Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1987 - 27

Boo~ Reviews
Architectural Rendering
Techniques: A Color
Reference

by Mike W Lin, ASLA.
ew York: Van ostrand Reinhold,
1985. ISB 0-'+42-25953-0, 253 pp.,
ill., S41.95 cloth.

rchitectural Rendering Techniques: A Color Reference is an
indispensable book for anyone who
executes design renderings. Primarily aimed at architects who need
a handy reference of rendering styles,
the book can also be helpful to theatre students or professionals who
would like to develop or expand their
painting techniques and use of
materials.
Lin, also the author of Architectural Presentation and a teacher at
Kansas State University, has included a vast array of rendering
styles in this very complete collection. Over fifty architects, students,
and artists, including Lin himself,
contributed work for this book.
Comprised of nearly 300 illustrations, the book progresses from simple line drawings to detailed final
presentations. Every type of drawing
is included: plans, elevations, sections, and sketches. They are
organized and rendered in pencil,
ink, color pencil, pastel, marker,
acrylic, watercolor, tempera, and airbrush. There is even a computer-generated rendering. Under every illustration is a caption containing the
name of the arti t, the size and type
of paper, the medium, and the time it
took to execu te the drawing. Otherwise, there is no text in the body of
the book.
The variety in this book derives
from the many styles of the drawing
samples and not necessarily from the
drawings themselves, the majority of
which are building exteriors. Yet
there is some diversity among these
drawings. From the sleek, somewhat
sterile landscape of a contemporary
building obviously located in an in-

dustrial park, the reader is transported to a tropical veranda where
people relax, or to a bucolic home
setting. There is a small section on
interiors that, with its emphasis on
lobbies, lacks variety. The chapter titled "Entourage and Details" includes amples of lettering, sketches
of furniture, types of stone and wood,
automobiles, vegetation, and people.
To supplement the body of the book,
Lin includes a brief introduction, an
'Appendix of Recommended Rendering Materials," and a bibliography,
separated by chapter.
The author suggests that some of
the details from the book can be
traced and copied by the reader for
instructive purposes as well as for
use in renderings. This technique,
however, usually results in presentations that do not look fresh or, for
that matter, original. The reader's
drawings would be better served if
this book was used as a reference on
materials and techniques, and the
artist looked toward reality lor at
least photographs of actual objects)
on which to base drawings.
The book is well-organized, bound
in cloth, attractively constructed,
and printed on good quality paper.
The high price is reasonable, considering that the book offers an effective, comparative study of materials
and techniques for hundreds of
finished color renderings.
Tom Mikotowic:::

Changing Trends in Fashion:
Patterns of the Tvventieth
Century

by ArLl1e V Tyrrell.
London: B.T. Batsford Ltd., 1986.
Distributed by Drama Book
Publishers, ew York. ISB
0-713'+5-1'+75, 160 pp., ill., S25.00
cloth.

nne Tyrrell has contributed a
wonderful collection of patterns
for garments for the twentieth cen-

tury. Following closely the format
that Hill and Bucknell established in
their Evolution of Fashion, Tyrrell
has given thirty-four patterns each
for both men's and women's garments from 1901 to 1970. The patterns have been taken from surviving
garments, tailoring books, and fashion magazines from the period. one
are derived from printed patterns.
In her introduction, Tyrrell states
that the aim of the book is to provide
the reader with a clear picture of the
changing trends in fashion during the
twentieth century, and to provide an
in-depth study of the evolution of
pattern cutting. Immediately following, she gives information on the
scale, seam allowance, grain line,
standard measurement, and construction of the patters. A 0.5 cm grid
is included to enlarge the patterns to
scale as well as instructions for using
the grid.
The body of the book is set up by
decades. Each decade begins with a
page of general historical costume
information. For each year selectedeach decade is represented by at least
four different years - a page of details
is given about the predominant fashion features together with details
about the illustrated patterns and
construction of the garments. Facing
each page of text is a line illustration
of a woman's and man's costume for
the particular year. The following
tWO pages have the patterns for the
garments. The emphasis of the selections, for the most part, is middle- to
upper-class garments. Thus, the entry for 1901 is an afternoon dress for
the woman and a double-breasted
frock coat for the man. The final entry, from 1969-70, is a maxi coat for a
woman and a leisure suit for a man.
Although the description of trends
in each decade is certainly valid, the
information is generalized and repetitive of many other costume history texts. Tyrrell does not have any
particularly new slant or stand. The
true value of this book is the patterns. Many a costumer, especially
those working in university costume
TD& T . SUM IER 1987

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