The Following App Reviews have been exclusively written for IntenseMedia.com and Examiner.com.
Weekly app reviews coming in January!
It's About Life is a wonderful tribute to sons and their dads!
"It's About Life" is aptly named because it's about a young bear who pays thanks to his father. It's also about the love the author has for his real father who recently passed away. It's a touching tale from birth to death. I was really impressed with Bas' artwork. The artwork reminds me a little of Warner Bros.' Road Runner scenes with lots of jagged rocks and hard angles. Bas Waijers also does a wonderful job drawing the book with a three-dimensional feel. I enjoy his use of highlights and shadows; it makes the illustrations pop! Great sound effects help marry the story with the pictures.
He makes nice use of layering to give the mood and feel of animation. I loved the swaying grass both on the opening splash page as well as in some of the scenes. Again his use of highlighting made you feel like you were actually there as the sun was setting. Especially when the father was looking out into the distance and you can see a hightlight on his nose. Very nice! One of my favorite visuals was when his dad passed. Bas captured the moment in both visuals and poetic verse. In fact, there is a lot to like about this book.
He does give you a nice little bonus at the end of the book where he shows you actual photos of his dad and in turn allows you to post your own favorite pictures to the book. Even though I feel this book is a personal tribute to the author's father, it's so well written that anyone could give it as a gift to their father. Great job Bas!
It's important as both a writer and illustrator to absorb as much as you can from your peers. Reading and supporting them gives us all the chance to better ourselves. That is what Bas does with this book.
This app gets 4.5 stars. I enjoyed it and will use it as an inspiration to draw better! My only constructive criticism is that I wish he would have used a better font than Arial; the words get a little lost in the beautiful landscapes and backdrops. I also wish it was a bit longer; it's a little short at eleven pages.
Nick Nebelsky is a former app reviewer with Yahoo/Appolicioius.com where he reviewed 70+apps. In addition to writing reviews, Nick also is an app publisher (intensemedia.com). Reviews can now be found on www.intensemedia.com, as well on Examiner.com, where Nick covers the Mobile Media industry with boasts a national audience. Free reviews are given by request only. Do not send unsolicited promo codes. Please kindly send a request for a review with pertinent information and if Nick decides to write about it, he will let you know. As of late, traffic on Intensemedia.com has increased ten-fold, so you'll be assured you're getting good traffic as well. I send out daily tweets and also do a weekly wrap-up of reviews on my blog, "The Diary of an App Developer and book Publisher." If you wish to advertise on my site, please send a separate email, and we can discuss it.
He makes nice use of layering to give the mood and feel of animation. I loved the swaying grass both on the opening splash page as well as in some of the scenes. Again his use of highlighting made you feel like you were actually there as the sun was setting. Especially when the father was looking out into the distance and you can see a hightlight on his nose. Very nice! One of my favorite visuals was when his dad passed. Bas captured the moment in both visuals and poetic verse. In fact, there is a lot to like about this book.
He does give you a nice little bonus at the end of the book where he shows you actual photos of his dad and in turn allows you to post your own favorite pictures to the book. Even though I feel this book is a personal tribute to the author's father, it's so well written that anyone could give it as a gift to their father. Great job Bas!
It's important as both a writer and illustrator to absorb as much as you can from your peers. Reading and supporting them gives us all the chance to better ourselves. That is what Bas does with this book.
This app gets 4.5 stars. I enjoyed it and will use it as an inspiration to draw better! My only constructive criticism is that I wish he would have used a better font than Arial; the words get a little lost in the beautiful landscapes and backdrops. I also wish it was a bit longer; it's a little short at eleven pages.
Nick Nebelsky is a former app reviewer with Yahoo/Appolicioius.com where he reviewed 70+apps. In addition to writing reviews, Nick also is an app publisher (intensemedia.com). Reviews can now be found on www.intensemedia.com, as well on Examiner.com, where Nick covers the Mobile Media industry with boasts a national audience. Free reviews are given by request only. Do not send unsolicited promo codes. Please kindly send a request for a review with pertinent information and if Nick decides to write about it, he will let you know. As of late, traffic on Intensemedia.com has increased ten-fold, so you'll be assured you're getting good traffic as well. I send out daily tweets and also do a weekly wrap-up of reviews on my blog, "The Diary of an App Developer and book Publisher." If you wish to advertise on my site, please send a separate email, and we can discuss it.
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