Reviews (2)

Pretty But I Didn't "Get" The Organization
If you are willing to just float along, Zen-like, with the way the material is presented, you'll be just fine. However, there appear to be no thematic groupings or progression of information in this book. There's working with white, then using a limited value range, then emphasising texture, then monochrome, then a focal point.

It would have been better if it started with how to handle to materials, then how to compose the work, then how to edit the image (simplifying the composition), then form, then color.

If you already know what you are doing, it's a nice book to flip through. If you feel discouraged because you think "it can't be done" when you are looking at some complex pattern in nature or a photo, just look at the illustrations. The artist can handle some pretty dicey things like complex foliage.

The desert scenes, I'd like to say, are yummy. Wonderful. I think that desert scenes are the illustrator's forte. If he or she did a book just on desert painting, I'd get it.

Great reference book, 72 lessons, excellent instruction
This is a great reference book for anyone interested in pastel painting. It has really helped me improve my pastel skills. It covers materials, color and techniques for every kind of nature subject.

Included are 72 different lessons. Each lesson covers a different topic. Some include handling a detail close up, painting all kinds of water, choosing a focal point, describing diverse textures, & underpainting.

Each lesson contains a color photograph & the artwork in various stages along with written step by step instructions. Some of the artwork subjects include clouds, sunsets, frozen landscapes, desert vistas, & autumn scenes.

Many animals covered include an elk, a swan, a monarch butterfly, & a robin's nest. Moreover, some plants studied include sunflowers, junipers, many trees, & cactus. Mountains, fields, rocks, & a cabin are covered as well. ... Read more

Book Description

The Russian people have a profound attachment to their land.Boris Pasternak paid tribute to the millions of dead who made the sacred land of Russia live again and blossom: "The price Russia paid in blood, sorrow, in tears increases Russians' love for their land.Writers, musicians, and artists have all nourished their talent with the fruits of passion that lie deep at the root of the Russian soul."

This book is designed to help the reader share in the discovery of the beloved Russian land.It includes paintings showing country gentlemen and sometimes serfs toiling like slaves until the late 19th century, when they were liberated and at last were ble to own property and harvest their own crops.This richly illustrated book reproduces paitings from the 18th through the 20th century.Pastoral moments, rural scenes, and peasants starined expressions reveal in vivid detail what life was like on Russian land. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

No book better
This is the greates art book I ever read, the pictures of the painting is really clear and the painting is something special, This book will developed your skills queckly, its not just for whome like to paint on pastel, who like to paint on oil will find it provide them with wonderful color groups, highly recommended.

The best book on painting pastel landscapes.
Mr. Aggett shows how he paints with his unison pastels huge vistas. He explains his methods very clearly & his demonstrations are broken down in sections so it makes it easy to follow. I often take this book with me when I am painting on location to help me set up my palette of pastels & easel with paper. Every landscape painter should have this book in their collection. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique reference features more than 500 outstanding photos oflandscape elements in various seasons, times of day and perspectives. Forests, fields,beaches, waterfalls, hills, mountains, lakes, rivers, mesas, deserts, canyons and more arefeatured.

Seven step-by-step demonstrations by a variety of artists illustrate how to use thereference photos to create gorgeous landscapes in a wide range of mediums.

Gary Greene is a professional graphic artist, photographer and award-winning coloredpencil artist.His work has been featured in The Artist's Magazine and American Artist.He is the author of six additional North Light Books, including three other titles in theArtist's Photo Reference series: Flowers, Boats & Nautical Scenes and Buildings &Barns. He lives in Woodinville, WA. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Wonderful
I think this reference book is absolutely wonderful. The author has written permission to photocopy out of the book and tips on how to make a collection of pictures into one. I also just love the variety that it comes with. I was saddened that there was no rain, but everything else widely overcomes it. If your looking for a book full of pictures, this is the one to get!!

More is Less
A photo reference should of course contain plenty of photos, but here there may be too many, or maybe it's that they're crammed four or five to a page. I've worked with small print photos of my own as a reference and it's no bother ( I can enlarge them if I need to), but when a smallish image is one of a group on that same page, well...it's just too crowded.
Perhaps less would be more.

Maybe it's my merely-intermediate stature, but I'd rather a larger format, such as a volume called "America" (or "American Landscapes") that I found at the library, with one or two great photos to a page.

"Artist's Photo Reference: Landscapes" is helpfully organized into categories and sections within those categories, and offers a few demos. That's a good thing.

I may not unload this book, but I'll more likely hit the library for some general photography books.

Good Reference Book For The Studio
This is a really good reference book for landscapes. I use it often when I need a good outdoor scene for a painting. I really like to use the landscapes that depict sunset/sunrise. This book has most definitely been the most used art reference book in my studio.

My only complaint is that I wish he had incorporated scenes that invoke Alaska. Other than the absence of glaciers this is a pretty good book. I hope if there is a second edition that he remembers to include glaciers and frozen ponds. Afterall, the Alaskan landscape is a part of America too.

Wide variety but too flat
Most of the photographs are too bland to use. Too much sun, too many similar photographs, not enough mood photographs. Where are the rainy days, why are there so few foggy pictures, why no gardens? I can photograph pictures like these. What I wanted from this book are photographs I can't shoot. Windy days, mountain towns. I am using it, but it's hard to find a good subject and combine it with others, they are so similar.

Need art reference material?
As a painter you're always looking for fresh reference materials, often frustrated by copyright restrictions.
Gary Greene, the author of Artist's Photo Reference Landscapes, encourages the reader to copy the photographs to use as is or combine them into fresh compositions. What a novel idea!
The photographs are superb and well conceived making for thousands of new compositions for your art reference library. ... Read more

Book Description

All in color! Delve into the secrets behind the artist's method with the help of renowned watercolorist Ray Campbell Smith. In analyses of 50 of his masterful landscapes, he explains why he chose his subjects and how he was able to bring them to life in watercolor. Along the way, he examines the importance of preliminary sketches, planning color and tone, and simplifying a scene effectively. The friendly advice and inspiration contained here will be invaluable for anyone who has ever gazed upon a striking painting and wondered how the artist captured the moment so perfectly, or who longs to know how to express the magic of a scene in watercolor. Trim size: 11 x 7 1/2. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An excellent introduction to the water color painting.
Ray Campbell Smith's Watercolour Work-Out (presents fifty landscape projects for beginners who want to learn how to paint landscape pictures. A kind of one-volume introductory workshop ideal for even the most novice painter to learn the medium. ... Read more

Book Description

It's Bob Ross. The man with the gentle voice who can paint a landscape in thirty minutes right before your very eyes in your own living room.

Reaching millions of homes every day, Bob Ross is unquestionably America's favorite art instructor. Now avaiable in paperback, The Best of the Joy of Painting -- Bob Ross's first book -- contains sixty of his favorite paintings, all of them originally created during the Joy of Painting show.

Each painting comes complete with a full-color photo and a series of black-and-white instructional photos, accompanied by step-by-step instructions that guide you through the painting process. With this book in hand, you will be amazed at the ease and skill with which you can create your own Bob Ross original. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Did Van Gogh have a 'fro?
It is ironic that the best recommendation for this book comes from someone who gave it one star! Study this book and you will be able to do what Bob does... Serious growing dynamic artists will surely look beyond this book but maybe they should at least take a peek. If Van Gogh had been as loved and/or recognizable in his time as Bob Ross was, he probably wouldn't have cut his own ear off. As a nearly elderly weekend painter I heartily recommend this book. I think my only visual handicap so far is that it's time for new bifocals though the visually verbose would certainly disagree.

great for new artists
I have never personally been a big fan of Bob Ross, but as an art teacher who only spends 2 hrs a week with my students, I can say that this book is perfect for them. My students love his style because they can can complete a very simple, yet beautiful painting in a very short amount of time. I wouldn't recomend it for more advanced artists, but if you are not trying to win any awards, and just want to complete a quick and beautiful painting, this has a lot of great examples.

A Wonderful Keepsake......
Professional and (accomplished)would-be professional artists may find this compilation excerpted from Bob Ross TV shows "less than meets the eye". But an interested amateur or non-painter who enjoyed Bob's fascinating half-hour PAINTING TRIPS (no sketches; few "pre-mixed" palettes; (apparently) no "guiding-light" background photos) will find this an equally fascinating, enjoyable coffee-table selection. Not being a painter, I was astonished to watch Mr. Ross "ex nihilo" (from NADA) consistently create beautiful visions of NATURE...realistically proportioned; totally avoiding "expressionistic" (or worse: PM) pretense... without recourse to jargon or excuses. His brush theory and techniques in perspective MUST be helpful to all but the most capable. So what's to complain about? Annette Kowalski presents a labor of love capturing Mr. Ross' thoroughly engaging spirt: JOY IN PAINTING! is a fun book and wonderful keepsake...

Not Recommended
I have always enjoyed Bob Ross' style of painting and am a devoted fan of his television show, but I found this book lacking. Not only are the step-by-step instructions in black and white, but I found that very few of these particular paintings were ones I cared to paint. I believe I'll stick to the television show where I can see and hear the nuances of his painting live.

Bob was a wonderful guy but don't listen to a word he said
I love bob, you love bob many people grew up listening and watching Bob Ross every saturday (or whenever it was broadcasted where you live). He made numerous paintings and with his afro hair and warm demeanor he made for wonderful television, but honestly not good art. If you are at all serious about creating growing, dynamic, personal artworks of any style then reading and taking to heart the writtings of Bob Ross is a mistake. I love Bob and have nothing against him only that his sugestions lead to ruts and visual handicaps that will take a lifetime to forget. His theorys on mark making are so simplistic that if his visual language was translated into a written one it would take all of one page to list the verbs. It is a bad idea to take to heart his style, love him, talk about him, keep him in your heat but remeber that he was making a show that was the same format every time and was catering to a elderly/weekend painter audience. Study this book and you will be able to do what Bob does, pump out a simple landscape painting in one hour or less, and nothing more........ Love him but don't follow him. ... Read more

Book Description

Artists and others who appreciate sublime depictions of the natural world will relish this contemporary exploration of what constitutes the poetic in landscape painting today.The luminous, richly rendered paintings that grace these pages all illustrate the book's fresh, timely approach that landscape painting represents a source ofemotional and spiritual well-being, a fitting antidote to the hectic alienation of modern life, both for the artist who creates the work and the viewers who derive pleasure from looking at it. The author proposes that through his or her imagination, intellect, and feelings, an artist can evoke an emotional response in the viewer by the arrangement of the landscape's natural elements. In thoughtful examinations of her paintings, the author analyzes their color, time of day, season of year, climate and atmosphere, and the more elusive qualities that define this genre: a sense of place recognition and grace of line. The book is full of fresh insights that will enhance landscape painting for years to come. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Study the pictures, forget the essays
Ms. Mowry is a talented artist, with great finesse in shaping dramatic landscapes. This book is filled with fine, instructive examples of her work. She does tend to get carried away, though, as she writes about the significance of Art, and Life, and Stuff. All that palaver tends to wear thin after awhile. But the pictures are well worth studying.

A Beautiful Book........
I found that this book was one of the best art books that I have read in a long time.Ms. Mowry's insights into the poetic landscape will stay with you .Though I do not work in pastels I found that the ideas expressed by the author will be of insight to all artists regardless of medium used.The paintings illustrated are beautifull and express the meaning of the poetic landscape.This is a great book for artists looking to make thier own statement.If you do not paint this book will be of help in appreciating art and it may make you want to start painting!I strongly recommend this book to landscape painters and anyone who appreciates fine art.It will become one of your most read books.

Sublime
I became lost in this book. Better than any "how-to" book on painting landscapes, Ms. Mowry opens ones mind to the poetry and philosophy of creating great art. The time spent reading this book is like attending a very, very good workshop where one learns to paint with his or her heart. And even if you never read the first word of this book, it's worth owning for the exquisite reproductions of Ms. Mowry's landscapes. ... Read more

Book Description

Since 1983, Bob Ross has been television's favorite artist. His Joy of Painting show captures higher ratings than any other art program in history, year after year. Bob's quick painting style and easy, encouraging manner reach millions of viewers around the world each day.

His third book -- New Joy of Painting -- is now available in paperback, containing another sixty of his favorite landscape paintings. Each is presented in full color, along with written instructions and detailed black-and-white how-to photographs. Now you really can complete your very own beautiful masterpiece -- you can do it.

"Remember, there is no failure, only learning," says author Annette Kowalski. "As I've heard Bob Ross say a thousand times, I hope you never create a painting that you're totally satisfied with, for it's this dissatisfaction that will create the motivation necessary for you to start your next painting, armed with the knowledge you acquired from the previous one." ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Painting Made Easy
Bob Ross' wet on wet technique is perhaps the easiest method of landscape painting commercially available today. This book is a step by step (albeit black and white steps) instructional guide to painting 60 different paintings in the Bob Ross style.

Anette Kowalski has been on Bob Ross' Joy of Painting at least once to paint flowers. She has regularly contributed to the other twenty or so books Bob Ross has written. This is primarily an instructional guide using photographs. However, there is an insufficient amount of time spent on technique. That said, this book is excellent for viewers who have seen Ross' show or have painted at least a few paintings to understand the basics of painting as Ross does.

A Great Book for Ideas
I borrowed this book from the Library and it was fantastic. Bob Ross uses a lot of colors and techniques that really bring his paintings to life. I needed to paint something in that one night and I found the perfect one. A great book when you need ideas on what to paint!

Excellent book for beginners
I found this book to be a great inspiration, and it gave me the courage to even try painting on my own. At the front of the book are many step by step instructions on how to paint each component of a painting. By putting that together with the instructions for each painting, it is easy to complete a painting of your own.

A book is for those who are already advanced in oil painting
It should first be pointed out that this book is NOT for the beginning artist and deals only in oil painting technics.

Beyond that, it is good, but not the best, in explaining the mechanics of composing mountains, ocean waves, evergreen trees, ponds, creeks and sky.

Much more emphasis would needed on terminology and technics if this book were intended for the beginner. ... Read more

Book Description

COME LOOK WITH ME: Enjoying Landscape Art with Children is the second volume in the COME LOOK WITH ME series of interactive art books from Lickle Publishing.Each book in the series introduces children to twelve magnificent works of art.More importantly, they offer a whole new way of encountering any work of art, one that engages the imagination as much as the eye.

Well suited for both individual and classroom use, Enjoying Landscape Art with Children pairs quality art reproductions with thought-provoking questions, encouraging children to learn through visual exploration and interaction.Thoughtful text introduces the world and work of the artist, making the most of a child’s natural curiosity.

Children are asked to imagine themselves in the depicted work of art: to feel the winter child of Pieter Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow or be in the jungle stillness of Henri Rousseau’s The Repast of the Lion.

Drawing from a wide-ranging selection of 20th century works of art, children explore the artwork, invited to pantomime the boldly swirling brush strokes of Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night or cover a figure in the foreground of George Innes’s Lackawanna Valley and consider how the painting would look without it.

Engaging and interactive for both children and adults, Lickle Publishing’s COME LOOK WITH ME series celebrated what Mrs. Blizzard called the "pleasure of shared experience." ... Read more

Book Description

The Austrian artist Egon Schiele (1890--1918) is renowned for his intensely confrontational portraits, self-portraits, erotic images, and allegories. What is less well known today is that Schiele was also a talented and prolific landscape painter.These fascinating landscapes, however, are now gaining the attention of scholars and the art world.Indeed, Landscape at Krumau (1916) by Schiele recently sold at auction in London for about $20 million. In this beautifully illustrated and engaging book, Kimberly A. Smith provides the first full examination of Schiele's landscapes and townscapes, offering a new approach to and insights into the artist's work and motivations. Diverging from the conventional interpretation that Schiele's paintings are revelations of the artist's psychology and emotional experience, Smith focuses instead on how his landscapes relate to the political, social, and historical conditions in early-twentieth-century Austria. As Smith argues, Schiele's extraordinary landscape paintings are marked by a dialectic of resignation and renewal and convey the character of Viennese modernism itself. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A must-have for any landscape painter
I am a Virginia landscape painter and have kept this book close at hand in my studio for many years. While I do not paint like Richard, I nonetheless pull this book out out several times a month, for inspiration or information or just to look at how he has handled various problems of light and color. As noted in another review, this is not a step-by-step book, but rather a beautiful record of the process of one dedicated painter that will inspire and encourage.

A serious book for serious painters.
This book really isn't for "Sunday painters" or beginners. There's very little on technique and not a single trick for churning out cute landscapes. What it offers is image after image of suberbly crafted landscapes, images worth studying again and again. His handling of values, and the subtle variations of hue, temperature, and intensity within each value shape, are absolutely masterful. Clearly, he practices what he preaches: landscapes which blend artistic invention with an acute observation of what exists in the landscape. There's not a lot of text in this book, but like his landscapes, what he writes is succinct, intelligent, and well worth taking to heart. As I become a better painter, this book offers more valuable instruction, not less. ... Read more

Book Description

From the pounding surf to the interior of a fisherman's hut, coastal scenes provide infinite inspiration and drama for beginning and advanced artists. In Create Dramatic Coastal Scenes in Watercolor, award-winning artist Carlton Plummer teaches artists how to capture the elements of the coast to make a dynamic watercolor. Readers will learn how to utilize the keys to drama--lighting, scale, value patterns, color, and more--so they can add intensity to their paintings.

Plummer also shows how to use technical and intuitive thinking when portraying subjects, and how to accurately paint tidal pools and the surf, lobstermen and clam diggers, and other elements of coastal life. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Overcoming the fear of the "blank canvas"
This book is a brilliant instruction book for both beginners and more experienced watercolourists. Highly recommended for beginners to watercolour who don't know where or how to start.

Tony Smibert takes you step-by-step through a series of painting exercises designed to free your creative juices while teaching the art of watercolour from basic washes through to more advanced techniques. He begins with simple wash and brushstoke instruction and takes the artist through to completed landscapes. I particularly liked his ideas on framing the earlier exercises as complete works of art in their own right.

He has apparently spent a great deal of time in Japan, and it shows in the powerful, yet simple techniques he employs and paintings he produces. His landscapes have a wonderfully atmospheric quality that he manages to teach to the reader. His instruction is detailed in a clear and easy to follow manner while leaving ample scope for the more adventurous students to apply their own interpretations to the paintings.

This book has given me the confidence to try anything - no longer do I stare at a blank sheet of paper fearful of the first stroke, or wondering where to begin. I find myself going back to his basic exercises to "limber-up" before starting on a larger project, or simply to have a bit of fun when I'm too busy to complete a "proper" work. He also has two videos available to accompiany the book which I have found invaluable, but not essential. ... Read more

Book Description

In this richly illustrated book, Torsten Gunnarsson provides for the first time a comprehensive study of landscape painting in Scandinavia during its vital period of development in the nineteenth century. Gunnarsson show how, as Scandinavia searched for a national identity, the magnificent wildernessand the paintings it inspired-- became a symbol of Nordic strength and vigor. ... Read more