_{Prices indicated are as marked on my copy. Actual price may vary a lot with edition and reseller.}

TRADITIONAL ART or DIGITAL ART > DRAWINGS > PEOPLE



Kimonos and Gowns (How To Draw Manga Costume Encyclopedia Volume 4) by Hikaru Hayashi
_{240 pages, b&w, $29.99}


The series "How to Draw Manga" has a reputation for mediocrity that is somewhat deserved. I had to flip through almost the entire collection to spot a handful that were worth it, and those are REALLY worth it. Kimono and Gowns sounds like a volume with an awfully specific target, but in his efforts to teach people everything they could possibly want to know about drawing characters wearing Japanese dress or Western formal wear, Hayashi created an awesome general reference for drawing clothing, even for illustrators who have nothing to do with the manga style.

Chapter 1 is 150 pages dedicated to the kimono. I never thought my ethnographic fashion research would be served so thoroughly by a book with such an unrelated purpose. Absolutely nothing is left out. First, Kimono Basics goes through the complete anatomy and accessories of wearing kimono of all kinds, for all occasions, by men and women. The info tends to be scattered throughout the chapter so you don't get it all in a single logical sequence, but the detail of it is overwhelming. Assorted Actions While Wearing a Kimono is more than the average illustrator will ever need to know about making characters in kimono move (unless you're working on a comic set in traditional Japan!), but the abundant diagrams, abundantly annotated, point out details of cloth and fold behaviour that are valid for all types of clothing, in all styles. The section on wielding weapons is much appreciated as well, and I almost cried at the detailed, fully illustrated descriptions of Japanese dress for weddings, festivals, mourning, priest robes, ... Accessories (obi, purses, footwear) and hairdos are described, both traditional and West-inspired. It doesn't end there, as there is then an overview of period costumes (and hairdos) for different social classes and professions, info which is really hard to find otherwise – we usually only see the "classic" kimono and certainly not the outfit of carpenters or fortunetellers from a few centuries ago (yes, samurai are shown as well. No armor though). This part is of course very targeted info, but we move on then to Chapter 2.

Gowns, in this context, refer to Western-style dresses as worn in Japan. The author classifies them into 3 basic shapes (triangular, straight and bell-shaped silhouettes) and from there goes on to illustrate how the behave, comparatively, in the same situations covered in the kimono chapter. The contents of this chapter is more directly useful to illustrators, given the generic nature of the gowns. The comparative approach to the 3 silhouettes is really helpful, even offering insights into what one can or cannot do in a given dress (I seriously think he dressed a model into each and observed how it dictated her movements or not). The section on bridal gowns was unexpected and the cherry on the cake. Trains, veils, rear designs, necklines, back, sleeves, gloves, shoes, hairstyles, even bouquet shapes are illustrated. It made me want to draw brides just for the heck of it. Men's formalwear is also treated, albeit very summarily, but that's covered more extensively in another volume I will review next time.

In short, although I have no interest in manga at all, I found it insanely rich both for illustration and as a reference for Japanese dress, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either (provided you're already comfortable drawing the human figure).

DESIGN AND INTERFACE > GAME DESIGN



From Myst to Riven The creations and inspirations by Richard Kadrey
_{127 pages, full color, $45.00}


Every time I go through this book I get a painful feeling at the pit of my stomach. The "I want to do something so cool so bad it hurts" type of feeling. Almost 15 years after its first release (I'm showing my age there), the creativity that went into the game Myst is still an inspiration, its graphics now looking slightly rough, but by no means outdated. What game design lover wouldn't have loved to be on that creative team? At least we can dive into the process as narrated in this volume, from the first idea for the world of Myst, through the construction of the game – both games, actually, since its sequel Riven is also covered. Screenshots, concept art and excerpts of Atrus' book bring every page to life. I'd completed both games in my days but I learned quite a few things about the story background here: mini-chapters focus on certain aspects of the fantasy world, such as the D'ni art of bookmaking, the symbolism of the number 5, even D'ni grammar! Other inserts are anecdotal, for instance the team's favorite comments received about the game. Mostly though it's the visuals. The book is unusually large, and so are the images, sucking you into the gorgeous island worlds. I absolutely love the annotated machine sketches and maps, the quest for textures and lighting, the creature designs... well, everything. It's inspiration on acid! The price makes it more in the coffee table range, but those who'd really enjoy it know themselves.

TRADITIONAL ART > CALLIGRAPHY



Libres et Egaux Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme by Denise Lach
_{124 pages, full color, EUR25.00}


There is ornamental calligraphy, which is basically using calligraphy to write something beautifully, and then there's calligraphy as an art form, but it would take too many words to define what can be instantly recognized in Denise Lach's masterpiece. Libres et Egaux is in French and unfortunately untranslatable, but I just had to bring it to the attention of another part of the public.

The title means "free and equal", because this is a calligraphied rendition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: one article, one composition. But it is not about spelling out each article beautifully, which would merely look nice at first and quickly get old. Using a wide array of styles and techniques (tools and materials are revealed at the end of the book), the artist managed to express the contents of each article with nothing but the written word and (sometimes) an abstract use of color. Often the word can no longer be read, becoming pure expression: the 50 compositions are as many exemples, for the amateur calligrapher, of how to break out of conventional calligraphy. It is also evident she has studied and absorbed the essence of other traditions, noteably from the Far and Middle East, to enrich her own. Flipping through leaves me with the impression I have just seen the voices (oxymoron intended) of many people from many parts of the world – how appropriate, given the subject!

Considering its price and language, the book is probably only accessible to a small niche of avid calligraphers or calligraphy lovers. Alas!

ARTISAN CRAFTS > TEXTILES



World Textiles A visual guide to traditional techniques by John Gillow
_{240 pages, 778 illustrations of which 551 are in color, £18.95}


I had no particular interest in textiles until my collecting of traditional handicrafts during my travels led me to pick up some made by various tribes, creating instant fascination. There was a whole new world for me, and while I started recognizing particular touches, I couldn't fathom the technical aspect. In parallel, I was researching ethnic dress and frequently came across descriptions of textiles that didn't ring any bells. And then I found this wonderful book... Every kind of textile ever made on the planet is covered. The eight sections cover respectively: Materials (from skin to leaf fibres), non-loom textiles (crochet, braids, lace...), Loom-woven textiles (from tabby weave to tablet weaving), Dyes (meaning dyeing techniques such as wax-resist, etc), Sewing (sewed ornaments such as appliqué, etc), Embroidery (different types of stitches) and Embellishment (from metal thread to feathers). The table of contents alone is breathtaking, and the book then proceeds with abundant illustrations taken from around the globe. Each spread treats of one technique, and along with the photos is a diagram that explains better than 1000 words the technical aspect, for instance the relationship between weft and warp in loom-woven textiles. The publication is both beautiful and enlightening, an exploration of techniques but also of cultural preferences, and a source of inspiration for textiles artists and fashion designers as well as fantasy world-builders. One only regrets that only one spread is dedicated to each technique, but let's be fair: the book achieves exactly what it meant to achieve, and that's over 100 techniques – taking up more space would make it of another scope and budget. It's surprisingly affordable for such an all-inclusive, richly illustrated volume. And I now feel a lot less dumb on the subject of textiles.

ARTISAN CRAFTS > PAPERS ARTS



Papermaking Techniques Book Over 50 techniques for making and embellishing handmade paper by John Plowman
_{128 pages, full color, $22.99}


I don't make paper often myself, but this seems to be the papermaking book to end all, seeing the number of techniques not only to make it, but also to adorn and experiment with the finished product, truly pushing the technique into art.

Owning a papermaking kit is useful, but the book gives detailed, step-by-step instructions to make a mold and deckle from easily procurabel materials or objects (such as picture frames). This is followed by the papermaking section, the longest in the book, beginning by making pulp from three sources: recycled paper (from home scraps), part-processed fibers (from a specialized papermaker) and plant fibers (from nature). Sheet forming, couching, pressing/drying are described, again step-by-step, using different methods, making it easy to adapt to available equipment or the fancy of your imagination.
More advanced techniques are then tackled: making laminated paper (thicker and stronger), embedded or embossed papers, watermarks, casting (from clay, plaster or readymade molds) and still-life relief.
The next section is about using color with your homemade paper: by dyeing the pulp (again in a variety of easily-arranged ways, like using frozen berries!) or painting it. The final section deal with dry paper, in other words paper-based decorative techniques – stencil, batik, monoprint, marbling, embossing and many more.

All along, the book is strewn with highly creative or even conceptual pieces of paper art relevant to the technique being epxlained. It's amazing how such simple basics can be built up to obtain such stunning results, that are not to be used in another project but final pieces in themselves! Because the author takes us through the entire gamut of making paper, from the very basics (paper to make art) to the material's ultimate achievement (paper being art), I feel I'll never need another book on papermaking. Of course, if I did this in depth, I might feel differently about it, but for someone who only needs to make paper occasionally, it's a prime choice of a reference: extensive, clear and affordable.

Previous issues: vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4



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