Chris Craft Reviews

Byrne provides a good introduction to the four major groups of printing techniques -- relief (woodblock, linocut, etc.), intaglio (etching, aquatint, engraving, and so on), lithography and screenprinting -- briefly describing their history, mechanics and characteristic effects. If you are interested in fine prints, this book will give you the vocabulary, although you really have to see some of the techniques in action to understand how they work.

Text is a small portion of the book, which is largely devoted to contemporary prints themselves, with commentary from some of the printers. The book is *not* a general survey of contemporary fine prints, however. Instead, the book seems to have been conceived as a collaboration between Guild.com (an Internet retailer of fine and decorative art) and several of the contemporary fine print publishers who make their work available through Guild (as well as through more traditional distribution channels). Printmakers who do not sell through Guild are not represented, and artists who work on their own (typically in woodblock or linocut, which do not require a press) are similarly excluded. Even so, many of the finest printmakers in the US are included, and the quality and variety of the work displayed is stunning. Color reproduction is quite good, although not perfect.

The mass production of this text serves as an aesthetic nurturing for the starving art enthusiasts of our time. Clement Greenberg and Susan Sontag would vehemently disapprove. Byrne sheds light on the multi-valent reality of the collaborative process. Printmaking has never been so sexy. I highly recommend this book.

I was excited to see this book when it first came out. Read it the same day and had mixed thoughts. It is useful if you have never made a mold... but helpless if you have moderate to high experience. It is visually layed out better than anything else out there... and I keep it on the shelf for student reference. If you teach ceramics, keep it around. If you are seeking to learn mold making...it is just one of many books that you will need to peice together the real information that you will need to be a confident mold maker.

Michael Joy
chicagomoldschool.com

This well thought out guide gets right to work explaining in clear, concise steps how to construct various types of clay molds. From basic one-piece molds to complex multi-piece molds, Clayton describes their design, construction, and infinite utility. The book is loaded with excellent color and black and white photographs. Some depict the tools and process. Others show a magnificent sampling of finished products. This guide can take the average pot-throwers hobby to the next level. Makes a pretty decent coffee table book too. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Author Pierce Clayton and Editor Chris Rich have assembled instructions, guidelines and black/white assembly illustrations to make both plaster and rubber molds. Eye appeal in the form of dashingly colorful photos of ceramics of many accomplished artists is also included. His easy-to-follow instructions and pictures have answered every question I had about making plaster molds. I do have one suggestion: trying to keep your copy clean with a plastic book cover might be a good idea!

I am extremely disappointed with this book. I bought it because I thought it would provide more ideas for "Jewelry Making"-it did not. When this book arrived, I had been working with polymer clay for 4 days and I learned nothing from the book that I had not figured out for myself, with the exception of how to make weird naked women from clay-not quite was a looking for.A waste of [money].

If you want to learn to make canes this is your Bible. It is not limited to cane but its step by step guide to all the different types is terrific. I must look at it several times a week. Love it.

This book has been around a while, and for a good reason. It's one of the best books for learning polymer clay techniques like millefiori and bead making.

Even complex techniques are well explained here. The gallery of pictures is inspiring. If you have to get one book, this is definitely one that will start you off right and be worth keeping.

Warning: this is a very FUN craft and can be quite addictive. Fortunately, there are lots of uses for polymer clay, like beads, buttons, hair clips, decorated boxes and much more.

I was so happy when I got this book as I have been restoring a couple Chris's for the last several years. But was dissapointed after thumbing through it. There a very few pictures of the different models, infact the illustrator seems to have used the same 4 boats throughout the whole text, with slight exception. The history material is excellent dry reading witha lot of facts most people are unaware of. Every model is listed in the book but sometimes so briefly the reference has no value. All Chris Craft owners should have this on their coffee table or aboard their boat.

The legend of Chris craft is a masterpiece by both the author and publisher that should be made available to our all of our citizens.

The problem as I see it,is, its a best kept secret,not enough marketing,even long time Chris Craft owners do not know of its existence.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in historly of this legenday American boat builder. Chocked full of details about the company and the boats.

While beautiful this book was a disappointment and and the title misleading. We are sending it back.It is limited to cardboard puzzles, many of which are a "dime a dozen". The most highly valued, most complicated and sought after puzzles, solid wood and plywoood, are not included.

If Amazon offered EIGHT stars, this would be the book that would do it. The 500 plus puzzles shown, are simply gorgeous in full color and provide a vehicle for the true purpose of the book - a presentation of beautiful paintings as expressed on puzzles. The informative and fascinating artist biographies and collecter's value guide make this the perfect book for puzzle collectors and art lovers, alike. I was delighted by this wonderful book and find it brings more enjoyment everytime I open it.

Not just for puzzle fans! A stunning presentation - famous and not famous, new and familiar art as represented in jigsaw puzzles over the years. Presented with tidbits of information scattered throughout the book, it's a pleasure to hold, to handle and to browse. I intended to buy just one for a puzzle fan friend, but now I find that I want to keep the copy I have and am buying another to give away. And, if you have any old puzzles in the attic - check it out! They may be more than lovely to look at - they may be worth something too! Beautifully indexed and edited - a real pleasure.

Out of all the works on classic watercraft I have purchased, this is my favorite. Savage displays the Chris-Craft runabouts and utilities not usually seen in the other books (e.g., an inspiring '53 18' Sportsman). Very good in concept, design and execution, this read won't have you guessing as to what your next favorite antique and classic Chris-Craft will be.

Compared to the Rodengen Legend of CC book this one has a great variety of pictures of many models. Even Kit boats. Its not as big but then again not as expensive either. I am very happy to have another excellent CC book for the coffee table of my boat.

This is a nice, compact, book on face painting. It briefly covers materials, equipment, and technique before showing you a nice variety of face-painting ideas. The directions for achieving each look, while not detailed, are sufficient to create the desired effect. Wonderful for Halloween ideas.

For ten years, I've been painting faces for carnivals, parties, Halloween - you name it - this book can take rank beginners and allow them to paint very professional looking faces. The instructions are easy to follow, and elaborate on multiple techniques, including sponging and using different brush tips to achieve different effects. I highly recommend it - a word of caution- use only high quality face paints as they cover and blend better than the cheapos! Enjoy!

The ideas for art projects here really do take about five minutes to prepare, which is a blessing if you've ever spent more time setting up an art project than a child actually spent doing it! Many of the projects are original, some are fresh variations of more familiar techniques. This is a good reference for teachers, parents, and anyone who works with children, especially at this price. Another good point about the ideas is that they are easily adaptable for a wide variety of ages, from preschool to elementary age children. Good for rainy days activities, birthday parties or presents, and any day you need a quick, easy, and fun art project that turns out well.

I bought this book to use with my School Age Child Care Program. The children have loved doing the projects. Don't let the title fool you, the art ideas take longer than five minutes to complete. As one reviewer already stated, these projects only take five minutes to set up. The book is divided into four sections: print, glue, scissors, paint. I am really happy with this purchase!

Rodale Press, Inc. must have hit a home run with this one, since it is currently out of stock. I borrowed my copy from the public library. Anyway, it is a helpful little volume, lavishly illustrated, with very well written instructions that can be read by even the most artistically challenged among us (I'm thinking mostly of myself!). I picked up this book at the library just to see if there was anything I could do with all those hundreds of pine cones that are still accumulating in my backyard. I was not disappointed. Now if I could just summon the courage to actually try some of the projects suggested here...

I really was more than pleased with this book. It contained so many innovative and creative ideas to use in smocking. Most smocking books contain the usual baby and childen's clothing along with other heirloom items. I teach English Smocking and use this book as a resource for all my classes. It gives people great ideas to build on and many of them can be used for ADULT garments which won't look like maternity clothes. I get new ideas every time I go back to it. It's only drawback is not using more creative fabrics and colors, but if you can get past that, the ideas are refreshing. I recommend it highly.