The airbrush has been rather elbowed out by computer graphic techniques lately, but this is a timely reminder that the medium has rather more painterly qualities than pure technology can provide. This new book packs a lot into its 144 pages and, necessarily therefore, skates over a certain amount.
Although it’s intended to appeal to beginners as well as the more experienced artist, I can’t help feeling that a complete tyro would do well to seek out something a little more basic to begin with. Although types of gun and basic techniques are covered, there’s no real disguising that this quickly develops into something of a masterclass, with a series of demonstrations that make heavy demands on your technical ability.
None of this is to say that this isn’t a hugely worthwhile book, and it’s also true that the airbrush is a difficult tool to learn and handle, albeit one which repays study and diligence. The accompanying DVD features all the six demonstrations and goes a long way to helping you follow what’s going on.
Author: Roland Kuck, Medium: Airbrush, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Techniques
If you were going to buy just one book on painting in watercolour, you wouldn’t go far wrong with this one. Looked at from the perspective of someone who has seen a great many art instruction books, from the basic to the advanced and from the brilliant to the terrible, my first impression is that there isn’t anything special about this one. On the other hand, that is in many ways its strength. Sally Harper covers a wide range of techniques and subjects without going into more detail on any of them than a beginner needs. The page format is relatively small, but that also makes it unintimidating and tends to concentrate one thing to each spread, which also makes it straightforward to follow.
All in all, this is a book it’s hard not to damn with faint praise, which is a shame, because it’s good value and sits well with the market it’s aimed at.
Author: Sally Harper, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Artist’s Handbook, Subject: Techniques
Well here’s something refreshingly different. Translated from a French original, this is a look at the more intimate corners of landscapes in an attractively loose style that should suit the British eye. A series of nine demonstrations looks at landscapes and waterscapes, producing really rather charming results that provide a perspective that’s often overlooked.
Author: Jean-Claude Chaillou, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: New Holland, Subject: Landscape, Subject: Still life, Subject: Waterscape
This is a worthwhile introduction to the art of figure drawing that, while it won’t tell the more experienced artist anything they don’t already know, is an excellent and really quite thorough primer that gives valuable advice to the novice.
Viv Foster provides a useful grounding in basic anatomy that won’t make you feel as though you’ve bought a medical textbook and then explains, with copious illustrations, the shapes and structure of male and female figures. All of this takes up the first half of the book before we get to more detailed poses, which are dealt with in some detail, using step by step demonstrations where necessary. The overall style is quite loose and may not suit those who want a more detailed likeness, however, but it should also provide a solid grounding for anyone new to the subject. If this is something that interests you, but you have little experience, you’d do a lot worse than start here. You’ll almost certainly want more advanced and more detailed books later, but this is an excellent first step.
Author: Viv Foster, Medium: Drawing, Publisher: A&C Black, Series: Artist’s Handbook, Subject: Figure
Terry Harrison is among the best there is at explaining the technical process of painting and he’s also a very generous teacher, unafraid to share his many personal secrets.
This series from Search Press is developing nicely and they’ve done well to be selective about who they get to contribute to it, because it’s an easy format to do, but a hard one to get right. You get a good range of topics here, including painting from photographs, the use of additives, skies, foregrounds, trees, mountains, water and coastal scenes. There are plenty of illustrations with the text confined to simple captions that give you just the essential information so that you know what you’re looking at.
Author: Terry Harrison, Medium: Acrylic, Publisher: Search Press, Series: Top Tips, Subject: Techniques
Do you see what they did there? It’s a clever portmanteau word that sums up exactly what this book is about, namely, a thorough collection of embroidery stitches.
I’m not qualified to say whether it lives up to its strapline: “the only embroidery reference you’ll ever need”, but it claims to include blackwork, canvas work, crewel work, hardanger, pulled work and stumpwork. To a non-specialist, it certainly looks the part and the instructions seem admirably clear and well laid out.
Author: Helen Winthorpe Kendrick, Medium: Embroidery, Publisher: A&C Black, Subject: Techniques
Once again, David Curtis comes up with a title that’s almost impossible to define, and yet it doesn’t matter. “Impact” could, I suppose, be the quality that grabs your viewer’s attention, and that’s certainly what we want, but how do you achieve it? I was going to say that you won’t find a straight answer here, although there is a section headed “Impact”, which pretty much confirms what I said above. “The degree of impact depends on the skill of the individual artist in selecting, responding to and interpreting ideas” – a deceptively simple statement which could be summed up as, “either you’ve got it or you haven’t”.
The truth, however, is that we all know what impact is, especially in relation to David’s work, because he undoubtedly has it and, if any of his experience is going to rub off, then working through one of his books is the nearest most of us are going to get. Like most of David’s books, this is about the creative process of painting rather than being a detailed instruction manual, but he has much to say and it’s worth hanging on his every word, except when your breath is being taken away by the quality of the illustrations.
David’s work is almost impossible to review. You know you’re in the presence of greatness and, if you like his style, then this latest book isn’t going to disappoint you. Be honest, all I really have to do is tell you it’s available, isn’t it?
Author: David Curtis, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Landscape, Subject: Seascape
Generally speaking, the Ready to Paint series has proved its worth with a huge variety of subjects and media. Here, you have tracings for five major New York landmarks – Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, The Flatiron Building, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty – that you can complete from the comfort of your armchair, either as a record of an actual visit or as an aspiring tourist. Writing this as I am when flights are grounded by volcanic ash, the book suddenly takes on a strong relevance, too.
Author: Geoff Kersey, Medium: Watercolour, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Buildings, Subject: New York
Excuse me, Monet in Acrylics? Yes folks, in the comfort of your own home you can reproduce accurately the works of one of the great Impressionists using a medium that wasn’t available to him. How cool is that?
I’m sorry, but it’s hard not to have just a little fun at the expense of a series which has proved its value elsewhere and has now strayed into the realms of the Old Masters. My first reaction is not to be convinced by this departure but, if you want to measure yourself against the greatest, or just have a little fun, then this will do it for you. As a painting instruction manual, I have my doubts about its value, but is this what it ever intends to be, I wonder? Time and sales will tell.
Author: Noel Gregory, Medium: Acrylic, Publisher: Search Press, Series: Ready To Paint, Subject: Monet
Rather than a conventional instruction manual, this is more of a celebration of the medium of acrylics that reads like one of those “good enough to eat” cookery books. It’s not often than an art book features pictures of swirls of paint, but the author started out as a photographer and he captures some startling images. Even in his paintings, the paint itself becomes part of the composition and there’s something somehow luscious about the results. It’s all intriguing and sometimes a little disturbing, too.
This certainly isn’t a book for anyone looking to learn how to paint but, as an immersion in the medium, it’s really rather beautiful.
Author: Jean-Paul van Boxtel, Medium: Acrylic, Publisher: Search Press, Subject: Techniques