Birds of the West: An Artist's Guide

This is the second Molly Hashimoto book from Mountaineer Press. I loved Colors of the West, and I feel the same way about Birds of the West. The art is breathtaking, the text is fascinating, and the design is superb. The section epigraphs from authors old and new show the breadth of Molly's reading. Best of all, she shows us so many of our avian neighbors in delightful paintings, and thoughtful, personal texts. We see familiar birds in new ways, and add unfamiliar birds that we will hope to see in the future. Aspiring painters will appreciate the mini-tutorials on a wide range of techniques.After a fine Introduction, Birds of the West covers the full gamut of habitats:Backyard & CityWetland and PondShoreline & BeachMeadow & GrasslandDesert and Sagebrush SteppeForest & WoodlandAlpine & TundraThis book has helped me appreciate the gift of nature and the birds I see and hear every day. What more could I ask?

Just a beautiful book and so much more than I expected. I would love to own an original by this artist.

I love all things Molly Hashimoto and this book does not disappoint.

offers techniques that are useful across many media and subjects. plus lovely subject.

Molly Hashimoto offers us a treasure with her second book, Birds of the West, An Artist's Guide. It follows her Colors of the West, and populates the exquisite Western vistas she had created. It is full of beautiful illustrations of almost 100 species of birds in several media, from pen and ink sketches to watercolor, block prints and etches, all masterfully crafted. These birds are presented in chapters divided into seven habitats, and she includes clear, helpful art instruction for the materials she chose for each. Throughout its pages, Molly's excitement and curiosity for her subjects is expressed with sensitivity and respect. She views her encounters as a privilege and shares that enthusiasm with her readers. I'm inspired to try my hand at capturing their beauty on paper, myself. I'll definitely keep this book close by to look at again and again, and it is going to be a perfect gift for friends who love nature and the birds that fill it.

Molly Hashimoto's , Birds of the West, An Artist's Guide has beautiful illustrations of birds in their natural environment in several media, from pen and ink sketches to watercolor, block prints and etches. She shares her inspiration and media selection to show emphasis to the birds unique characteristics., with mastery. Her excitement and curiosity for her subjects shine through in her words and art. Join her on her artistic and naturalist journey; I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates art and nature.

Birds of the West is not only an artist's guide, but a fascinating view of birds that Molly Hashimoto has observed. She includes information about many of the birds- their habitats, behaviors, where she saw them. Even though I am not a painter, I found so much of interest in this book. The paintings are beautiful as well.

Lovely ideas! Beautiful artwork, great color rendering. High-quality paper and binding. But... text is dense, with long, complicated sentences. Fifty-plus words is a common sentence length. Get ready for serious eyestrain too, as the letter size is very tiny, maybe 4 points (12 points is more like the standard size). Letter color is light gray -- on white paper, so there's little contrast and it looks very washed out The font is in the sans-serif category which is not the best for long, wide blocks of text. Navigation is clumsy; a subject starts on, for example, page 28, disappears in mid-sentence, then after the next two pages of an intervening topic, it is continued on page 32 -- with no 'jump lines' to smooth the reader's path, e.g., Continued on/Continued from Page XX. I would say, the book designer put form way ahead of function! (Purchased at indepedent bookstore.)