The creative-drawing companion to the acclaimed and bestselling What It Is
reviews
Jan 27, 2012
Courtney
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I had a good feeling about this one. You see, I loved Lynda Barry's earlier work, "What It Is", the ground-breaking, mold-shattering, genre-defying and above all, inspiring, book about creative writing. I had a sneaking suspicion that she might have adapted the same format with visual art in mind. And I was right. "Picture This" does for art what "What It Is" did for creative writing. They encourage letting go of preconceived notions of "good" and "
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Apr 23, 2011
Ron
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A glance at Linda Barry’s “The Near-Sighted Money Book, Picture This” would make you think that it’s a parody of a kid’s how-to-draw manual. On the cover is this pitch: “Do you wish you could draw? Take art lessons from a monkey!’ It’s the kind of nonsense we’ve come to expect from Barry, whose wacky comics have made her one of the most popular alt-illustrators of recent decades. But take a closer look at “Picture This” and you see some surprising stuff: as much quirky fun as it offers, it also
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Dec 31, 2010
Kevin
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I'll maybe write an actual review later. But basically: Lynda Barry doesn't ever use the word "religion" in this book but I think it's what she's circling around. It's a book about drawing, but it doesn't really "teach" you to draw. The idea is, and it's one that I subscribe to completely: doing creative things is very good for your soul. The trick, and the trick is the hard part, is that you can't worry about purpose. You have to be willing to spend time in Not Knowing, just
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Sep 10, 2011
Christina
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So glad I read this. I picked it up from the library after hearing an interview with Barry on the radio and thinking she sounded wacky and sincere and like someone I wanted to get to know better.
The message of "Picture This" is that we should get over seeing art as a struggle or something that we can't/don't do. She points out that most of us draw as children, but lose confidence in our abilities at some point. She encourages us to get over ourselves and back into doodli More...
The message of "Picture This" is that we should get over seeing art as a struggle or something that we can't/don't do. She points out that most of us draw as children, but lose confidence in our abilities at some point. She encourages us to get over ourselves and back into doodli More...
Feb 02, 2011
Lars
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Even though I knew Barry has been going off in a different direction, I came in expecting the narrative force of 'Cruddy,' and looking for Marlys and Maybone. Marlys and Maybone are in 'Picture This,' but it's not an autobiographical work like, say, 'ONE! HUNDRED! DEMONS!' If you can't get over your preconceptions of what you think Lynda Barry does, or you are the linear type, this work will be difficult to take in. It's not only a primer for drawing, or a paean to the power of drawing, eithe
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Mar 30, 2011
Ciara
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i really have no idea what to think of this book. it was nice to look at. i liked all the marlys in it, & i really liked all the bats. especially marlys hanging out with a bat, & a bat attacking a ballet dancer. but collage & drawings is pretty much all this book is. what "substance" there is in terms of thoughts about drawing is mostly very vague & impressionistic. i didn't dislike it...but it's not really the kind of thing that gets me going. it is very much like what it is, another
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Feb 07, 2012
Mary
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This is a companion book to Lynda Barry's What It Is, and both explore the creative process. If you are familiar with Barry's 80s incarnation as an underground comic artist (Ernie Pook's Comeek) in lots of alternative publications (along with Matt Groening's Life in Hell cartoon with the rabbits, before he became famous for The Simpsons) then this graphic art how-to book and autobiographical show-and-tell will not be completely new. Her work is self-referential and features her alter-ego, Marlys
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Feb 06, 2011
Emilia
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I was a bit grumbly about your last large-scale art book. It was too conceptual. This had Marlys, and also pathos. Possibly one begets the other. It is nice and sad. And is more about the why we draw (meditative peace! escape from cares of the world) rather than how to. With still a very pleasant amount of doodles. And the near-sighted monkey, Barry's sadness-assuaging project done with her husband. And Crocheted Afghan Marlys. Lynda, someday I would like to be one percent as cool as you, and th
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Dec 25, 2010
Sarah
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I love Lynda Barry, and I love the existence of this book - it just is, it doesn't have a narrative arc or a conventional story. It's a mash-up of her illustrated psyche. Her drawings are ugly-beautiful - badly-drawn, but the whole effect is enchanting. I kind of feel like I know her through accumulated reading of her work, rather than on the basis of this book. For me, as a drawer, it's an endorsement of my sometimes-shaky skills; for people who don't think they can draw, it's a real pep-talk,
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Dec 02, 2010
Hannah
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I love this book. I read it while struggling to write something, and it was pretty encouraging. It's an amazing combination of comics, how to draw, what it feels like to not be able to draw, musings on why we stop drawing and more. I love the collage style and the look of it, I love the way the characters float in an out, I love the confessional voice that's always asking questions and not always answering them. It's great, everyone who's ever tried to make something and felt sad about it should
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Nov 20, 2010
Molly
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God, I'm in love with Lynda Barry. She is such a relatable author- I feel like I could hang out with her and have an amazing time. Everything she writes is so spot on- I can't rave enough. This book is sorta a continuation of What It Is, in that she's writing about the creative experience. But it's so autobiographical and personal- asking such questions as 'When did someone first tell you that you couldn't draw?' or explaining how to make a chicken and glue cotton to it and saying 'sometimes
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Feb 25, 2011
Meghan
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A rough summation of what this book is about: it attempts to answer some questions about art. These questions include 'where do ideas come from?' and 'why do most people stop drawing and creating art?' and 'why do we think doodling, coloring, and tracing are not art and therefore a waste of time?'. Those are big questions, and Lynda Barry thinks about them in a holistic, interesting, and childlike way, expressed through collage, watercolor, and portraits and comic strips of Marlys.
Jan 03, 2011
Marissa
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Lynda Barry's put out another great graphic novel which is half instructional, creativity/art guide and a larger piece of art in its own write which asks interesting questions about where art comes from, how to build it, how to fight the demons that suppress it, etc. It's thought provoking, inspiring, and the art in it is fantastic as always.
May 03, 2011
Amanda
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O likes the trunk characters.
I'm always trying to mope around in the autobiography of these books. My most memorable thing was the author confronting a drawing block. Not wanting to draw anymore. And then she started drawing with a brush instead of a pen, and that was all the wiggling necessary to start anew.
I'm always trying to mope around in the autobiography of these books. My most memorable thing was the author confronting a drawing block. Not wanting to draw anymore. And then she started drawing with a brush instead of a pen, and that was all the wiggling necessary to start anew.
Feb 27, 2011
Ocean
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this book is so comforting. it's the essence of creating. it explains ourselves to ourselves. it's beautiful and strange and, i think, a look inside lynda barry's brain, which is a fascinating place to be. she doesn't leave out the scary parts though, but i think that's a good thing.
Apr 19, 2011
Rachel
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This wasn't as moving to me as What It Is, possibly because I'm more of a writer than a draw-er. I love Lynda Barry's style, though, and this was a pleasure to look at and contemplate. It just didn't make me want to draw or paint as urgently as What It Is makes me want to write.
Mar 05, 2011
InfoShaman
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IMHO, Lynda Barry is an acquired taste. For several years I was put off by her apparently childish drawing style, but I've grown into a greater appreciation of both her aesthetic and the content of her work. She certainly captures a lot of the experience of being a "dorky" kid.
Dec 05, 2010
Mary
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Fun to peruse. Lynda periodically asks pointed questions about what we deem is proper for an artist. Why do we think artists can't copy, trace or color? I have to admit, I've always thought you couldn't be a "real" artist if you did those things. Lynda has changed my mind.
Jan 16, 2011
Bonnie
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What It Is is a masterpiece of writing, cursive, battling fears and embracing them, writing excercises, childhood, etc. Picture This is more of a scrapbook showcasing Lynda Barry's portfolio, which I personally have no problem with, but she is more used to writing about writing than drawing about drawing and it shows. A beautifully produced book with the meditating monkey, the near sighted monkey, the crazy ass elephant and the terrifying stain monsters, this book is sheer delight with ruminat
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May 14, 2011
Mary
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I loved this book. I bought it after having the pleasure of seeing Lynda Barry at the Fox Cities Book Festival. Whimsical, moving, and inspiring. It's the kind of self-help book that brings you back to that inner person who isn't afraid to create and have fun. It's okay to draw. It's okay to doodle. It's okay to color. It's okay to be yourself. I'll never forget the near-sighted monkey and the dear chicken!
Jan 30, 2011
Cindy
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It's not really much of a memoir or a graphic novel, but more of a scrapbook of Barry and her partner making art for fun and self-expression. It's fun to look at and read, being large and colorful and full of charming monkeys.
Sep 06, 2011
Emily
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I could not love Lynda Barry more. This book is mesmerizing. She talks (and draws!) about the barriers to creativity in the most generous, inspiring, clever way possible. Nothing I've ever read has made me so motivated to create.
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Dec 13, 2010
Linda
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I would give this 10 stars if I could. I love Lynda Barry & have every since I discovered her in the LA Weekly back in the 1980's. This book was just inspired and I am so glad I got to read it. It made me happy to read every page.
Nov 04, 2011
Very interesting NYT article prompted me to look up this book, which sounds delightful and practical.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/magazi...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/magazi...
Apr 09, 2011
Sundry
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I've decided I love Lynda Barry. This is a sweet, honest book that asks why we start drawing and more importantly, why we stop.
I started doodling and drawing again thanks to this book. I took a long time going through it because I wanted to savor it.
I started doodling and drawing again thanks to this book. I took a long time going through it because I wanted to savor it.
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Mar 01, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
Chicken soup for the drawer's soul, with moments of piquant grace.
Courage for those whose hand falters.
Though I have seen children who do not have the easy comfort with drawing she thinks we all lost.
Courage for those whose hand falters.
Though I have seen children who do not have the easy comfort with drawing she thinks we all lost.
Nov 12, 2011
cat
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2011 Book 109/100
I <3 Lynda Barry on every level. This was a fabulous collaboration that she and her husband did - one with the drawing and the other with the coloration. Beautiful.
I <3 Lynda Barry on every level. This was a fabulous collaboration that she and her husband did - one with the drawing and the other with the coloration. Beautiful.
Jul 19, 2011
Kim
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Part work of art, part art instruction (?) in the sense of setting the artists we all were once FREE. Why did we stop drawing? What did we lose when we did? Barry asks.
Jun 16, 2011
Kelly
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Amazing! If you love Marlys or art or doodling or monkeys, you should read this. I checked it out from the library but will probably buy a copy of my own.
Jan 08, 2011
Mary
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The most amazing book for artists of all kinds. Very healing. It has changed the way I'm parenting my young artists as well. I highly recommend this book.
