t sure what it looked like. Now I know more eh?

 

I mentioned a couple of the projects to my lad and he thought they sounded good to make.  “That could be helpful mom” and “do you think something like that I could sell?”   It’s good to raise an entrepreneurial lad you know?  

Things to Make and Do - sample project

This project made me think of  how my mom likes to make cards. Designing them well for each person, the pride she takes in giving something personal to others.   It’s cool to see and this project would be a good first step in helping a new generation learn the skill of card-making. 

Things to Make and Do

 

 

Things to Make and Do
Linda Beech
Ethel Gold (illustrator)
Scholastic Book Services
80 pages, softcover
Crafts, Projects, Make it
 

Hands Around the World

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Do you ever struggle with helping bring about cultural awareness?   Hands around the World is filled with 365 creative ways to help build cultural awareness in your students and to help us respect one another around the globe. There are activities for every day of the year.

hands around the world

So why am I talking about a cultural awareness book on my art day?  Well.. you see, often part of building awareness with each other is engaging in crafting or art projects with each other.  Reading the poems or seeing the crafts that people around the world make.  Whether it’s a japanese wind sock, or colouring a flag, making a puppet so you can put on a puppet show of a native story, or even making a Batwa story mouse.   There are so many ideas floating around the peoples of the world, why not build on them together?

hands around the world, contents

What do you get?

365 ideas, one for every day of the year.

Ideas vary in their ranges: recipes, stories, activities, crafts, games, physical activities, and more.

Learn new skills such a folding napkins, making a homemade toy, acting, or putting on a cultural sale.

hands around the world, ideas

My Thoughts:

I love the sheer variety of tried and tested ideas presented in this great Kids Can! Book.  Susan Milord does a great job of providing some very unique ways to help children from a variety of cultures connect with each other.  It’s good to see how other people do things, to learn their history, and to discover how we express ourselves within our cultural heritage. 

hands around the world, how to

hands around the world, book coverHands Around the World : 365 creative ways to build culture awareness & Global respect
Susan Milord
Series: Kids Can
Williamson Publishing
160 pages, softcover
Elementary, Cultural awareness, Heritage,
Art, crafts, cooking, dance, activities
Where to find.

Bright Ideas: Seasonal Activities

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I grew up with Bright Idea books floating around with things to do with children.  Published in 1984 they have been around a spell.  This particular book, Seasonal Activities, is filled with not just craft ideas, but with different things you can do with children throughout the different Seasons of the year.

Seasonal Activities by bright ideas

What do you get?

Seasonal Activities is divided into Four sections along with a reproducible materials section.  128 pages filled with over 150 activities to do for children 5 to 11. 

Each page lists the age range geared for, most often 5-9 or 7-11, with some variation, the type of activity, the size of group needed, and the supplies required.  Each activity was previously published in the Scholastic Magazine, and as such has been tried and tested.  Simple black and white illustrations dot the pages.

Seasonal Activities by bright ideas, sample page

Even though my lad is 13 years old, I found activities that I will be modifying to use over the coming year as we study Canada and the wars.  Things like travel study guides, radar mapping, cleaning barracks and more.  Do they need to be adapted sure?  It’s all part of the learning right?

Seasonal Activities table of contents

My Thoughts:

I love the sheer variety of things to do.  From kite-flying to building a collage.  There are things to delight and entertain any number of curious, creative 5-11 year olds. With some modifications, they could even be used at hands-on, stem projects for older students as well. 

seasonal activities book cover

 

Seasonal Ideas

Bright Ideas
Scholastic Publications
Softcover, ages 5-11,
crafts, activities, seasons

Found on Amazon.