Elizabeth Wilson is one of our most radical cultural critics. In Cultural Passions she transcends the division between lsquo;highrsquo; and lsquo;lowrsquo; culture; exploring the emotional commitment people bring to the books; performances; objects and rituals in which they find meaning and challenging an enduring suspicion of the pleasure of the aesthetic. Ranging from Marcel Proust to tarot readings; from urban planning to interiors; Elizabeth Wilson investigates an underlying Puritanism in critical commentary on matters as wide ranging as Roger Federer and C S Lewis; Surrealism and fashion and the relationship of religion to fan culture. She questions why pleasure appears suspect; even as consumer society incites it and turns life into entertainment. She questions why there is such fear of elitism when at the same time the fans of mass culture are held in contempt. Subverting conventional views; her oblique point of view provides startling insights on both familiar and marginal cultural experiences.
#263243 in eBooks 2014-07-01 2014-07-01File Name: B00N7J22Z2
Review
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful. Even more fantastic dragons!By Neko-sanDragonArt Evolution expands on the previous book from J. "NeonDragon" Peffer; DragonArt; giving a full treatment to the art of drawing dragons. As in her previous book; she provides a plethora of easy to follow step-by-step instructions with her inspiring art. This is an amazing book for anyone who loves dragon-inspired art; or wants to create their own dragon artwork.This book is divided as follows:Introduction- How To Use The Book- Dragon Basic Shapes- Dragon Shading and 3-D Effects- Perspective and Overlap- Color And Pattern ConsiderationsPart 1: Dragon Anatomy and Equipment- Eyes- Overbite Jaw- Underbite Jaw- Beak Jaw- Ears- Horns- Dragon Wings- Scales- Dragon Limbs- Dragon Bridles and SaddlesPart 2: Dragon Demonstrations- Dragon Head Shapes- Dragon Expressions- Medieval Dragons- Lung Dragons- Dragon Hatchlings- Fairy Dragon- Sea Dragon- Dragon Lich- Feathered Dragon- Mesoamerican Dragon- Dragon Rider- Dragon SceneThe sections in the Introduction were repeated from the first DragonArt book; with the exception of Color And Pattern Considerations. In contrast; Part 1 is much elaborated and detailed than similar sections in the before mentioned book. However; Part 2 is the best part of this book; with page after page full of tutorials about drawing dragons. Here you will learn how to draw all sort of dragons; showing dragon heads from front; side and 3/4 view; and full dragon views. I also found the Dragon Scene section to be interesting albeit short; providing an overview on how the scenes found in this book were painted digitally.There should be plenty of dragons for every one in this book. However; 144 pages were not enough for me; but that is because I can never get enough from J. Peffers artwork.Other books from J. Peffer include:DragonArt: How to Draw Fantastic Dragons and Fantasy CreaturesDragonArt Fantasy Characters: How to Draw Fantastic Beings and Incredible Creatures5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. this is the oneBy markitectI am a professional illustrator. I have a lot of dragon drawing and dragon art books I use for reference. Most of them are "example" books where the artists shows you start to finish how they draw and paint a single image. Those are good; but this book offers much clearer "how-to" instruction; both traditional and digital in drawing AND coloring. In addition; a huge variety of types and sizes of dragons are provided. It is nice to see a book that "over-delivers" and where the artwork and color work is of such clear quality. ( No muddy artwork here!) Kudos to the "Neon Dragon" :)My recommendation: If you want to learn to draw dragons; This is the book to start with... Then you can move on to others.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Now THIS is how to draw dragons!By J. FELLAI bought this book and "Drawing Dragons" by Sandra Staple at the same time; so Ill mention comparisons between the two here. First off; this book is excellent overall. They give you a ton of ideas for different types of dragon heads; and from different positions. Want ears; horns; wings; various types of scales; choices of limbs or horns/fins? Its all in here. I will say that Sandra Staples book does give more options for how to add details to your dragon. Lots of different tails; horn/fin options; markings; etc. I think that is where the other book excels just a bit more.This book comes out on top with the gorgeous digital coloring; which I prefer. The other book has mostly drawings and I think is colored with colored pencils; so it doesnt jump off the page as much. This book also gives more distinct varieties of heads and head types. Of course there are pictures of whole dragon bodies in various positions and actions; as well as ages.If you want to learn how to draw dragons; you need this book. Period. And if you got both this one and DragonArt; I cant imagine you would be unable to create just about any type of dragon imaginable. Get drawing!
