For the experienced artist, this book is fine, but not a lot new to most of us. It’s a GOOD BOOK. Some of the photos are redundant or unnecessary: a step-by-step series of how to pour print paste into a cup, add a tsp of soda ash and a tsp or dye powder and stir – really? Is there someone who can’t figure that out without 4 photos? I’m also not in high need of a half-dozen photos of a bead of product on a silkscreen, or a shot of scrubbing a stamp with a toothbrush. The disappointing part, for me, was that in some places there are pre-process or prep photos without follow-through on the finished product. I would also like to have seen a gallery of art cloth in the book, but there is none. Where shown, finished products are detail shots primarily, not providing scale or measurements. We have no idea if the photo is a shot of a 6″ swatch, or a 3′ section, so the connection to the directions is lost. It’s probably a personal thing, and doesn’t really affect the use of the book overall, but for me, is the difference between 3 stars and 5. I’m not sorry I bought it, because it’s part of my collection now, but it definitely has needs that aren’t addressed.
Rating: 3 / 5

This is a truly marvelous book. It is gorgeous,of course, with just enough beautifully-done photos of Jane Dunnewold’s and others’ pieces of complex art fabric to inspire but not so many as to overwhelm or intimidate It is well-written, and extensive beyond anything else available. Each process (dyeing,discharging,stamping & stenciling,resists (both water-based and bound), and screenprinting – plus metallic foiling & leafing)) is laid out, in an extremely clearly-written text. It is written so that you could start at the beginning and work through all the processes in order – and if you did all that, I imagine you would end up very highly-skilled indeed!

Probably most fabric artists have some level of mastery of most of the processes in the new Art Cloth: A Guide to Surface Design for Fabric, and have dozens of books covering the various techniques. I know I certainly do – and Jane Dunnewold’s earlier book, Complex Cloth, has previously been my best guide. It looks to me that with the publication of this new book, Art Cloth is now THE book to have, if you could only have one – it’s certainly the one I will keep closest at hand.

In addition to the various techniques, Jane talks about the process of creating meaningful layered cloth, and about the profound importance of “making” itself It’s not just a “step 1, step 2″ process (although the steps are all there, very clearly put forth), but a very personal & soulful journey. One of the things I love about Jane’s work is the way she layers into her cloth words, phrases, and symbols that are meaningful to her – but these phrases are obscured, like the scenery in a deep fog: you may catch only a whisper or a hint of them, or maybe none at all beyond the impression of a letter or two, but the meaning is a deep part of the piece, the part that gives it life and soul. I think of these mostly-secret messages as prayers laid into each layer of the work. More importantly, though, it remains very clear that this book will be about YOUR work, YOUR journey, YOUR mastery and application of the outlined techniques – Jane’s work is about Jane’s vision, and YOUR work will be about your own.

If you haven’t already ordered it, you should do so immediately (no affiliation, just a grateful learner!). Whether you are a total beginner or an advanced fiber artist, this book will inspire and support your journey of exploration. It would be worth the price even if you only wanted to look at the pictures – but there is so much more in these pages!

Rating: 5 / 5

The book opens with the fundamentals reviewing the work space, materials and an overview of the layer building process and then moves into the actual techniques and processes for creating a piece of art cloth. Techniques covered include starting with adding color and covers fiber-reactive dyes and textile paints which is followed by discharge methods. Learn how to create your own stamps and stencils, work with water based resists, methods for screenprinting and how to use foiling and leafing to add depth, brilliance and textural interest to your cloth. Novices to surface design will find it easy to achieve success with each technique with Jane’s clearly written and easy to understand directions of each technique and process. Experienced fiber artists may not find anything new to them in this book but will surely benefit from being able to learn how a master surface designer uses them. This new book by Jane will most assuredly follow in the footsteps of Complex Cloth as the surface design bible for any artist working with cloth and belongs on every surface design artists and enthusiasts book shelf no matter what their experience level is.
Rating: 5 / 5

For M who says this book is bad for beginners, let me say the opposite. A beginner should grasp the ideas from this book (and the Force book) as he/she learns to draw. With these ideas floating around in the back of your mind as you learn to draw better, you will have a much deeper understanding of great concepts as you develop as a artist. I read these books and did not try to draw everything (the first few times through) or use them as a step by step guide. Instead, I read them to understand Michael’s ideas. They opened my eyes to understanding everything I draw better.

Overall – A++. I hope to see more from Michael Mattesi. Good luck and may the Force be with you!
Rating: 5 / 5

While the first few chapters on “shape with character” show this technique to extreme (I imagine this is to get the point across), the later ones on “costume with character” and “reportage with character” take a more measured approach and show how the main theory of this book can be put into practical effect.

In short, this is not a simple manual on how to draw cartoons aimed at beginners. It is very well illustrated and beautifully executed explanation of a way of looking at cartoon art that will kick-start anyone who feels they need an extra shot of inspiration in their own drawings.
Rating: 4 / 5

The first part builds on the concepts he has taught in the previous book, which are the handling of force, space and shapes of characters. It’s presented in the similar style, sketches with tips. For those who like the first book, you would probably like this one too.

The second part on character design. In addition to the sketches provided by Mike Mattesi, he has invited other character designers to contribute their work and thoughts. Photos of models are provided to them who then create their own style of work. Each artist then describes their characters in terms of acting and emotions, showing how they try to get ideas across to readers.

The guest artists are Rik Maki, Stephen Silver, Dean Yeagle, Jake Kazdal, Griselda Sastrawinata, Patrick Morgan, Ragnar, Erin Leong, Marc Perry, Teddy Newton, Steph Laberis, John Nenarez, Mike Daley, Phil Rynda and Deanna Marsigliese. They provide plenty of insights into their personal style, be it the cutout collages of Pixar artist Teddy Newton or the simple cartoon caricatures of Marc Perry.

At the end, there are also sections that talk about giving characters to architecture and animals. They are rather brief, but interesting nevertheless. For animal character designs, you can check out The Art of Animal Character Design for even more tips.

There’s no one way to how character designs are done. The approach of this book is to give plenty of ideas to get you started. This book is for anyone who’s looking to put more edge and style into their own characters.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)
Rating: 5 / 5

What I got… I got more of his first book. This is good because he refreshes your memory on the lessons taught in the first book, and then enhances it with new ideas and new procedures. I was blown away. The first 4 chapters refresh and recharge you on the idea of Force.

This book covers everything, and reinFORCES exaggerating and making up your own interpretation of what you see. In later chapters he shows you how to apply the same methods to architecture.

The first 4 chapters alone would have made a great book, and I’ll definitely read this more than once. Something about Matessi’s books just want you to tattoo the information on your brain. It is refreshing, and gives you a new perspective on art and life.

What I enjoyed the most, is the application of design and abstract art to his life drawing. This book would be a great read for a graphic designer as well. I even started applying shapes prior to illustrating to plan out my drawing, and it has improved my art so much.
Rating: 5 / 5

The text starts off with a review of the drawing techniques Mattesi laid out in the original Force. Not only the concepts of drawing with forceful lines and shapes, but also ensuring every aspect of your drawing make a statement about the subject. It’s that thought process that leads to interesting designs.

This book has no shortage of examples of experimental designs based off of posed models. Not only from the author, but also from several noted artists including Stephen Silver, Dean Yeagle & Ragnar. Each example includes explainations for the artistic choices made.

Flipping through the pages of this book you, you won’t find many of the tight, nailed down drawings you might expect from a character design book, but the principles Mattesi teaches build a strong foundation to create better, more interesting designs.
Rating: 5 / 5

Written by various authors, with differing writing styles yet similar themes, this book brings home the message of: design as a tool for change; difficulty convincing organizations of design value; importance of using design to solve today’s problems. Although I found the first half of the book interesting and engaging, the second half was repetitive and long. So much so that, at the end, I felt desensitized to many valid issues designers feel (such as communicating their value or feeling left out from business conversations).

I did find a few gems in the book as the authors did a good job of describing their thought process and the framework they utilized, such as “The Best Strategy Is the Right Strategy” by Sohrab Vossoughi, “Design Strategies for Technology Adoption” by Alonzo Canada, Pete Mortensen, Dev Patnaik, and “Corporate Strategy: Bringing Design Management into the Fold” by Frans Joziasse. Various design methodologies and how they can be used in the context of business are also scattered throughout the book. With that, I can see myself going back to these articles for reference. However, due to what felt like a shotgun approach taken by this book, I don’t think my overall awareness or appreciation of design strategy has increased after reading it.

Note to the editor: even though articles in the book may represent timeless ideas, it would be valuable to indicate when the article was written/published in the Design Management Journal or DMI Review.
Rating: 3 / 5