Alisdair Aird

Advantages: Gives beginners confidence. Good value. Your drawing will improve.
Disadvantages: Will take patience to achieve good results.

.... However, anyone has the ability to draw realistic artwork. What is really impressive is the scope of the book - from landscapes (covering trees, buildings, bridges, the seaside, perspective and hills), to animals (sheep, foxes, cats, dogs, squirrels, birds - the last is a particular challenge), to people (lips, noses, eyes, ears, hairstyles, proportions, clothing), to still life, cartoons and greetings cards - this book covers most subjects an artist can tackle, with great economy too - at only 300 pages. One of the chapters on draing landscapes was especially rewarding for me, as it reminded me of a holiday spent backpacking in Skye - the artist's sketches of Sgurr Alisdair brought me back to a happy week's hostelling. (I've written another Ciao review about hostelling which talks about this). He's right, by the way, when he says... Read review

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Advantages: Relaxing, excellent characters, range of emotions, eminently re-readable
Disadvantages: Probably won't appeal to those who like fast-paced thrillers and violence

...This book is set in Scotland over four months. It opens in May when Verena Steynton drops in to see the elderly Violet Aird, to ask her advice. Verena is planning a huge party - a ball with country dancing to live music - for her daughter Katy's 21st birthday in September that year, and wants to know what Violet thinks. The entire book then revolves around the focus of this dance, featuring some of the people who will be attending. Verena herself plays only a very small part, and Katy doesn't appear at all until towards the end of the book when the dance takes place. But they're always in the back of our minds, providing links with the other characters who take the main roles. Violet is a far more significant character. She often takes a passive part, watching her children and grandchildren and their friends. She does what she... Read review

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