Customer Reviews:
Not impressed..........2007-06-08
I purchased this book because of all the great reviews it received. I was not impressed. Everything was way too simplistic. If you're an intermediate or professional painter, you will not learn anything from this book that you don't already know.
REAL help for a struggling painter.......2007-05-12
AWESOME book packed to the full with inspiring paintings & photos, really practical tips for the would be painter, and help over all those overwhelming and sometimes insurmountable difficulties confronting the aspirant oil painter. Replaces mystery with method. I'm really thrilled to have discovered Kevin Macpherson's approach to painting "plein air" and am already seeing the fruits of applying it.
Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light & Color.......2007-01-28
Good reference book; should be in all artists library.
Excellent Advice and Technique.......2007-01-13
I used to use a pallete of 10 colors but took the author's advice and tried using 3 plus white. Within one day I learned I can mix most colors. The important thing is the pure simplicity and fantastic range of colorful grays you'll generate while mixing. Try it. Later, he says to add a green and gradually others.
His advice on simplifying shapes is wise. The eye averages images. Your intellect wants to paint detail everywhere but that's not what the eye actually sees. To create realistic scenes it's necessary to see color correctly and avoid the urge to sketch with paint. Viewed closely, great paintings often show blotches of color and heavy brush strokes but viewed as a whole it all works together and conveys harmony and an emotional pull.
As for materials, I agree with the author's selection of hardboard-like supports. The Mona Lisa is painted on board and I'm not about to criticise DaVinci.
North Light Books publishes many good painting guides and this volume is one of the best.
Great for the Beginner.......2006-12-04
I took an art class at the museum and our teacher had this book, she let us practice using this book. It is time consuming, but worth it! I've never painted using this technique before and I was suprised at how good I did. It's well worth buying and adding to your library!
Book Description
Elizabeth Kincaid invites readers to follow her proven techniques for painting dazzling scenes drenched in color. Her beautiful flowers, foliage and landscapes will have readers eager to create their own--and they will, using:
* Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions that take the mystery out of composition, color, light and shadow
* A practical guide to masking and glazing
* Newly trained eyes to visualize before painting and to better perceive abstract form, value, line and color
All levels of watercolorists, as well as color enthusiasts of all mediums, will enjoy using Kincaid's tips to create vivid paintings infused with light!
Customer Reviews:
Alaskan artist.......2007-03-15
The paintings capture light and shadows with incredible beauty and are inspiring to my own watercolor endeavors. The book is a worthwhile addition to any watercolorist's library.
PAINT WATERCOLORS THAT DANCE WITH THE LIGHT.......2007-02-17
HER WRITING DEFINITELY SHOWS HER LOVE FOR WATERCOLOR. IT SPEAKS TO YOUR SOUL.
Review of Paint Watercolors That Dance With Light, by Elizabeth Kincaid.......2007-01-11
I had long been attracted to the image of the cover of this book with the glowing flower and the butterfly. When it came I couldn't wait to read it and look at it. There are so many wonderful tips in this book, one especially is about how to use analogous colors to change colors from light to dark without using complements. This book is beautiful and very helpful.
Cecilia Price
excellent resource for watercolorists.......2006-11-10
This is probably the best book on watercolor techniques that I have found. It does not have copy cat"do it like this" instructions but rather has real techniques that you can use to improve your personal style and subjects.
Inspiring light.......2006-09-15
The author-painter teaches step-by-step the way to make watercolor paintings sparkle. Her own examples are breathtaking. If one really wants to acheive the skill to fill one's paitings with heavenly light, this is the book to start with.
Amazon.com
Painting With Light was the first book on cinematography written by a major Hollywood cameraman. Published in 1949 and now put back into print, it is one of the best and most unusual books in the field. Written with good humor and full of helpful diagrams and photographs, it is certainly the most entertaining. Its technological discussions are dated, but Painting With Light remains relevant because its primary focus is on light itself and the many complex ways the camera crew can manipulate it. This new edition contains a biographical introduction by Todd McCarthy, who describes how the man who shot the strikingly colorful ballet sequence in An American in Paris also helped define the stark, haunting style of the film noir.
Book Description
Few cinematographers have had as decisive an impact on the cinematic medium as John Alton. Best known for his highly stylized film noir classics T-Men, He Walked by Night, and The Big Combo, Alton earned a reputation during the 1940s and 1950s as one of Hollywood's consummate craftsmen through his visual signature of crisp shadows and sculpted beams of light. No less renowned for his virtuoso color cinematography and deft appropriation of widescreen and Technicolor, he earned an Academy Award in 1951 for his work on the musical An American in Paris. First published in 1949, and long out of print since then, Painting With Light remains one of the few truly canonical statements on the art of motion picture photography, an unrivalled historical document on the workings of the postwar, American cinema. In simple, non-technical language, Alton explains the job of the cinematographer and explores how lighting, camera techniques, and choice of locations determine the visual mood of film. Todd McCarthy's introduction, written especially for this edition, provides an overview of Alton's biography and career and explores the influence of his work on contemporary cinematography.
Customer Reviews:
The Best Basics about lighting effects.......2007-07-09
Even though the subject of the book deals with B&W lighting effects for film and TV, as an artist, it helped me in creating paintings with better "moods" and making them more dynamic.
Very good.......2007-06-08
I think this book is an evergreen among books. "Romantic" way of writing covered by practical knowledge and techniques. I would recommend reading it.
Especially for people doing CG this could open some new ways, ideas looks.
Great book!.......2007-01-09
Was the perfect gift on Chritsmas ! My son is very happy!
Shipppin in time! Good service.........
Thank You AMAZON!
The Film Noir Lighting Bible.......2007-01-04
[Note: I'd give this 3 and a half stars if the system would let me] Alton's book is indeed pioneering and along with The 5 C's of Cinematography make up the seminal volumes on cinematography that film makers used for almost 3 decades. Alton's writing style is very formal and at times can be almost condescending; at times he seems to imply that his way is the only "right" way to light something. However, for the genre and period he was lighting for I think it is appropriate. He pretty much invented film noir lighting and in this book he reveals just about every technique to do so yourself. I liked the many photos and stills from real movies, and he does have a chapter on the grip and lighting fixtures available in those days. Ironically many of those fixtures are still staples in any hollywood soundstage, so things aren't outdated in that sense.
Another interesting section is his analysis of natural light and the qualities of the various times of day and how to emulate them on a set.
Amazing!.......2006-03-05
Okay, lets put this review in perspective. This book will teach you hardly anything about anything technical because it is so outdated. It is also mainly about studio lighting on big productions, so it doesnt have much practical information for extremely low budget film makers. But having said that, this book is the best book there is on basic cinematography and lighting. Although the book is outdated technically, Alton's technique can never be outdated, the basic fundamentals of incredible artistic lighting. This book is especially helpful to black and white cinematographers and still photographers. I recommend reading this book after you watch some of his films so you can see his technique in action. Amazing book that you will keep forever in your collection.
Book Description
The allure of dramatic lighting in paintings is irresistible for both artist and beholder, but achieving the effect is another matter. In 10 full step-by-step demonstrations, five acrylic and five oil, Dorothy Dent reveals the techniques behind the magic of light-filled landscapes in a variety of light and weather conditions that are reminiscent of Thomas Kincade. Readers will enjoy:
-Clear instruction from a true master on the painting of light, a perennially hot topic
-Self-critiques by the author showing the importance of those final perfecting touches
-Projects with varying levels of difficulty for a wide audience
-Introductory chapters to bring beginners up to speed and inspire confidence
With Dorothy's expert teaching and coverage of all four seasons, readers will be able to render realistic landscapes using this popular technique!
Customer Reviews:
best ever.......2007-07-18
I have many how to paint books and Dorothy Dent's are my favorite. This book includes 5 lessons in acrylic and 5 lessons in oils and her step-by-step instructions are very clear and easy to follow. She also includes exact colors to use which would be helpful to the beginner artist. I have recreated all of her pictures with surprising success. She also includes templates you can enlarge to transfer the image to your canvas. I would highly recommend this book and her other acrylic "Realistic Landscapes" step-by-step book.
Ten step-by-step projects for both beginners and advanced painters.......2006-04-03
Dorothy Dent's Painting Landscapes Filled With Light provides ten step-by-step projects for both beginners and advanced painters who want to paint light-filled landscapes depicting different seasons and times. Color values are surveyed in landscape projects which show how to capture sunsets and sunrises, autumn foliage, moonshine on water, and more. More than just an exercise book, each project includes diagrams showing light direction and color tonal values and a commentary on how experts fine-tune paintings such professional finishing touches.
Excellent book.......2006-03-19
Another excellent book from Dorothy Dent. From the beginner to the seasoned painter there is something for everyone to learn in this book. Her explanations of light are easy to understand and follow. Recommend highly.
Book Description
Anyone can learn these simple and fun methods for producing outstanding watercolor landscapes and flowers. One of the reasons that Roland's first book has been so popular (Fill Your Watercolors with Light & Color--over 65,000 copies sold) is that his techniques make watercolor fun and successful for a great number of otherwise frustrated artists.
Roland has a gift for simplifying the process of painting into a few readily understood steps. In this book, he expands the teaching of his pouring technique and goes into the underlying structure of a painting. He presents a unique way of teaching composition that will delight the reader. He then presents his three-step process of painting a landscape--masking to preserve the lights, pouring on the atmosphere and spattering the textures. Next, he shows two great techniques for painting flowers, a subject that does not appear in his first book. Also included is a chapter of fun experimental techniques that readers are sure to enjoy and another chapter that answers some frequently asked questions.
* Enables any artist to produce landscapes and flowers, two of the most popular painting subjects
* This author has a proven sales track record
Customer Reviews:
Fill Your Watercolor With Natures Light.......2007-05-25
Helpful well put together book, which encouraged trying new techniques
Great Service.......2006-08-10
It was a surprise when the book was delivered in a couple days, I had expected a week. It is in superb condition. Impressive seller and delivery.
Nice loose painting.......2003-08-19
This is a nice book for soft landscapes. However, I don't use it nearly as much as I thought I would. Check out the authors style first, and if you really like it...then the book is for you. I use some techniques, but the subject matter is a little soft for me. I didn't stay interested enought to use the lessons, but I did read it through and apply concepts to some of my own work.
These techniques are nothing short of fantastic!.......2001-12-24
I love these books by Roycraft. If you love painting landscape or natural subjects, you cannot go wrong reading this book. Roycraft's techniques look simple (a lot of splashing going on) but they are controlled and well thought out. If you love floral painting you should not miss his examples here of a peony and an iris. JUST Breathtaking. I picked up so many ideas from this book.
Not only are Roycraft's paintings beautiful to see, he knows how to communicate his techniques incredibly well. I'm glad I found this watercolor artist's books.
A power tool for watercolorists.......2001-08-09
Having read "enough" art technique books, I have learned that until one gets "down and dirty" trying out what is discussed in the book, then one does not actually spend the money wisely (on the book).
The same for this book. Beautiful artwork by the author. Did I say beautiful? No, BREATHTAKING, rather. However, to be able to generate beautiful artworks, the readers will need the following:
- An ability to SEE (light, dark, positive and negative space)
- Follow instructions from the book (which is PROBABLY the easy part, since it is rather well-written)
- A decent craftsmanship to finesse the final painting after the "mask and pour paints" phase of the process.
Briefly, I would think this is a power tool for watercolorists. How great the final products turn out to be will depend on the aforementioned factors.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Book Description
How an artist captures light can make or break a painting. With Creating Light, the newest installment in this successful series, painters seeking to further their skills will learn how to create paintings filled with light. Artist Jerry Yarnell:
* Explains how to portray form and shadow accurately
* Presents the different components of light, including direct, reflected, glowing, and white light, along with silver linings
* Shows how light works in specific examples and provides readers with ways to achieve a similar effect
Based on the popular TV series, this guide features step-by-step projects, showing Yarnell's methods in action and improving readers' skills and confidence along the way.
Customer Reviews:
Good stuff.......2007-03-07
His artwork is good. It is helpful in learning techniques to eventually graduate in doing your own work by just looking a scene or picture. All of his books are great, predictable, but great.
Good instruction.......2006-09-12
I watch Yarnell's PBS show whenever I possibly can, and always learn something from it. He's a fine artist. You would not necessarily know that from this book, however. The book offers solid instruction, but the quality of his illustrations (his paintings) is not very good. Let me clarify: I'm not necessarily criticizing the paintings themselves, but rather the unflattering way they are reproduced. Even so, they are generally adequate to illustrate the various points made in the text. Overall, it's a good book, if not a great one.
Book Description
Capturing the elusive qualities of light is one of the most sought-after goals of artists in every medium, and Painting Light with Colored Pencil helps readers achieve that goal with:
-An overview of the basics of any work of art, such as composition, gathering reference material, value and color -Over 20 step-by-step lessons covering a variety of popular subjects, including fruit, flowers, textures and water -Two extended demonstrations that show readers how to combine the individual lessons to create a refined, detailed painting
Through the techniques explained in this book, readers will learn how to unlock the potential of colored pencils to create realistic, light-filled paintings that glow.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent condition and service.......2007-09-24
This product came exactly how it was presented-quickly and in great condition-couldn't be happier!
Thanks for the quick turn around-very pleased!
Informative.......2007-01-21
I found this book easy to understand. The color theory is very helpful. I would recommend it.
Very inspiring book!.......2006-11-05
Very happy with the purchase, so far it is my best book about colored pencils & techniques, easy-to-follow instructions, helpful tips, brilliant demonstrations to inspire begginers & more experienced artists alike.
Making it real--one artist's technique with colored pencils.......2006-10-11
This book is of somewhat limited use if you have anything other than ultra-realism on your mind. But having said that, Cecile Baird presents a flawless technique with colored pencils that will have your jaw dropping at her gorgeous work. This book is inspiring and there is plenty of eye-candy here to admire.
There are many demonstrations of example paintings, and some are quite stunning; water spilled on a tile counter, a bubbling, spurting fountain, translucent honeydew melon and kiwi, glistening shells, smooth crockery. Each texture is discussed and the technique of blending with a colorless pencil or with solvent is explained.
There is also a section on how to photograph your subjects (assuming you do still life a lot, which this artist favors as her subject matter.) There is a good discussion on how many pencils to buy (hint; start with the largest assortment you can find, 72 or more) --and she lists what colors of one particular brand she chooses for each demonstration. The materials needed such as stumps for blending, solvent, etc are covered well in the text.
The demonstrations are not as complete as a beginner would need, but a good artist can follow her progress from sketch to final work. Likewise, excellent draughtsmanship is required for this technique. If you do naif works, cartoons, abstracts, or other non-realistic, stylized techniques, this book is of limited value.
Therefore, I recommend this to people who want to work from photographs and obtain beautiful realistic results with colored penci.
good information on innovative techniques.......2005-06-12
I did enjoy the book and found it to be informative with good information of her wonderful and innovative techniques. I would have liked more definative instuctions on how "Shades of Green" was done, not just a small section on rendering Kiwi fruit. The beginning 50 or so pages were on information commonly found in any CP book and therefore of little value to me and perhaps to others who have a library of books already. But if you are a beginner with no books it would be of value to you.
Book Description
Through her work as an art teacher, Liane Collot d'Herbois discovered that a person's constitution, temperament, and illness are often revealed through the act of painting. Using Steiner's remarks about color as a starting point—along with her own observations—the author developed her approach to therapeutic painting.
Art therapy helps bring about balance and health in an individual through working with and understanding the relationship between the opposing tendencies of light and darkness, both in art and within the human makeup.
This is an essential guide for understanding the processes involved in therapeutic painting and the use of colors for healing one's body and soul.
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.
Customer Reviews:
Found the way.......2007-02-04
Great work for painters...
The book was ordered to find out what I did wrong in painting portraits in oil. Clearly instructed by the book I now improved my skills dramatically, especially painting eyes... with the look of love.
Not as useful as I had hoped.......2007-01-21
I happen to think the pictures in this book are beautiful. I wish I could achieve the same level of competence with color. By buying the book, I hoped to improve my ability to quickly make sound color choices, but try as I have, I just can't get the needed information from this book. I have purchased quite a few books on painting, and some have really helped me. The really frustrating thing is that it's obvious she knows what she's doing, but equally obvious she has a hard time communicating it.
If you already understood the topic, I'm sure you would get some comforting reassurance from seeing that which you have grasped reaffirmed. If you are not already a good artist, it's pure misery to try and figure out what she is saying. I have read every word and studied every picture in some cases 3 to 5 times, and I have taken little away.
I'm sure that if she were watching me paint, I would eventually understand what she is teaching, but I was not able to get much from the book. I did enjoy looking at the pictures, but the text is pure torture.
A need for an oil painter........2006-11-13
A very excellent reference book. A must for a novice painter.
Painting Beautiful Skin Tones: One of the Most Misleading Titles Ever.......2006-10-23
I agree with several of the previous reviewers. I believe that some of the writing on skin tones offers great insight. I also believe that most of the portraits in the book are garish at best. If there were Sears Portrait Studios around before the invention of photography there is no doubt that their portraits would look like these paintings. I would even be okay with that if it weren't for the fact that the book does not even begin to discuss skin tone until halfway through the book. I would say that 1/5 of the book is actually about skin tone. The rest of the book is just like any other beginners How-To. The basics of painting. Unfortunately there is little about skin tone.
Painting Beautiful Skin Tones a must for the portrait painter.......2006-08-18
This book is excellent. Well written, easy to follow. An abundance of information. Good color information and color wheels. I refer to this book in the planning stage of each portrait.
Book Description
Roland Roycraft's watercolor paintings are highly regarded for their sparkling, atmospheric qualities. Artists can bring this glowing quality to their own work by experimenting with the masking and paint pouring techniques that make his art unique. They'll see first-hand how to capture the glinting light of snow, the glow of a sunset or the sparkle of sunlight on water.
Roycraft's pouring technique is perfect for capturing subtle color variations found in foliage, skies or water. And because pouring causes the color to tint rather than cover the paper, the colors remain brilliant--even when as ten to fifteen layers have been applied. Watercolor artists will be delighted with how his masking techniques allow for an even greater freedom in their paintings.
* More than 65,000 copies of the hardcover edition sold
Customer Reviews:
Light up your paintings big time.......2001-12-24
Wow! Where was THIS watercolor book hiding? The techniques Roland Roycraft shares here are seemingly easy; splashing or flowing paint onto paper, masking and more. He also gives some very good hints for composition with clear details. Also value sketches (black and white, showing the density of darks and lights. This is a valuable technique for painters.)
I may not choose to imitate Roycraft's style, but I sure will be incorporating these techniques into my next paintings. If you want to improve your watercolor, I can't recommend this book and his other book on nature enough. They are just great.
Great Atmospheric Paintings.......1998-10-27
This is a good book for seeing what effective use of masking can do for a painting. Mr. Roycraft's use of masking is an integral (if not THE prime) technique for creating the numerous paintings demonstrated in this book. The other technique he uses is pouring the watercolors onto the surface rather than painting most of it with a brush.
This is not a painting method for anyone not willing or able to know precisely all the places to mask. The sparkling waves of an ocean in one of his paintings must have taken quite some time to mask and most likely needed a detailed pencil sketch beforehand. While the pouring is imprecise the masking is not.
The book has 1 chapter that gives a step-by-step demonstration of his pouring method. One can tell from some paintings produced that this can be a time-consuming method of producing watercolor paintings if the subject matter is intricate or detailed although the results are breathtaking.
I would like to see more demonstrations from Mr. Roycraft and perhaps more details about the masking as part of the process. Statements such as "I masked only the light areas before beginning the painting. This is negative painting in reverse and makes a beautiful abstract pattern." show the thought that guides the final results.
Most of the book shows paintings in a semi-finished state with the final result and some comments on the process and thoughts in creating it. I liked this book very much and would recommend it to any watermedia painter because it helps thinking in terms of positive and negative shapes and light. It also introduces a unique way of painting with watercolors which I suspect would work with fluid acrylics as well.
wonderful atomshere, superior technique.......1998-10-16
The book amazes me a lot. I particularly like the effect of the pouring. It seems difficult to learn, how to control the color flowing smoothly across the desired area? Is it time-consuming to prepare the masking(questions for Mr. Roland Rycraft) I would like to know some details of the procedure.
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General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils
Problem Solving for Oil Painters: Recognizing What's Gone Wrong and How to Make It Right
Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting
Painting the Impressionist Landscape: Lessons in Interpreting Light and Color
Brushwork Essentials: How to Render Expressive Form and Texture With Every Stroke
