Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this book on recommendation from a very talented artist friend. Although it has a few great pointers and gives you the explanation behind why Daikubara chooses the tools he uses and recommends, it's usefulness for me stopped there. I was looking more for tips to capture a scene quickly and accurately and also how to best combine the use of pen and watercolors. I got maybe a few sentences that fit that bill, specifically. What the book IS about: First and foremost, this is an artist's travel journal documenting places and scenes that he wanted to capture. While that's nice and somewhat interesting, it is formatted in a much more story-telling style than instructional. I was disappointed in that I want to improve my skills as an artist, not so much learn where this guy has traveled. Most accurately described, this is a how-to guide on creating a travel journal. If that is your end goal, then by all means, buy this book. It will even describe why he chose the perspectives he did when painting / sketching monuments, etc. He tells you what parts of the structures to focus on and which parts to ignore and even how to find out-of-the-way seating so as not to disturb or be disturbed by others on your tour. Nice info, but again not what this book advertised to be about. As a hobby artist, I learned very little beyond the most basic concepts. I'll use the info about which supplies to use, but that is about it. Also, worth noting that it was not available as an ebook at the time I purchased it, which a preview might have helped to prevent me from buying this book and being disappointed. Hopefully this review helps you to determine if this book is what you are looking for!