Painting Books

Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium

Nancy Reyner

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> Watercolor Painting

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Liberate Your Creativity With Acrylic Paints!

Acrylic Revolution is your essential, all-in-one guide for acrylic painting techniques and more. It features over 101 ways to break through the boundaries of conventional painting and re-define the creative potential of this all-purpose medium.

Every page provides insight on how to use acrylic paint in ways you never thought possible to create stunning visual effects and textures. Ten complete sections detail a range of empowering applications, including how to:

• Prepare and paint on virtually any surface
• Create textures of all kinds
• Work with transfers, collage, resists and mixed media
• Achieve innovative stenciling and line work
• Customize your paint to adjust thickness, transparency and drying time
• Simulate other mediums, such as oil, tempera or watercolor
• Create faux finishes, magical effects, sheens and more

To give you additional insight and inspiration, this book features a gallery of finished works by fellow painting revolutionaries that blend various acrylic techniques to create amazing effects. You'll also find practical advice that covers the basics and beyond--from selecting materials and cleaning your brushes to finishing and preserving your artwork. There's even a complete glossary of terms for fast and easy referencing.

Pick up a brush and start your own acrylic revolution today!

Use the techniques in this book to free your creative spirit and create the paintings you've always dreamed of.

Classical Painting Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice

Juliette Aristides

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Students of art hailed Classical Drawing Atelier, Juliette Aristides’s first book, as a dynamic return to the atelier educational model. Ateliers, popular in the nineteenth century, teach emerging artists by pairing them with a master artist over a period of years. The educational process begins as students copy masterworks, then gradually progress to painting as their skills develop. The many artists at every level who learned from Classical Drawing Atelier have been clamoring for more of this sophisticated approach to teaching and learning. In Classical Painting Atelier, Aristides, a leader in the atelier movement, takes students step-by-step through the finest works of Old Masters and today’s most respected realist artists to reveal the principles of creating full-color realist still lifes, portraits, and figure paintings. Rich in tradition, yet practical for today’s artists, Classical Painting Atelier is ideal for serious art students seeking a timeless visual education.

Charles Reid's Watercolor Solutions: Learn To Solve The Most Common Painting Problems

Charles Reid

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> Watercolor Painting

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Illustrative and Inspirational - Charles Reid's Best! 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

This ought to be the best book Charles Reid has written on watercolor. It's absolutely honest and generous at giving his best painting knowledge and advise to anyone who loves watercolor. C.Reid is undoubtely one of the greatest watercolor masters of our time and his style is unique. I was a little hesitant about buying this book (I have most of his) because of the title, but "solutions" turns out to be a series of master classes, with excellent examples and critique of watercolor paintings. I'm eager to start reading it and applying all that knowledge. Just wished it was more comprehensive in each subject, but guess nothing is perfect. The book has beautiful plates and pictorials, it's nicely written, and intermediate-to-advanced watercolor artists will take the most advantage of it. It was worth the wait. Thank you, maestro!

Editorial Review:

As one of the most sought after workshop instructors, Charles Reid possesses certain skills that set him apart from his students. In Charles Reid's Watercolor Solutions, he shares that knowledge with readers, teaching them how to become better watercolorists. Through before and after photos of various paintings, the author clearly identifies the existing problems in the painting and provides a detailed action plan with solutions to rectify the issue. A variety of topics are covered such as still life, figures, landscapes and more. Readers will appreciate the clear step-by-step format, which makes the solutions easy to understand and implement.

Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils

Kevin D. MacPherson

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> Painting

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The author has given me truly expert advice. Not only is Keven an excellent artist, but a great story teller as well. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This guy knows his stuff and conveys his ideas superbly with great examples to support his recommendations. I respectfully disagree with his comment in the book "that while copying a picture may require great skill, it is not art. With the fabulous digital technology available today, we students of art can freeze that moment in time that we all wish to capture. Painting with passion comes from within and can be stimulated in various ways. An excellent book for any artist's library.

Editorial Review:

Offers down-to-earth advice on painting gorgeous outdoors scenes through 10 step-by-step demos Teaches painters how to master the art of observation Shows readers how to translate field notes and sketches into fully realized studio paintings The overwhelming beauty of the outdoors is one of the most inspiring - and elusive - subjects for painters. With Landscape Painting Inside and Out, Kevin Macphearson first shows readers how to see like an artist, then teaches them how to recreate their vision into stunningly realistic outdoors scenes. His insightful process encourages readers to focus on the small details to achieve big results.

Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice

Juliette Aristides

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

An atelier program between the covers of a book
* Serious techniques for the serious art student
* Study the work of the Old Masters and today's top realist artists
* In the tradition of Watson-Guptill's classic Drawing Lessons from the Old Masters

Ateliers have produced the greatest artists of all time--and now that educational model is experiencing a renaissance. These studios, a return to classical art training, are based on the nineteenth-century model of teaching artists by pairing them with a master artist over a period of years. Students begin by copying masterworks, then gradually progress to painting as their skills develop. Classical Drawing Atelier is an atelier in a book--and the master is Juliette Aristides, a classically trained artist. On every page, Aristides uses the works of works of Old Masters and today's most respected realist artists to demonstrate and teach the principles of realist drawing and painting, taking students step by step through the learning curve yet allowing them to work at their own pace. Unique and inspiring, Classical Drawing Atelier is a serious art course for serious art students.

Facial Expressions: A Visual Reference for Artists

Mark Simon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

All artists are tired of persuading their nearest and dearest to look sad…look glad…look mad…madder…no, even madder…okay, hold it. For those artists (and their long-suffering friends), here is the best book ever. Facial Expressions includes more than 2,500 photographs of 50 faces—men and women of a variety of ages, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities—each demonstrating a wide range of emotions and shown from multiple angles. Who can use this book? Oh, only every artist on the planet, including art students, illustrators, fine artists, animators, storyboarders, and comic book artists. But wait, there's more! Additional photos focus on people wearing hats and couples kissing, while illustrations show skull anatomy and facial musculature. Still not enough? How about a one-of-a-kind series of photos of lips pronouncing the phonemes used in human speech? Animators will swoon—and artists will show a range of facial expressions from happy to happiest to ecstatic.

Game Development Essentials: An Introduction

Jeannie Novak

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Game Development Essentials: An Introduction, 2nd Edition offers a thorough and insightful introduction to the game development industry, with industry updates that will keep readers current and well-prepared for a career in the field. The book begins with a highly informative chapter on the evolution of game development, providing a historical context for later chapters, and moves on to examine content creation and the concepts behind the development of story, character, environment, level design, user interface, and sound. With the same engaging writing style and examples that made the first edition so popular, this new edition features expanded coverage of today's hottest topics - such as next-generation platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii), level design, interface design, project management, serious games, game accessibility, and online social networks. New game-related technology, development techniques, and the latest research in the field make this an invaluable resource for anyone entering the exciting, competitive, ever-changing world of game development.

Exploring InDesign CS3 (Design Exploration Series)

Terry Rydberg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent resource! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I had never used Adobe InDesign before I purchased this book. I found the book to be extremely helpful in my learning process for this program. It's an excellent learning resource! I plan on keeping this book as a reference for all of the InDesign functions that I've learned.

Editorial Review:

In the world of design, projects don't come with directions. The "recipe book" approach used by most software books does little to prepare designers for the demands of a highly competitive industry. Exploring InDesign CS3 takes a different approach. With an emphasis on typography and critical thinking, Exploring InDesign CS3 transforms the novice into a professional who is able to use the software while applying industry-standard design principles. In addition to using the new features of Adobe InDesign CS3, users learn to identify each project's challenges and to strategize the best production sequence. Chapters and projects are carefully organized to move learners from basic operations to creating complex documents. Each chapter builds upon the skills presented in the previous chapter. As in industry, the emphasis throughout is on technical accuracy and productivity.

Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color

Kevin Macpherson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not impressed... 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 9 people found this review helpful.

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.

Also, where was the light and color? I must've missed those pages.

REAL help for a struggling painter 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

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.

Oil Painting with Light and Color 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great book, was told about this from an art instructor, saying this was one of the best you can buy and have in your library.

Wonderful! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have been painting and studying art for many decades - this is a really great book! I keep re reading!

Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Really terrific book! I highly recommend it for anyone beginning in oil paintings as well as seasoned painters. It is down to earth, great instruction and his paintings are beautiful! You can definitely see his growth in his painting in his second book - also terrific, however the second book - Painting Inside and Out - reads in places like an advertisement for a couple of companies and products - didn't appreciate that much, but otherwise - also a fantastic book - even for the photos alone -

How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself: Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects

Nita Engle

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 47 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My quest for an informative and stimulating book on watercolor has been a sucess! One of the best investments you will ever make if you are looking for inspiration and instruction of methods to make your paintings come to life. Good luck in all YOUR quests!

Awesome! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Book has many different techniques.
Really gives many of her secrets away.You won't be disappointed! A Must for your library.Well written and easy to understand.

Editorial Review:

Award-winning artist Nita Engle’s breakthrough approach to watercolor shows readers how to combine spontaneity and control to produce glowing, realistic paintings. Her method begins with action-filled exercises that demonstrate how to play with paint, following no rules. Subsequent step-by-step projects add planning to the mix, demonstrating how to turn loose washes into light-filled watercolors with textural effects achieved by spraying, sprinkling, pouring, squirting, or stamping paint. Engle’s approach, and her results, are dramatic and dynamic; now watercolor artists can create their own exciting paintings with help from How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself.