Book Description

Reviews (2)

Difficult to Follow
At first glance this book seems almost as simple as paint-by-number, but when trying to do the projects I found that the explanations were sketchy and the photographs didn't show every step.I'm not an absolute beginner with pastels but my attempts certainly didn't get anywhere near the projects shown, and I don't feel as thought I learned anything. It's nice to see what's possible, but it wouldbe better to work with simpler projects that are explained in detail.I definitely don't recommend this book to anyone who is not already accomplished in oil painting if not pastels.

Good Beginner to Intermediate Pastel Book
Beginner to Intermediate (and maybe even some advanced) pastelists will find this book useful for developing their own pastel painting skills. The book is divided into 3 major sections. 1 gives a brief history of pastels followed by explanations of the various types of pastels and surfaces. 2 isLearning from the Masters. 3 is Pastel Techniques.

In the second sectionLearning from the Masters each chapter begins with an in-depth critique ofvarious masters of the past and explains how many of their effects wereachieved and why they are considered masterpieces.

What is interestingis that most (though not all) of these masterpiece critiques are of oilpaintings. The Master critiques focus on general concepts of what made thisor that painting work. For example, in the first demonstration shecritiques an atmospheric oil painting by J.M.W. Turner. After devoting afew pages to the Turner painting she then introduced a guest pastelist whodemonstrated how they achieved a similar effect (in this example-atmospheric) with soft & hard pastels. I found the critiques of de laTour and Degas particulary interesting.

Each painting also shows colorswatches of pastel colors recommended if you wanted to copy one of thehistorical paintings or the guest artist's demonstration. The swatches aregiven instead of particular brand names and colors since these will varyfrom manufacturer to manufacturer. Beside the color swatches will be a boxlisting the techniques the guest artist uses and the page number to thethird section of the book that gives a detailed discussion of thetechnique.

The critiques will have one page where the full painting isshown and an over-all discussion at the side. The next page will show thesame painting on a smaller scale with a "points to watch" formatwith arrows pointing to particular areas of the painting that the authorwants to emphasize. The third page will introduce the guest pastelist andshow step-by-step how to achieve a similar goal with a pastelpainting.

The final section of the book focuses on the varioustechniques. Effects such as mixing colors, broken color, combining charcoaland pastel, corrections, creating details and edges, feathering, hatchingand cross-hatching, line strokes, side strokes, underpainting andwetbrushing. Actually I only listed a few of the techniques described inthis section.

Over all this is a very good book if you are a beginning tointermediate pastelist. Even advanced pastelists might find it interestingsince a large part of the book is devoted to critiquing and discussingmaster paintings. There are a wealth of photos demonstrating everythingexplained and an index in the back.

The sole reason I gave this book 4stars instead of 5 is that there is almost no discussion or seriousconsideration given to oil pastels. I have used oil pastels for severalyears and am always disappointed at the poor attention given to thisdelightful medium.

For someone who wouldn'tmiss the lack of attention given to oil pastels then this book wouldprobably rate a 5. Overall this is one of the better pastel books I've readand I refer to it constantly as I'm learning to paint with soft & hardpastels. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of 3 great books for starting out!!
I am an absolute beginner to art and pastels. I have purchased about 20 books on painting with pastels.Only 3 have been helpful to any great extent. In order to be good for beginners, a pastel book needs to assume you know nothing about art, go step by step with technique and colors needed with pics. This book is great in its progression. You make a pic with one color, then two and so on.If you are a TRUE beginner , buy this book, You Can Paint Pastels by Marie Blake, and Pastel Workbook by Jackie Simmonds. Save all the rest until later because they all are a bit more advanced. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Capturing Personality in Pastel
This book is inspirational, educational, informative, and funny. Any artist wishing to capture the essence of personality in a portrait will be truly enthusiastic to have this book on their shelf for reading and reference. ... Read more

Book Description

Pastel Colors create a world of soft elegance, fun and innocence. This wonderful new tool is created for designers, artists, and anyone presented with the challenge of selecting the perfect color scheme for a project. Focusing on the pastel-tone color palette, each chapter presents a range of 72 pastel color schemes, each unique and reflective of a pastel mood. Whether your color scheme needs to be Romantic, Warm, Calm, or Magical, this is the book that will provide you with the color inspiration you need.

--More than 700 pastel color schemes.

--Color schemes matched to specific moods provide creative inspiration for any range of color projects.

--Evocative four-color photographs Illustrate moods and color schemes.

--A color conversion chart Is Included to provide easy and accurate color matching. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great color theory for those how like pastels
This is one of the best books on color theory I have found. I like pastel colors best and I am glad to have found a book specifically focused on them. The color themes really help you set the right mood and with such a variety of color combinations for each one anyone can find something to suit their taste. It has been an invaluable reference tool in helping me decorate my home.

The book starts out with a brief explanation of the color wheel and a color chart. It is then divided into several color themes. These include blush, ripe, ambrosial, sweet, appealing, fresh, calm, refreshing, charming, old-fashioned, ethereal, vivacious, iridescent and subtle. Each theme focuses on a color or group of colors such as yellow-green for fresh, violet for ethereal and blue-violet for old-fashioned. Monochromatic, analogous, complementary, clash, split-complementary, and neutral color schemes are shown in color swatches for each theme. A process color conversion chart is included in the back.

This book is set up like the Color Harmony Workbook, but has a few less color schemes for each color theme, although there are many color themes here that are not contained in Home Color Workbook. This is a great addition to those volumes or a less expensive substitute for those who just like pastels color schemes. In the back there is a process color conversion chart and 152 cut-out color swatches with CMYK information on the backs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Well Illustrated Pastel Guide
This book is a thorough guide to the use of pastels as an art medium with an abundance of illustrations. You do need to know the fundamental basics of drawing and perspective to achieve the results shown. Easier said than done.

The first section covers the different art materials required and details the difference between oil pastels and chalky pastels. It then explains different techniques and step by step examples of almost anything you will want to draw including still life, people, animals, sky, water, vegetation, etc. It does not cover hatchcrossing methods well.

The last section is devoted to studying the styles of famous pastel artists Degas, Monet, Redon and Mir. You can imitate their classic techniques or follow the earlier examples of work which are more modern and contemporary.

Pastel can prove to be a very satisfying medium to use as its colours are vibrant and instantaneous and provide a luminosity other mediums strive for. It is not without its drawbacks, ie smudges easily. This book shows you how to blend colour to achieve a spectacular result but expect much practise before you can place your masterpieces on display.

Pastels For Beginners is translated from Spanish although you wouldn't know it. It was published in 1999 by Konemann and is excellent value for the budding artist. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Painting the Changing Seasons in Pastel
Of all the pastel books out there, this is the keeper!I cannot believe it is out of print! Elizabeth Mowry is well known in the Pastel world and in this manificently detailed and illustrated book, she demonstrates why. This lady writes well,and unlike most artists who write books, has no vague generalities concerning what to use and how to use it to achieve the results that she demonstrates. Elizabeth Mowry's talents are in the use of pastels in the landscape and her work is stunning!As a professional portrait artist, I have utilized her pallet and techniques in combination with my portrait work and would recommend ANY of her books to any level of artist! ... Read more

Book Description

Pastels are favored by artists who want the versatility and ease of this drawing and painting medium. Here are techniques for drawing, shading, color-mixing, and including pastels in mixed-media artwork. Here is a new title in this exceptional art instruction series for advanced students and amateurs will also find a place on the professional artist's bookshelf. All books in the series are sturdily bound and can be taken out to the field for quick reference while the artist is at work on a painting. Their hidden spiral binding lets them lie flat while they're opened to any page, allowing students to refer to them while working at their easel. Each title in the series focuses on a specific medium, and advises on artist's tools and techniques.Color illustrations include both how-to techniques and examples of works by famous artists. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Classic Techniques...Pastel Painting
Daniel Greene brings to the lover of classic techniques his how-to, timeless artistry of making the image come alive using pastels. Paintings in black and white and color. ... Read more

Book Description

An introduction to the fundamentals of pastel, this book is for aspiring artists who want to develop their creative side using one of the purest forms of colored pigment application. Lessons show artists how to easily draw marvelous trees, landscapes, sunsets, and much more using pastels. ... Read more

Book Description

Even the most talented artist runs into problems every once in a while.In The Artist's Problem Solver, 10 well-known professional artists look at some of the most common problems that leisure painters face and explain how to tackle them in a practical and straightforward way.

This guide addresses numerous topics including how to create a sense of space and depth in a picture, how to use color effectively, how to paint a convincing sky and many more!All the main painting media-watercolors, oils, pastels and acrylics-are covered, ensuring that every artist will find this book invaluable. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Oil Pastel: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist
This is an unusually thorough book. If you can get your hands on a copy, you should do so. Unfortunately, it is out of print. The publisher is Watson-Guptill and the book was originally published in 1990. The ISBN No. is 0-8230-3310-4. Here's why the book wins my vote:

It has a ton of pictures of finished art works done in oil pastel and in mixed media, using oil pastel and other media. There is a section which tells of the lightfastness of different brands of oil pastel currently on the market so readers can see actual pictures of brands exposed to sunlight for 3 months and how the sunlight does/doesn't alter the colors. There is also a "nitty-gritty" section describing the characteristics of each major brand available on the market currently, as of 1990 when the book was written, but these are the same brands available today (creaminess, hardness and what you can do with each). There are detailed diagrams of different methods of using oil pastels, broken down into steps, so readers have step by step directions of how to use oil pastels in a variety of ways. There are many ideas for composition using oil pastels. The author, Kenneth Leslie, makes it a point to tell readers exactly how each of the many works shown were developed in oil pastel (e.g., by direct observation of objects such as in a still-life, or by using photographs or collage, etc.) and on what kind of supports (e.g. which grounds to use on paper, museum board, masonite, wood, etc.) There are just lots and lots of pointers about using the medium of oil pastel. Many ideas of using oil pastels in concert with other media serve as a springboard for individual ideas. For example, I read a section of explanation and then, quite easily, I could mentally figure out how to apply the techniques shown to my own work. This will be my bible for doing oil pastel painting. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of the best pastel books
It provides clear and simple instructions in using pastel to create beautiful paintings. Most of the instructions are focused on landscape paintings with a couple of flowers and still life. Basically, it is one of the best pastel books I ever had. ... Read more

Book Description

Walter Foster's classic How to Draw and Paint series provides aspiring artists with an exceptional array of art instruction books featuring all subject areas and media. Each title includes easy step-by-step exercises as well as finished illustrations or paintings that will inspire artistic talent in anyone.

Packed with practical information, helpful tips, and fundamental techniques, the How to Draw and Paint series offers a complete library of resources to which artists of all skill levels can refer again and again.

What you'll learn from this book ...

• How to arrange a studio, set poses, work from life or photos, and compose portraits

• How to select colors to make a flesh tone palette

• Steps for preparing the painting surface and forming basic pastel strokes

• An understanding of color wheel basics and color harmonies

• Simplified anatomy and basic proportions

• Ways to apply pastel to correct and complement a watercolor composition ... Read more

Reviews (3)

just okay; there are much better books available
Nothing special about this book. There are at least a half-dozen better books for begiiner and intermediate pastelists. It is not bad, just not exceptional, either.

demonstrates versatility of pastels and techniques
I really am glad that I have this book. I am a beginner pastelists. This book covers a lot of material on pastels, from paper selection to pastel types, etc. The examples are not as useful for me at this point, but would probably be of more use to an advanced artist. Yet the book is still good for beginners also because it covers several different topics and techniques on pastels.

Inspiring how-to book for beginners
This book shows 17 (anonymous) painters as they build up pastel paintings. Step-by-step colour photographs show each stage and intelligent commentary directs your attention to the important aspects. Each of the paintings is in a completely different style and they include a variety of landscape, interior, figure, and still life subjects.
The paintings step out from the formulaic heavily worked approach epitomized in Watson-Guptil books with many refreshing variations on familiar genres. Simple quick sketches to carefully worked out masterpieces show the vibrancy and flexibility of pastel painting at its best.
The various demonstrations use a variety of techniques, including mixed media: watercolour backgrounds, various blending and mixing methods, dry on wet, charcoal stick, conte ochre and black, and dry and wet overbrushed pastel. There are good hints on grounds, paper selection, and surface characteristics demonstrated in simple examples. Roddon even shows you how to make your own pastels!
A book to inspire you and to encourage experimentation and adventure.
Hedley Finger, Hand Holding Projects Pty Ltd
28 Regent Street, Burwood VIC 3125, Australia
Tel & fax: +61 3 9809 1229
... Read more

Book Description

Emphasizing more "show" than "tell," this very visual instructional takes even the most hesitant, absolute beginners of all ages by the hand and demonstrates, stage by stage, how to start painting in pastel with enthusiasm, confidence, andsuccess.The book assumes no prior painting experience, opening with the essentials: materials, making marks, mixing color, understanding foreground and distance, and making objects look three-dimensional. Step-by-step exercises show how to paint separate features of pictures-plants, flowers, trees, skies, stones, water-then how to combine them into finished paintings. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

GREAT BOOK!
I am an absolute beginner and this book was a great help. It takes you step by step through techniques to making pictures and includes a list of the colors you need. It helps build up your skills. If you know nothing about pastels but would like to, BUY THIS BOOK!

Good introduction to pastels
I am a beginning artist, and I've always been interested in finding a cheaper alternative to using paints. I was also getting kind of bored with drawing. I bought some pastels and this book, and got started right away, only to find out that I don't believe that pastels are the medium for me. I don't feel like I have any control with them like I do a pencil. I personally like working with colored pencils for color drawings. This is a good book though for introducing pastel medium. ... Read more