Book Description

A master of metamorphosis, Sicilian duke-turned-jewelry-designer Fulco di Verdura (1898-1978) studded seashells with precious gems, transformed sailor's knots into pearl-encrusted necklaces, and wrapped blazing ruby hearts with braided gold rope. Since the mid-20th century, his ultrasophisticated neo-Baroque pieces have been the status symbols of a near-secret society of European blue bloods, Hollywood royalty, and Park Avenue patricians. Verdura's by-appointment-only patrons included Wallis Simpson, Marlene Dietrich, and Diana Vreeland, who considered his Maltese Cross cuffs an essential part of her daily uniform.

In this lavish book, featuring fresh color photographs as well as vintage images, Patricia Corbett presents a deft evaluation of Verdura's work and a glimpse inside his impossibly glamorous world. ... Read more

Book Description

Mixing colors accurately may be an art unto itself. In fact, many artists are discouraged by the time and expense it takes to mix and match colors, and achieve the right results. Even more frustrating is the vast range of colors available.Now there's a ready-to-use visual directory that takes all the guesswork out of mixing and matching colors . . . making every artist an expert! Color Mixing Bible provides a basic color palette for each art medium, demonstrating an array of two-, three-, and four-color mixes, as well as offering full explanations of various paints and pigments. This invaluable guide features scores of tips and techniques for color mixing with oils, acrylics, watercolors, inks, pastels, and virtually every other art medium. It also includes in-depth information on how to determine the opacity and strength of a color, choose a color palette, mix whites, arrange and organize colors prior to mixing, use optical and physical mixing techniques, and much more! Plus, hundreds of color illustrations make everything simple.Whether one is an aspiring artist or working professional, Color Mixing Bible is an essential addition to every bookshelf. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Enjoyable
I enjoyed this book very much. It was simple to understand and quite interesting. I'm sure it's not the end all in color mixing books, but it is not a bad one at all.

A great book to start with
I've just started oil painting, and this book proved invaluable in helping me sort out the many, many different kinds of paint with their exotic names out there. I generally like to jump in and just experiment, but when I discovered the high price of good oil paints, I decided I needed a little book knowledge first. This book costs about the same as a good tube of paint, and saved me from buying many colors that, before reading the book, I didn't realize I wouldn't really need (at least to start with). It's one of clearest, most concise books I've read (on any subject). Every word is one of wisdom. If you're new to mixing paint, or having trouble figuring it out, get this book (it doesn't really cover HOW to paint though).

A True Labor Saving Book
The first thing I always did with a new set of paints was create color swatches and mixes. Now that my paint sets are more expensive I hate to waste paint on swatches that I'll probably put in some "safe" location in the studio...never to be seen again. Here I can reference swatches of commonly used colors, opaque and transparent in a range of media. Sidaway also includes the best history of pigments that I've read to date - answering a question about phthalo blue that's been bugging me for years (when was it introduced? 1936.) This book is no substitute for learning about your palette, but does provide information on how to select an appropriate palette.

Very Informative
It covered the basics of color and technical terms "hue, shade, tint" It has a section about the history of pigments and dies and what they used to be made of that is interesting. One brown paint used to be made of ground up mummies.It discusses the mixing of color in many different media. ... Read more

Book Description

Wolf Kahn is one of this country's best-loved contemporary artists. His brilliantly colored landscapes in oil have placed him at the forefront of American representational art. Many collectors equally prize his luminous pastels, the subject of this delightful new book.

With more than 100 colorplates illustrating his brief, breezy essays, Kahn reveals his distinctive approach to working in this medium. Offering a rare glimpse into the way an artist thinks and why he works the way he does, Kahn's musings about the creative process bring a number of key issues to life for artists, students, and art lovers, and make the book a valuable supplementary text for pastel classes. Including an introduction by noted art historian Barbara Novak, this book will be eagerly received by Kahn's devoted following.

WOLF KAHN, noted artist and teacher, has exhibited his work throughout the United States and abroad. He has taught at Cooper Union and at the National Academy of Design in New York; has been a guest lecturer at various art schools; and has written articles for such publications as Art in America and the Art Journal. He lives in New York City.

BARBARA NOVAK has published numerous books and articles on American art and art history. She is Altschul Professor of Art History Emerita at Barnard College and Columbia University, both in New York City.

100 illustrations in full color, 101/4 x 93/4" ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Now This is Inspiring Art
Very beautiful work. I love Kahn's minimalist approach, he is an exceptional colorist. I could look at this man's art all day long and not get bored.

Wolf Kahn Pastels Color Feast
Why does an artist do what (s)he does? Wolf Kahn gives insight into his thinking. He touches on composition, use of color, and elements of design. We know the colors, but we might not understand why they work. He helps us understand. Just out of curiosity I viewed the plates upsidedown, and they were very exciting viewed that way. Try it! The book has beautifully printed plates, but I found placement of some plates to the text somewhat inconvenient and perhaps a little confusing at times interrupting the continuity of reading and study. I would have wished for some of the smaller paintings to have been actual size. I would have learned and understood more. You may learn some new vocabulary and some words he has defined for his own usefulness. The cover and binding are confluent to the interior of the book. I consider this book to have worthwhile the purchase and the time spent reading it. What are my credentials you might ask? I am nearing graduation in master of arts in studio painting and have degrees in journalism and education.

Beautiful, Colorful Pastels
From the first time I saw Wolf Kahn's work, I knew I wanted this book. It is filled with his beautiful pastels and it is a very interesting read about how he came to create them.

Wolf Kahn Pastels
Wolf Kahn's self-admitted charm glows in this book of his pastels. Wolf Kahn is a wonderful story teller, in his words and in his beautiful, simple, radiant paintings. He is a wonderful teacher who loves to share his experiences and his vision. I could re-read this book over and over, pondering and absorbing the beautifully reproduced pastels.

For those who love glorious color, peaceful abstract landscapes, especially artists and Wolf Kan 'groupies,' for anyone who can't get enough of Wolf Kahn, you need this book. A sparkling complement to Justin Spring's Wolf Kahn. ... Read more

Book Description

Known for his use of luminous color, Albert Handell, whose lush landscapes light up these pages, provides lucid instructions to help first-time pastelists achieve impressive results as soon as they begin working with the medium.

After reviewing pastel supplies, the author discusses landscape composition and how to establish large shapes first, abstract certain areas, develop a focal point, work from dark to light, and capture the illusion of reality through color. Stepped demonstrations isolate specific landscape aspects, showing how the pastelist depicts skies, trees, buildings, water, rocks, woods, snow, and light. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very Lightweight
I am a beginner to the art of pastel painting/drawing. This book is below the level of a beginner. It is long on talk about color, hues, values, and lots of things that a beginner doesn't really care about. When it comes to ACTUAL TECHNIQUE, HOW TO PUT PASTEL ON PAPER AND MAKE IT LOOK THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO, THIS BOOK IS VIRTUALLY SILENT! I have recently checked a book out of my university library that is the best book I have seen yet (the author's name escapes me now). It has about 10 demonstration paintings where the author goes through the various steps of creating a pastel painting. In contrast, Painting the Landscape had 1 or 2 such demonstrations and only about a page of nitty gritty on technique (actually applying pastel to paper).

Stay away from this book. It isn't worth your time.

Painting the landscape in pastels-Albert Handell
I am a professional portrait artist who specializes in pastels so I am familiar with Albert Handell through several pastel magazines. He is a master at the western (ie:New Mexico, Arizona, etc.) landscapes with his remarkable color pallette of those regions! I don't think any pastelist paints rocks and trees better than this man. The writing style is a little elementary but the information is refreshingly straightforward, informative and easily understood. You won't find vague, ethereal wanderings from this guy! The many photos are clear and beautiful. His "step by step" sequences actually show the reader something useful and attainable.:-). This is a must have addition for the library of any pastel artist....

Another Winner from a Master!
Albert Handell with Anita West has written the difinitive book on location painting in pastel. A visual masterpiece, each painting reproduced will excite anyone to get out on location and get to work. The text is informative and very straight forward. All of his books are keepers and this one is as well. He is the master of the medium and we should all be grateful he shares so much. Thank you Albert and Anita.

A wonderful Must Have for All Pastelists!
Mr. Handell generously shares his great knowlege & know how. He simplifies & organizes the pastel palette, its so easy to be a plein air painter. I strongly reccomend this book as a bible for all pastelists. ... Read more

Book Description

Following the best-selling Workbook format, each lesson in this introduction to pastel begins with a list of aims, together with clear instructions on how to achieve them. Step-by-step demonstrations, annotated artworks and finished paintings reveal the whole process in detail, while practical exercises allow beginners to build up their own invaluable workbook. A book to inspire all those new to this adaptable and lively medium. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

GREAT BOOK FOR BEGINNERS!!
I am an absolute beginner and have bought many pastel books and this is one of the 2 best i have.It assumes you know nothing, which for me, was true.It begins with basic marks and techniques and progresses into making pictures. I gained much confidence by going through this well organized book. If you are an absolute beginner, buy it!!!

Fine for novices
Being a painter most of my life, I decided to try my hand at pastels after a good friend of mine gave me a small set for Christmas. I soon found that pastels are very different than paints (I actually thought you could mix the colors like paint), so I started looking for some printed guidance. After reading the glowing reviews about this workbook, I decided to take the plunge and buy this book. After all, it was pretty cheap. What could I lose?
All I can say is if you are an experienced artist, this book is not for you. Over half of the lessons deal with the obvious design problems any first year art student is confronted with. If you know anything about composition and color, then you can skip the first half completely, except maybe the materials page. Most of the early exercises are pretty elementary, but I suppose that is necessary for anyone who is either new to painting or very dependent on guidance.
The second half gets better with applications and demonstrations. They are simple enough not to overpower someone new to the medium. Yet they convey enough information to carry a person through to more complex compositions. It was enough to show a painter like me at least a rudimentary approach to pastel solutions. Was it worth the money? Yeah, I suppose so, but I believe there are probably a lot better books out there for a little bit more money. So I will keep looking and buying.

WOW! What a PASTEL WORKBOOK!!
Simple,direct, easy to follow. It helps you become comfortable with the idea of what are pastels and how to use them!! One of the best pastel book for step by step practice.

Private tutor with half a price
I am new to this medium and therefore eager to find a good book which would not only teach me the basics of pastels, but also how to improve my skills even further. So when I came upon Jackie Simmonds' Pastel Workbook, it was exactly the kind of book I was looking for. I am extremely satisfied with my purchase. Compared to the books on pastels out there in the market I think this is by far the best for beginners and even for those in the intermediate level. This book "baby sits" you. It goes through every step in great detail. You really cannot go wrong, but if you do she teaches you how to make corrections. The book has full color illustrations and the pictures are taken at a close shot so you do not have to wonder if it's a sidestroke or a thin line. The book has ten lessons and every lesson in this book begins with an aim and ends with a tip. Lesson one introduces you to the materials and equipment while lesson two shows you how to use your pastel to create the different strokes, followed by how to form shapes, the use of colors to create the different effects and so forth. Once you are comfortable with the terms and use of pastels she gradually teaches you to compose pictures, paint beautiful landscapes, paint skies and winter scenes. This book does not frustrate you is all I can say as you get to see instant results in your artwork. Having this book is truly like having my good old art instructor Mr. Albert beside me but even better because I can use the book as a reference whenever I need to. I have noticed great improvement in my pastel skills in just a few days of acquiring this book. My friends could hardly believe that I did not take a class in pastel drawing. I give five stars to Jackie Simmond's book. It's worth every cent I paid for. ... Read more

Book Description

Through discussions of soft and hard pastels, oil pastels, water-soluble pastels, and pastel pencils, you’ll discover the best medium for your project. Find out how to choose paper, apply color, and use fixatives. Hundreds of color photographs and illustrations, plus detailed instructions, show how to execute techniques.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tremendous shame this book has gone out of print
As a professional artist working with pastel, I find this book to be an ongoing source of inspiration and reminders of alternative ways of 'doing' pastels. When I get stuck in a rut, or feel 'stale', browsing this book is one of my favorite ways to get rolling again. With the growing popularity of pastels as an artistic medium, this book truly should be re-issued.

I looked for it for several months locally, then placed my order through Amazon.com. It took six months, but the wait was well worth it! Thank you, Amazon.com! ... Read more

Book Description

William Spratling revolutionized silver jewelry design in Mexico. Arriving in Taxco in 1929, by 1940 he had over 100 silversmiths producing his enormously popular silver creations. Important figures of the North American literary and art establishment, among them John dos Passos, William Faulkner, and Georgia O'Keeffe, purchased his designs and sang his praises. Out of Spratling's workshop emerged many of Mexico's finest silver designers, including Héctor Aguilar, Antonio Castillo and his brothers Jorge and Justo, Salvador Terán, and Antonio Pineda. Today their striking jewelry and hollowware in silver-often set with precious stones and pre-Columbian artifacts-are prized collectibles.

This book tells the story of the legendary designer and of seven decades of the silversmith's art in Mexico. With its elegant photographs and an invaluable appendix of hallmarks, this volume-which accompanies a traveling exhibition that will draw new attention to Spratling's silver designs-will appeal to collectors, dealers, scholars, and everyone who enjoys beautiful jewelry. ... Read more

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

For many artists, evoking emotion and feeling is the ultimate goal of their work. Popular wildlife artist Lesley Harrison shows readers how to do just that in Painting Animals that Touch the Heart.

She covers everything from specific pastel painting techniques to choosing papers, reference materials and lighting.Another key component of the book is Harrison's strategy for identifying emotion in animals--the first critical step for a dramatic painting.

Readers will find a chapter dedicated to each of these popular animals:

-Big cats -Wolves -Horses -Dogs and cats -Baby animals (including a lion cub, gosling, bunny and otter pup) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Book that gets you Motivated to use Pastels
I received this book for Christmas. I have just finished reading it. I can't wait to get started! Lesley has some nice tips on keeping fresh ideas coming, working within a space, different pastel brands, papers. I am looking forward to trying out her demonstatrions. She is excited about what she does and in turn is making me excited about trying it. She is an incredible artist. If only I could become 1/2 as good as she is. Well, off to get my materials and just in!

Praise From Artist White Wolf........
If I were to choose one artist pastel instruction book to learn & grow from, it would be,"Painting Animals that touch the heart", by Lesley Harrison. Whether you are a beginner or a professional pastel artist, Lesley's soft approach and easy to follow instructions will bring out the best in you & allow your free artistic talent to expand. As you read, you will clearly FEEL Lesley's true love & respect for the creatures of our mother earth, and in a sense, she will teach you how to project that feeling into your own works. Being that I am a self taught career artist, I have explored many self help art books to gain insight and develop my own style. I am very proud to say that if any artist, or any artistic art instruction book has most influence the development of my own personal style of projecting the SPIRIT of what I am painting, it would be the Art of Lesley Harrison. Thank you Lesley for your fresh and respectful approach to the cherished creatures of our earth. I shall always view your work as my mentor to the true & pure meaning of art. Your work & visions shall be honored. "May your foot prints always leave happy tracks in the sand." Brightest Blessings, __Artist White Wolf ... Read more

Reviews (4)

PRINT QUALITY IS FINE. THOSE ARE PHOTOS OF CONSTRUCTION
There doesn't appear to be any print quality issues with the photos in the book. There are several step-by-step photos that don't have some of the colors added yet because they are showing how the pastel sketches were made! See pg 81 for an example. There are also some extreme close ups which show the natural grain of the strokes to show how the larger image was created. These type of photos are exactly what any reader (beginner or expert) wants in an art technique book. The previous reviewers that didn't bother to read the captions of the photos should be a little ashamed if this is what they were describing. The book also has photos of the finished pastels. In general, the book and is filled with quality photos of pastel landscapes and appears to have good instruction throughout.

A Traditional Pastellist with a Modern Flair
Elizabeth Mowry has taken the time to establish a palate for the colors appearing in the four seasons; however, they were difficult to study since they were on different colored backgrounds. I especially liked the way she heightened the color temperature on some of her paintings. I wish she had used a greater variety of strokes. I recall that she favors the feather stroke, which was effective. She seemed to work more saliently with contrast, composition, color temperature, texture using traditional landscape themes. It would have been helpful to have a couple of paintings actual size so that I could have seen the "actual" painting. The cover has two flaps which could be used as bookmarks, which is a thought!

One of the very best !!
I have read this book twice and some portions three times. I find Elizabeth Mowry to be very sharing and knowledgeable and willing to show you how she achieves certain passages in her paintings. I had been going through a dry period, and this book opened up new worlds for me. I especially liked that she tells you to make small sketches, color sketches and use photographs. All these things were beneficial to me and I wish I could thank her personally for her very inspirational book. I have also given her book to friends and they all love it.

Poor printing quality detracts from a great book, won't buy
I bought this book and ws really disappointed when I leafed through more thoroughly and found MANY of the illustrations were out of focus, and one had a HUGH printer error where the image was blocked on one of the printer's colors.

I returned this book and have repeatedly looked at it at the book stores to see if a re-issued copy comes out that corrects these problems. My estimate is that there are 7-8 plates that are defective. ... 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

The latest entry in the successful Serious Beginner Series. Now the world's leading authority on oil pastel demonstrates, step by step, how you can become a master of this increasingly popular medium! Oil pastels are easy and flexible to work with, offering artists a virtually unlimited treasury of creative potential. They're also considered a safe alternative to soft pastels. Oil Pastel for the Serious Beginner shows both new and veteran artists how to make the most of this fabulous medium.Lessons progress simply and clearly from easy subjects and techniques to the more difficult and complex. First, artists learn how to use oil pastels to create traditional paintings in still life, landscape, and portraiture. Then, they'll discover 12 special, experimental techniques that push the medium of oil pastel to its limits-including impasto, etching, washes, and monoprint; stencil and screen techniques; and even methods for combining oil pastel with soft pastel and mixed media. Whether one is an an amateur artist or experienced veteran, Oil Pastel for the Serious Beginner is the ideal one-stop source for mastering of this popular medium. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

OK but not enlightening
Oil pastel is a very difficult medium to master and I bought this book looking for some kind of enlightenment that would help me become accomplished in the medium. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was rather disappointed.

The book provides a wealth of examples of work of the artist intermingled with oil-pastel-evangelist preaching and information on techniques used. However even the step-by-steps didn't really help me to get from one step to the next and I was left kind of bewildered where I started.

This is the only book on the market that deals exclusively with oil pastels. This is the reason I bought it and as such, it is probably worth buying. However don't expect enlightenment.

Figurative Sculptor
As a figurative sculptor I know how to draw and I have been perusing various art books looking for an interesting new medium in which to draw. This book managed to convince me that oil pastels are just the thing.

John Elliot has included sufficient information in this book to allow an artist to work in this medium. This book contains a lot of practical advice on materials and oil pastel techniques. To integrate this information it contains six illustrated demonstrations that walk though a drawing from its beginning to its completion. In addition the book is well laid out and contains extremely numerous photographic illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Mysteries revealed.
Paul Leveille is truly a master of Pastel Portraiture. The book reveals many of the mysteries of properly building up a pastel painting to achieve a lifelike, realistic looking portrait. The book takes you through eight detailed portraits, start to finish. One drawback for me was, Paul does not give us a starting photograph of the subject, so during the stages it is difficult to know why the lights and darks, colors and shadows are placed where they are until you see the finished portrait. More a tutorial of techniques than a means of following along and copying his works step-by-step. Still, an excellent source of learning that will leave you able to create realistic portraits in pastel.

An ice--breaking resource.
This great oversized book gives good illustrated step by step projects on portraiture pastel painting. It takes out the complications of starting a painting of someone. Though on a few projects some more steps could have been included, but this does not diminish the overall guidance the book provides. It has superb color and a well explanation of tools and materials, and how to take care of them. Composition, perspective and light is also explained for the rendition of your project. ... Read more

Book Description

This is a spectacular collection of the finest pastel work being created within Canadian borders, as well as a showcase of the medium's universal strength, charm and versatility. Best of Canadian Pastels features four-painting portfolios from 40 artists, along with comments from the artists on their methods and materials. The inspiring work is presented in five sections: still lifes, landscapes, portraits, and miscellaneous paintings, which include wildlife paintings and a few non-objective works. A final section contains artist biographies. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A must for insperation!!
When I am at a lost to what to do next I get this book out and just read and look at the varity and skills it takes to accomplish them. After looking at this book I go straight to my easel and just put the pastel in hand and go for it. I absolutly love this book and would not go without it in my libary of books!I hope to see another one soon! ... Read more

Book Description

Artists constantly tell us that they need guidance for rendering skin tones in their portraiture. This book helps them overcome this elusive challenge by providing a clear set of easy-to-follow principles for painting a variety of skin tones in three major mediums--oil, pastel and watercolor.The first chapter is rooted in the basics, showing artists how to recognize and use the five major elements of painting: drawing, value, color, composition and edges. From there, artists learn how to work with light, shadow and color to effectively capture the beautiful skin tones of various ethnic groups, including Caucasian, Asian, African-American and Hispanic.Next, artists discover how to execute the principles learned, using detailed instruction for color selection, mixing and application. Four mini-demos, three long demos and many examples illustrate the lessons.Artists will benefit from advice on shooting and choosing photographs to paint, how to edit their compositions and work past their limitations. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Beautiful Portraiture
If you are aspiring to be a portrait artist, or wish to improve your skills, this is the book for you. Chris Saper presents the needed knowledge for capturing the essence of a good portrait in a clear and concise manner. This book is beautiful in its presentation with its many colors charts, demos, and wonderful portrait examples. After reading this book you will be inspired to try portraiture. There is so much useful information given and it will translate into all art endeavors if realism is your aim. Thanks for an outstanding source among the many how to books in print today.

Skin Tones is Like Taking Private Lessons...

Painting Beautiful Skin Tones with Color & Light in Oil, Pastel and Watercolor

Chris Saper, the author of this outstanding, new book is a member of the Palette & Chisel and has more than 200 of her portraits in private and corporate collections. Reading her book is like taking private lessons from this exceptional artist.

She begins by explaining the importance of fundamentals telling us that there are no short cuts. Yet reading this book is in fact a short cut because so much difficult basic thinking has been planned out for you. Her emphasis on composition, leading the viewer's eye through the picture and dramatic "edges" makes it clear that a good portrait is more than just doing a good "head shot".

Explaining the color of light and shadows, Chris Saper tells us, "Light carries the color in the painting, but shadows carry the painting." The visual examples she gives are outstanding and show how diversified she is.

Today, few artists have the luxury to paint full time from a posed model. That's why the chapter on how to use photographic references is so important. It tells not only how to plan effective photography for painting, but also points out the limitations inherent in all photography. Her attention to detail is wonderful, even showing how to pose hands to make them look less awkward.

But most interesting to me were illustrations of various skin types, from the skin tones of the redhead, blonde and brunette Caucasians to the skin tones of the Black/African Americans, Hispanics and Asians. Saper gives specific instructions and specific color combinations to capture their beautiful skin tones exactly. She provides a road map that could save hours mixing and guessing.

This book is a treasure for the portrait artist, but its principles can be applied to almost any subject matter. A terrific addition to your library!

A Dissenting Opinion
I asked for this book for a Christmas gift largely on the basis of the very positive reviews presented here. Now that I've had it for a month, I can't recommend it with the same enthusiasm. I certainly don't regret having the book. I'm sure I will learn something from it, making it worth the reasonable cost, but I offer these thoughts as a counterpoint that might be of help to another student artist contemplating the purchase.

My general feeling is this book doesn't deliver on its promise. I know this is an odd thing to say about a book entitled "Painting Beautiful Skin Tones...," but the skin tones painted by Chris Saper don't strike me as beautiful at all. With a few exceptions, most seem flat and in some cases almost unpleasant. There's a green tinge to many of her portraits that I just don't care for and that I would not want in my paintings. To see skin tones that truly are beautiful and glowing, look at any of the gorgeous pastels in Harley Brown's fine book "Eternal Truths for Every Artist", or at the cover painting and oil demonstrations of John Howard Sanden's "Portraits from Life in 29 Steps." Saper's work isn't in the same league with these examples, in my opinion.

The most striking thing to me is that Saper's portraits lack strength. Frankly, much of her work is very ordinary. I am acutely aware that it's hard to reconcile a statement like that with all of her awards and credits listed on the back cover leaf, but I can't avoid making the observation. There are a few works that rise above average, but just as many seem amateurish. Even those better examples are not impressive. Saper apparently paints a lot from photographs, as do many of us. Often the photos we have to use are not well lit, sometimes taken totally in shade without the fill light that adds dimension and color contrast. The problem is that, despite a chapter on "Breaking the Chains of Photo Slavery", her resulting portraits look like the photos they might have been taken from; flat, without contrast and with a pall over the colors. The demonstration using an Hispanic female model is an example. Comparing the fairly good source photos with the final painting shows that far from capturing beautiful skin tones, she has painted the life right out of them. Finally, the two watercolors included in the book are just plain bad. They are neither good examples of portraits in watercolor (see Charles Reid's book on that subject for better examples), nor are they good skin tone examples. Both are strangely washed out, and one is little more than a sketch.

Finally, I also noticed that the color control in the book is not consistent. For example, one demonstration is done on pastel paper that ranges in the series of photographs from a medium value warm gray to a medium value cool blue-gray to a very warm light value gray. In a book on color, that's not good.

All in all, this isn't a bad book, nor is it a waste of money. I guess I have made it clear that I am not crazy about Saper's art, but that doesn't mean that the book it isn't worth having. There are some interesting discussions on color, lighting and the skin tones of different races and ethnic groups in the book. Readers may find that information of value. I just have a hard time getting past the mediocre art; I expect more from a teacher.

Excellent for Learning Portraiture
I have just purchased this book, and it is my favorite one on portraiture! The author gives excellent step by step instruction on painting portraits in all mediums...pastel, oil, or watercolor. Highly recommended!

Pastels mostly.(...)
I felt that there were a lot of good things to consider in this book. The author addresses several issues and explains them regarding lighting ('temperature', position, and corrections), color theory (warms, cools, and use of each in same portrait), the importance of pre-portrait sketches, the use of photos, composition, as well as other technical things. These I felt were important to know. However, I desired a text that would emphasize the use of oils. The larger majority of the illustrations are in chalk pastel. Although you can make pastel look like an oil, I would have liked to have seen more oils and technique. There are very few water color examples.
Her portraits are lovely but I think that there is a similar look to most of them that is recognizable. Some of the examples are too smooth in the layout of color (the skin looks perfect). I did not feel that some of these portraits were true to the person pictured. Perhaps this was a flaw in printing or the client wanted to be painted flawlessly. ... Read more

Book Description

The first book to focus exclusively on the luminous watercolors and pastels of Arthur Dove (1880-1946), this volume explores the contributions of these mediums to the development of Dove's distinctive images of the American landscape. Dove's landmark pastel series of 1911-12, "The Ten Commandments," represents American modernism's first breakthrough into abstraction. His subsequent pastels of the 1910s and 1920s provided him with the stylistic innovations he later adapted in his oil paintings. Watercolor became the primary medium of Dove's summer months in the early 1930s and remained so throughout his career. Bringing together watercolors and pastels from collections across the country, this book will be of deep interest to both scholars and admirers of twentieth-century American art. ... Read more

Book Description

Absolutely the most thorough guide to pastel materials and techniques ever assembled in a single volume, this is the book for anyone working with pastels, from beginners to experienced artists looking to develop more professional skills. 450 color illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Extremely through, great reference
This is a wonderfully complete book covering all aspects of pastel painting. It is useful for both the beginner who needs to understand the medium and the experienced artist who needs a ready reference to a multitude of materials and techniques as well as a source of inspiration.

The book starts out with a very thorough overview of materials, spanning about 30 pages, with lots of pictures as well as descriptions of soft, oil and handmade pastel types with a detailed analysis by brand. Oil sticks, numerous paper types, mediums and tools are also included.

Basic pastel techniques are covered next including sketching, and pastel painting concepts such as liner, blocking-in, and atmosphere. Making corrections and the role of fixatives is also included. Then, you learn to create pastel textures by scumbling and dusting as well as by adding pencil or using fixative.

A comprehensive section on color theory follows, including an explanation of the color wheel and using metallic/iridescent colors. There are demonstrations on achieving transparency and using different paper colors. Numerous other techniques follow, showing you how to use pastels with other media such as watercolors, acrylics, modeling pastes, oils and gum tragacanth. The unique characteristics of oil pastels and oil sticks are given special treatment as well.

A list of quality suppliers as well as an index for easy reference are included in the back. This is definitely a must have for any pastel artist.

Motivation is the Best Medicine
As an artist, I often look to other's works to observe technique and style. Lately, I noticed I was getting a bit behind in my pastel work...many other artists were mixing media and pushing the envelope on their pastel paintings and drawings. After browsing through several pastel books, I settled with Creevy's "The Pastel Book" and I'm very happy with my choice.

Creevy not only covers materials and tools and basic techniques for the beginner; he takes the medium to new levels with the combination of watercolor, acrylics, gels, oil paint and monotypes. Creevy has also covered every brand of pastel in this book, from the hard stick pastels to the super-soft Senneliers; he also describes the effects of various oil sticks, papers and supports and tools. Step-by-step instructions for each technique helps the artist retain a mastery over the combinations on any given mix.

An exciting book that will helped me gain an edge with my artwork.

Comprehensive but not useful for the beginner
There is no doubt that this is a very comprehensive book, hoewever as a beginner in the medium I found the book not so useful.

The book spends way too long for my taste discussing the different brands of pastels and papers. I always get an uneasy feeling about artistic materials name dropping. In any case this information is either for a professional or for someone with deep pockets - preferably both.

The bulk of the book is devoted to techniques. However the time spent on basic techniques is quite small. Several pages discuss the use of using color seems to me to be unnecessary, as the book was written to learn pastel technique, not color composition. What appeared to me to be the bulk of the book is on mixed media techniques.

As a subjective statement, I also did not like the author's painting style and would have enjoyed some discussion of techniques to attaining more "realistic" and less "atmospheric" works.

Finally I was disappointed by the relatively short treatment of oil pastels after getting the impression from the other reviews that they got serious treatment in the book.

This book is a treasure.
This book contains a wealth of knowledge about soft pastels, and their cousins the oil pastels, oil bars and other specialties and are used traditionally and with modern techniques in the book. It is a must buy. It opens a new world to what you can do with those pigments and mediums. The paintings are beautiful. It is comprehensively composed and illustrated.
I regard the book cover design and title as generic in promoting what is inside. It needs to be redesigned to show the range of content. I think this book was ineffectively marketed and has not reached its full audience.

Better for medium to advanced artists
Bill Creevy is a great artist and this book is chock full of great ideas. As I am an absolute beginner, this book was a bit too much for me but it will come in handy as i improve.If you are somewhat experienced in pastel get this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether your style is classic, modern, or gorgeously dramatic, this comprehensive sourcebook will inspire you to find the perfect ring, band, and other wedding day jewelry to treasure for a lifetime. ... Read more

Book Description

More than 40 step-by-step sequences show how to master pastel painting and develop your own individual style. Eight projects show the whole process of picture making, from planning to completion. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great book for the novice Pastelist
I bought this book in order to teach me everything I needed to know to get started as a pastelist. I am very pleased with the content of this book. It offers the beginner a way of getting started, from choosing the right pastel colors to learning different pastel strokes and techniques. It also offers different styles (which I found very helpful). Other books seem to be written in a text-book format - but this book is written step-by-step, and makes you feel as if pastel is something you CAN LEARN!

An excellent book for someone who learns step-by-step
I started in pastels by just jumping in headfirst. The magazines and books that I read gave info for artists who already know basic terms and techniques. Ms. Harrison's book gave me a structured way to learn, all the way from the basics to more advanced topics, with presentation of alternative ways to experiment and develop MY interests. ... Read more