Abstract Design and How to Create It (Dover Art Instruction)

My local library system only offers this book in electronic form and it is so much better to have this type of book in print to mark up. I bought from this particular publisher because of the lower price compared to competitors and it turned out to still be good quality.

The book is very informative. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning abstract painting design and how to create it.

The back cover says it all: "Students, designers, and craftspeople who want to create their own abstract patterns and designs will find this profusely illustrated guide one of the best books availabe on the subject. After an introductory chapter dealing with the geometric basis of design, the author goes on to discuss implements and their uses, borders, textile patterns, nature study and treatement.""Over 300 illustrations include many diagrams, designs for title pages, border patterns, allover patterns, textile patterns and historical examples from an extraordinary number of cultures and periods...Thorough and comprehensive, [this book] will be an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to learn the principles and techniques of creating nonrespresentative designs."To which I will add, the illustrations are nice as they include a little block showing you how it was drawn, and sometimes giving variations (positive vs negative, simple vs complex, etc). A large part of the book is spent showing textile patterns. I think maybe that was the original bent of the author. But there are also lots of lovely border designs, too.Well worth the price!

There are very few books that explain geometric design the way it is done in this book. If you are graphics designer and you are interested in mathematics and art this is one of these books you probably should have. You have here practically all you need to understand and execute geometric art.One of the reviewers missed colour in this book. Personally I do not consider it as a disadvantage of this book. With black-and-white images I can use my imagination and create designs with my own colours. In fact, I suggest forget about colours in designing books. Create and use your own palettes of colours. This is real graphics design.

If I wanted to buy a ruler and a compass I would have been able to make my own similar patterns. These images are from a computer not from anyone's heart. Wasted money.

The present book is an abrideged republication of a 1930 book. Therefore, it is not reasonable to expect many color pictures, in particular in a Dover reprint. The pictures are all black and white, save for a color plate on the back of the front color.The thrust of the book is on repeatable designs, either borders or all-overs. Most of the drawings are of a geometric nature, with many greek style friezes, celtic knots friezes, some good arabic style all-over patterns, and also a good number of floral designs. There are also reproductions of art, specifically ancient stone carvings and some mosaics.The author explains the tricks of the trade, some of which have to be translated to the modern day computer graphics. Nevertheless, circles, straight lines and polygons have not aged and are still quite usable in computer graphics.For the mathematically minded person, this is practical group theory and pavings of the line and the plane, but there is no mention whatsoever of any kind of mathematical approach: this is good and bad. Good, because it will not scare away anyone, and bad, because it would have allowed for a more systematic presentation. One can live with this.

Not worth the read or the money. This digital edition is not practical, with images and their corresponding plates parted by several pages. The text is of marginal significance to the subject, too general. A method for step by step production of designs was absent. Its only use might be as a reference for the designs provided which I am sure can be found better reproduced and explained elsewhere. Thoroughly disappointed especially since the title was promising.

Ok

Great instructions on how to draw a whole range of patterns. Great for crafters

A good reference book. A bit wordy but helpful

This book is a little wordy but very good. The text is a bit hard to follow so I suggest being well read for this book.

It's an ok book