Reviews (10)

Beautiful
I'm a true novice, a friend once said I like to "color".She may be right!

I find this book informative (basic info for people like me who didn't go to art class in school) and inspirational.I love the art in it and the collage with art materials on the cover and throughout the book is stunning.A must even for us non-artists!

I bought the book a few years back and still dig it out when I feel the urge to be creative.That to me is a sign of a good book!It is a book that I look at over and over again, and doesn't get "dated".

Good book, but definately for novices
This is a good book to become familiar with a wide range of materials and basic techniques.Appearance wise, it is heads and shoulders above the competition.

However, the text itself is more of a dummy's guide to art materials.Essentially, it gives enough information for someone to be able to communicate effectively with others on the subjects.It gives some basic instructions, which are perfect for someone with little background in the subjects.

I would really give this text two scores, one on the body of content, and another on its helpfulness to amatures.The scores would probably be a 3 and a 5.

A Keeper
I see this book as a complement to Ray Smith's book The Artist's Handbook. Mainly because The Artist's Manual covers some media that the Ray Smith book doesn't. The chapters give a good introduction to things such as papers, canvas, stretching paper and canvas, preparing them with various types of grounds (the correct word is ground when referring to materials used to prime canvas- gesso technicallyrefers only to grounds applied to prime wood panels - or did until paint marketing departments convinced artists to call any ground applied to any surface 'gesso').

Some of the media covered in this book are dry and water-soluable colored pencils, pastels, oil pastels, conte crayons, charcoal, pen and inks, colored drawing inks and markers. Paints covered include oils, oil bars, egg tempera, watercolor, gouache and acrylic. One of the nice things is that there is a special chapter devoted to Chromacolour paints (This is a type of paint that was developed for the film animation industry and is now available to fine artists and craftsmen). Each drawing or painting medium mentioned above has a chapter discussing painting techniques used for it.

Reviews (7)

A must-have for every watercolorist
This is a wonderful book! And an absolute must-read for all who are truly interested in turning out great watercolors.Before this book, some of watercolors would turn out so great, and others just dull, and I thought it was due to experience and practice.He revealed the secret.And now I have a lot more confidence in what colors to use on my paintings and control over its results.

Jim Kosvanec also has a great writing style that will keep you reading on.After each section, you will be aching to go out there and try it out.

This book is definitely staying in my library.

Some work, others don't, this one exceeds expectations
Kosvanec's book title may not capture your attention, but his book certainly caught mine.He is thorough, clear in his presentation and has a firm grasp on watercolour.His watercolour wheel could become a standard and the one issue I have with the book is that this wheel is not a perforated pull-out.This would have made the book better than 5 stars because you could have a wheel hung up for reference and keep the book intact.

Reviews (3)

A student's reference for creating the appearance of . . .
I'd recommend this book for anyone with beginning through intermediate watercolor skills.It is especially useful for learning how to create special textures and surfaces such as skin, trees, fish, feathers, et cetera.As the name suggests, it covers technique rather than design, layout, color harmony, and the like.Its focus is on how to create the appearance of various surfaces used in nearly every painting.I think of it as a must have on every student's reference shelf.

Best teacher I have found
Not only are the most basic & most complex techniques explained, the step by step instructions on re-creating their sample paintings are the best.If you do every exercise in the book, you will have all thetechniques.Then all you have to do is practice, practice, practice....

Reviews (11)

Nice, but material is duplicated in another of her books...
This is an excellent book... IF you don't already own "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink" by Claudia Nice. The material in this book is entirely duplicated in the "Painting with..." except for the last chaper called "Fur and Feathers".Please do not buy this book if you already own a copy of "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink". I did and was disappointed that there was only one chapter of new material in this book.

Now, if you own the other book "Painting Nature in Pen & Ink with Watercolor" then I highly recommend this book as it has subject matter that was not covered in the "Painting Nature..." book.

If you don't own any of her books, then buy the "Painting with Watercolor Pen and Ink" ISBN 158180265X because it completely combines the material in both "Creating Textures..." and "Painting Nature..." books.

New title for this excellent book.
I recently checked this book out from the library and found it to be an excellent resource for me, a student new to these media. I enjoyed the book and decided to purchase it. Amazon lists the book as out of print. Indeed this title is out of print. However, don't despair. This book has been re-released under the new title "Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink."

Not what I expected or wanted
A better title would have been, "Creating Textures in Pen & Ink, Enhanced with Watercolor."75% of each texture comes down to "make a detailed ink drawing".The other 25% is enhancing that ink drawing with watercolor.The pen & ink predominates everywhere.If this is the style of drawing you desire (e.g., detailed drawings where pen&ink predominates), then you will probably give this book 4 to 5 stars.I was looking for watercolor texture techniques and was disapointed.

Reviews (6)

Spirit of Nature translated into the Art of the Abstract
If you are looking for a watercolor tutorial in botanical painting, wildlife or landscape, walk away. This isn't the focus of "Painting the Spirit of Nature." Author Maxine Masterfield is, instead, taking the artist on a tour of an interior landscape, using the metaphors, symbols and shapes and colors of nature to create abstract or abstracted imagery. Look at the cover picture; the painting could represent boulders or broken rock face, but is in fact an abstract. This is the lesson of "Painting in the Spirit of Nature."

There is a lot about texture, unconventional techniques using things like salt and other methods, how to find imagery in everyday scenes and objects and how to compose a painting. The real value, however, in this book, is in the selection of paintings. You may or may not like them, but if you have been trying to find an "abstract voice"--I'd say this book would be great for you. If you liked "Watercolor Bold and Free", this is along the same vein.

This is not the spirit of nature!
I bought this book since the reviews were quite enthusiastic about it. I have more than 50 watercolor books as well as many other art books, and this is just and justly the worst of them all.

It is about experimental painting, that is true, but it is not about "the spirit of nature". Experimental or abstract painting is simply no excuse. The abstract patterns made through various techniques aren't exciting or beautiful and the techniques themselves can be found in various books where they belong - as a small sidenote. The techniques shown aren't useful at all for a watercolor artist wanting to capture nature.

The enthusiastic reviews gave me a diametrically opposite view of this book than what it was. As a "nature" book it belongs in the trashcan.

What I thought about was some loose techniques for creating texture for nature paintings, but that was not the case, it is all about totally abstractism which was not what I was after.
If you are looking for ways of creating abstact patterns, okey buy it, otherwise don't!

Editorial Review

While the many nuances and individual details of fine art may not be something that one can learn solely from a book, some how-to books, like The One-Hour Watercolorist, can really help in getting started. This book provides a valuable source of technical information that can help the paint-shy art lover take a big first step in putting brush to paper. The title may be slightly exaggerated, as many of the paintings take more than an hour, but the point is to show that by breaking down a work into steps, something substantial can be accomplished in a relatively short period.

Reviews (1)

Mr. Cranshaw makes it really simple
The author/artist has the gift of taking complex painting subjects (landscapes, animals, people) and expressing their nature in simple strokes of watercolor. The effect is far from simple; it's that stripped-down-to-the-essentials that makes watercolors so appealing yet difficult to learn. One or more strokes of the brush, and you've gone too far and the painting is overworked and wrong. This book will help you over that perenniel problem.

Reviews (2)

Textural Detail Feast!
This book's emphasis on texture techniques has been a boon for my own paintings. I was growing bored with my paintings because all the areas were painted with the same techniques. When I got this book I sat down with my watercolors and watercolor pad and began to practice many of the texture techniques the author explains.

There are chapters devoted to paper surfaces (hot, cold, rough, handmade, etc), various brushes (kolinsky, synthetic, bamboo, toothbrushes, flats, rounds, riggers, etc), miscellaneous materials (salt, sponges, plastic wrap, etc.) and pigments. All are discussed from the point of view of trying to exploit the properties each has for creating unique and convincing textures and details. Each chapter is packed with paintings and accompanying analysis of how the author achieved a particular effect. Unlike most painting books it does not use the painting-in-progress method of explanation. Instead, each painting is shown on one page and the opposite page has a detailed discussion of the various steps the author took. Interspersed at times are close-up photos showing details on some of the more interesting textural details. The subjects are everything from rusty iron, rotting wood, rough stonework, adobe brick, rough bark, pottery, etc. And all of it as applied to landscapes with rusty farm equipment, ponds or lakes with watersogged wood, closeups of buidings, trees, grasses or other plants.

The pro is that this means a lot of paintings demonstrating a wide variety of techniques are displayed and explained. The con is that you don't see the paintings in various stages of completion which some readers might feel would be more helpful for their learning style.

Overall I believe this book achieves exactly what it set out to do - i.e. explain in detail a large number of textural detail techniques. It doesn't wander off into discussions on composition, values, light, etc. It is very tightly focused and therefore can go into much greater depth on the subject than more wide-ranging watercolor books.

Reviews (31)

"How to Make Watercolor Paint Itself" by Nita Engle
I've given this book a 5 star rating because I feel it's terrific value for the money. The information is mind boggling and takes painting to another level.
Having said that, I feel this is a book for experienced painters, although, if you enjoy a challenge it could be what you are looking for.

Insightful, Delightful, for the Intermediate Artist!
My immediate impression of this book is that it is DIFFERENT than most of what else is available.Good for this author to direct a book to a niche for once!Anyone can see it isn't for a beginner.I could see that I couldn't live without it on my own shelf.There are plenty of how to books for the individual who wants just ONE book.This is for the connoisseur of art ideas and techniques.While not noted as such, I find this author very "right brain" and right is right!

Reviews (3)

Timeless Tomb on Watercolor & Use of Color
An excellent volume and companion to use in conjunction with Jeanne Dobie's book Making Colors Sing.While Dobie's book is outdated with all the advances in watercolor pigments and newer more permanent lightfast color, Hill's book not only picks up with the use of newer pigments, but his suggestions are excellent.This book is a wonderful addition to any library.I kept it nearby as I do Dobie's book.A must have book with excellent demonstrations and illustrations.Also the artist's style and work is wonderful too.A must have for anyone serious about watercolor, beginner or advanced.

Watercolor enthusiast's paradise ...
This book gives an excellent idea and keeps an idol in front of the reader as how a watercolor painting should be. Nice simple language and examples chosen are truly magnificent. Tom's style of painting is simply out of theworld.

Reviews (7)

Exquisite watercolors?A Simply Excuisite Book!

The title "Chinese Painting Techniques for Exquisite Watercolors" is, by all accounts, an understatement! Of the countless dozens of art technique books I've read over the years, this one is by far the most captivating, beautiful and unique.

Rarely have I ever been this impressed by a book on any topic, let alone one on art techniques, of which I'm generally rather critical. I'm so used to art books that leave too much information lacking, are unoriginal, show sloppy technique, or simply cannot keep my interest, that this book left me salivating for more!It is truly an exception!

The author, Lian Quan Zhen brings to life an interesting blending of Chinese painting techniques and Western watercolor methods to create a style of painting that is simply, well... exquisite!

The author begins by covering the basic tools and techniques of Chinese painting, from materials and supplies, to mounting of completed paintings. He covers the difference between Chinese paints and watercolor paints, painting in ink, and even shows the *correct* way to hold a paint brush!

Zhen goes on to give one of the best explanations of effective painting composition that I've seen yet. He covers everything from linear perspective and establishing the focal point of your painting (which he refers to as 'establishing priority'), to geometric organization of objects in arcs, circles, triangles, rectangles and s-shapes, and provides clear examples of each.

Next, the author beautifully conveys the three basic styles of Chinese painting, which he identifies as "detail-style" (gongbi), "spontaneous" style, and a blending of the two which he simply calls "half-detail, half-spontaneous," and throughout the book he gives many beautiful examples, and techniques for creating each of them.

Through the rest of the book, Zhen shares the creation of many beautiful compositions, not only in Chinese ink, but also in watercolor using many of the techniques he uses in his Chinese paintings, and showing how the two different methods can be used to create very original, beautiful works of art.

I cannot recommend this book more to anyone with an interst in watercolor, but I must warn that once you see this book, its very likely you will be equally drawn to Chinese painting.

As for myself, and my growing addiction to Chinese painting techniques, I've now traded in several hundred dollars for a plethora of Chinese art supplies, and I couldn't be happier!!

Many thanks to Lian Quan Zhen, for sharing his uniquely beautiful approach to painting with the rest of us, and for introducing me to a brand new way of looking at a blank sheet of paper, particularly xuan paper!

Fabulous Book!
I am a beginner watercolorist and I found this book to be a great help! It is so easy to understand and follow.

Reviews (91)

Ideal Book for Beginners
This book is squarely aimed at those of us at the stick-figure drawing level, who would like to be able to draw for pleasure.Betty Edwards has clearly devoted countless hours of time both to teaching and thinking about teaching.The result is an extremely well-thought-out course, not only -- or even primarily -- in drawing, but rather in the perceptual skills that lead directly to being able to draw.She sees drawing, at the level of being able to draw, say, a realistic and recognizable portrait, as a skill that is as readily learnable by an average person as driving or reading.She reduces this skill to a handful of separate elements, each clearly taught and explained, with exercises designed not only to teach the skill but also to quickly build self-confidence.Although the book emphasizes general perceptual skills, enough tips on materials and techniques are provided to help beginners quickly learn to draw pictures that will please them.Whether you continue to develop your drawing skills or not, at the very least this book will help you appreciate the visual world in a new way.

You can draw.....It's not that complicated!
I bought the first edition of the book ages ago and loved it. I recently came across a reference to it again and decided to check out the latest version. I still love it! This is a great teaching tool for the hobbyist or student. Just enjoy the excercises and watch your skill level rise! You'll be impressing your friends and colleageus in no time (and they don't have to know how easy it is!)

Editorial Review

Reviews (14)

Almost worthless without the original color plates
As another reviewer states the original had 150 color plates this version has only 8 in mine. The visual phenomena are so complex that without the plates you can't possibly accurately understand what the book is talking about. Sure you could make you own examples, but if you did, you would NOT be sure, given the complex examples, that you understood what the author was talking about. Instead you will have a false understanding or incomplete understanding that will make you look foolish. The publisher is cashing in on the author's previous great work without really republishing it. This is the lowest I've ever rated a book.

helpful, but original Hardcover was better
Having experienced the original hardcover version,and having been given the task of going through the excersizes given in the book,the softcover version is useful,but not nearly as comprehensive and in depth as the original hardcopy.
Still a worthwhle read from a master theorist!
Better than a good read is to get a hold of a packet of Colored Paper and replicate some of the assignments in the book.Best way to learn.

Reviews (9)

a++++
its a goood and extremely helpful book!

Architects take notice
A very good book an sacred geometry with lots of diagrams.

Reviews (5)

amazing!
This book might be expensive, but what do you expect for such genius. I love this book, and would recommend it to anyone into color theroy. Itten is a color genius, and this book proves it.

Itten is a true master
I'd studied physiology and neuroscience, later switching careers from a medical path to that of a designer. I've dived into many sources for my self-education/training.Itten is the grand-master of color; no other book I've read compares to those of Itten. His teachings have enlightened me in ways that I'm amazed by, touching on scientific, psychological, behavioral, and the most personal aspects of color as a study and an experience. It's changed the way I look at my environment, and it's changing the way I use color in my work as a designer.

I'm so impressed with the value this book has had to me, that I bought Itten's book on Form and Design, even though I didn't necessarily feel lacking on those aspects of design. It's rather because of the likelihood in the quality and richenss of knowledge I'll gain, as I did from this book.

A philosophical, religious view of color
What fascinates me so much about Itten's classic book is its deeply philosophical, even quasi-religious approach to color. Itten was as much interested in the spirituality of color as in developing a theory of color.

Another great aspect of the book is the numerous master paintings beautifully reproduced and intertwined with his own theories and color diagrams. You get paintings by Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet, El Greco, Seurat, and so many others. Itten is always contrasting the objective and the subjective aspects of art and color, and it makes for a fascinating reading experience.

Itten has a mature perspective on these painters and their relation to color. Its only flaw is that Itten's is only one perspective. I wish there were more authors who could write and analyze art at this level, and who weren't afraid to be spiritual in their assessments.

Reviews (2)

excellent guide to color
quiller's guide is the most systematic color text available. it combines a deep knowledge of traditional color theories with a huge amount of quiller's personal research into how paints actually mix as colors. centralto the book is quiller's color mixing wheel for watercolors, oils andacrylics, probably the most accurate color wheel available in any publishedwork (though he has a revised color wheel, available separately). heexplores the monochrome, analogous, complementary and split complementarycolor schemes through many demonstration paintings and detailed mixinginstructions. he emphasizes repeatedly the importance of a strong valuecomposition, and careful variations in color saturation, in building thepainting. an indispensible book.

Reviews (2)

Good for beginners and advanced beginners
I purchased this book because it provides a quick and dirty run down of the different forms of media one can use to draw a picture.In the first section of the book, it talks about the tools you can use: graphite, colored pencils, pastels, ink, markers, charcoal and sanguine-just to name a few.It also tells you what type of paper goes best with each drawing material as well as the type of eraser is best to use. There is a section value and modeling, as well. The next couple of the sections deal with techiques that are specific to each medium.For example, coloring by strokes and blending charcoal and pastels with fingers and stumping pencils.In the sections on techniques, step-by-step exercises are provided to demonstrate how the author got from a blank sheet of paper to a replication of a famous work of art done in that same medium.However, during the demonstrations (I assume in the interests of brevity and page space)he may skip a little too much. This may not bother some people, but I'm a "I follow the recipie to the letter" type of person when it comes to something I don't know how to do.In spite of that I still rate this book 5 stars for several reasons:I like they way they show you pictures of the tools and tell you what they are and how to use them (for example, my high school art teacher said under no circumstances to smudge with my fingers for shading--he mainly said to crosshatch. As a result, I had no idea what a stumping pencil was and that my fingers were capable of such nice smudging.) Secondly, I like the way the book mentions some of the top brands for different media and shows what some of these sets look like.And thirdly, despite the flaw in the exercises, it was still fascinating to see the transformation. (I haven't done one to completion as I've only had the book for two weeks and I wanted to read through it first.)After reading the book, I know what materials I need to get started and I have a manual to help me practice.

I've always been pretty good at basic to intermediate graphite sketches and I wanted to take my drawings to the next level.If you're a beginner or an advanced beginner, then this book will probably help you.If everything I have written here is old hat to you, then you should probably look for something more advanced.As I said this book is a quick and dirty break-down of different drawing media and their techinques.It does not attempt to give in depth information on all media and the techniques associated with them.

Isbn: 0155155407
Sales Rank: 1932162
Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Drawing    3. Drawing materials    4. Technique    5. Techniques   

Reviews (1)