Good Eye, Jim Tolpin and George Walker (book)

Good Eye by Jim Tolpin and George Walker is the fifth and newest book in their artisan geometry series, exploring furniture design through simple proportions in a new and deep way.

The authors examine iconic furniture from different periods and show the proportional systems behind each, then go a step further and show how to use the same system to create an entirely new design that works in almost any aesthetic. The book shows how to find the simple shapes behind a piece, tease out the module (or two) that is its building block, and use that module to scale mouldings, rails, stiles, drawers and negative space.

It teaches by example: from a simple 17th-century chest, whose system is then used to design a contemporary hi-fi cabinet, through asymmetry in Asian pieces and secondary modules in a Shaker sewing table, to refinement, ornamentation and curves. Hundreds of line drawings make each step understandable.

The 120-page book is 8.5" × 11", printed in Michigan in black and white, sewn and hardbound in cloth with a stamped cover. Jim Tolpin and George Walker are also the authors of By Hand & Eye, By Hound & Eye, Euclid's Door and From Truths to Tools.