Call for reviews - NetworkedBlogs on Facebook

I've just put my main blog and this blog on NetworkedBlogs on Facebook.

I'm thinking of doing a review of this application at some future stage - from the perspective of artist bloggers on Facebook - and wondered if anybody would like to help out by offering your views (see questions below).

NetworkedBlogs is a facebook application. Think of it as a social network for bloggers inside facebook. Add a visual blogroll on your profile, and show of your blogs and blogs you like. NetworkedBlogs also aggregates the RSS/ATOM feeds from thousands of blogs and allows you to read the latest news selected by users like you.

Please only comment if you are an artist blogger on Facebook.
Any spam will not be published.

What I'd like to know

I'd like to hear about your reviews of this facebook application. You can use my basic queries listed below if that helps you. Please respond to as many or as few as you want to.

Accessibility and ease of use on installation

• How long did it take you before you discovered this application
  
• How did you find the installation of networked blogs?
• What did you think of the verification process?
  

Practical impact

• Has networked.blogs helped you to build a profile on Face book? (Do you have any numbers?)
  
• If yes, what if any benefits has that brought you? (If none, please say so)
• Specifically, can you tell whether it has helped with the marketing of your art? (Please say how)
  
• If it has brought you no benefits do you know why that might be?

The Directory

• What do you think of the blog directory generally?
• Have you looked at and/or started to follow any of the top 50 blogs listed under any of the art terms eg art; design; illustration
• What do you think about the Directory listing being limited to 50?
  

Do you like networked blogs?

• What's your overall impression of NetworkedBlogs after using it?
  
• Would you recommend it to other Facebook users?
• Would you recommend it to other artists on Facebook?

Anything else? Do also feel free to comment on any other aspect not covered above.

Botanical Art Bookshop Review - Kew Gardens

Botanical art and botanical art instruction books
at the Victoria Plaze shop at Kew Gardens

Name of Art Bookshop: Kew Gardens - Victoria Plaza shop

Summary: A bookshop to go to if you have a special interest in botanical art, botanical artists and/or drawing and painting gardens, flowers, plants or trees. It's useful and good but could be even better.

Address: Kew Gardens (inside the gardens to the right of the Victoria Gate (see pdf map of Kew)

Website: Gardens: http://www.kew.org/ Victoria Plas Shop http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/visit-information/shopping/index.htm

Shop hours: Kew Gardens opening times - Kew opens at 9.30am every day except 24/25 December. Closing times vary by season.

Telephone: None given

email: None given

Of interest to: emerging and experienced botanical artists and those who like botanical art

Highlights: extensive range of botanical art books - about botanical artists and botanical art instruction books catalogues from the latest and past exhibitions at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art which is the first gallery in the world dedicated solely to botanical art and which is open all year round. excellent selection of books about contempory botanical art interesting range of books about historical botanical art

Think Again? this is a shop which focuses on gardens rather than art so few general art books. selection of books on display could be improved

There aren't many places you can go and be sure of finding botanical art books - but the Victoria Plaza shop at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew is one of them. Alongside its vast and extensive range of books about gardens, plants trees and flowers and all things botanical are the shelves for the botanical books

One of the highspots of my regular trips to Kew is ending up in the shop, next to the Victoria Gate, just before I leave to see what's new on the botanical art shelves. Or to see sometimes what's now on display which hasn't been around for a while.

My visits suggest there is usually one complete set of shelves devoted to botanical art books - about the art and the artists - including most of the good books about contemporary botanical art published in recent times. This now includes the catalogues from the two or three exhibitions each year at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery. It also includes Dover publications of etchings and fine art prints of botanical art from the past - which I find quite fascinating.

Books range from the very expensive through to the very reasonable. I've ummed and ahhed over quite a few in my time but very varely leave without at least one new book! I'm one of those people who needs to see some books in my hands before I buy them. When that's the case I invaribaly always buy them from the shop that's taken the trouble to stock them rather than online - on the basis that if we don't do that we soon won't be able to see them before we buy!

Another set of shelves is devoted to art instruction books with many of the popular books about botanical art. It also includes more general books about painting landscapes and trees.

It is however a botanical art bookshop which could be even better. I could improve the selection they keep in regular stock if they'd let me make suggestions! For example there are some really excellent botanical art instruction books which are not on display (see my Book Review: Botanical Illustration by Valerie Oxley). I also couldn't see the Society of Botanical Artists books this time around which is unusual. Stock levels also looked rather lower than usual.


Links:

• Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew
  
• A compendium of Botanical Art - includes links to all my information sites about botanical art and botanical artists
  

Art shop review: Magasin Sennelier, Paris

Name of shop: Sennelier

Address: - 3 quai Voltaire 75007 Paris

Travel to: Métro: Palais Royal - Rue du Bac - Saint Germain Autobus: 24 - 27 - 39 - 48 - 68 - 95 Parking: Drugstore - Louvre Carrousel - Saint Germain des Près - Montalembert

Hours: Open every day except Sunday and Monday morning from 10am to 12.45 and from 2.00pm to 6.30pm

Telephone: Tél:0142607215 / Fax:0142610069

Websites: http://www.magasinsennelier.com/

email: magasinsennelier@wanadoo.fr

Online Store: The website is not really set up for dealing with online orders from people from places outside France. It's more along the lines of providing an online catalogue. I noted that the minimum order is 50.00 euro. Orders should be addressed and signed and confirmed by a deposit or the number of your credit card. The postage and packing are charged to the customer. Goods travel at the risk of the recipient.

Of interest to: Artists who specialise, like me, in the use of dry media - pastels and pencils. Also of interest to those who would like to purchase pigments.

Highlights: fabulous range of raw pigments sold independent supplier and hence not tied into stocking product ranges 'approved'elsewhere customer service appears helfpul; some English spoken supplies a range of pastels (not just Sennelier) excellent choice of coloured pencils - both artist grade and water soluble very good range of different paint media (including some which are not often found elsewhere) and an extensive range of brushes Good range of pastel supports

Think Again? If Quai Voltaire is a problem to get to, there are two other Sennelier shops in Paris at Magasin Sennelier 4 bis, rue de la Grande Chaumière 75006 Paris and Magasin Sennelier 6, rue Hallé 75014 Paris. website would benefit from an overhaul for international visitors pricing varies between website and shops

Summary: A traditional shop which has been around for over 120 years and is likely to be around for a long time to come. I don't think you'll find a bargain but you will see the complete range of some products which are difficult to see elsewhere.

Magasin Sennelier

Le spécialiste de la restauration, des toiles à peindre, des chevalets, des papiers du monde, de la calligraphie mais aussi de la sculpture, de la gravure... et de la la couleur.

Gustave Sennelier set up his art shop at 3 Quai Voltaire in 1887 - some 122 years ago! You can read (in French) about the history of the firm and the shop.

Since that date, many an artist from countries other than France have found their way to its front door.

If you don't have an opportunity to visit, you can see a slideshow of all the photos I took in the Sennelier Shop at 3 Quai Voltaire in Paris on Flickr - with explanations of what each picture is showing.

A very traditional art shop

The shop includes more of a focus on dry media and pigments, soft pastels, coloured pencils and pencils than most. For UK readers I'd liken it to Cornelissens in London in terms of layout and style - wood floors and a limited presence of modern product display units. One got the impression these were only used if they were more effective than alternatives. Personally speaking I like to see a shop which specialises in pastels with old fashioned pastel drawers - and these were of course present!

Pastels

It's a shop which most pastellists who get to Paris try and visit - if only to see the complete range of Sennelier soft pastels and oil pastels. The display of the giant oil pastels is certainly very impressive. Other pastels stocked included Unison, Pan Pastels and Derwent pastel pencils

Coloured pencils

I paid a visit to see the complete Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 range on display. I like the pencils a lot but I don't like the price and don't quite know what possessed me to pay €3.95 each for several of them! I did notice that the shop price was significantly more than the price quoted on the Sennelier website.

This is a shop for all coloured pencils fans as it also stocks the complete range of Faber Castell Polychromos, Caran d'ache Pabo as well as Neocolor, Cretacolor and Aquamonolith.

Paints

I wasn't paying attention to the paints on offer but the store does offer a good range of good quality paints - for oils, acrylics an watercolour paintings - plus associated media and brushes.

Pigments

The wall of jars of pigments is simply stunning.

Website and online ordering

The website is written in French and small parts of it have been translated quite badly (automatically?). I wouldn't feel confident about trying to order anything from the shop using the website but if you're good at French or are prepared to persevere I'm sure it's possible. The minimum order that they will deal with is €50.

Links:

• Sennelier magazins - website
• Google map - Location of Sennelier shop at 3 Quai Voltaire, Paris
• Flickr - set of photos of the Sennelier shop at 3 Quai Voltaire
  

New Federal rules for product reviews/endorsements by bloggers

Beginning Dec. 1, bloggers, Twitterers and many others who write online product reviews must disclose the receipt of free merchandise or payment for the items they write about.
New York Times - New F.T.C. Rules Have Bloggers and Twitterers Mulling

Not a problem for me. I've already got a disclaimer at the bottom of this blog which clearly states................

Disclaimer

The basic principle which underpins this blog is that all all the reviews which appear here should be independent.

What does this mean?

• I am sent review copies of books by publishers or authors and samples of art materials by suppliers of art materials but I have no financial relationship with those suppliers or any art shop or art bookshop.
• I am an Amazon affiliate (which helps me to finance the purchase of any new books); however I have no formal affiliation with any other manufacturer or publisher and I buy lots of art books in various art shops)
  
• I will always declare if I have any sort of affiliate interest in relation to a product or service under review and I'll also declare whether I was sent a product as a sample.
• I expect all reviews by other artists which appear on this blog to adhere to the basic premise that any and all affiliations are declared.

I don't think I need to take any action.

How about you?

There are clear issues about how to distinguish between ordinary people who write about products they use in an 'everyday' way and those who provide endorsements with a view to earning money from their blogs.

It's been an issue that has always seemed to me to be one which is best addressed by ALWAYS being open and upfront about any products/books/items I'm sent to review. I don't give positive reviews simply because I'm sent something but I really wouldn't want people to think that a positive review is the result of getting a freebie!!!

Overall, I say what I think - but try to be fair. In relation to negative experiences I notify a manufacturers if a sample product has failed to perform - as I've done just recently. I then seek a replacement to ensure that my review is not distorted by what might be a 'one-off' malfunction. It happens.

Further Information

The Guide was last updated in 1980 so this is a major and important change. It's specifically aimed at ensuring transparency in dealings as much advertising now moves away from traditional channels and towards social networking sites.

Here are some links providing more information.

• Federal Trade Commission - News: FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials

The revised Guides specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service. Likewise, if a company refers in an advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the company, the advertisement must disclose the connection between the advertiser and the research organization. And a paid endorsement – like any other advertisement – is deceptive if it makes false or misleading claims.
Federal Trade Commission - News: FTC Publishes Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials

• Text of the Federal Register Notice Note in particular the definitions below and example 8 in this Notice - which is particularly relevant to bloggers
• Definition of endorsement, product and experts

For purposes of this part, an endorsement means any advertising message including verbal statements, demonstrations, or depictions of the name, signature, likeness or other identifying personal characteristics of an individual or the name or seal of an organization) that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings, or experiences of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser, even if the views expressed by that party are identical to those of the
sponsoring advertiser. The party whose opinions, beliefs, findings, or experience the message appears to reflect will be called the endorser and may be an individual, group, or institution.
(c) The Commission intends to treat endorsements and testimonials identically in the context of its enforcement of the Federal Trade Commission Act and for purposes of this part. The term endorsements is therefore generally used hereinafter to cover both terms and situations.
(d) For purposes of this part, the term product includes any product, service, company or industry.
(e) For purposes of this part, an expert is an individual, group, or institution possessing, as a result of experience, study, or training, knowledge of a particular subject, which knowledge is superior to what ordinary individuals generally acquire.

• Text of the Revised Endorsement and Testimonial Guides: FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255 - Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Art Bookshop Review: Waterstones (Covent Garden)

Sections for Graphics, Design, Type and Illustration
in Waterstones in Garrick Street, Covent Garden

Name of Art Bookshop: Waterstones (Covent Garden)

Address: 9-13 Garrick Street, London WC2E 9BA

Website: http://www.waterstones.com Art and Photography - online

Shop hours: Sun 12.00-18.00 Monday - Saturday 10.00-20.00

Telephone: 020 7836 6757

email: manager@covent-garden.waterstones.com

Of interest to: Grapic designers, illustrators, photographers, typographers, artists and art lovers

Highlights: extenstive and indepth sections devoted to graphics, design, type, illustration and photography fairly good section for art instruction very wide range of specialist art journals - particularly those oriented towards contemporary art, graphic design and photography generally a good bookshop for other books as well conveniently located for people visiting Covent Garden/Leicester Square area

Think Again? a very decent section on art history - but this isn't the best Waterstones for art history and art monographs (you need to go to the flagship branch at Piccadilly for that)

Summary: This is a really bookshop to go to if your area of interest is largely focused on commercial art in all its aspects as it has particularly good sections for those involved in graphic design and illustration. Also lots and lots books for photographers.

(left) Photography and (right) Art Instruction and Art Monographs

I don't get involved with illustration, graphic design or commercial art but I do love looking at some of the books which relate to that field.

Also, since I realised that an awful lot of fine artists with really good design and composition skills started off working in design or illustration, I've also been interested in whether there are books about design which are also helpful to fine artists.

There again - I love looking at fonts and books about type - I don't quite know why but I do!

If you've ever wanted to explore books in these fields then the Waterstones in Garrick Street - half way between Covent Garden tube and Leicester Square is the place to go. There's also an entrance into the art section of the shop from Long Acre.

The Waterstones Art & Photography website gives a good indication of the sort of books they carry.

I've decided I'm going to create a Google Map of where all the good art bookshops are in London. If anybody wants to send in suggestions please comment below.

Links:

• Waterstones
  
• Waterstones - Art and Photography (online)
  
• Location map of Waterstones 9-13 Garrick Street, London WC2E 9BA

Product review: Pentel Waterbrush

My Pentel Aquash Water Brush next to Derwent's new small/fin waterbrush
photo copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Product: Pentel Aquash Water Brush

Manufacturer / Distributor: Pentel / Derwent & various online suppliers - see below

Technical Details: made in Japan by Pentel nylon tipped brush pen with one way valve and barrel to supply water barrel can be filled with plain water OR a dilute solution of any water-soluble art medium (the best being artists' inks, watercolours or gouache) provides a constant supply of water when the brush applied to paper; squeeze the barrel to control the flow Pentel Aquash comes in three sizes - fine (10mm), medium (13mm) and broad (17mm) - see Heaton Cooper website for a very good photo of the different sizes of Aquash waterbrush pen Derwent now supply two sizes - small and medium

Summary: This is a very popular and effective waterbrush. It's made by Pentel but is now also available via Derwent and Derwent retailers. It's repackaged with the Derwent name on the packaging.

Who should buy this?: artists using watercolour or watercolour pencils artists wanting to use dilute solutions of artist's ink

Who should not buy this? artists who don't like brushes artists who use media not amenable to dilution using water

Highlights: neat and effective design - very simple to use easily portable - a way of taking a brush and water out with you without carrying a pot of water

Think Again? Fine for sketching. However, if using watercolour pencils indoors, conventional brushes may well give you more control Nylon brush is springy but does not provide the quality of control of (say) a sable watercolour brush Requires a support which accepts water - and not all sketchbooks do, although most will take a light wash Not always easy to locate these brushes in B&M art materials shops. Unless you've already seen them in your local shop you might find them easier to obtain from an online supplier. However, this situation may well have changed now that Derwent is supplying two brushes to Derwent retailers

Suppliers: Available from: Derwent B&M retailers - if they've chosen to stock them. a variety of online art materials suppliers -see sample list below - with links to the product: Amazon - Pentel Water Brush art & craft 3 pack - fine, medium & broad tip (best price for the pack of three brushes) or Pentel Water Brush art & craft medium tip - single piece Artifolk (also supplies a set of three different sizes) Cult Pens - offers the best price for the individual brushes (as of today's date) Heaton Cooper similar pricing to Artifolk plus offers same set of three Ken Bromley - supplies all three sizes Scribblers - also have a good range of other brush pens made by Pentel (see link to Roz's review below)

Derwent now have a small Waterbrush. When I was sent a sample to try I looked at it and was very puzzled. I had to go and get my existing waterbrush to check it out - you can see the photo above. They were exactly the same! I asked Derwent about this and it turns out that Derwent is now repackaging the very popular and very efficient Aquabrush/waterbrush made by Pentel - which isn't always very easy to find in art materials shops.

Derwent have sold the medium size waterbrush for some time but are now also selling the small/fin waterbrush which is suitable for more detailed work as well. So that's good news!

Basically this is a tool which has a nylon brush on one end (with a cover) and a transparent plastic barrel sitting behind it. It works very like a conventional pen - hence the name brush pen. There's a one-way valve which allows water through to thr brush when there is pressure on the end of the brush. Squeezing the flexible barrel increases the flow - and you can squeeze out drops if you try hard!

You need to give the brush a good 'wash' in warm water before using it for the first time. I'd also be very wary of using it with inks which you shouldn't put in conventional pens - like Indian ink. Essentially you don't want to use it with anything which when dry will stop the valve from working or refuse to budge from the inside of the barrel!

This is a tool which is very useful for those who sketch and those who use watercolour pencils. I was sat on a tube when I dried my waterbrush out for the first time! This is a page of my Talens watercolour pencils on a sheet of Winsor & Newton heavy weight (80lb) sketchbook.

I think I probably need to do a review at some point of all the different brands of watercolour pencils when used with this brush!

Tim Fisher has produced a very helpful video about watercolour pencil techniques in which this brush features which has been posted on YouTube by Jacksonstops (who I think might be Tim - it's not obvious from YouTube). See this post on Making A Mark - Watercolour pencil techniques.

The differences in cost between different suppliers are not very significant. For most people it's going to boil down to whether you prefer to buy your supplies at your local art shop or online and which retailer you usually use!

I can confidently state that if this is a product which you like, you'll find yourself using it a lot and will probably want more than one - especially you want dilute solutions of water-based medium in the barrel - and that's when cost will be of more relevance.

See also:

• Russ Stutler who provides a review of waterbrushes that he uses on his sketchbook site. It's very detailed and it's by somebody who has been using watbrushes for years.
  
• Roz Stendhal of Rozworks who is also a long time user of waterbrushes and provides a very useful review of Pentel Brush Pens: The Pocket Brush and the Color Brush on her blog (but bear in mind she's also talking about two products which are something slightly different)

Book Review: The Art Atlas

Title: The Art Atlas

Author / (Publisher): John Onians (Laurence King)

Technical data: Publication Date: May 2008 352 pages; 300 illustrations and 300 maps in full color; CD-included ISBN-10: 1856695573 ISBN-13: 978-1856695572

Synopsis: The first work to treat the art of the whole world from prehistory to the present day through the extensive use of maps. It places an emphasis on art as a visual expression of the story of different cultures at different times. Covering painting, sculpture and architecture as well as other arts and artefacts, The Art Atlas provides an entirely new vision of the history of the world's art by showing how physical and political geography has shaped its developments.

Who should buy this?: Art Historians and teachers and students of art history. People (like me) who love art AND maps.

Who should not buy this? Those with no interest in art history or how art has developed over time and in different cultures. People who don't like maps and/or cannot read a map.

Highlights Maps showing how art flowed between towns, countries and cultures. Expert comment from art historians, archeologists, anthropoligists and people expert in a particular region Very well illustrated provides an excellent context for studying different artists, different art movements and the art of different cultures and countries A reference book forever! Comes with a CD which includes a searchable form of the entire book

Think Again? Not a book you are ever going to digest in a hurry!

Summary: This is a large tome for people who want to get to grips with a geographical and cultural overview of how art has developed across cultures, countries and over time. What I like about the book is that it does try to embrace all of art. What makes it unsatisfactory is that in so doing it inevitably has to skim across the surface of some of the artists and aspects of art with which we might be more familiar. In doing this it made me realise just how much I didn't know! Which, as I indicated earlier, means I can see this book being around as a reference book for some years to come. I recommend people read what interests them and then see where that takes them.

This is a summary of my comprehensive book review posted on Making A Mark earlier this year. See Book review: The Art Atlas for more information and detail about this book.

Here's a flavour of what my book review talks about

What I have how ever grasped is that this book appeals to the geographer in me (all those maps - heaven!) and that it tries to get to grips with explaining the flows between different parts of the world at different times in world history in visual terms. Thus it conceptualises art as a global phenomenon rather than something which is totally discrete and tidy (like "European Art") which is often the way art history can tend to be presented at times - even if this can be rather inaccurate.

Note
Professor John Onians, BA, PhD, FSA. specialises in architecture, especially the architectural theory of the Italian Renaissance; painting, sculpture and architecture in Ancient Greece and Rome; material culture, metaphor and thought; perception and cognition, and the biological basis of art. His publications include Art and Thought in the Hellenistic Age (Thames & Hudson) and Bearers of Meaning. The Classical Orders in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Cambridge University Press, 1988), which was awarded the Sir Banister Fletcher Prize in 1989. He is also the founding editor, in 1978, of the prestigious journal Art History.