Archive for the ‘Book Review’ category

Papier Mache Design Book – A Review

January 21st, 2010
Review of Papier Mache Design Book by Monique Robert

Review of Papier Mache Design Book by Monique Robert

My copy of Monique Robert’s new book, Papier-Mâché Design, arrived several days ago. I read it through in one sitting, getting up only for a few refills of coffee. I can’t wait to use some of the methods she describes.

This is definitely not for the grade-school art class–this is a serious book for people who are dedicated to creating 3-dimensional art.

I mention that right at the top of this review because most books on paper mache are written for a younger audience, and include step-by-step how-to instructions so you can make specific projects that will end up looking exactly like the ones the author made. However, Monique’s book will not show you the specifics of how she built that fantastic creature on the front of her book. She assumes the reader is a sculptor, with a mind already filled with creative ideas about projects the reader wants to build. She trusts you to absorb her methods into your own work.

Perhaps a better title for the book would have used the word “engineering,” rather than “design.” She includes unique techniques for making large, lightweight sculptures that are strong enough to hang from the ceiling or to ship to a distant gallery. Trust me–you won’t find these techniques described anywhere else. However, you’ll need to design your own sculptures.

Her techniques show you how to make your designs light and strong, but she doesn’t include actual design tips, as I understand the term.

Some of the ideas in the book that I intend to use immediately in my own future sculptures are: » Read more: Papier Mache Design Book – A Review

New Papier Mache Book – And Thoughts About Self-Publishing Full-Color Art Books

January 6th, 2010

A few months ago I told you about an artist in Canada who creates museum-quality papier mache sculptures. I also mentioned that the artist, Monique Robert, was in the process of writing a book about the unique processes she uses to create her large, lifelike sculptures. I’m happy to say her book is now available. You can order through her website at www.moniquerobertstudios.com

Papier Mache Design

Check out that dragon on the cover. Some truly amazing work is coming out of Monique’s studio, and I can’t wait to see how she does it. Her techniques for creating shapes are different from anything I’ve ever seen anyone else do.

I have not yet purchased my copy (I wanted to let you know if was available as soon as I found out) but I’ll be ordering one soon. I’ll tell you more after I’ve had a chance to read it. You can order a copy and learn more about her book through the link on her website.

Some Thoughts About Self-Publishing a Full-Color Book:

Since I can’t tell you any more about Monique’s book until I’ve had a chance to read it, this seems like a good time to talk about some of the challenges an author faces when self-publishing a full-color book. Since you’re probably an artist yourself, you may be thinking about writing a how-to book of your own (admit it — the thought has crossed your mind). If so, the info below may be of some use to you.

Jessie and I recently started our own book project, and we’ve done a lot of research into the business-end of self-publishing. We’ve discovered that many artists use self-publishing services (also called author’s services) which charge fairly high up-front fees, or they charge a high price to print each book, or both.

Once the book is printed through one of these services, it looks great — but it’s not available for distribution through large online booksellers like Amazon.com. Basically, that means that every book has to be sold from your own website, (you’d better be really good at marketing) or you have to sign up for a service like Amazon Advantage which takes a hefty commission on each sale (and you ship books to them at your expense). » Read more: New Papier Mache Book – And Thoughts About Self-Publishing Full-Color Art Books

Mixing Color–A Book Review and Short Physics Lesson

January 6th, 2010


Last week I accidentally discovered Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green, by Michael Wilcox. I ordered the book on a whim, and it has now become one of the most important resources among all the books I own on the subject of art.

I decided to write this post to tell you about the book, just in case your experience with mixing colors has been as disappointing as mine.

If you’re a professional artist who figured out color mixing years ago, this post won’t mean much to you. However, I struggled for years trying to understand why the colors I mixed for my paintings and craft projects never came out right. I was obviously doing something wrong. I now realize that I misunderstand the basic physics underlying color.

This was particularly upsetting to me because the animals I like to paint are often clothed in subtle, interesting shades that I couldn’t match on my palette.

After reading Wilcox’s book, I realize that I learned to mix colors the wrong way back in grade school. That’s when I learned that yellow and blue paint make green paint. Red and yellow make orange. Red and blue make violet.

It sounded so simple. So why couldn’t I mix these colors and make the hues I needed? » Read more: Mixing Color–A Book Review and Short Physics Lesson