Picture This: How Pictures WorkRevised and Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition
Product ID: 36700173
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Molly Bang's brilliant, insightful, and accessible treatise, revised and expanded for its 25th anniversary, that helps provide clarity to the timeless question "what is art?" "A revised and expanded 25th-anniversary edition of Bang's go-to text about visual perception, or 'how pictures work,' delivers sublime design and picture-book–art commentary for readers and artists alike."— Kirkus Reviews First published in 1991, Picture This has changed the way artists, illustrators, reviewers, critics, and readers look at and understand art. In this revised and expanded edition, Bang's powerful ideas remain unparalleled in their simplicity and genius. Her thought-provoking text, brilliantly illustrated by step-by-step cut-paper illustrations of scenes from Little Red Riding Hood , includes thoughts about how the visual composition of images works to engage the emotions, and how the elements of an artwork can give it the power to tell a story. Bang asks the right questions to get your wheels turning—Why are diagonals dramatic? Why are curves calming? Why does red feel hot and blue feel cold?—while the illustrations and thoughtful designs bring the words to life.EXPLORE 12 PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL PERCEPTION: By experimenting with basic art elements (color, placement, size, shape, and space), Bang's unique and insightful work encourages you to answer one question: "How does the structure of a picture—or any visual art form—affect our emotional response?" FOR ART STUDENTS & CREATIVES OF ALL AGES: Written in an accessible and engaging style, Picture This has opened a window of understanding for generations of artists. Her simple, powerful principles apply to painting, photography, graphic design, animation, and illustration of all kinds. AN ART BOOK LIKE NO OTHER: Beyond a how-to guide or art reference book, Picture This has been called a "must-have book for anyone wanting to learn or teach about art elements and principles" ( Kirkus Reviews ). It makes an imaginative and inspiring gift for any artist or loved one who is interested in design.Perfect for: Artists, educators, and readers curious about the psychology of perception, emotion, and art Gift giving for aspiring and experienced artists of all ages for birthday, holiday, art school acceptance, or graduation Fans of Molly Bang and her award-winning work, including her Caldecott Honor children's books When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry ; Ten, Nine, Eight ; and The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher Adding to a collection of art theory, design, or art history books Review: Excellent Simplification of Composition! - Breaks down a lot of the principles of effective imagery in a fantastic way! Read it for an art class and it really improved my compositions and shape language Review: clear articulation and demonstration of principles - I am a scientist and educator interested in using children’s books to help children learn science. This book does a great job of helping me think through the effectiveness of artwork in the books I review.
| Best Sellers Rank | #57,072 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #26 in Illustration and Graphic Design #39 in Arts & Photography Criticism #60 in Fashion History |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,346 Reviews |
P**R
Excellent Simplification of Composition!
Breaks down a lot of the principles of effective imagery in a fantastic way! Read it for an art class and it really improved my compositions and shape language
G**N
clear articulation and demonstration of principles
I am a scientist and educator interested in using children’s books to help children learn science. This book does a great job of helping me think through the effectiveness of artwork in the books I review.
L**A
Gem of a book but I think I got a used copy
This is a wonderful design book. 10 stars for the simple explanations, the accompanying illustrations really help with understanding the concepts. This is the kind of book I'll buy copies of as gifts, but not lend out my own copy. I'm going through art school and can definitely see myself reading this book over and over again to continually remind myself of these core principles. I took off 1 star because the copy I got was dirty (crusty stuff on the back cover and dusty smears on some of the pages), there's a small tear in the front cover, and the binding was poorly glued. Not sure if it was a return or if it was just poorly handled in storage. Either way I was disappointed in the overall condition of this otherwise beautiful book. I'm considering returning it for a fresh copy and if so will update this review.
A**R
Exceptional analysis in simple terms
If you like making things, especially making pictures, this book by the marvelous Molly Bang will help you look at shapes and colors and placement in a clear and powerful way. It encourages you to experiment too, and all you need is construction paper and scissors. An excellent book for artists and storytellers, and for people trying to cope with strong emotion.
A**R
The Hardcover version is wonderful
This delightful thoughtful book is just as fun for an artist as it is for non artists. It makes a wonderful gift and provides excellent ideas for discussion with others about visual meaning , design elements and our Individual response. I have already gifted it a friend outside the visual arts field and plan to gift it To other book loving friends in the future. It is inviting and one wants to open it a take a look right away. I highly recommend this book for a wide range of individuals and ages. When Covid season passes I hope to enjoy this book in person with my grandchildren and use the discussions to explore The many Caldecott award books we collectively own.
L**Z
Quick read about meaning in visual arts. Very good approach and explanation.
Very well structured way of getting through the idea of meaning in the creation of visual works of art. Good resource for someone teaching teenagers.
C**H
The Bible of reading art!
This book explains, clearly and precisely, how the human brain is wired to respond to different colors and shapes in art, with simple visual aids. It was required for my M.A. in Children's Literature, and I learned more from this book about how to read a piece of art or illustration than I would have believed existed. It's simply written and reader-friendly. Anyone studying any kind of art can benefit from Molly Bang's extensive knowledge and experience.
L**7
Molly Bang Picture This
This is the Queen of books on composition that most artist don't seem to know about. It is simple and to the point. A great read.
S**6
It arrived in terrible condition.
The book after taking it out of the package is dirty and torn, it looks like someone used it for a looooong time before me... a disaster
N**E
Perfecto
El libro vino en perfectas condiciones.
J**S
Fantastic
GREAT book especially for teaching arts concepts to teens
M**R
Great!
This is the best book on picture-making and composition that I have ever read. I can't believe nobody told me about this book when I was in art school. Very comprehensive and straightforward. This is a great how-to book whether you are drawing/painting or taking photographs.
K**N
Great book to learn composition
I bought it a while ago and I love cooking at this book once in a while, also great when teaching private art lessons to students as it talks about composition in simplistic way that is easy to understand.
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