Picture This: How Pictures WorkRevised and Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition

Breaks down a lot of the principles of effective imagery in a fantastic way! Read it for an art class and it really improved my compositions and shape language

I am a scientist and educator interested in using children’s books to help children learn science. This book does a great job of helping me think through the effectiveness of artwork in the books I review.

This is a wonderful design book. 10 stars for the simple explanations, the accompanying illustrations really help with understanding the concepts. This is the kind of book I'll buy copies of as gifts, but not lend out my own copy. I'm going through art school and can definitely see myself reading this book over and over again to continually remind myself of these core principles. I took off 1 star because the copy I got was dirty (crusty stuff on the back cover and dusty smears on some of the pages), there's a small tear in the front cover, and the binding was poorly glued. Not sure if it was a return or if it was just poorly handled in storage. Either way I was disappointed in the overall condition of this otherwise beautiful book. I'm considering returning it for a fresh copy and if so will update this review.

If you like making things, especially making pictures, this book by the marvelous Molly Bang will help you look at shapes and colors and placement in a clear and powerful way. It encourages you to experiment too, and all you need is construction paper and scissors. An excellent book for artists and storytellers, and for people trying to cope with strong emotion.

This delightful thoughtful book is just as fun for an artist as it is for non artists. It makes a wonderful gift and provides excellent ideas for discussion with others about visual meaning , design elements and our Individual response. I have already gifted it a friend outside the visual arts field and plan to gift it To other book loving friends in the future. It is inviting and one wants to open it a take a look right away. I highly recommend this book for a wide range of individuals and ages. When Covid season passes I hope to enjoy this book in person with my grandchildren and use the discussions to explore The many Caldecott award books we collectively own.

Very well structured way of getting through the idea of meaning in the creation of visual works of art. Good resource for someone teaching teenagers.

This book explains, clearly and precisely, how the human brain is wired to respond to different colors and shapes in art, with simple visual aids. It was required for my M.A. in Children's Literature, and I learned more from this book about how to read a piece of art or illustration than I would have believed existed. It's simply written and reader-friendly. Anyone studying any kind of art can benefit from Molly Bang's extensive knowledge and experience.

This is the Queen of books on composition that most artist don't seem to know about. It is simple and to the point. A great read.

The book after taking it out of the package is dirty and torn, it looks like someone used it for a looooong time before me... a disaster

El libro vino en perfectas condiciones.

GREAT book especially for teaching arts concepts to teens

This is the best book on picture-making and composition that I have ever read. I can't believe nobody told me about this book when I was in art school. Very comprehensive and straightforward. This is a great how-to book whether you are drawing/painting or taking photographs.

I bought it a while ago and I love cooking at this book once in a while, also great when teaching private art lessons to students as it talks about composition in simplistic way that is easy to understand.