Reviews (14)

Excellent reference for the oil painter
I have quite a few oil paintings books, and I consider Bill Creevy's 'The Oil Painting Book' to be one of the best reference books in my collection. It is also an interesting and informative book on oil painting techniques, such as glazing and scumbling (truly excellent on these topics), alla prima, wiping out method, and many more.

However, I have found it to be the most useful as a reference book for oil painting materials. Its section on oil paint brands is outstanding - not only are the major brands evaluated, but also the specialty small company brands. Particularly strong is the section on oil painting mediums. To me this is such a challenging area for someone beginning oil painting. This book thoroughly defines and discusses over 18 different mediums, which provides an excellent starting point for someone learning about oil painting. Nothing beats actually experimenting with the mediums yourself, but it helps to read about them beforehand to see what kind of effects they achieve.

I highly recommend this book.

Excellent for beginners and done with beautiful style!
I've read or worked thru almost twenty books on oil painting while I'm waiting for my first painting class to start. This was the first one to cover modern materials - the stuff available today - and to cover glazing. The demos are step-by-step and fully explained in Alla Prima, knife techniques, rub-out painting, glazing, and even oil sticks and water miscible oils. Just an awesome text ... period. The reviewer who earlier diss'd the author for his painting style evidently doesn't have much experience creating or viewing art of any kind - not that appreciating this style requires training. On the contrary, the paintings are done in gorgeous, warm, and 'buttery' colors and the style is somewhere between realist and impressionist. I love the art and I love the book. I'm buying his pastel text, as well. This book is worth...[the money] just for the chapters on glazing alone!

A big disappointment
I was seriously disappointed with this book. So disappointed in fact that I am returning it to Amazon. This will be the first time I've ever returned a book to Amazon. The book does cover materials well, but where it falls short is everything else. He goes straight from materials into painting techniques. He skips color theory all together. No mention of a simple palette for beginners, warm/cold colors, mixing secondary & tertiary colors. I can't imagine a book geared towards beginners that doesn't cover this. This book is definitely not "step-by-step", many styles have no steps whatsoever. For example in Alla Prima he just shows several different paintings, and the reader has no idea how he did it. Other styles just have a few steps. None of the steps are adequate to attempt a similar painting. As one other reviewer said, his paintings are a little on the blurry side.

I picked up "Oils (Step-by-Step Art School)" by Patricia Seligman and it is simply wonderful. It has less info on materials (most of which aren't useful for a beginner anyway) and more much emphasis on color theory and detailed step-by-step examples of various styles. The color theory section is absolutely fantastic.

If you just want to read about materials and see a few paintings done in various styles, this Creevy's book is for you. But if you want to learn how to actually do these different styles, look elsewhere.

unique
a unique approach, to say the least. How many other authors dealing with glazing would take the trouble to provide an entire test chart in color for the reader's perusal? In addition, the pages dealing with materials are extremely thorough. Creevy does not just 'catalogue'; he explains and evaluates. As for the comments about his own paintings, that is the man's style. Let the student of painting pursue his or her own style. The technique is what you want. You don't buy a book like this to evaluate the work of the artist. The author is trying to teach you TECHNIQUE. What's the difference if you personally don't care for his style? Go and do otherwise!

Great Book
This is a terrific book at a great price. It's become one of my 'standard references' for oil painting.

I'd also recommend "Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner" by Steve Allrich and "All About Techniques in Oils" (Parramon) if you're just starting out, and "Alla Prima" by Richard Schmid if your budget allows it (it's pricey). ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good book for an absolute beginner
I just started with watercolor and am an absolute beginner, full of expectations and fears. I bought several books "for beginners" at the same time. All of them give you a list of supplies and helpful advises on what kind of paper, brushes, paints you need etc. That helps if you are a beginner. Most of those books then give a short review of different techniques. Than, many of them leave you alone in front of beautiful paintings with short comments. It obviously addressed to people with some experience in painting who may learn from it.
The book of Jack Reid is exactly what it says on it's cover: it helps you to get started. After usual introductions it gives you many projects to develop and practice your skills starting form easiest exercises. (You just play with your brushes and get use to watercolor paints first). That's encouraging and valuable if you can 't attend a workshop. I would recommend it for a beginner as myself.

Excellent book and great paintings
I was completely captured by the reprints of Jack Raid's paintings included in this book. This book includes detailed examples and clear instruction steps, is the best Watercolor beginner's book I ever seen. Jack made the art of watercolor painting looks so simple yet elegant. I hope Jack continues to publish more advanced books for students who can't attend his workshops.

Fantastic way to get started.
This is a really fantastic beginner book that will have you painting very nice watercolors very soon. The instructions are easy to follow. You will be surprised at how easy it is to get started painting in this very demanding medium. Highly recommended for all beginners.

Best Book For Beginners
I had assembled nearly a dozen books on watercolor painting instruction and techniques. I wish I had bought this book first. While the other books do contain useful instruction, the demonstrations--beautiful, inspiring--are often too difficult for the beginning painter. Not so with this book.

The book begins at the beginning, with no assuptions of a certain level of skill. The book then takes you through a series of exercises, based on certain basic skill such as a flat or gradated wash, proceeding to still more difficult techniques. Yet the exercises are sufficiently simple, with easy to reproduce sketches, that you end up with a small work of art: simple, but solidly founded in an essential technique and its mastery.

There are also sections which focus on monochromatic studies to help the student think about and approach the concept of values. The exercises in these sections enable the beginning painter to produce lovely, sophisticated-looking pictures with just a few newly mastered concepts and techniques. I have never before been so pleased with the results of my exercise paintings than those introduced in this book.

I think this book would be an excellent, even essential, item for the beginning painter looking for a solid foundation in this often capriciously difficult medium. I cannot recommend this book more highly. Thank you to Jack Reid for this marvelous book.

Excellent introduction of techniques for the beginner
Jack Reid does an excellent job of introducing the basic watercolor techniques to the novice. These include wash, graded wash, dry-brush, and wet into wet. He also provides insight on materials that will be valuable to those entering those intimidating art supply stores. The techniques are presented in the form of several exercises with limited palettes. This helps the beginner not only in learning the techniques, but having a direction in which to go for practicing them. The book also introduces painters to value, color, and composition. In the last portion of the book, there are more in depth projects that will challenge the reader who has begun to master the techniques presented earlier. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The 5 Essentials in Every Powerful Painting
I have over 300 art technique books. This one is the best of all time. I am a professional artist in oil painting and pastel.
There was information in the book I have never heard on impressionism; i.e., limited the type strokes. The studio and work placed shown in book was like my own. It was well filled with books and still life objects. I showed it to my husband so that he would stop nagging me about cleaning up or I had bought too many books. I am in a SAD depression. This book inspired me to get up and move and to just do it. I feel wonderful. This book has made a hugh impact on my painting.

Excellent book
I really do not understand some of the other reviews on this book. This is really not a 'how to paint a variety of different styles' book. This is an honest book from an excellent artist who shows you how 'he' paints.

I first read this book at the library. I felt it was 'okay'. However, as my skills grew; I kept finding myself checking this book out again and again. Finally, I broke down and bought the book.

I didn't check it out again to try to duplicate the painting style of the author. Which I'm in awe of, and so is the Pastel and Watercolor Society by the way. The reason I got it, was because this book really shows you how to create powerful paintings. It shows you how to think before you put brush to canvas.

Again, I can't believe the poor customer reviews. I've read fifty or sixty books on painting and this one along with Oil Painting Secrets from a Master are the two that I pick up again and again and again.

NOTHING I DID NOT ALREADY KNOW
IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE A BOOK, IT SHOULD CONTAIN CONSTRUCTIVE AND INSTUCTIONAL MATERIAL. THIS BOOK HAS NETHER ONE AND I HOPE TO FIND BOOKS WITH MUCH MUCH BETTER INFORMATION. HOPE THIS HELPS PEOPLE NOT WASTE THEIR MONEY.

Not worth your time
This book gives very little help and actually your common sense is just as good. I am an artist and it did NOT help me at all.

NOTHING TO THIS AWFUL BOOK.
This book is not worth the paper it is written on and take my word that it does not teach you anything you don't already know. So many bac art books and this is one of them. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The best introductory book on the subject
The book examines plant structures and the problems they present to illustrators, then discusses the artist's tools and how to use them: pencils, erasers, papers, brushes, watercolors, gouache, and acrylics.

all you ever needed to know!
This book really has all you ever needed to know about botanical illustration - history, mediums, styles, scientific considerations, and more. A must for anyone going into this field.

For those with some experience, Technical Drawing
This book focuses on technical drawing as the basis of botanical illustration. It brings together an understanding of plant structure with drawing technique as the keys to success.

Selecting, preserving and examining plants is discussed. A variety of plant structures are shown in detail with the process of building up the drawing.

Pencil, ink and scratchboard are the main media covered. The addition of color is presented in watercolors and acrylics. There are several beautiful color plates, some historical and some by the author.

This is a book best suited to an artist with some experience. The wealth of technical information will provide the artist with a greater understanding of and proficiency in botanical work. ... Read more

Book Description

The art of monotype has experienced a surge of popularity in recent years, and artists working in other mediums will enjoy exploring the creative potential this process offers them. A brief history of monotype is followed by a comprehensive chapter on materials. The step-by-step instructions are accompanied by some of the finest examples of monotype being done today. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great demonstation of incredible effects using monotype
There seems to be very limited information available on the technique of monotype. This book fills that void by demonstrating the incredible variety of effects possible using the monotype method. There are no projects, per se, rather it teaches techniques that help you create your own masterpieces. Many pieces of example artwork are found throughout the book.

A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print made by transferring a painted image to paper. The book starts out with an introduction to materials including plates, mediums, solvents, panting tools and paper as well as hand and press transfer equipment. It also covers studio safety and finding workshop facilities.

Techniques are next including working into a light or dark field and both hand and press transfer.
These include step-by-step instructions accompanied by demonstration photos. Working in specific mediums including watercolor, acrylics, water-soluble writing instruments, monoprint paints (Createx), oil paints, water-based oils and alkyds follows. A section discussing special oil-based printing inks for lithography, etching, printing and serigraphy is also here. There is even a chapter on special techniques including using masks & stencils, embossing and creating collages.

The final chapter gives an overview of monoprints, which combine monotype with other print making processes, and mixed-media monotypes. This includes intaglio, drypoint and engraving, as well as linocut and collagraphic monoprints.

There is a nice list of suppliers as well as interesting biographical notes on the artists featured in the back. This is a great book that displays the great diversity in mediums and results available with monotype.

Great Resource and Guide
This book is a valuable resource of methods used in making monotypes. Ms. Ayres reviews every aspect of making a monotype from the tools, the ink or paint, and the process of transferring the image. All the printmaking terms used when describing this art are expertly explained and illustrated. It is clearly not a medium restricted to artists familiar with printmaking. The work of many artists are presented along with the ingenuity they have used to transfer their work. A very valuable resource book both for the artist and those wishing to learn more about this art form. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

As close to a class as you can get!
This book gives the artist a special perspective from which to view and draw nature. Stanley Maltzman focuses on the basics of different seasons, weather, water, rocks, etc., but also takes the reader into specific shapes and characteristics of individual elements. For example, he shows you the differences between drawing an oak and a maple tree. This is the strength of the book over other landscape drawing books.

There are demonstrations and samples on almost every page in a variety of mediums. He even shows the student how to mock up a natural setting in the studio for practice. Having taken a class from this author, I can easily say it is like having him explain the material in person! ... Read more

Book Description

A vividly illustrated and richly detailed manual for crafting decorative trompe l'oeil motifs and murals.

From the co-author of the popular Handbook of Painted Decoration comes an advanced exploration of expert trompe l'oeil art and technique. Following the designs and step-by-step illustrations of an award-winning French decorative painter, interior designers and decorators will learn how to refine their skills as well as build new techniques to expand their repertoire. The book provides numerous designs that can be duplicated, as well as inspiration for designers to fashion their own creations.

Covering a wide range of subject matter, from monumental landscapes to ornamental friezes, Yannick Guégan demonstrates the execution of elegant wood, marble, natural, and figurative motifs for decorative panels and panoramic murals. He integrates fine French methods and traditions-such as the incorporation of classical capitals and temples-with contemporary style and innovation, depicting each step from first sketch to finished product in full color. This is an excellent instruction manual as well as reference tool for anyone working in interior design and decoration. 300 color illustrations, 8 gatefolds. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

good reference material
When looking for a book on trompe l'oeil, an art which is in itself a difficult thing to master.If you are a novice, look for book reviews where they tell you that it is a step by step manual.Then you will have a foundation and a valuable starting point to begin your artistic journey.Books such as this are basically good for reference material, the artist here is showing off so to speak his works of art, which is okay but if he or she offers no help in the way of instruction all you have is a pretty picture book.An author like Roberta Gordon-Smith is a better bet for the beginner.Janet Shearer offers good advice for intermediate and above.If a person praises it up and down and is overwhelmed by the quality of the artists work, that's just it...they are simply overwhelmed.The book in and of itself may not be that helpful.So read those reviews and try to read between the lines so you won't throw away your hard earned money.Best Wishes,Rick

Beautiful Picture Book
This book is absolutely gorgeous and will provide lots of inspiration.

What it won't provide is lots of words or step by step instructions.There are many close up shots of the very large murals which are helpful for discerning the details, but still not enough to be able to recreate it yourself, unless, as the book suggests, you've read his other book:Handbook of Painted Decoration.

Beautiful book, but if you're looking for instruction, this isn't the one. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

The best art teaching book available...
"Drawing Cutting Edge Comics" has been the best drawing book I have seen on the market by Chris Hart in a long time. Totally blows his other books away! How ever, it's more for ppl who already know how to draw human anatomy...a.k.a they don't show you how to draw the human body in motion like "How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way." This book is def. like a book for ppl who are serious about going into the Comic Book Industry. It's a must buy.

Doesn't get much better than this
Two thumbs up! This book blows Hart's previous how to books based on comic art out of the water. It shows examples of correct anatomy, facial expressions, different camera angles, foreshortening, perspective, page design, and genre types. And for those who want to draw beautiful women and massive men this book shows you how. Those basics are a must have for those of you who want to be aspiring artists, because the comic industry is very compeitive. Some of the samples of art are outstanding! This book is for more of advanced artists. It also gives you tips from top people in the industry from TopCow and Chaos comics. The styles shown is this book are how many top artists draw now so if you wanna be a perfessional comic artists I implore you this book is absolutly a must have! I use this book as an everyday reference so it's easily worth it's money and can help you develop that cutting edge you need. DO U ENJOY DRAWING COMIC ART AND READING COMICS AND LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT, E-MAIL ME.

You want to draw better?
I'm a begining artist and I must say this book helps a lot. I would recommend you start with Hart's earlier book on human anatomy made easy to get you started. This book is for advanced artist looking for that extra something. This book will definately help with that.

Good compliment, but can't stand on its own
The good thing about this book is that most basic drawing ideas are covered: faces, basic anatomy, and perspective. One of the articles I particularly like is the drawing comparison between different top artists (from using the same reference). It gives an idea of how to develop your own unique style rather than copying someone elses. The focus in the "cutting edge" comic market today is to give a "dark" feeling. Hence inking is exaggerated and skin tones are darker (compare Witchblade to Wonder Woman and you'll know what I mean). If you're interested in these aspects of drawing, then this book will give you a taste that no current other book can offer.

Despite the uniqueness of this book, the problem is that book is NOT a stand-alone (all-in-one) guide to drawing "Top-Cow" and "Chaos" style comics. If you are a newbie in drawing, then this book is more eye-candy than an aid to help you. You will have difficulties reaching Al Rio's level of quality on this book alone. There are little step-by-step instructions or diagrams. Since there are different artists contributing to different sections of the book, it can be a distraction. No offense, but I don't really think Chris Hart's artwork is "cutting edge." It looks rather cartoony as another reviewer said. Hence, I think this book can be better streamlined and edited. In addition, there should be more about shading, more about anatomy and poses, and more about creating impact. I think Andy Smith's "Drawing Dynamic Comics" has better basics than this book. In fact, it would be good to pick up that book as well because it gives a different perspective from another author. In any event, this book tries to do too much. I would rather have this book dump all the "basic stuff" and dig deeper into the advanced stuff.

The tutorial for comic artists
I ordered several comic drawing books, and being an artist for many years, this book adds punch to your drawing arsenal. While this book does not teach you the bare basics of drawing or drawing comics (I highly recommend "Drawing Comics The Marvel Way" If you need the basics) it teaches you how to make your drawings better.

While this comic style may be a "fad" and some critcs say the modern style of comics is overdone and cliched, this book goes beyond the cliches and the fads... it teaches you how to think out of the box, which is what comic fans want.

Recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

It WILL help u a lot!!!
Well, I've searched for many, MANY, books and when I found this one I couldn't belive on it! It shows marker techniques very simple to use and step by step. But I'm still a student of architecture, so it's also good for those who already knows a little. It's woderful for those that like design! ^^

Learn to do amazing renderings with markers and pastels
As an upcoming concept designer I've been searching for a book which explaines the techniques on how to render a sketch with markers and pastels. This book shows you how to rendering different products with the same technique. Some of them do almost look as if they were a photo. It is much of a Japanese styl, but it really illustrates your idea. Actually, iF Amazon would have shown the cover you would see whats really in this book. If you like those illustrations done by industrial designers, drawn with markers and pastels on vellum, with flying perfect lines, amazing shadows, you will love this book.

BUT WAIT! The only bad thing is that it shows you how to work the SAME tachnique on a variety of objects. The technique is great, sure is, but it is one technique! ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Comprehensive Guide to All Aspects of Digital Printing
I wish I had owned a book like this when I started doing digital drawings ten years ago, but the next best thing is to have it now. It is a engaged and loving explication of the many aspects of digital printmaking, starting with the basic building blocks of a digital image, the bits, bytes, and pixels, and finishing up with curating and shipping the final prints out the door.

Along the way it explains the different digital printing methods (with great diagrams to illustrate how things like inkjets actually work), the pieces of hardware you'll need, how to capture and handle your source material (including scanning, digital cameras, digital drawing programs, and image editing), color space and the pros and cons of calibration, permanence, how to do your own printing from machines to inks and papers, and how to deal with an outside printing service if you decide not to print your work yourself. Especially if you're in the latter category, this book is an invaluable guide to an understanding of what's going on technically that will help you to make aesthetic decisions that translate onto paper more successfully and to better communicate with your print atelier. Lastly, the very useful appendices are a gold-mine in-and-of themselves - print service providers all over the USA, suppliers, online groups and sites, books, galleries, print exchanges and more.

From the introduction on, the sense of excitement about the blossoming digital revolution is contagious. Fine art printmaking has not had a major new medium since silkscreen, and Harald Johnson does an excellent job of fitting digital prints into the history of printmaking in general. The book finishes up with a gallery showcase that gives an inspiring overview of the kinds of imagery that are being made digitally these days - ranging stylistically from realism to abstraction to manipulated photographs and from methods that rival traditional media to creations that could only be computer art.

Book Review ¿ Mastering Digital Printing by Harald Johnson
Anyone who has ventured seriously into creating digital art sooner or later stumbles into the uncharted sea of printing. Once an artist has finally created his or her masterpiece on the computer, they must contend with a vast array of new printing technologies, image management software (sometimes called RIP), and different ink types and substrates to produce their final print. Until now that process has remained a complete mystery to all but a few. But at last Harald Johnson has come forward with his new book Mastering Digital Printing to explain the process from the basics to the complex.
Perhaps what I like most about the book is that is not just a technical manual, but really goes a long way into addressing head on some of the issues that are raging in the art world today regarding digital artwork. Things like what the difference is between a digital reproduction and digital original, and what a Giclee print is. These topics really shed some light onto some controversial and often overlooked issues.
On the technical side he does a very deft job of delicately explaining complex terms such as printer resolution, dpi, and lpi so that even a beginner can start to get an adequate grasp of the subject. This is a book aimed at artists, not propeller heads. And while his coverage of the different printing technologies may be a bit more information than most artists want, it is never the less important when one is considering [purchasing]a print based on those technologies. He also does an outstanding job of explaining scanning and what artists really need to know about sending out work to be scanned, or scanning it themselves.
Finally he addresses two important issues for the professional artist, permanence and substrates. While some of this does go into the deep end, it provides necessary and often overlooked information that seems to be cropping up more and more at art shows and galleries.
All in all, this book is a compendium of information for serious digital artists. If all you want to do is produce snap-shots from your inkjet printer, this book is probably not for you. But if you are a professional or serious amateur artist wants to obtain the highest quality translation from the virtual representation of their art work to the physical one, this book is a must.

Very good book- lots of good foundation info
I like this book for 2 reason- One as a amatur printer- it gave me a lot of good ideas for projects and 2. As an IT pro who has to support this type of technology at time in our printing plants, it helped fill in the gaps I had in my printing and imaging specific knowledge. This book covers a broad range of topics- so think of it more as a primer to get you ready for more advanced topics in other books.

Not Good Enought
When I first started to read this book I was really impressed. Then I kept trying to find specific information that I could use. There is very little. A good book for history and hype, but there are better books for useful knowledge. I would suggest Kieran's Photoshop Color Correction.

I never believed there was so much to know about printing!
This is the third book I've purchased from this publisher, and all of them have been excellent. I hadn't been looking for a book on printing, but when I picked this one up in the book store I was amazed to find there was so much I didn't know. All the information is useful, and I am very glad I stumbled across this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Sketching requires only the most basic tools to get started and is immediately accessible to anyone who has the desire. It is a simple yet rewarding exercise, serving as the foundation of all artistic pursuits. This illuminating guide draws on the vast experience of established artists to give readers a rich variety of working methods and topics that will guide and encourage their sketching ability. Artists of all skill levels will benefit from exercises that show them how to: * Sharpen powers of observation and analysis * Capture movement through line * Set up powerful compositions* Render tiny details that breathe life into a sketch * Use sketches as the basis of strong paintings ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not for beginners
This book provides excellent examples in a variety of media. It is the kind of book I look for to provide my students with good examples, things to try out, and the quality they should strive for. If you are an absolute beginner there are other books that will provide you with more basic how-to information than this one does, though I personally think this book is very good in this area as well. I would recommend this book to those people already aquainted with sketching, but wanting to explore visual journaling and using a variety of media.

for artists...
This is a nice little book--very attractively designed and with lots of gorgeous sketches and samples. I think this book is for artists, though, not beginners. But beginners may find enough inspiration in the examples to want to investigate the techniques further.

A Great Book on How to Keep a Sketchbook!
This is a great book! It explains about keeping a sketchbook in various media, and how to use it to make finished drawings and paintings. Great for everyone, no matter how well you draw now. ... Read more

Book Description

The definitive, practical guide to all the tools, techniques, and materials of paintings, drawing, printmaking and related visual arts. Over 1,000 illustrations and 175,000 words of text. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A great resource for artists
This book is an important resource for artists. Ray Smith has a complete knowledge of art materials, and he gives a complete and detailed description of each material and how they are used. It covers a wide range of art materials including paints, grounds, pencils, inks, printing equipment, cereamic tiles, stained glass, and so forth. Also included is information on color, perspective, framing, photography, and exhibiting your work. Basically it's a complete guide to the 2D mediums of art. if you're interesting in 3D arts such as sculpture or pottery, you're not in luck. Those fields aren't covered.

For me, it's interesting to just look through this book and examine the wide range of techniques and materials presented in it. You can find a lot of new ideas to try out. Even if you're an experienced artist, I think you can find something new that you will be excited to try. Check it out. It's worth it.

ADDIT TO LAST REVIEW I SUBMITTED
When recommending an alternative text in the last review I wrote of this book, I suggested Robert Gottsegan's book. His real name is Mark David Gottsegan. Apologies for this mistake.

Good but contains some bad advice
I agree with the preceding reviewers but must add I found this book to be so general as to require supplementation by other books such as those by Ralph Mayer(somewhat out of date but still useful) or Robert Gottsegan. Ray Smith does offer some very dubious advice in parts of the text eg. he suggests that after priming your support with the traditional lead primer, you should sand it to smooth the surface. This is a TERRIBLE suggestion. Lead is very dangerous when inhaled--it only becomes inhalable when sanded or when used in pigment form. Sanding it is an absolute no-no.Ralph Mayer is a chemist, so his advice on safety issues is a lot more reliable than Mr Smith's. Of all three books, that by Gottsegan is probably the one I would recommend most as it is far more up to date than Smith's or Mayer's.

Get this book!
Quite simply this is a fantastic book. The things you can learn from it are amazing. Starting from the very first chapter a very in-depth analysis of pigments, their types, chemical structures, lightfastness, reactions to different types of binders, etc. are given. And that's only the beginning because the next chapters cover different types of oils, resins, glues, starches, gums, solvents, waxes, and additives...and all of this just for the paint in the tubes or the mediums you use with it. Then the author moves on to an in-depth look at various supports (wood, canvas, steel, copper, fiber, etc). Paper and grounds each get its own chapter.

All this before ever discussing the media you can choose to use. The obligatory big four are covered in detail (watercolor, acrylic, soft pastel and oil) but what makes this book such a treasure is the coverage of so many less well-known media. Just some of the media that get their own chapters are pencils and graphite sticks, colored pencil, oil pastel, chalk and conte crayons, charcoal, silverpoint, scratchboard, pen and ink, brush and ink, egg tempera, gouache, encaustic, fresco, dry wall (aka mural) painting, stained glass, ceramic tiles, enameling, and a bunch of chapters on various kinds of print-making (woodcut, linocut, intaglio, lithography and screen printing). There are chapters covering color theory, perspective, painting restoration, making frames, repairing damaged paint films, varnishing, photography, computer art and even a chapter on how to set up a well-lit, well-ventilated artist studio and exhibiting your art. The last chapter gives formulas for making your own paints or pastels. The book finishes up with a glossary, bibliography and an index.

The only things I would've liked to see included but didn't (maybe they'll add them in a second edition?) are chapters on casein, calligraphy and various types of sculpting and glass etching. Even so, that is a minor quibble. Overall, I really have high praise for this book. Definitely give it serious consideration as a reference for your bookshelf.

A fine canvas of technique and materials.
A medium and the tools applied to it are only the beginning. Along with exstensive introductions the the history and content of medium, there are wonderful examples and exercises which encourage experimentation. Well written, well illustrated and an excellent reference tool for anyone interested in art, technique or the tools of the trade. ... Read more

Book Description

Anyone can learn these simple and fun methods for producing outstanding watercolor landscapes and flowers. One of the reasons that Roland's first book has been so popular (Fill Your Watercolors with Light & Color--over 65,000 copies sold) is that his techniques make watercolor fun and successful for a great number of otherwise frustrated artists.

Roland has a gift for simplifying the process of painting into a few readily understood steps. In this book, he expands the teaching of his pouring technique and goes into the underlying structure of a painting. He presents a unique way of teaching composition that will delight the reader. He then presents his three-step process of painting a landscape--masking to preserve the lights, pouring on the atmosphere and spattering the textures. Next, he shows two great techniques for painting flowers, a subject that does not appear in his first book. Also included is a chapter of fun experimental techniques that readers are sure to enjoy and another chapter that answers some frequently asked questions.

* Enables any artist to produce landscapes and flowers, two of the most popularpainting subjects
* This author has a proven sales track record ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Nice loose painting
This is a nice book for soft landscapes. However, I don't use it nearly as much as I thought I would. Check out the authors style first, and if you really like it...then the book is for you. I use some techniques, but the subject matter is a little soft for me. I didn't stay interested enought to use the lessons, but I did read it through and apply concepts to some of my own work.

These techniques are nothing short of fantastic!
I love these books by Roycraft. If you love painting landscape or natural subjects, you cannot go wrong reading this book. Roycraft's techniques look simple (a lot of splashing going on) but they are controlled and well thought out. If you love floral painting you should not miss his examples here of a peony and an iris. JUST Breathtaking. I picked up so many ideas from this book.

Not only are Roycraft's paintings beautiful to see, he knows how to communicate his techniques incredibly well. I'm glad I found this watercolor artist's books.

A power tool for watercolorists
Having read "enough" art technique books, I have learned that until one gets "down and dirty" trying out what is discussed in the book, then one does not actually spend the money wisely (on the book).

The same for this book. Beautiful artwork by the author. Did I say beautiful? No, BREATHTAKING, rather. However, to be able to generate beautiful artworks, the readers will need the following:

- An ability to SEE (light, dark, positive and negative space)

- Follow instructions from the book (which is PROBABLY the easy part, since it is rather well-written)

- A decent craftsmanship to finesse the final painting after the "mask and pour paints" phase of the process.

Briefly, I would think this is a power tool for watercolorists. How great the final products turn out to be will depend on the aforementioned factors.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not only beautiful, it's a useful book
There are 46 lessons and assignments in this book, critiques included. Reid covers not only painting but, more important, seeing.

Reid begins by reviewing the basics: Contour drawing, value scales, seeing shapes, adding values to drawings. Then he goes into detail in working with values, handling color, directing the eye, composing with color, and interpreting light. The last two sections of the book deal with critiques, solutions and learning from the masters. There's also a useful bibliography that's divided into books about painting and those on drawing. Then there's a list of artists whose work the student should study to gain insight into different techniques.

This book is a fresh look at working in watercolors and oils. I'd recommend it to photographers, too. These ideas and information could be easily translated to the film medium.

All that said, it's a gorgeous coffeetable book, too.

Great for learning about value, composition and color
I have been painting for about a year and have had a lot of trouble composing paintings that flow as well as I would like them to. This book has helped me tremendously. So many of the books I have read talk only about technique and do not thoroughly address the important issues surrounding composition as this one does. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Photorealism using pencils
It's all in the technique. This book is for artists who prefer the simplicity and versatility of charcoal, graphite and carbon for their works. This is not a teach-yourself-to-draw type book. It's a book of techniques for artists who already have learned the fundamentals of drawing and want to advance their skills to the next level.

Materials and basic techniques are covered in the first two chapters. From there, the author provides seven step-by-step demonstrations of creating various textures from metal and glass to human skin and animal fur. Finally, the book concludes with two full-length, detailed still life demostrations.

The text is profusely illustrated and well written in a clear, easy to understand style. When the author mentions something, there's a picture to show what he's talking about.

This book is a valuable reference for anybody who works with graphite pencil, charcoal and carbon pencil.

An excellent, brief tutorial
I try to avoid art books that read like cook books. The art books shelf at any bookstore is full of mediocre illustrations bound under titles like "Painting Realistic Waterfalls with Oil" or "Draw Spiderman Just Like the Pros". I was attracted to this book by the phenomenal cover rendering, but frankly I expected it to be another volume on how to paint an elephant's eyelashes in gouache.
That it is not.
Though it covers specific examples, the techniques illustrated by J.D. Hillberry can be effectively applied to pencil and charcoal rendering in general. Mr. Hillberry's rendering skills are incredible and inspiring. He illuminates mundane subject matter to the point of photorealism. This book is a must buy for a design student (or anyone fairly competant in rendering) who is ready to tackle the photorealism giant.

Fantastic Book!
It is easy to find books that try to teach you how to draw, but this book goes way beyond that. If you need something beyond the basics, I highly recommend this book! It is very detailed and has simple steps to help in rendering very realistic textures. Great buy!

An extremely useful manual for drawing lifelike images.
Of all the art technique books I've ever looked at, this has been one of the most useful to me. Graphite is and always has been my favorite medium for drawing, and though I've tried others, I always find myself falling back on the trusty generic pencil. So when I saw this book in the store, I picked it up and thumbed through it and was so impressed by the author's example drawings alone that I bought it. The author is a magnificent artist, and the book has turned out to be a great reference. I've noticed a marked improvement in the realism of my drawings since I started using it.

Hillberry begins by introducing us to various materials - graphite pencils, charcoal pencils, carbon pencils, types of erasers, blending tools, types of paper, and other miscellaneous items that can prove helpful - and describes the use and effect of each. He goes on to offer tips on choosing a composition, using light for different effects, using different pencil strokes, blending techniques, layering media, masking, and other helpful methods.

The bulk of the book contains instructions on achieving realism when rendering different types of objects: metal, eyes, human hair, glass, broken glass, wood, leather, barbed wire, clothing, and fur. He even offers instructions on little details such as knots in wood, protruding nailheads, etc. At the end he talks about how to put all these methods together into a complete composition, and gives tips on working from photographs. I have not yet tried all of Hillberry's techniques, but the ones I have used have helped me immensely. I would highly recommend this book to any intermediate to advanced level artist.

Fantastic!
I am a beginner drawer and find that this book is a must-have. I think that everyone, beginners and pros alike, will learn something valuable from Hillberry's book. He's a master artist and I am thrilled to be able to find out his "secret" techniques of which combination of paper, pencil, eraser and blending tool is used to create each texture.

Get this book and you won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Book Description

Delving into one of the most sacrosanct areas of culture--fine art collecting--Thomas Hoving presents a gallery of art fakes, fakers, and the suckers who fell for the scams. From the shroud of Turin to pre-Colombian pottery, Hoving reveals the biggest, the best, the most embarrassing, and the most costly forgeries in history--many of them unknown until now. photos. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Interesting, but falls a little short
Thomas Hoving seems to know his art, and doesn't have any qualms about sharing his knowledge. He may be a premier fakebuster, but as a writer, he could use a little more practice. While the subject matter was interesting, Hoving had a slightly difficult time keeping my attention. He seemed to jump around alot, and made a lot of assumptions regarding my knowledge of the art world. False Impressions is filled with all kinds of interesting tidbits about the world of art forgery and fakebusting. Unfortunately, it can be somewhat difficult to separate fact from opinion. As a novice to art appreciation, I found much of the material to be "above my head". Perhaps after a few years of study, I will be in a better position to fully benefit from all Hoving offers. Probably the simplest and most effective thing he could have done to improve the book would be to include more pictures, perhaps even some color photos, and have them more logically located in the chapters in which the pieces are discussed, as opposed to having a group of plates three-quarters of the way through the book. At the very least, the text could have referenced the plate section. Unfortunately, every time a new piece is mentioned, the curious reader has to flip to the plate section and hope that the piece is represented there. Overall, I would say that if you are really interested in fine art, you will find this book enlightening. But it's not something one would read just for fun.

Packed with information, but uninspired writing
This could have been a more interesting book, but often as not I found it a chore to read. The subject matter -- art fakery, the criminals who perpetrate it, and the curators and journalists who fall for it -- made for a fascinating glimpse into this other world. Hoving just can't write well, consistently.

Sometimes he gets into a mode, like when going over the medieval and renaissance works, where he would cover so many so quickly that it felt as if he were simply reciting names and dates, losing all the human charm it needs to keep your interest. Some of the text made no sense without the plates, and for some parts there were no plates to, I was never sure just what he was talking about. Other times he exhaustively goes over what everything means, sometimes well, but sometimes to the point of irritation. The biggest mistake I saw was that the ending was very rushed; one of the most interesting stories, about a prolific Mexican sculptor, was cut short and glossed over.

Hoving also has a reputation for... embellishing on his own accomplishments or criminals' cleverness. Some of the areas seem a little hazy and farfetched, so I don't know. He always claims his own explanation to be correct anytime there's room for many possible theories, rather than explaining each and giving the highs and lows of them. In tone he is quite full of himself and his accomplishments, always boasting of being a great fakebuster, often sneering at fellow curators and making snide remarks about journalists (who are really only expected to report whatever the curator says, after all, since most aren't trained in art). It washed off me but might irritate others.

Overall, the book does concentrate on the art and the people duped, and it will expand your fine art knowledge in many ways, covering many varied subjects. I'd still recommend it to art students or fanciers, but to most it would simply be too dense and uneven.

For as long as there has been art there has been fakery
For as long as there has been art there has been fakery. This book shows that fakery is an art form. This book also shows art through out history, from ancient Greece to the Roman Empire, from the middle ages to early Victorian Age. The New York bestselling author, Tomas Hoving, was the Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, if you want to see the thought process of a ¡§fake buster¡¨ or the inner workings of the Met, this book is for you. I liked it because he told the stories of fakers and fake busters throughout history. This man shows that anyone, even the best can be taken by a truly masterful fake. It is such a good read open it to any page and you will get hooked. He also shows that even well-known Artists like Renoir and Monet were known to fake there own pieces just to keep food on the table. He even has a picture section that allows you to see for your self. He will take you step by step on how to uncover a fake. Also this book shows how to prevent from being suckered by giving real life examples of when Hoving has been taken in by the charade.

Interesting but poorly written
This book could have been one of the best books I read this year. The topic is very interesting, and I learned a huge amount from reading it. In fact, when I first read it, I thought it was a 4 1/2 start book. But later I changed my mind.

In looking back at the book, what I most imeediately recall about it are two things:

1. The writing is stodgy and detracts from the tale.

2. The author can't make up his mind who his audience is or what kind of book he is writing.

Sometimes, the book seems to be written for someone like me who doesn't know a whole lot about art and the business of art. In some parts of the book, there are lots aof background details to help a reader make sense of what is going on. However, in other parts of the book, he just writes like he assumes you share his common vocabulary. This makes it difficult for me to follow those parts of the book. By the same token, I expect that a person who found these parts of the book interesting and useful would find the explanations in the other parts tedious and useless. This book can't decide if it is a memoir of the author's life, a history of his career, or a book about art forgery. It would have worked better had it been more focused.

Having made these complaints, I must say that the book was interesting and packed with useful photos to help me make sense of some of the content. In addition, the topic of the book is interesting, and I am glad I read it. I'm just sorry, because I think it is a book on the verge of being a better book than it is, and I hate to see potential come up short.

Hoving strikes again!
Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, knows of which he speaks. He takes you on a fascinating journey as he relates his experiences with fakes and frauds in the art world---not just paintings, but great Medieval reliquaries, ancient Greek kouros statuary, Roman antiquities, and pre-Columbian art. He leaves nothing back in his narrative-----which is really refreshing. He details "standard" museum practices of smuggling objects and even names names! And if he doesn't like someone, he doesn't hold that back either.

I found the book informative, lively, and mostly fascinating. I wanted more pictures (there are only a few and none are in color)!! It was a farily easy read too---I read it in a day.

If you enjoy art, art history, or even detective stories, you will enjoy this one!

Stefani Koorey, Ph.D. professor of humanites, theatre, and film ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Wonderful!
This is an incredable book! It has so much info about drawing and painting in watercolor, oil, and acrylic. It has everything from the basic pallet to the materials and brushes, to the techniques. A definate must buy!

A valuable resource book full of visual delights!
Artist's Manual, A Complete Guide to Painting and Drawing Materials and Techniques was recommended to me by an art teacher. I have been painting for over thirty years and I doubted this book would be valuable--art is a visual and tactile thing, not always translated through the written word. I was wrong. This book is great. It's exciting to turn the pages...which are filled with good information and nicely designed. Good going Cronicle Books, you've done it again

Beautiful
I'm a true novice, a friend once said I like to "color". She may be right!

I find this book informative (basic info for people like me who didn't go to art class in school) and inspirational. I love the art in it and the collage with art materials on the cover and throughout the book is stunning. A must even for us non-artists!

I bought the book a few years back and still dig it out when I feel the urge to be creative. That to me is a sign of a good book! It is a book that I look at over and over again, and doesn't get "dated".

Good book, but definately for novices
This is a good book to become familiar with a wide range of materials and basic techniques. Appearance wise, it is heads and shoulders above the competition.

However, the text itself is more of a dummy's guide to art materials. Essentially, it gives enough information for someone to be able to communicate effectively with others on the subjects. It gives some basic instructions, which are perfect for someone with little background in the subjects.

I would really give this text two scores, one on the body of content, and another on its helpfulness to amatures. The scores would probably be a 3 and a 5.

A Keeper
I see this book as a complement to Ray Smith's book The Artist's Handbook. Mainly because The Artist's Manual covers some media that the Ray Smith book doesn't. The chapters give a good introduction to things such as papers, canvas, stretching paper and canvas, preparing them with various types of grounds (the correct word is ground when referring to materials used to prime canvas - gesso technically refers only to grounds applied to prime wood panels - or did until paint marketing departments convinced artists to call any ground applied to any surface 'gesso').

Some of the media covered in this book are dry and water-soluable colored pencils, pastels, oil pastels, conte crayons, charcoal, pen and inks, colored drawing inks and markers. Paints covered include oils, oil bars, egg tempera, watercolor, gouache and acrylic. One of the nice things is that there is a special chapter devoted to Chromacolour paints (This is a type of paint that was developed for the film animation industry and is now available to fine artists and craftsmen). Each drawing or painting medium mentioned above has a chapter discussing painting techniques used for it.

The final one-third of the book covers such things as composition, color theory, working on location, landscapes, portraits, figures, architecture, setting up a studio, varnishing and framing, directory of suppliers, understanding health and safety information on paint labels, glossary and index. A really good reference book for any artists bookshelf. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great resource
I really don't think that any artist can survive with just one book on the shelf. This book is a great resource with beautiful step by step photographs. I recommend it to someone with a little experience and foundation. This book is not too intensive but also does not hold your hand at every step. A resource to add to your library. It helped me relax my style a bit.

Technical rendering....
Ann Pember, author of PAINTING CLOSE-FOCUS FLOWERS IN WATERCOLOR has a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston in fashion design and illustration. Before she became a free-lance illustrator, she worked as a commercial artist for many years. Photos in her book show the professional studio where she works. Technically, her work is nearly perfect. I don't particularly care for her rendering of her subject matter as it stikes me as too "commercial" and not very painterly at all, but much can be learned from her book if you have had no other exposure.

Ms. Pember's background in fashion design and illustration are apparent in her work. She takes the reader from photographs of flowers to watercolors of those photographed flowers in several steps. She reveals how the eye is attracted by asymetry (offsetting of the center) and the placement of elements; how backlighting and focused lighting affect the appearance of the subject; how surfaces and background affect the paint and matter in the execution of a watercolor. She spends some time addressing color, but Ms. Pember is not a colorist. She is more concerned with line and the arrangement of elements in a design.

The end result from my perspective are flowers that are somewhat overcontrolled, although she gives the unpracticed eye the exact opposite impression. In the end, her flowers are contrived and not original. The watercolorist can acquire some interesting tips for creating pleasing paintings, but if producing art for commercial purposes is not your goal you may find Pember's book less rewarding.

Capturing Flowers "Up-Close and Personal"
I love looking at this book! For years I have been filing away myriads of floral photos with the hope that one day I might attempt to capture them in paint. I muse over these photos from time to time wondering just how a painter might do them justice. I need wonder no more. In Ann Pember's "Painting Close-Focus Flowers in Watercolor", she has been able to demonstrate a variety of step-by-fluid-step techniques to bring high drama to the world of simple blooms. Her close-ups of hollyhocks, gloxinias; and peonies float upon the pages which are jam-packed with carefully chosen, eye-pleasing colors. Thankfully, the vibrancy of Ms. Pember's palette has been well-reproduced in the printing process. There is so much valuable information packed into this book. One should read it from cover to cover initially to pick up all the helpful hints. What a wealth of knowledge Ms. Pember has shared with her readers including: preferences for specific papers, paints and brushes; how to avoid turning paints into "mud"; and my toughest assignment - how to see shapes and values as patterns; to mention a few. Ann Pember's close-up compositions are outstanding. Even if my attempts pale in comparison to this well-seasoned artist's, she is very encouraging. She reinforces the idea that given some degree of perseverence and practice, we too may develop our own means of capturing nature's beauties "up-close and personal". ... Read more

Reviews (3)

What I was looking for
I do not have an extensive art background. Without becoming arcane, the author gives sufficient knowledge and support TO GET YOU GOING. This is the right book for someone who wants to try watercolor but lacks the art background and/or the creative support one would get from an instru