Book Description
This is simply the best and most complete course in botanical illustration ever produced, with each chapter a perfectly constructed and self-contained class. Created in conjunction with the internationally renowned Eden Project—home of the only jungle in captivity—it’s put together by two leading figures in the Project’s famed art school, and uses many beautiful works from its students. Artists and plant lovers will find a wealth of practical information, with easy-to-follow exercises and case studies. The priceless advice encompasses everything from honing observational skills and plant dissection procedures to color mixing and applying watercolor. Adding highlights, producing a pleasing composition, and developing a personal style—all the building blocks for achieving excellence are here.
Customer Reviews:
Botanical illustration.......2007-05-12
This is an in depth clear book about the process of botanical illustration. Well written and great pictures. Recommend highly!
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.
Customer Reviews:
New to Pastel and in awe!.......2007-09-04
Though I paint in other mediums, I am new to pastels. This book is the only one I will ever need. The pictures are beautiful and lush. The instructions and explanations are simple to understand. Would heartily recommend this book to new or experienced artists.
Nice read, but not what I expected.......2006-11-10
When I purchased the book, I thought I would find more "step by step" examples for learning to paint landscapes in pastel. The book is nicely written, but not what I expected.
Visual Delight.......2006-11-09
I have been painting in oils for a few years and want to explore pastels. I am familiar with Handell's work and always believe you should buy a book by someone whose art takes your breath away. In that aspect, this book will not disappoint. However, for a beginner in the medium of pastels, you may want to explore a book with more demos. Am I going to keep this book in my library...you bet! Thank you Albert Handell and Anita Louise West!
Academic painting........2005-10-24
Far too academic. Fails to consider the sponteneity this media evokes and the inherent emtionality of each individual.
Handell has the best ever pastels.......2005-01-16
I bought Albert Handell's book because for someone painting in pastels his works have reached a level that ordinary pastel artists might think impossible. They are so rich in texture and color blend and capturing the essance of the painting. From buying the book I did not really get a handle on how he did the paintings- he probably reveals that in his workshops- but the book is a visual delight and worth it just for that- Jason Alster - publisher- Creative Painting For The Young Artist
Book Description
Artists interested in graphic novels and comic book illustration will find all the guidance and inspiration they need to draw and paint landscapes that evoke myths and legends, lost empires, futuristic planets, dramatic dreamscapes, underwater worlds, and subterranean cities. Easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step illustrations demonstrate techniques for rendering a wide range of fantasy features, whether working in ink, watercolor, or computer pixels. Details covered in this heavily illustrated volume include -- choice of materials, with advice on getting the most from software programs . . . basics of perspective, architectural geometry, color, mood, and seasonal variations . . . landscape features, including skies, clouds, mountains, caves, deserts, snow, and water reflections . . . imagined landscapes from ancient cultures, future worlds, alien planets, undersea worlds, and surreal dreamscapes . . . cityscapes, from medieval towns to the metropolis of the future . . . famous fantasy worlds, from Atlantis to Middle Earth. This good-looking and instructive volume features a gallery of fantasy and science fiction images among its more than 200 color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
A FINE ADDITION TO ANY FANTASY LIBRARY.......2007-04-25
I dabble in fantasy art, being much better at looking at it than actually creating the stuff myself. I did enjoy this work. While I will never be as good as the work displayed in this book, I use books such as this for inspiration and motivation. This work is well done. It gives some good, basic tips in developing this particular genre of art. It would be difficult to say if this work is good for beginners or if it is only for the advanced student. We all have our own level. I personally found it helpful, interesting and quite motivating. If nothing else, it is fun to thumb through and just look at the wonderful pictures.
Very helpful.......2007-03-11
For some one like me, who would love to learn how to draw amazing looking and well detailed citys and Landscapes. this book is very helpful, in telling the reader were to start and what the best media to use would be.
in all its a book i would recoment to any one out there who whants to learn how to draw fabules Scapes.
Fantasy Supreme.......2007-02-25
This book makes me want to get my drawing supplies out and start fantasizing. A real stimulus with beautiful illustrations.
Great for amateurs and professionals alike!.......2007-02-09
I have an ever expanding library of art books focusing on techniques for drawing and painting. This by far is one of the best I have found. It covers ever medium from oils to computer aided illustration, offering insight into seeking sources for inspiration, planning and design, and final implementation. The author provides examples from well known and well respected artists, helping both the professional and amateur develop their skills. I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking guidance for their art.
An outstanding 'how to' guide any aspiring fantasy artist can learn from........2006-11-07
Fantasy enthusiasts and artists who would create their own cities and worlds will learn much from Rob Alexander, a working illustrator who has moved between games and collectible card game markets to magazine art. He's known for his fantasy and science fiction works as well as for landscapes and fine art, and Drawing & Painting Fantasy Landscapes & Cityscapes combines all his talents, packing in color examples throughout to help with fine drawings of fine art works. An outstanding 'how to' guide any aspiring fantasy artist can learn from.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Customer Reviews:
Great help with choosing pastels, hard or soft, brand etc........2007-07-27
When I became interested in pastels, I took a dozen books out from the library including Mowry's THE PASTELIST'S YEAR, all of Paul Taggert's books, THE PASTEL BOOK, etc.
I found Mowry's books helpful regarding her use of color in this book to change the season of a scene - it's amazing. I learned a lot looking at her different views of the same scene painted to represent the different seasons. Very illuminating to say the least.
I thought thee pictures were small and could have been made larger for the serious student to see the illustrations better.
PRINT QUALITY IS FINE. THOSE ARE PHOTOS OF CONSTRUCTION.......2004-02-13
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.......2003-11-13
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 !!.......2003-07-23
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.......2002-05-28
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.
Customer Reviews:
Quite a good book.......2007-01-04
This is a quite good book to paint different types of landscapes, even I find it is difficult for a person without experience drawing landscapes. I usually draw other kind of things and I'm not bad at all, but with this book it isn't very easier, even it has a lot of drawings and projects, I think it should have more step by step explanations in some of them.
Alright for beginners.......2006-10-05
This book was adequate for a beginner learning to paint with pastels.
Realistic Artists Beware.......2004-10-26
This book was obviously meant for Impressionists. Being a realistic artist, I realized this mistake too late. The pictures and demonstrations had little to no detail, and colors seemed to be often used incorrectly. It was not quite abstract, but it definentaly did not look real. On the other hand, I must admit this is a great book for Impressionists. There are a ton of demonstrations and examples, and it really is, like the title says, a "big book." It covered materials and other basics relatively well. Overall, I am not saying that this is a bad book, this review is simply a warning to realistic artists.
Pretty But I Didn't "Get" The Organization.......2000-08-09
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.......2000-05-02
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.
Book Description
You are here, a map declares, but of course you are not, any more than you truly occupy the vantage point into which a landscape painting puts you. How maps and paintings figure and reconfigure space-as well as our place in it-is the subject of Edward S. Casey's ambitious study, an exploration of how we portray the world and its many places.
Casey's discussion ranges widely from Northern Sung landscape painting to nineteenth-century American and British landscape painting and photography, from prehistoric petroglyphs and medieval portolan charts to seventeenth-century Dutch cartography and land survey maps of the American frontier. From these culturally and historically diverse forays a theory of representation emerges. Casey proposes that the representation of place in visual works be judged in terms not of resemblance, but of reconnecting with an earth and world that are not the mere content of mind or language-a reconnection that calls for the embodiment and implacement of the human subject.
Representing Place is the third volume in Casey's influential epic project of reinterpreting evolving conceptions of space in world thought. He combines history with philosophy, and cartography with art, to create a new understanding of how representation requires and thrives on space, ultimately renewing our appreciation of the power of place as it is set forth in paintings and maps.
Edward S. Casey is leading professor of philosophy at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and the author of numerous books, including Getting Back into Place (1993) and The Fate of Place (1999).
Book Description
Marjolein Bastin's glowing, detailed illustrations have charmed nature lovers in the U.S. for more than a decade, as they have done for fans in her native Holland and throughout Europe. From the smallest bird, blossom, or leaf to the complex interaction of forest and prairie, Bastin's art demonstrates her unparalleled skill at capturing the fleeting beauty of the natural world. Now Bastin's many fans can follow her creative process through the seasons in View from a Sketchbook, an intimate portrait of the best-selling artist at work.
Through numerous walks and talks with garden writer and editor Tovah Martin, the reader gets to know Bastin's homes and studios in Kansas City, Missouri, Holland, and the Cayman Islands; sees her gardens and natural surroundings; and comes to understand her early influences, and her passionate commitment to preserving and restoring the natural world.
Customer Reviews:
A year on the prairie with Marjolein Bastin.......2004-06-16
"View from a Sketchbook" is a lovely album of watercolors by Marjolein Bastin, the illustrator of the children's books starring Vera the Mouse, and Tovah Martin, who kept a journal of Marjolein's nature walks during a full year from spring through winter. They spent the year at the Bastin's home in a carefully tended patch of Missouri prairie, visiting the Bastin's old home in Ede in central Holland, and on vacation on Grand Cayman.
There are three dozen full-page illustrations and numerous little sketches, sometimes just a single bumblebee or eggshell. You can see the love and care that goes into every little detail. Even the list of contents is terminated with a tiny ladybug. And the cover of the book underneath the dust jacket is decorated with a frieze of Canada geese with a family of chicks. This is an exquisitely beautiful book from the rabbit on the first page to the Giant Swallowtail on the last.
Book Description
The Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature is a drawing and watercolor painting primer created to enhance any experience of the great outdoors. In a skillful blend of inspiration and practical instruction, nationally recognized artist, author, naturalist, and teacher Cathy Johnson encourages aspiring artists to use sketching and painting to deepen their understanding of the natural world, to savor its every detail.
Featuring simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and more than 280 illustrations--in color and black-and-white--Sketching in Nature covers a broad range of subjects, including:
--Tools and equipment
--Choosing a subject to sketch or paint
--Artist's shortcuts to getting the angles right
--Rendering hard and soft edges
--Mixing paints and washes
--Understanding color and using a color wheel
--Using light to express volume
--Using a camera to supplement your work
--Using watercolor to suggest texture
--Sketching flowers, trees, and animals
--Depicting clouds and weather patterns
--Using field sketches as studies for future paintings
--Lists of sketching workshops and sources for art supplies
Customer Reviews:
excellent resource.......2007-03-26
I loved this book. I am a beginner and it was an excellent resource.
Important for beginners........2005-08-04
I am a novice artist and need all the tips and help I can get. This book is a big help and I refer to it frequently.
Don't let the title fool you.......2004-04-22
This book provides a tremendous amount of information on sketching in nature but don't let the title fool you- this is a terrific general sketching and drawing book. Johnson covers topics that are rarely covered in other books. The use of pens, watercolors, pencils and colored pencils (both water soluble and not) are covered. This is an invaluable book and is an asset to both the beginner and more advanced student. I'm on Amazon right now trying to find other books by Cathy Johnson- I'm that impressed.
Cathy keeps it simple...and affordable........2001-08-30
This is a very refreshing book. Cathy Johnson not only makes it look easy to draw and paint loose, yet accurate, watercolor sketches outdoors, but she tells you everything you need to know. This book will actually teach you how to draw and paint what you see, without making things overly complicated. Best of all, her supply list is well within the means of most people. I really enjoyed this book, and learned a great deal from it. This summer, I caught Lyme disease. It's nasty. For months, I could hardly walk, let alone hike and garden and do stuff I used to love. But Cathy's book has helped draw me back outside, and I'm learning to love nature all over again, one leaf, flower, and bug at a time. This book would make a great gift.
Fine for the Arteest on the Go.......2000-04-14
This is a pretty complete little volume. When you get it, you really do have to assume some knowledge and practice of making art and the media, however, she goes over materials and techniques, which can serve as a good refresher or initial exposure.
The best part is a discussion early on about how to pack all the materials so you don't keel over from exhaustion, hauling too much art gear, along with the usual standard hiking goodies. (I especially needed help with that, given my childlike adoration of way too many pretty colors.)
The emphasis is on SKETCHING, not doing the Mona Lisa. This is important in outdoor work as light changes and speed can be of the essence. I sometimes pick up this book so that I can just relax my techniques a bit.
The examples in the book, in many media and in monochrome or color are a delight to view. Sometimes, it's just fun to sit down with a cuppa and flip through the nice drawings of objects and scenes in nature.
Book Description
Keeping an illustrated nature sketchbook can be eye opening, and anyone can do it, at home or while traveling. This step-by-step guide to painting by the ocean, near rivers, and in valleys, forests, desert, and mountains offers dozens of practical tips for combining watercolor and ink to create pages rich in personal meaning. With her gentle humor and low-key approach, popular teacher Jude Siegel encourages everyone to venture outdoors with sketchbook in hand to try their artist's wings. Lavishly illustrated with more than 140 of the author's stunning original watercolors of Oregon and Washington.
Customer Reviews:
This book will always be special to me.......2007-07-23
I was revisiting my hometown region (Pacific Northwest) and came across Jude Seigel's book. Although I'd never painted before (well, since grade school) I immediately had to have this book and before I left Seattle, I'd invested over $100 in Winsor and Newton paints and brushes.
Since then I've purchased other books (and many more paints...!), but still find myself gravitating to Pacific Northwest Nature Sketchbook for the casual, authentic, do-it-now spirit in which it was written. Jude's style embraces every level of artist--you do what you can and the more you do it the better you get--but the message is clear: everything you create is precious and represents your vision at a single moment in time.
Thanks, Jude, for this inspiration and for a lovely, timeless book.
Coasts, mountains, deserts and more.......2007-02-15
Jude Siegal writes about how a painter observes, how shadows and mists interact with colors and shapes, and how taking time to absorb the beauty of place enriches our lives. Her ability to appreciate details and broad vistas and her expressive word of language and color make this a great book for writers and admirers of the Pacific Northwest as well as painters.
an excellent introduction to Nature Journaling.......2007-01-14
This book is an excellent introduction to Nature Journaling. The author sets out her method in easy-to-understand steps, taking the mystery out of buying paper, brushes, and paints, and how to set up a palette, make a palette map, and get started drawing the natural world.
The illustrations are Jude Siegel's own vibrant drawings and paintings. This book made me reach for my pen and watercolors!
Book Description
"Include a CD-ROM with 1,000 Color Photos of Beautiful, Ready-To-Paint Landscapes
Interactive, customizable format allows artists to create the landscape of their choice Features a helpful book with photography instructions and 15 step-by-step painting demonstrations
Next to the great outdoors, the best source of inspiration for landscape artists is a vivid, stirring photograph of the wonders of nature. In Artist's Digital Photo Reference: Landscapes, readers will find a wide selection of photos of popular subjects including mountains, oceans and trees, along with suggestions on how to paint from photos and an introduction to the art of photography. With this guide, readers can get close to nature without ever leaving home!"
Customer Reviews:
Great CD, so-so book.......2007-08-23
The CD that comes with this book is great. It has lots of hi-res photos, organized by category. I was less impressed with the example projects in the book. Load these photos into Photoshop, and go crazy!
Books:
- Botanical Illustration Course: With the Eden Project
- Botanical Illustration Course: With the Eden Project
- Business Process Improvement: The Breakthrough Strategy for Total Quality, Productivity, and Competitiveness
- Cartier Collection: Collective Work (Collection)
- Charles Bargue Et Jean-Leon Gerome: Drawing Course
- Charles Bargue Et Jean-Leon Gerome: Drawing Course
- Como Dibujar Anime Vol. 1: El Diseno de Personajes / How to Draw Anime and Game Characters Vol. 1: Basics for Beginners and Beyond/ Spanish Edition
- Digital Image Processing (2nd Edition)
- Dr. Pitcairn's New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats
- Dragon of the Red Dawn (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Venice from the Ground Up
- The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Dealing with Dragons / Searching for Dragons / Calling on Dragons /
- Josephine and the Arts of the Empire
- Secret Rendezvous
- My Grandfathers Blessings : Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging
- Schaum's Outline of Biology
- The Camino : A Journey of the Spirit
- Venus in Exile: The Rejection of Beauty in Twentieth-century Art
- Parenting in the Smart Zone
- A pocket guide to sixty distinctive tropical trees, cultivated in the open in the United States
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
The Art of Botanical Painting
Beautiful Botanicals: Painting and Drawing Flowers and Plants
Botanical Illustration in Watercolor (Practical Art Books)
How to Draw Plants: The Techniques of Botanical Illustration
Botanical Illustration: Painting with Watercolours
