Acrylics (Barron's Art Handbooks: Purple Series)

Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled by its size!
Review: Having already purchased DK Art School's "Art Techniques" (a must-have for the first-year art student), I felt it was time to move a step forward in my theory. This slim, 4.5 x 8" book was just what I was looking for. Barron's provides the eager student with all the basics -- a brief history, supports, information regarding supports, canvases, brushes, pallates & easels as well as tips on colour mixing and brush strokes -- in addition to helpful (but nonspecific, for the sake of stimulating the reader's creativity) instructions on painting landscapes, portraits & even collages.

Though not the most in-depth instructional guide, Barron's guide to Acrylics is a fantastic overview and a suitable tutor for the developing artist who is competent enough to apply 95 pages of pictoral nuggets and textual overview to his or her work. I am relieved to have found a series that provides readers with the same information a real-life instructor would. Bravo, Barron's.