Book Review: Color Index XL

Title: Color Index XL
Author: Jim Krause (about)
Source/Format: Blogging for Books; Paperback
More Details: Art, Reference
Publisher/ Release date: Watsin-Guptill; October 3, 2017

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble     Penguin Random House     Amazon

Synopsis from Penguin Random House:
This updated, expanded, and oversized inspirational resource presents 1,100 color palettes, with light, bright, dark, and muted varieties for each one, making it the most expansive palette selection tool available.

Color Index XL provides aspiring designers, artists, and creative individuals working with color with an indispensable, one-stop method for reviewing and selecting current, up-to-date color palettes for their creative projects. Designer and lecturer Jim Krause’s classic resource is back with a new approach that presents each group of palettes in an oversized form for easy visual review, and bleeding to the edge of the page (edge indexing) for quick access. By providing variations for each palette, Krause ensures that creatives can find the best color selection for each project’s needs. This book serves as the perfect resource for teachers, students, and professionals of all kinds in the art and design space who want to stay up-to-date on the ever-evolving trends in color.

My Thoughts:

Jim Krause’s Color Index XL is just one of those books that you’ll want to have next to you when you start any project that requires color cordination. There are so many colors that the possibilities seem endless. With a mini introduction to color theory, which goes over hue, shades, and picking cohesive colors, this is definitely a reference book to checkout.

The first thing I love about this book is that at the beginning of the three chapters the total number of schemes is stated along with the temperature. Each color is presented with other colors in a select pattern, which is nice, especially for inspiration. Finally, I love that each scheme is represented in four different variations of bright, light, dark and muted. This just expands color picking options.

Overall, I recommend Color Index XL if you work with CMYK and RGB values, or even if your simply searching for color inspiration.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

It's Halloween, now lets talk about Candy Corn

*I purchased these products and
the opinions expressed are my own*

It's Halloween! So I wanted to write a short post about Brach's Candy Corn; particularly my first impressions on two flavors I’ve never tried before. These flavors are Chocolate Mint Cookie and Green Apple. To be honest, I wanted to buy more flavors like the Strawberry flavored Vampire Teeth, but the stores in my area suck. The only other flavors available are Sea Salt Chocolate, Autumn Mix, and Assorted Mellowcreme which I’m omitting because I have tried them before and know I already like them. So I figures these would have to do.

Starting with the Walgreens exclusive Chocolate Mint Cookie flavor, I wanted to love this one, but it was wishy-washy. When I first ate a piece it tasted overly artificial. I can’t describe it, but it was absolutely disgusting. The weird part is that once I tasted it again the next day it tasted just fine… Actually it was delicious; a minty fresh taste with a hint of chocolate. But overall, it was okay. It’s probably not the first flavor I’d buy, but my siblings loved it, so I would recommend trying if it interests you.

Finally, the second flavor I was able to find was Green Apple Witches Teeth. Honestly, this flavor is my favorite. The best way I can describe the flavor is that it’s similar to any regular green apple hard candy. The main difference is that it’s a little less sweet (unless you eat too many), and it’s softer. Like I said I love this flavor.

Also, check out my sister's post: It's Halloween!: All about Star Wars & Reeves Watercolor

What’s your favorite and least favorite seasonal candy/food that you have tried?

Book Review: My Rad Life

Title: My Rad Life

Author: Kate Schatz
Illustrator: Miriam Klein Stahl

Source/Format: Blogging for Books, hardback

More Details: Guided journal, art, biography, memoir

Publisher/ Release date: Ten Speed Press; August 15, 2017

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble       Penguin Random House

Synopsis from Penguin Random House:

An inspiring, empowering journal that encourages its owners to think, create, reflect, and explore their own radness.
A companion to the New York Times bestsellers Rad American Women A-Z and Rad Women Worldwide, this cool guided journal draws from a number of the “rad” women featured in both books, while also including a diverse range of new women, all of whom come to life via inspirational quotes and paper cut portraits. Blank pages invite doodling, lined pages encourage writing, and a collection of thought-provoking prompts encourage users to get to know themselves better by recording their thoughts and ideas on paper.

My Thoughts:

I don’t usually get journals that include prompts, but I couldn’t help but notice the title: My Rad Life. Written by Kate Schatz with illustrations by Miriam Klein Stahl, who both worked on the Rad Women book series, this journal features various quotes and prompts to inspire thoughts and writings. Although I haven’t checked out Rad Women Worldwide or Rad Women A-Z, I thoroughly enjoyed this journal.

Riddled throughout the journal are quotes from known women like gymnast Gabby Douglas, Sister Chân Không, and more. As if quotes weren’t enough to get me writing, there are at least twenty prompts that encourage various things like listing the places you’d like to go, listing your goals, or documenting nature.

As for the design, it is already decked out for the most part. With most of the pages being half filled with illustrations or quotes, the layout allows enough space to write personal thoughts. Also, besides blank space, a few of the pages are line, and occasionally there are pages with speech bubbles.

 Finally, since I like to draw, and doodling is encouraged, I tried a bleed test. When I conducted the bleed test, the results of the use of different mediums, besides pencil, varied. As with any regular journal, markers and the darker colors of my water based felt tip pens didn’t do too well; yet, the lighter colors hardly bled. The only Sharpie that didn’t bleed all the way through was the silver metallic color. Finally, I tried one of my Sakura Pigma Micron Pens, and it worked as any other regular pen would.

Overall, this is one of the more fun journals I have had. My only complaint is that, in terms of it staying open, it is a bit difficult to handle at first. But other than that, I’d definitely recommend it, especially as a gift.

I loved it!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

Book Review: Fashion Design Essentials: 100 Principals Of Fashion Design

Title: Fashion Design Essentials: 100 Principals Of Fashion Design
Author: Jay Calderin
Source/Format: Library Borrowed; Hardcover
Genre: Nonfiction, Fashion
Publisher/ Release date: Rockport Publishers; July 1, 2011

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Synopsis from Goodreads:
Creative ideas are elevated by experience and expertise. This book sets forth a challenge to fashion designers: continue to expand your horizons, exercise your skills and experiment with strategies. Filled with inspiring fashion design details from around the world, Fashion Design Essentials supplies a selection of starting points for fashion designers of all levels, as well as a wide variety of useful examples for each stage of the design process.
Inside, you'll find insight on:
- How to define concepts and render them
- Understanding textiles and the process of selecting fabrics
- Developing sewing skills and constructing garments
- How to build a reputation and find an audience for your work
All 100 insights are beautifully illustrated with real-world fashion designs. If your creativity has staggered or stalled, the variety of subjects in this book will provide new ways to jumpstart it and refocus. Learn to employ alternative ways of thinking and actively pursue experiences that stimulate artistry with Fashion Design Essentials.

My Thoughts

Fashion Design Essentials: 100 Principals of Fashion Design by Jay Calderin is a pretty good starting book, especially if you’re new to fashion. I can’t say that this is the most in-depth book, but it does provide a nice introduction to each of the subjects that were included.

On a personal level I can’t say this book was exactly for me, the reason being is that I’m not exactly new to fashion. But if I was, I’d say that the subjects mentioned would definitely prompt me look into each element further. One positive of the book was that some of the subjects mentioned are things that I didn’t think about before –like taking into consideration how all ages affect fashion. 

Over all Fashion Design Essentials: 100 Principals of Fashion Design was a pretty good book for people new or curious about fashion.

I like it.

Book Review: Manga Art: Inspiration and Techniques from an Expert Illustrator by Mark Crilley

Title: Manga Art: Inspiration and Techniques from an Expert Illustrator

Author: Mark Crilley

Source/Format: Blogging For Books; Paperback

Genre: Art, Drawing

Publisher/ Release date: Watsin-Guptill; June 6, 2017

Goodreads      Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The world of manga (Japanese comics) has captured the imagination of artists, both aspiring and professional alike. Now best-selling artist and art instructor Mark Crilley presents the most complete look yet at the variety of creative options available in the world of manga. Crilley fills each chapter with gorgeous, original artwork created with a variety of tools (pencils, colored pencils, digital art, pen and ink, and more) and in a variety of manga-inspired styles. He pairs each piece with information on the materials used and the inspiration that led to its creation. Manga Art provides readers a one-of-a-kind chance to hear from one of the leading artists in the field of manga instruction, as he reveals the unlimited possibilities of manga and the creative secrets behind over 100 pieces of original, never-before-seen artwork.

My Thoughts

In Manga Art: Inspirations and Techniques from an Expert Illustrator, Mark Crilley presents a lot of art along with details about them. The book provides an overview of inspirations and techniques—as indicated in the title—as well as tools and mediums. While Crilley’s book may not be a tutorial or how-to book directly, in another sense it is. It is a view of the processes an artist considers before, during and after creating a work of art. Also, the themes for each chapter are things that one may consider during their own creative process. I like the prompts that occasionally pop up throughout the book. Even though they were pretty vague, they encourage creative flow. There is one quote that perfectly describes how I feel about this book: “Creating things is fun. That’s all there is to it.”

This book is exactly how the blurb describes it, and I liked the topics discussed. I’d recommend reading it, especially if you like reading about art.

I loved it!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

Album Review: Dark Matter (Repost)

Title: Dark Matter

Band/Artist(s): Les Friction (Even Frankfort, Helmet Vonlichten, Paint), also Featuring Emily Valentine and Laura Fabian

Source/Format: Les Friction; CD

Label/ Release date: Moriposa Lane Music, INC/ Would Work Sound LLC; August 25, 2017

Official Site Bandcamp     Itunes     Spotify       Amazon      CDbaby

My Thoughts

I first heard of Les Friction in an epic music compilation. This was a few years ago when I first began listening to this genre of music. Like any music junkie, I’ve checked to see if new music was on the horizon. My day lit up when I saw the tweet announcing Dark Matter was coming out.

Not only did this album meet my expectations, it exceeded them. Every millisecond is perfect, starting with Your World Will Fail. This song starts calm and then changes about midway. At this point it morphs into something more, resulting in a pleasant mix of instrumentals and vocals. Other songs including Who Will Save You Now, Dark Matter, and Firewall seems to follow this pattern somewhat too. Obviously, like any album, Dark Matter has calm moments too. I Remember and You Always Knew add a touch of sincere tranquility. These two duets with Emily Valentine and Laura Fabian, respectively, occasionally misted my eyes. The album ended with Kashmir (which is a cover of a song by Led Zeppelin); the only thing I can say is that it is the perfect way to end an album.

Due to the fact that each track was diverse in sound and lyric, the whole album maintained a certain aesthetic. Not one felt out of place. Actually, a host of emotions were elicited as I listened to each song. I’m not even sure they are nameble. To put it simply, it’s like finding that perfectly tailored dress. I love it!

I recieved this CD from Les Fricition for this review.

Movie Review: The Dark Tower

Title: The Dark Tower
Directed by: Nikolaj Arcel
Produced by: Akiva Goldsman, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Stephen King (Read more on IMDb)
Screenplay: Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner, Anders Thomas Jensen, Nikolaj Arcel (Read more on IMDb)
Release Date: August 4, 2017
Official Website

Summary from IMDb:
The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.

My Thoughts

I never read The Dark Tower by Stephan King myself; I only saw it on a shelf in a bookstore. However, the trailer really caught my interest. Although I liked many elements of the film, I am only going to discuss a couple.

The first thing I found out about the movie was that it was only about ninety-five minutes. I was curious, as I am used to sitting through longer movies. However, after seeing the film, I feel like this was the perfect length. Any longer, and it would have been a yawn fest. In the allotted time, adventure, plot, and action held my interest as the main characters, Jake and Roland, sought one goal: keep Dark Tower standing and defeated Walter.

The action scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. The pacing of these scenes was fast, often making me wonder how characters were going to get out of the situation. There were also some emotional scenes, making me at times want to cry. One last thing is that it would have been nice to see more background information on the world(s), as I left the theater with some questions.

I would like to elaborate on some other things, but I dislike possibly spoiling anything. Therefore, overall, I really enjoyed The Dark Tower.

I loved it!

Book Review: Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker

Title: Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker

Author: Stephen Galloway

Source/Format: Blogging For Books, Hardcover

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography

Publisher/ Release date: Crown Archetype; April 25, 2017

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Synopsis from Goodreads:

The definitive biography of movie executive and philanthropist Sherry Lansing traces her groundbreaking journey to become the first female head of a major motion picture studio, shares behind-the-scenes tales from movie sets and Hollywood boardrooms, and explains what inspired her to walk away from it all to start the Sherry Lansing Foundation.

My Thoughts

Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker is the biography of one of Hollywood’s top women. Honestly, having never heard of Lansing, Stephen Galloway does a tremendous job of introducing and illustrating her life and struggles as she transitioned throughout her career. It’s a realistic portrayal of what happens behind the scenes in Hollywood.

The majority of the book’s content contains interviews from Lansing and other people. Additionally, the author provides a clear timeline with the inclusion of historical events, headlines, and facts. I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the book, because Galloway did not try to sugarcoat the hardships of a career in Hollywood. Instead, the author provided a raw take on the events and meetings by using the recollections of the people involved.

Overall, I enjoyed Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker. I liked reading about Lansing’s life, what being a studio executive is like, and what it takes to make a movie. The only downfall to this book was that some parts felt prolonged. However, I would still recommend reading this book if you're interested in learning what it’s like behind the scenes in Hollywood.

I liked it!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Movie Review: War for the Planet of the Apes

Title: War for the Planet of the Apes

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Produced by: Mark Bomback, Peter Chernin (Read more on IMDb)

Screenplay: Mark Bomback, Matt Reeves

Release Date: July 14, 2017

Special Screening

Official Website

Summary from IMDb:

After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.

My Thoughts

Usually, I go to movies that I'm interested in, but with War For the Planet of the Apes, my mom encouraged me to go.  The only thing I knew was that it was the third movie in the series. Even though I had no intention of seeing it, I'm glad I did.

The story started in the middle of soldiers coming towards a stronghold. My first thought was that this was going to be an all war no story type of movie. Albeit, happily, I was wrong. The plot was able to hold my attention throughout the film, and the dialog wasn't overbearing. One of the things I loved was the visuals. The apes were very realistic in detail, plus The  CGI blended well with both the humans and scenery. There was some violence, but I can always appreciate a film that can do action that doesn’t contain too much gore.

The entire film was a good balance between story, dialog, and action. Overall I enjoyed War for the Planet of the Apes.

Book Review: The Fabulous Fibonacci Numbers

 Title: The Fabulous Fibonacci Numbers
Author(s): Alfred S. Posamentier, Ingmar Lehmann
Source/Format: Library borrowed, Hardcover
More Details: Nonfiction, Math
Publisher/ Release date: Prometheus Books, May 30, 2007

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The most ubiquitous, and perhaps the most intriguing, number pattern in mathematics is the Fibonacci sequence. In this simple pattern beginning with two ones, each succeeding number is the sum of the two numbers immediately preceding it (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ad infinitum). Far from being just a curiosity, this sequence recurs in structures found throughout nature - from the arrangement of whorls on a pinecone to the branches of certain plant stems. All of which is astounding evidence for the deep mathematical basis of the natural world.
With admirable clarity, two veteran math educators take us on a fascinating tour of the many ramifications of the Fibonacci numbers. They begin with a brief history of a distinguished Italian discoverer, who, among other accomplishments, was responsible for popularizing the use of Arabic numerals in the West. Turning to botany, the authors demonstrate, through illustrative diagrams, the unbelievable connections between Fibonacci numbers and natural forms (pineapples, sunflowers, and daisies are just a few examples).
In art, architecture, the stock market, and other areas of society and culture, they point out numerous examples of the Fibonacci sequence as well as its derivative, the "golden ratio." And of course in mathematics, as the authors amply demonstrate, there are almost boundless applications in probability, number theory, geometry, algebra, and Pascal's triangle, to name a few.
Accessible and appealing to even the most math-phobic individual, this fun and enlightening book allows the reader to appreciate the elegance of mathematics and its amazing applications in both natural and cultural settings.

My Thoughts

After discovering the both golden ratio and Fibonacci sequence, I just had to find a book on it.

The first thing I noticed was the range of topics covered. I like that this book wasn’t purely math, but rather it explored how the Fibonacci sequence could be found in nature, art, music, and a little bit in physics. At times before an example, the reader is reminded of an equation that relates to the example. I like this because I often found myself being distracted at other fascinating things. Along with these examples, various pictures and diagrams were riddled throughout this book, making for both textual and visual interpretations. In addition to this, Appendix A and B contain the first five hundred Fibonacci numbers and more proofs of the relationships.

Even though there were some moments that I felt bored, this was a great, slightly in-depth introduction to the Fibonacci numbers. Overall, I enjoyed The Fabulous Fibonacci Numbers and would recommend it.

I loved it!

Movie Review: Spider-Man Homecoming

Title: Spider-Man: Homecoming
Directed by: Jon Watts
Produced by: Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal (Read more on IMDb)
Screenplay: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley (Read more on IMDb)
Release Date: July 7, 2017
Advance Screening
Official Website

Summary from IMDb:
Several months after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City while fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.

My Thoughts

I recall, when I was only tween age, I said to myself: I’m done with Spider-Man. But when Spider-Man Homecoming ended the only thing I thought was: five spools! Both my brother and I think that this is a fresh start to Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

There are a lot of things I liked about the film, but I’m only going to mention a few.  First of all, it feels fresh, young, and realistic, especially the main character and villain. I enjoyed Peter Parker’s character, as he always wanted to prove himself as a hero. The development he went through, to me, was astonishing. As for the villain, while I may not be familiar with the history of the character, Vulture’s motive felt really believable. As for everyone else, I loved the diverse cast of characters. I felt like each actor portrayed their character well. Finally, I loved the fact that the plot was straightforward, and it flowed nicely. Actually, the pace was so smooth that despite the film being two hours and thirteen minuets, I hardly noticed it. Never once did I beg it to end.

Overall Spider-Man Homecoming is, by far the best addition to the MCU. Like I said before, five spools! Oh yeah, make sure you stay till the very end to see the bonus scenes.

I really loved it!

Welcome to Toile, Think, Go

Welcome to Toile, Think, Go. I’m Adri and I usually blog on Our Thoughts Precisely with Andrea and Breana –who will be assisting me with this blog. So, while I'm still over there, this is just another forum for me to share my thoughts. Here, I’m pretty much going to discuss anything I see fit. This includes books, graphic novels/comics, movies, games, some clothing design related things, and natural hair topics. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!