Rating: 
Summary: From SchoolArts:
Review: "This omnibus of a book serves as an all-around reference guide to the techniques and equipment for all painting and drawing media, and I do mean all. Emphasizing a partnership between personal vision and technical ability--the learning hand and the seeing eye--the editor brings together every conceivable step in the painting and drawing process, from support preparation to the final steps of protecting, matting and framing art. Areas of picturemaking often not attended to receive careful attention; for example, in the section on supports, there is in-depth information about the quality of different canvases--how to stretch, prime, size, tone and more. For drawing media (anything that makes a mark) advice is presented for colored pencils, charcoal, conte crayon, pastels, markers, and pen and ink, with an in-depth treatise on what to look for in drawing inks. 523 full-color photographs and 234 color drawings make the book a visual treat. Most pages have three or four color illustrations complemented by clear descriptive text. After dealing with varied aspects of all major media, Editor Gair also introduces pertinent material on color, composition, subjects, and themes. If your resource shelf has room for but one general book on drawing and painting,this inexpensive and informative volume can be recommended for secondary school level and beyond."
Rating: 
Summary: A valuable resource book full of visual delights!
Review: Artist's Manual, A Complete Guide to Painting and Drawing Materials and Techniques was recommended to me by an art teacher. I have been painting for over thirty years and I doubted this book would be valuable--art is a visual and tactile thing, not always translated through the written word. I was wrong. This book is great. It's exciting to turn the pages...which are filled with good information and nicely designed. Good going Cronicle Books, you've done it again
Rating:
Summary: For those who know nothing about mediums, techniques
Review: I am an adult who recently decided to venture into the world of art. I happened upon this book and after rifling through it, decided to buy it. It has been invaluable to someone like me, who knew nothing about supports (canvas, paper, etc.), and the different painting and drawing mediums. It's a great starter book!
Rating:
Summary: For those who know nothing about mediums, techniques
Review: I am an adult who recently decided to venture into the world of art. I happened upon this book and after rifling through it, decided to buy it. It has been invaluable to someone like me, who knew nothing about supports (canvas, paper, etc.), and the different painting and drawing mediums. It's a great starter book!
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable book! Excellent resource for visual artists...
Review: I have thumbed through many an art technique book, and have found many lacking. This one is great! Not only is it a feast for the eyes with gorgeous illustrations, but I learned things I never even heard of before! It is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to many different mediums and how to use them, including oils, watercolore, acrylic, gouache, colored pencil, glazing, ink... and plenty more...Very, very helpful. I read it all the time. A valuable overview of art technique and all the goodies available at your local art supply. I love this book!
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL!
Review: I received this book as a gift, but I have been eyeing it for a few months now. I have looked through this book a hundred times now in the few days that I've had it. It has all the information to answer all of your questions that you could EVER think to ask. With out this book I would barely know where to begin in my studies. It has information on supports and painting media covering oil painting and water colors and acrylic. It has information on drawing painting, everything you could think to draw with, there are techniques in this book for it! And even as wonderful as that sounds, it still gives information on how to go about choosing your subject, and where you should put your studio. I absolutely love this book. The pages are so crisp and clean now, but not for much longer.
Rating:
Summary: A Keeper
Review: 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 technically refers 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. The final one-third of the book covers such things as composition, color theory, working on location, landscapes, portraits, figures, architecture, setting up a studio, varnishing and framing, directory of suppliers, understanding health and safety information on paint labels, glossary and index. A really good reference book for any artists bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: 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".
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: 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".
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: 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".
|
