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Colored Pencil Painting Bible: Techniques For Achieving Luminous Color And Ultrarealistic Effects (2009)

by Alyona Nickelsen(Favorite Author)

4.3 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0823099202 (ISBN13: 9780823099207)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Watson-Guptill

review 1: Very good. For those new to the medium I would say it's a must buy. For anyone looking for a quick fix or inspiration maybe not.This is a written study of colour pencil art by a highly respectedartist. Personally I found it a bit basic. Not because i'm a brilliant artist, I just felt it could have covered more ground with1. Clearer explanation of basic principles,2. Much more examples,3. A better balance of example paintings. Every painting is from her own repertoire,(and mostly of fruit).Having said all that, this book is quite unique and deserves a roundof applause for being one of the pioneers of this wonderful art medium.
review 2: This book surprised me! I almost overlooked it because my favoured medium is watercolour, but then I reminded myself that one... more often learns most from those working in different fields of art and that’s precisely what happened when I read this book. It isn’t just the average ‘how to draw and colour in pencils’ manual, the text really delves into the properties, techniques and rules for success thoroughly and professionally. For me, the most interesting subjects she tackled were those universal to all mediums, such as composition, colour, light and shadows. I can’t emphasise how much (useful knowledge) I learned. Another thing the author taught me was a new, meaningful way to analyse a subject before one attempts to depict it. I now know specific things to look for because she described (almost scientifically!) how things react and how the eye sees and colours mix.A bonus with this book is that the subjects are explained in detail but thenhave run down pages of the basic rules accompanying the text so that once one has read and learned the piece, there is a reminder for quick reference. You can also pick up some clever tips as you flick through.I can’t really fault this book, but to give a balance review I’ll add a little shade to go with the light (as the book says, they are intrinsically linked in the world!). The author, though beneficially passionate for the reader because she treats the coloured pencil as a medium very seriously and in huge detail, when stating an opinion on art sometimes came across with a hint of sternness. She has every right to hold strong opinions and voice them, but I wondered whether it might ‘freeze’ a new artist up as I firmly believe the most essential thing to producing good work is to be relaxed about it. This said however, she redeemed herself with a sensible lesson on enjoying drawing and not being overly critical of your work, realising that without mistake one doesn’t learn and grow. Would thoroughly recommend: much more than these ineffectual ‘copy me’ books. less

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