Customer Reviews:
Great for a beginner painter.......2007-06-02
I found this book to be very easy to read and helpful with basic concepts needed for a strong foundation in painting with oils. I especially like the info about shading, color for impact and components to make your work more polished.
a bit disappointed.......2007-04-09
I should have listened to the other reviews. The images are yellow toned and it makes it very difficult for a beginner to learn how to mix paint and get the right colors. The book also doesn't guide you on this matter which makes all the difference. I haven't used this book once.
so so book.......2007-01-06
I read this and found only some info helpful. For a beginner this wasn't what I was looking for.
many good tips.......2007-01-06
This book is written by an artist that has a lot of obvious talent and ability which is always a good start for how-to-paint books! His approach to colour particularly sticks in the mind. There are no complete step-by-step demonstations (beginning to end mapped out)- but many snapshots of some of the processes and some of the stages he arrived at before the finished product. Particularly useful for artists interested in landscapes and alla prima. I would recommend this as a book which complements an artist's personal tuition program - but not a book for complete beginners I wouldn't think.
Good beginner instructions.......2007-01-06
I used this book when I first started oil painting, and have referred back to it since. It has good basic instructions - my only critisism is that every painting shown seems to be in the same colors! Everything isn't yellow, after all. I thought maybe there was something wrong with the photos - or else the artist just likes sticking to one color scheme. It did make me look at my own palette more critically. Now I consciously try different color schemes on paintings, just for variety - so maybe it was a good thing...
Customer Reviews:
Best watercolor book for beginners.......2007-05-20
When I decided to take up watercolors I ended up purchasing a library of books - almost twenty - but the best one of them all for a beginner is this book by Jack Reid. He not only takes you through all the technical details of watercolors - materials, washes, techniques but, before confusing the beginner with mixing and using colors, he first ensures that you have a solid understanding of values. The most brilliant colors in the world will not help a picture where the values are wrong or non-existant. Jack Reid starts the student with monochrome landscapes through most of the book until you really understand and can produce an excellent piece of art using only color in all of its tones and values. Then you reproduce the same picture using one, then two, and working up to five colors. By the time he takes you through a full painting - a step that most watercolor books jumped into at the start - you have a much better mastery of your medium, of planning your landscapes, of being able to work wet into dry or wet into wet. By the time I completed his work I was able to go back to some of the earlier books and now successfully complete their exercises. I could concentrate on the best use of color because I clearly understood how to the apply the tones and shades and values of those colors to enhance the picture. This is an outstanding book for beginners and one I highly recommend.Watercolor Basics: Let's Get Started (Watercolor Basics)
excellent book.......2007-05-13
This book is really really good for the beginner artist learning watercolors..Its easy to follow and understand. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if you already are dabbling in watercolors and want a couple of lessons in it, this is also a great book to help you out.
Great for begners.......2007-02-19
I got this for my nephew. He has really enjoyed it.
Watercolor basics/Let's get started.......2006-03-09
By far the best beginner book I have ever picked up. I have used some of the ideas in this book to teach workshops and have had tremendous success with people that have never picked up a brush. You can"t go wrong
Good, but video instruction is perhaps better.......2006-03-05
I've purchased quite a few instructional books on both watercolors and oils. While I found this one easy to follow for the absolute beginner, in practice, I found the exercises to be a bit stilted. What I mean by that is in attempting to reproduce his paintings, step by step, I found that it took away the wonder and spontenaity one might experience while sketching and painting a simple still life set up. I understand the theory behind the book, and the value studies are interesting, but I think that simply practicing washes, and also practicing with simple still lifes might be more rewarding. I've watched a few videos on watercolor painting which have been more helpful than any book.
Customer Reviews:
expanding the knowlege of watercolor technique.......2007-05-13
This is a good book to learn a variety of techniques in watercolor painting. This was for my teenage daughter who enjoys watercolor painting, so she can expand her level of techniques. She sat for hours going through the book to learn and study what it had to teach her.
Basic Lessons in Becomming a Good Painter.......2007-05-07
Was a welcomed Book in my collection and is extremely helpful in applying new techniques in a new student of watercolor.
LEARNING ABOUT WATERCOLOR PAINTING.......2007-02-25
This makes me want to take my supplies and park myself somewhere beautiful to sketch and paint.
very usefull book.......2006-07-24
I am an adult beginner exploring watercolor painting. This book has really good information about getting started. I especially liked the information on paint characteristics, perspective, color value, and focal point. I have purchased booklets from my local hobbie shop chain that are much more expensive and give less comprehensive explanations. I found this book very helpful.
watercolor.......2005-09-23
I purchased this book based on previous reviews. The book is good, however it's a lot of information for a "beginner." The book is compact, could be a little bigger for better illustration.
Customer Reviews:
It is very basic, but easy to understand.......2007-08-06
I got the information that I needed to get started on stain glass creation, it is a very basic book. It is easy to understand and has step by step instructions for both copper foil and lead techniques and supply lists for both!
Basic Stained Glass Making.......2007-07-07
This is an excellent tutorial book. A very good option for the beginners that need "how to" in making stained glass projects. Excellent pictures by Alan Wycheck.
Must Have For Stained Glass Beginners.......2007-06-19
This book comes ring bound with a sturdy cover which makes it easy to keep open while working or just reading easily. It is very detailed and has great pictures showing each step. It explains very well from enviroment, tools, glass, techniques and a few example projects. It is overall a high quality book and is extremely organized and informative. A must have for anyone wanting to get off to a good start in stained glass.
This is the book that will teach me how to make stained glass!!.......2007-05-21
I have bought at least 10 books on how to do Stained Galss. Sure wish I had bought this one first!! It is by far the very best how-to book I have found for this subject. It is well written and the photographs are clear and well done. It has this awesome binding that covers the spiral binding. I for one think All craft books should be bound this way. It lies flat on the table with out you having to find a stand to put it in so you can have it open while you work. It takes you step by step through the projects with lots of photographs to help you along. Being a visual learner this is perfect for me. There is also another book by the same author called Beyond Basic Stained Glass Making and I'm on my way to buy that book also, as soon as I finish writting thie review. The only problem with this,and many others, is that it doesn't tell you how to resize a pattern. But if you have a Kinko's or Office Max near you this is not a problem. They can enlarge your patterns for you. For me I have to find a differant solution because I don't have anything like that near me. I did find a program that will do it for you and will tile the pages so you can tape them together, but haven't tried that out yet so I can't say how it works. Ok, now I'm done and I'm off to buy the second book for myself. I hope everyone has a Great Day!!
Excellent Book for Beginners in Stained Glass.......2007-05-13
Found the book to be helpful and to take me step by step through the different stages of completing a project and illustrating it with pictures.
Customer Reviews:
Simplify Your Painting.......2006-12-30
Too many colors on your palette? Are you a beginning oil painter? This is the book for you! Morgan Samuel Price lays out the theory and techniques of painting with a basic palette...a few primaries, a couple of earth tones, and that's it. Several lessons are presented for the reader to follow along with. This book will definitely improve your painting.
Oil Painting with a Basic Palette.......2000-05-04
This is a finely illustrated book for beginners through advanced oil painters who are interested mainly in landscape painting. Even the table of contents is illustrated with photos of her paintings and short descriptions for easy access to chapters. Demos are illustrated as well, including how to use and hold brushes, preparing surfaces. The book also examines the basic tenets of painting including value, composition and design, effects of light on color. This is a useful, lovely book to read and use in landscape painting.
Book Description
This new title in the Watercolor Basics series provides artists with all the step-by-step guidance they need to bring people and portraits to life through the beauty of watercolor. From achieving proper proportion to rendering skin tones, author Butch Krieger makes mastering the basics--value, shape, line and color--a snap. Seventeen complete demonstrations and thirteen mini demos take readers through every step, everything from selecting materials and mixing colors to creating effects. Whether the reader is an absolute beginner striving to paint people realistically, or a more advanced artist looking to improve a specific technique, Watercolor Basics: People will make a noticeable difference in the quality of their work.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2002-06-10
This book is a great step-by-step guide for portrait painting in watercolor. The importance of value is well illustrated. A wonderful book for the beginner and experienced watercolor painter.
Customer Reviews:
good starter.......2007-05-31
The book could use a bit more detail in the instructions. If you've seen his show(s), or had some art instruction, you'll have a better understanding of the technique and what he's talking about & be fine. Someone starting from scratch may have a few questions, but will be able to figure it out or contact Jerry on his web site. Photos are clear. The paintings he's demonstrating in the book are chosen from TV or DVD's/videos he has available. I'd suggest buying the books & DVD's together as they are a great compliment to each other. Jerry is an accomplished artist and a wonderful teacher. There's always something to learn from him and he's always willing to share the tricks of the trade to help make his students better artists.
Great Beginners Book.......2007-05-19
This is a great beginners book that gradually exposes you to painting techniques. Its amazing what you can do with this book. I recommend it highly!
Painting Basics.......2007-01-08
After watching Jerry Yarnell's TV show a few times on PBS, they stopped showing it. I wanted more from Mr. Yarnell and found he has written several books. The books are clear and informative and the pictorials are great.
This Book is NOT Basic.......2007-01-08
Way too difficult for beginners due to a lack of specific instructions.
Outstanding!.......2006-04-19
I am a big Jerry Yarnell fan. He is an excellent teacher and it really shows in his instructional books. I had the good fortune to attend one of his workshops, and really learned a lot. I expect to be able to continue to learn from these books.
From what I can tell, the books do not have to be followed in a specific order. I have the first four volumes in the series. What I plan to do is to work on the techniques presented in this first volume and at that point, I'll just pick paintings from his other books that I like.
The paintings are selected to help you develop specific techniques that will be of good general use and he gives step by step instructions and includes color photographs of the paintings at each stage to give you an idea of what each step should look like.
He gives instructions for mixing the colors required at each step too. He doesn't give an exact formula for the colors since brands and grades of paints vary so much. What he does do is to give you the colors and a relative idea of how much to use of each. You then can develop your eye by mixing until the color looks right. It doesn't take long to figure it out and it is much better for developing your color mixing skills than a rote formula.
Jerry also uses a limited number of colors in his palette. This really help with developing you color mixing skills too. He tell you what brushes you need and how to use them as well.
If there is another set of instructional books that is better than these, I haven't found them.
If you go to his web site [...] and click on Books, you can see slide shows of the paintings that are taught in each book. This will give you a better feel for which ones you want to try.
Customer Reviews:
The human body is nothing more than irregular cylinders, cubes and other shapes. .......2006-08-15
I would recommend this book after you have taken a basic drawing class. First you must master the ability to see all around you as basic shapes. After you have completed that task, this book is the next logical step.
From the begininng, this book offers different ways of observing the human body. Nothing much is needed to begin drawing the human body than a pencil and paper, this book will lead the way. However, for those advanced (or really motivated beginners) this book offers a list of other items to purchase.
Each part of the body (except for the feet!) is nicely described in the form of observation and basic shapes. Once you've learned that the human torso is nothing more than a irregularly shaped egg, the rest becomes easy.
J. C.
Feeling ambivalent about this one, but here's why: ..........2004-06-29
I looked over this book very carefully. At first I thought Greg Albert was the author. [I just finished SLAMMING Greg Albert for a different but poorly authored text elsewhere on Amazon!] But looking carefully, the cover states that Greg Albert is only the "editor" of this book, published by NORTH LIGHT.
There was something disturbingly familiar about the illustrations which are excellent...and then I realized, that North Light was the same publisher for WALT REED's "THE FIGURE", published in 1976, and that what North Light Publishers have done is invite GREG ALBERT to do a revision and update of WALT REED's "The Figure" with some new illustrations added, and slapping on an entirely new title. Well...okay...
This may give me an unpleasant feeling concerning authorship, but I did give Walt Reed's text a FIVE STAR rating on Amazon.com, and this has new illustrations added in.
This is an excellent book on beginner drawing, full of Walt Reed's original BLOCK FIGURES and human puppets. NORTH LIGHT PUBLISHERS was wise to update and revise the current text and continue to polish it.
I was disappointed.......2004-01-08
I had high expectations for this book, thought it would teach me the correct way to render my sketchings of people better... I really think the sketches in the book could have been better, I thought it looked a little amateurish. Although the author covers many things and tries his hardest to convey what needs to be done, I think the photo lacks more instructions and step-by-step advice.
For instance: he will start with a semi outline of a body and just show you how to fill it in... it wasn't until later in the book he actually tries to show you porportions.
And in the beginning, he has you starting off my scribbling. Maybe that worked for others, but not for me.
I am starting a college drawing course in about 9 days and have been practicing my techniques from different books, but this is one book I'd rather leave on the shelf.
Basic Figure Drawing Techniques(North light Painting).......2000-09-17
An excellent choice, for beginning artists. This book includes many essential tools in figure drawing; such as the underlying bases of the figures, many different distinct poses, and also a good introduction to anatomy from an artistic view, yet still easily understandable by beginners. Within, this book you will find many introductory techniques that start from scribble and transform into to beautiful life forms as well as, well-written passages thoroughly explaining everything every step of the way. Therefore, if your interested in figure drawing and have never before even picked up a pencile;this book is your best choice!
Customer Reviews:
Great for Teaching Yourself.......2003-04-26
If you are a student or a teacher of the arts, this book is a must. It is divided into sections and you can practice and teach yourself each lesson. Very easy to follow and understand.
A must-have for any artist........2002-10-02
I don't work in watercolors, I quilt, and I've found this book invaluable as a guide to understanding perspective.
An excellent addition to any beginners collection.......2000-05-16
North Light, the publishers of the Watercolor Basics series has hit paydirt once again with Phil Metzgers' Perspective Secrets. In direct simple and engaging language Metzger takes you through the many types of perspective without terrifying you with wordy rules and procedures. It is all covered in this handy and educational volume. You move through beautiful examples of putting space and the illusion of air in your paintings to the subtle issues of close-up perspective such as with bricks. There is also some information on perspective dealing with stairs and inclines all supported by Mr. Metzger's handsome paintings. As with other volumes in this series the subject matter is gone into both more deeply and with more approachable and beautiful artwork. This is a must have for any budding painter.
Books:
- Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Painter
- Painting Four Seasons Of Fabulous Flowers
- Painting Sharp Focus Still Lifes: Trompe L'Oeil Oil Techniques
- Painting Sharp Focus Still Lifes: Trompe L'Oeil Oil Techniques
- Painting Sharp Focus Still Lifes: Trompe L'Oeil Oil Techniques
- Pink Box: Inside Japan's Sex Clubs
- Quilling for Scrapbooks & Cards
- Scream for Ice Cream (Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew)
- Sixty Days and Counting
- Stage Makeup: The Actor's Complete Guide to Today's Techniques and Materials
Books Index
Books Home
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Study & Teaching
| Reference
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
The Oil Painting Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist (Watson-Guptill Materials and Techniques)
Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right
The Complete Oil Painter: The Essential Reference for Beginners to Professionals
Brushwork Essentials: How to Render Expressive Form and Texture With Every Stroke
Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light & Color
